THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: Minds might matter in key Seahawks, 49ers matchup

It’s hard to tell if Mike Macdonald is clever or naïve.

Mac’s Seahawks slug it out with the 49ers at 5 p.m. on Saturday night, with the NFC West title handed to the winner.

The NFL and its TV partners have been heavily criticized for pushing the game into the current TV time slot, while the glamor position Sunday night belongs to Pittsburgh (9-7) and Baltimore (8-8).

Is America really crying out to see the Steelers and Ravens?

Meanwhile, the Seahawks (13-3) and San Francisco (12-4) can take Saturday evening and live with it.

Among the scheduling issues:

Shouldn’t the best teams get the prime position, and give their stars an extra day’s recovery?

In the case of the Seahawks, they’ve been stuck with the short week AND a 5,500-mile round trip to Charlotte as a warm-up for the 49ers.

You’d think the Hawks coaches and staff would be steaming, yet nothing but peace and tranquility drifts from Seattle HQ.

“Whatever. When’s the game?” Macdonald said softly.

“All right, let’s go put together a plan.

“Let’s go.”

IT’S HARD to know what (or how much) coaches truly are sharing with you, about injuries or anything else.

Until proven otherwise, we’ll give Macdonald the benefit of the doubt on matters which MIGHT be totally true.

Or otherwise.

The NFL is fairly strict about injury and availability these days, mainly because gamblers are crawling all over the place.

Rather than tempt these characters to snoop for information by creeping down chimneys or setting up military electronics, the league has decided to come clean right from the start.

Each team must release a list of players who are practicing — and do it three times each week, beginning on Tuesday.

A good thought, but easily dodged.

For instance, the Seahawks would rather the world doesn’t know the status of left tackle Charles Cross, who has missed two games with a hamstring problem.

The team can list Cross as a “partial participant” in Wednesday’s practice.

What does that mean, anyhow?

Is Cross ripping it up and ready to face the 49ers this weekend, or is he watching the Wednesday workout from a wheelchair?

In the case of this showdown in Santa Clara, the health of Cross — and backup Josh Jones, who has played that left tackle spot for the past two weeks — is hugely important.

The two-deep injury issue at left tackle is particularly critical because Cross is an All-Pro and Jones has been surprisingly solid.

“Josh has done a great job,” Macdonald said of Jones, a six-year NFL veteran who was signed in the spring to add depth at guard and tackle.

“I’m really excited to see how he’s played, stepped in and been ready to play. He’s played hard, playing assignment sound, playing our style of ball.’’

Except that right now, Jones is playing no style of ball.

That’s if the injury report can be believed, of course.

THE GAME of truth and lies among coaches used to be more outrageous.

And more fun, really.

Bears legend George Halas tried all sorts of stunts in his time, and once had a scout caught in a tree overlooking the 49ers’ practice field.

The godfather of cheating, though, was Al Davis.

The NFL had a rule in that era that teams had to send game tapes to their next opponent.

The Raiders complied.

More or less.

They stalled before putting together a shipment, and then sent it via Zantop International Airlines (yes, it really existed …without a proper license).

Teams around the league swore that Davis was having Zantop route his game tapes through South America.

Then there was the matter of spying.

Onetime Chargers coach Harland Svare had to be dragged down from a shower nozzle at the Oakland Coliseum.

Svare was pulled away, yelling: “I know you’re up there, Al. I know you are!”

Even a good old boy like Mike Macdonald can get into the disinformation business — without any spies or skullduggery.

A few odd sentences during press events can do the job pretty well.

For instance, when pressed this week on the possibility that Cross might be active against the 49ers, Macdonald offered an answer that would have made Al Davis proud.

“Some things need to happen before (Cross) plays,” Macdonald said.

“I’d say it’s a non-zero chance that he plays, but we’ll see.”

Non-zero, Mike?

OK, then.

Email: [email protected]

Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press three times each week, normally Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday unless, you know, stuff happens.

Steve suggests you take his opinions in the spirit of a Jimmy Buffett song: “Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On."

    JACOB KUPFERMAN/Associated Press Seattle Seahawks coach Mike MacDonald looks on during Sunday's game between the Carolina Panthers and the Seattle Seahawks in Charlotte, N.C.