AP

Seattle Seahawks backup quarterback Charlie Frye hands the football to running back T.J. Duckett during morning practice at NFL football training camp Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2008, in Kirkland, Wash. With quarterback Matt Hasselbeck nursing a sore back, Frye could see playing time Saturday as the Seahawks play the Chicago Bears in Seattle.

KIRKLAND, Wash. - Charlie Frye found a number of pluses to being out there with the Seahawks' No. 1 unit, no longer having to direct everything with the reserves.

"It's kind of fun. When you're in there with the second group you sometimes have to be more of a director -- making the line calls sometimes, making sure everyone is on the same page," Frye said Tuesday. "With the guys who have been there before, they kind of do it for you."

The third-string quarterback was working with Seattle's offensive starters on Tuesday, perhaps a sign of increased playing time this week when Seattle hosts Chicago in its second preseason game. Matt Hasselbeck slightly injured his back against Minnesota last Friday, giving the opportunity for Frye to work with the offensive starters, and in some situations against the defensive starters.

"It's great work for me. The holes are smaller and you have to be very accurate going against the first team (defense)," Frye said. "There are a lot of great players over there."

Frye hasn't seen much of the field since his trade from Cleveland to Seattle after he started the regular season opener for the Browns a year ago. Seattle's coaches would love to see Frye grow to be a capable backup for Hasselbeck, giving them a chance to use athletic backup QB Seneca Wallace at other spots.

"It's a chance for me to run some more plays that I haven't had the opportunity to run," Frye said. "Instead of the basic hitch and slant throws, I've been running more of the fancy plays."

CHOP RETURNS: Oft-injured offensive lineman Floyd "Pork Chop" Womack was back at practice on Tuesday afternoon for the first time since suffering a minor knee injury in the Seahawks' scrimmage on Aug. 2.

Womack said he hurt the knee when he took a misstep coming out of his stance during the scrimmage, and just needed a little time to heal.

"It always feels good to get back to practice. You want to be on the same page as everybody out there," Womack said. "It's never good to be on the sideline watching practice."

Womack played in 14 regular season games last season, the second-most of his career, and is expected to be a key reserve again this year. He had surgery following last season on his right biceps.

BUS CHANGES: The Seahawks announced Tuesday that fans who normally take Metro transit buses from park-and-ride lots to Seahawks games will need to find alternate transportation to preseason games. A new federal rule said that private bus operators could bid to provide transportation services for fans and Metro would not be permitted to operate the previous bus service. The law obligated the Seahawks to negotiate with those charter bus companies.

The team said it received one bid that would increase passenger fares by $14 and did not include approvals to use roadways, park-and-ride lots and staging areas.

"We are very disappointed," Seahawks' CEO Tod Leiweke said in a statement. "We have made the game day experience one of our highest priorities. The bid we received did not address our requirements for a safe, effective or reliable bus plan. We will continue to work toward a resolution to meet the needs of our fans."

The team says regular Metro service and Sound Transit ST Express buses are options for now and have stops within three blocks of Qwest Field.

QUICK HITS: DT Rocky Bernard appeared to twist his right ankle at the end of the Tuesday morning practice. He initially hobbled, but left the field with only a slight limp. He took the afternoon session off. ... Other notables not practicing on Tuesday included Hasselbeck, FB Leonard Weaver and C Chris Spencer. ... Seattle signed OL Nick Jones to take the roster spot of DT Marcus Tubbs, who was cut on Monday.