RENTON, Wash. -- Seattle Seahawks quarterback Tarvaris Jackson was limited in practice Thursday but said he continues to feel improvement in his strained pectoral muscle.
"I feel a lot better," Jackson said. "I know I'm going to play Sunday now. Last week, it was kind of like 'I think I'm going to play.'
"Once Sunday comes and the adrenaline is flowing, you're more worried about the guys on the other side of the ball than your shoulder, so you don't really think about it."
Jackson has posted the two highest passing totals of his career this season, including the career-high 323 yards performance against Cincinnati despite the injured pectoral muscle last Sunday. The Seahawks are at Dallas Cowboys this weekend.
Jackson is doing enough to make the Seahawks think he could be a long-term option at quarterback.
"I'm looking at it that way, yeah," coach Pete Carroll said. "I think I'm probably more appreciative than you guys are at this time because we haven't won enough games to make you excited about it. But I'm seeing the things that he's able to do that gives us a chance to run an offense like we like to run it."
Jackson has been given the freedom by offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell to call plays at the line of scrimmage out of the no-huddle offense Seattle has been using for the last month.
"Tarvaris has a great handle on it," Bevell said. "He really does a nice job. He understands the tempo that we're looking for."
Jackson has completed 61 percent of his passes this season and thrown for six touchdowns in his five starts.
"I'm always about wins," Jackson said. "That's what I really pride myself in and that's what all quarterbacks should be judged on. That's what I want to be judged on. Right now, 2-5 is not going to get the job done."
Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press
