Seahawks notebook: Cox out, Shead in; Harvin rests

By Danny O’Neil

The Seahawks didn’t clear up their cornerback situation on Wednesday.

In fact, it remains as confusing as ever after the team released Perrish Cox 24 hours after announcing his signing and promoted DeShawn Shead from the practice squad.

The promotion of Shead was expected. It’s the release of Cox that’s a shocker as well as the fact cornerback Brandon Browner remains on the 53-man roster. Not only is he injured, having suffered a seriously strained groin at Atlanta in Week 10, but he is facing a year-long suspension for violating the substance-abuse policy, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

That suspension has not been implemented, which leaves Browner on the roster at least for now, but stay tuned. Things tend to change quickly. Just ask Cox.

Harvin rests

Percy Harvin sat out practice on Tuesday, and he was expected to be limited on Wednesday, according to coach Pete Carroll. But before anyone worries, realize that a little extra rest is going to be part of the protocol for Harvin.

“We’ve got to really manage him and take care of him as much as possible,” Carroll said. “So we’re going to keep looking for those opportunities until he is just fully strong and has no impact from the game that we just played.”

Harvin was on the field for 16 plays with Seattle’s offense in his Seahawks debut against Minnesota, and he also returned a kickoff. Expect that number to climb considerably, perhaps even double against the Saints.

In the meantime, though, expect him to get rest early in the week, an approach that could continue.

“We’ll go day-to-day with how we take care of him,” Carroll said. “That’s what we’re facing, I think, through probably the entire finish of the regular season.”

Wilson measures up

When Seattle hosts New Orleans on Monday night, it will be the first time quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Drew Brees have been on opposing teams in a game.

Just don’t say it’s their first meeting.

That occurred last January at the Pro Bowl when they met face-to-face and talked eye-to-eye given that these are two of the shortest starting quarterbacks in the league.

“I was kind of waiting for the opportunity to see him,” Brees said Wednesday in a conference call with Seattle-area reporters.

So was Wilson. Brees knew that from playing with receiver Nick Toon, who was Wilson’s teammate at Wisconsin.

They’re also linked by a shared trait: height. Or specifically, the lack of it. Wilson was measured at 5-feet-10 and 5/8 inches at the scouting combine while Brees is listed at 6 feet.

The fact that Brees and Wilson are starting for the winningest teams in the league right now says plenty about how telling that trait is.

“There’s so many other more important things about playing the quarterback position besides your height,” Brees said. “There’s a leadership ability. There’s a playmaking ability. There’s instinctive things you can’t teach, you can’t tell by watching a guy throw a ball or run a 40-yard dash.”