RENTON, Wash. — Mike Holmgren's four top wide receivers are injured. He had just two healthy ones left — and they have nine career catches combined. Heck, he's even employing his backup quarterback at the position.

"We're holding receiver tryouts this afternoon. Anyone care to give it a go?" the smiling Seattle Seahawks coach joked Wednesday to an auditorium full of everyday men and women.

Nobody jumped at the invite. They didn't want to get hurt, too.

Nate Burleson's season-ending knee injury this week and Ben Obomanu's broken clavicle last week sent the four-time defending NFC West champions into the street to find replacements. Two arrived Wednesday, in time for the most extensive practice before Sunday's game against San Francisco.

Billy McMullen and Samie Parker are both on their fourth NFL chances. Both will likely see extensive time at wide receiver against the 49ers, though probably not as much as No. 2 quarterback Seneca Wallace. Wallace may start opposite Courtney Taylor, who had two drops and looked overwhelmed last week.

Drastic measures for drastic times?

"That's a very good way to put it," Holmgren said, chuckling.

Moments earlier, Seattle placed its eighth player on injured reserve. That's the most in the NFL. Starting right guard Rob Sims is the latest out for the season. He tore a pectoral muscle during last weekend's 34-10 loss at Buffalo but kept playing. Veteran backup Floyd Womack will start at right guard Sunday.

On Tuesday, the Seahawks fired Ryan Plackemeier, the punter they drafted in 2006. Wednesday, they signed Jon Ryan to replace him. Ryan was one of Green Bay's last cuts in training camp.

"This is pretty bizarre," veteran receiver Bobby Engram said, surveying the fallout in the new-look locker room.

And Engram has a broken shoulder. The team record holder with 94 catches last season is not due back until perhaps October.

McMullen said he knew Seattle had some injuries, "but I didn't know until I got here it was that bad."

The Seahawks had two starting right guards in five years before Chris Gray had to retire during the preseason because of a serious back injury. They'll have two in the first two weeks of this season.

Pro Bowl quarterback Matt Hasselbeck missed all but two series of the preseason with back spasms and looked rusty in the rain while completing just 17 of 41 throws against the Bills. Starting running back Maurice Morris is out at least two weeks with a sprained right knee, leaving that job to Julius Jones. Pro Bowl linebacker Lofa Tatupu is wearing hard, cast-like protection over his right thumb and doesn't want to talk about it.

It all could make the 60-year-old Holmgren think, "I agreed to come back to coach a final season for THIS?"

Holmgren just laughs at that.

"No, it's part of the challenge," he said, knowing Arizona was the only team in the division to win its opener. "The one thing that I absolutely know is that I did the right thing. This is not the first time that I have or the team has faced some adversity, my goodness. And it's one game. Hey, let's go. I'm OK.

"Look, the doom and gloom thing, let's just hold off on that just a little bit. Let's see where we're going with this."

This week they are going to the dynamic Wallace, who's been ready for years for this chance. He has caught two passes in the regular season and two more in the playoffs since 2005.

They are also going to McMullen, who seems more ready to play Sunday than Parker even though he didn't play for anybody last season.

Hasselbeck did spend extra time after practice throwing to Parker, who had 110 catches in four seasons with Kansas City before Carolina and Denver both cut him in the span of five days last month. But McMullen knows the foundation of Holmgren's West Coast offense.

He was in Washington's camp until his release Aug. 31. New Redskins coach Jim Zorn was Holmgren's quarterbacks coach until February. McMullen's 45 career games are with Philadelphia (2003-05) and Minnesota (2006). Eagles coach Andy Reid was Holmgren's assistant in Green Bay from 1992-98. And Vikings coach Brad Childress was Reid's offensive coordinator for four seasons in Philadelphia.

McMullen said the terminology from the three systems is the same as Holmgren's.

He didn't watch NFL games last season while working out and relaxing with his wife in Richmond, Va. It hurt too much.

"You play football every year since the sixth grade, it's different when you're not playing. Of course it pulls on you," he said. "It's painful."

Pain? He's in the right place in Seattle.