Kitna Will Start for Seahawks

With Brock Huard sidelined because of a bruised kidney, Jon Kitna is back as the Seattle Seahawks’ starting quarterback.

And Kitna might get to keep the job for the team’s final four games, Coach Mike Holmgren said.

Huard was injured in the first quarter Sunday against the Denver Broncos when he was sacked by linebacker John Mobley.

“I said before that when he comes back that he’s going to play the rest of the season,” Holmgren said of Huard. “He came back and got hurt. I’d have to really think about if I’m going to do that now, particularly now that we’re out of the playoffs.”

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Bronco guard Mark Schlereth will wait until his surgically repaired knee heals before making a decision about retiring or playing another year.

Schlereth has had three operations on his left knee in the last four months. The most recent surgery, last Tuesday, put him on the injured-reserve list and raised serious questions about his future.

“I’m on crutches for six weeks,” he said. “I’m going to wait until I get off crutches and see how my knees feel before I make a definite decision.”

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Buffalo Bill linebacker Sam Cowart is expected to be sidelined up to six weeks after suffering a sprained ankle on a hit the team considered dirty.

Cowart, who leads the NFL with 181 tackles, was hurt Sunday when Tampa Bay guard Frank Middleton caught him across his lower left leg in the second quarter of the Buccaneers’ 31-17 victory.

“For you to be beside him and just go after his knee is unethical,” Coach Wade Phillips said. “I think it was uncalled-for.”