Matt Hasselbeck or Charlie Whitehurst? Seahawks coach Pete Carroll isn't saying

RENTON — Matt Hasselbeck and Charlie Whitehurst will both be available for Saturday's wild-card playoff game against New Orleans, according to coach Pete Carroll.

Offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates went so far as saying the Seahawks are in good shape at quarterback.

Nobody would say just who would be starting at that position, though.

"At this point there's no point to say anything more about it from my perspective," Carroll said. "You may not think so, but we're going to keep going, and I'm pleased that we're in the position we're in there."

Carroll's poker face included a smile when asked if he needed to see that Hasselbeck was healthy after suffering a strained muscle in his hip and backside in Tampa, Fla., on Dec. 26.

"That would be good," Carroll said.

So is he fully healthy?

"I don't know that yet," Carroll said. "He's fully healthy in terms of what the demands of practice have presented for him."

Hasselbeck is not listed on Seattle's injury report, which means he participated fully in practice. It's actually Whitehurst who's sore after the jarring hit he took on an ill-executed slide attempt in Sunday's victory over St. Louis.

Carroll said he didn't know if he would wait all the way until game time before announcing a starting quarterback.

"I'll leave it open," Carroll said. "We'll figure it out. I want to get all the days in here. Each day is important for us to see how we're doing, to see how Charlie is doing. Just figure out where it is. I feel very comfortable with what we're doing as far as their turns and reps. Both quarterbacks are dead into this as much as they can be, and we'll have them both available. They both will be ready to play football so that's good, and we'll figure who's going to start in a little bit."

And finally, Carroll was asked if he knew who was going to start and was choosing not to tell anyone.

"You'll never know," he said.

Running tally

The New Orleans Saints placed Pierre Thomas on injured reserve Wednesday because of an ankle injury. Thomas missed nine games this season because of the injury, including the regular-season finale.

He is the second running back in two days the Saints placed on injured reserve. Chris Ivory was placed on the list Tuesday.

That means former Seahawk Julius Jones and Reggie Bush will likely get most of the workload.

"We've just got to get the next guy up and make sure we're prepared," New Orleans coach Sean Payton said in a conference call with Seattle-area reporters.

So is the next guy in line Jones, who was released by the Seahawks after they traded for Marshawn Lynch?

"I wouldn't assume he's taking the bulk of the carries," Payton said. "I was in Dallas when we drafted him so I'm familiar with the player. He's filled in in a real good role for us."

Jones played 10 games with the Saints and started two. He has rushed for 193 yards, but had a touchdown he scored on Nov. 21 against Seattle nullified by a holding penalty.

Notes

• Seahawks defensive-line coach Dan Quinn has accepted a job as Florida's defensive coordinator, though he will keep coaching Seattle until the playoffs conclude. Quinn worked with Florida's new coach Will Muschamp when both were assistants with the Miami Dolphins under Nick Saban.

• Seahawks right tackle Sean Locklear was absent from practice Wednesday, excused to travel to deal with a personal matter. The Seahawks expect him back in time for the game, but if Locklear isn't available, Stacy Andrews would start at right tackle.