RENTON, Wash. - Chris Spencer didn't do much. A few drills with fellow offensive linemen. More standing around, watching and resting his sore back.

So what? The Seahawks are so desperate to get their starting center back, they could have thrown a party for Spencer's first practice day on Monday.

"Yeah, definitely a start," the former first-round draft choice said. "I'm getting real close."

Close enough that Seattle is now relieved it won't have to start a fill-in guard at the key position of the offensive line when it begins defense of its four consecutive NFC West titles Sept. 7 at Buffalo. The Seahawks were also without expected backup center Chris Gray -- he had to retire this month with a potentially debilitating back injury. So backup guard Steve Vallos has been the first-team snapper.

Spencer has started 28 consecutive regular-season and postseason games dating to 2006, when he replaced the now-retired Robbie Tobeck at center.

"He didn't do much, but it's nice to have him back," coach Mike Holmgren said. "He's improved, so that's encouraging.

"It's better than it has been."

Last week, Holmgren sounded worried that Spencer couldn't tie his shoes without his lower back hurting. The coach also said it was getting to "a little bit of a crucial time" for Spencer to get back.

Job preserved -- even though Spencer may not play in next Monday night's preseason game at San Diego.

"I don't think I'm that far behind," said Spencer, Seattle's 26th overall pick in 2005 out of Mississippi. "It's just going to be about knocking the rust off and get going. I don't think it will take that long at all ... like riding a bike."

Spencer played all of 2007 essentially with one arm because of torn labrum cartilage in his left shoulder that started bothering him in training camp. He snapped right-handed, quickly having to find and fend off a charging, frenzied defender with that lone good arm.

Oh, yeah, the thumb of that right hand was mangled, too. So he had to concentrate on lessening pressure on the ball just so he could snap it.

How crazy was all that?

"Yeah," Spencer said, with an "oh well" tone. "You know how it is: When you have to play, you have to play."

In the offseason, Spencer had one surgery on his shoulder and another to reconstruct that mangled thumb. Then, after months of monotonous rehabilitation from those procedures, Spencer took the field for conditioning drills three weeks ago on reporting day for training camp -- and his lower back gave out.

"I told the trainers, 'You are going to have to get me anti-anxiety medication,"' Spencer said, laughing. "I spent all offseason rehabbing both shoulders and the thumb. And then my back gets hurt? Good night."

Vallos spent last season on the practice squad but fared relatively well while starting two preseason games. He knows his days as the first-team center are dwindling. And that's OK with him. The seventh-round draft choice in 2007 has proven his worth as a versatile backup to Spencer plus guards Rob Sims and Mike Wahle, and thus solidified his previously iffy place on the roster.

"Just starting these two preseason games was huge for me. I thought I did well," Vallos said.

When asked if he now feels more secure that he will make the team, Vallos smiled and chuckled.

"I definitely just feel a little more respect around here," he said.