NFL running backs take a lot of punches. That's why injuries, especially those to the midsection, are treated very carefully. Seattle Seahawks rookie running back Kenneth Walker III sustained one such injury, requiring surgery to repair an issue with his hernia.

Walker's Week 1 status is still up in the air, meaning he's not quite ready to take a beating on the field just yet.

But Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll might just Walker's recovery into his own hands, literally.

The veteran head coach gave this hilarious update on his rookie running back's status with a Week 1 matchup against the Denver Broncos around the corner. Pro Football Talk has the details.

“This is really uncharted territory for him and for us too in that regard in what he’s coming back from,” Carroll said. “He feels way better, he’s moving around, he was throwing the football around today it’s just going to be one day at a time and I told him I’m going to start punching him in the stomach here pretty soon, a couple days from now.”

Pete Carroll has a very interesting way of seeing if Kenneth Walker III is healthy for Week 1. The Seahawks coach is going to start punching his running back in the stomach! That will get the old hernia up and running in no time!

In all seriousness, this is a positive update from the Seahawks on Walker. It sounds like the Michigan State product is on track to play, as he's feeling “way better.”

While Carroll painted a picture of a very active Kenneth Walker III at practice, he did pump the brakes a bit, saying that they team is going to take this “one day at a time.”

Or perhaps one punch at a time?