That Sucked

All last week I was going back and forth about when I should start talking about the draft and prepping for the 2009 season. Tonight's game against the Buccs produced an overwhelming 'now'. This season is done. Really, the season was done last week, but any hope vanished tonight, both with the loss and, more importantly, the ridiculously poor performance. This team can't do anything. Will they win even four games this season? I'm not even sure they'll beat the Rams when the go to St. Louis.

I have to say I'm especially disappointed with Seneca Wallace's performance. Maybe I think too highly of him. Maybe Deion Branch and Nate Burleson are much better than we (I) gave them credit for. I guess it could be that these receivers are awful (and if that's the case, why not play Jordan Kent? And why did we give up a fifth-round pick if Colbert isn't going to do anything?). I've loved Wallace as a backup since his 2006 performance and his projected growth since then. There's a great chance he'll start a couple more games, and I really wanted to see him come up big. But it looks like he's become infected with whatever has got into every other Seahawk player.

I guess it's time to start projecting the Mora era.

Bad Team

John Morgan, FieldGulls:

Five games in, I have no rational hope for this team. Something has invaded this organization, its coaching, its talent, its management, that has poisoned it to its core. It's no longer a matter of a good team underachieving, this is a bad team playing to form.

It's true. The Seahawks aren't a good team playing poorly. They're a poor team.

Five games in, I have no rational hope for this team. Something has invaded this organization, its coaching, its talent, its management, that has poisoned it to its core. It's no longer a matter of a good team underachieving, this is a bad team playing to form.

During the third preseason game Mike Tirico made a comment (which I objected to) about how the team might respond if a (god forbid!) 2-3 start were to happen. Well, we're here. Actually, we're worse. And if this continues for another couple of games (at Tampa, at a surprisingly-explosive San Francisco, home vs. Philadelphia), the Seahawks will be in a position where the reasonable response will be to start planning for next year. With as bad as the Seahawks have been playing, and with Hasselbeck potentially out for a long time, it's not unreasonable to think the Seahawks will be 1-7 after eight games. At that point, the unfortunately-there elephant in the room - Holmgren's final season - will have to be addressed.

I'll hold off on the 'what to keep, what to toss' post (or set of posts) until there's nothing else to write about. For now, I just hope Holmgren can find a way to go out with his head up.

Let's Be Real...

The Seahawks aren't making the playoffs.

The last chance the Seahawks had vanished when the Cardinals blocked a punt to win in overtime, and that last chance would have been due only to the ineptitude of other NFC West teams. The Seahawks would have had a sliver of a chance only because Arizona would have shown they couldn't get out of their own way. Now, Arizona has a pair of big wins over Buffalo and Dallas. They're a full two games ahead of the second place, 2-4 49ers, whom they also have a win over. Barring and injury-riddled collapse, the Cardinals have this division locked up. I've already posited that the Seahawks have no chance at a wildcard spot, but I'll hammer home the point now:

• The NFC East has three teams with four wins and a fourth team, Dallas, with three wins.
• The NFC North has three teams with three wins.
• The NFC South has three teams with four wins and a fourth team, my preseason dark horse New Orleans, with three wins.

That's ten teams with three or more wins, of which seven will be fighting for two wildcard spots. The NFC is incredibly strong this year. I was shocked when I looked at the divisional standings. Ten teams are at least two games better than the Seahawks. You know what else that means? It means the Seahawks have a horrible record.

Who else is in the one-win club? Cleveland. Houston. Oakland. Kansas City. St. Louis. Seattle.

Right now, the Seahawks have a better shot at a top-10 pick than they do the playoffs. Depressing...

Be Careful What You Wish For

Somewhere, in some dark corner of my brain, I'm sure I found myself wishing, after watching their obvious chemistry, that Charlie Frye would get a chance to throw to Jordan Kent in a real game.  Those two were a money combo in the second and third preseason games.

Well, now it's starting to sound like Hasselbeck won't be playing Sunday.  Seneca Wallace is already out with a reaggravation of his calf injury.  So, if Matt can't go, Charlie Frye gets to step up.

Yikes.

So, what's the potential bright side of this?  I have a few.

1. Above all else, everybody on the team, offense, defense, and special teams, steps up their game to compensate.  I don't know if this means better preparation, better focus, or just giving that much more effort than they otherwise would have.
2. On a similar note, use the loss of your leader as a point to rally the team around.  Thank goodness this is a home game.
3. Establish the running game from the start.  Holmgren (probably) won't feel comfortable coming out with his normal plan, and instead tries to run the ball down the throat of the Packers (who have given up 100-yard rushing games in four of their five games).  Let Julius Jones carry this team.
4. With a greater focus on the run, both by the Seahawks and the Packers, there should be plenty of extra space for the Seahawks receivers to get open.

It's going to be a tough game, and without Hasselbeck the Seahawks are probably an underdog, even at home.  But, the Packers are equally banged up, and if, say, Aaron Rodgers gets knocked, the Seahawks could feast on Matt Flynn.

Sometimes it's just not your year, and if the Seahawks lose this game it's probably Not Their Year.  Hell, even if they win it may not be their year.  Realistically the Seahawks probably have to win this game and the Tampa game, and then the 49ers game before the season is no longer on life support.  Time to cheer extra-hard.

The Curse of Forsett is Lifted!

Justin Forsett was signed to the Seahawks practice squad today.  All is right in the world again, and the Seahawks will go on to win their next 12 games and ride the momentum all the way to a Super Bowl championship.

On a more serious note, there had to be some bad vibes around the team, certainly among the running backs, when Forsett was lost to the Colts.  At the same time Jordan Kent was cut while Courtney Taylor was kept.  I know it was wishful thinking on the behalf of the coaches, but it's obvious to all of us in hindsight that Taylor wasn't ready for the job.  I'm wondering if there weren't rumblings in the locker room about favoritism?  This is certainly on a much smaller scale than the favoritism shown to Shaun Alexander, but the underlying principle is enough rub some players the wrong way.  As much as I love having Holmgren as the coach of the Seahawks, he does have a few flaws, one of which him letting his affection for players get in the way of playing the best players.

So, Kent is back but may not play, and Forsett is back but definitely won't play, but I think whether they play is insignificant compared to the lightening of spirits that will follow the return of these two hard-working young players.

I Just Found a Reason to Watch Sunday's Game

First, I'll qualify that statement.  Other than Sunday or Monday night games, maybe two Seahawk games get televised in LA each season.  Last weekend was one such lucky (or unlucky) weekend.  For the remaining weekends I have to decide whether I want to spend the $20 (more if I treat my girlfriend for coming with me) to sit at a sports bar for three hours to watch the game.  Some weekends, even if I have nothing else going on, it's just not worth it.  This weekend's game was one I was on the fence about.  Then, courtesy of Mike Sando, I learn that Jordan Kent has been signed.  Awesome.  I don't know much about evaluating football talent but I do know this: Jordan Kent caught passes, which more than can be said for Courtney Taylor, who incidentally was the player released in favor of Kent.

So, this means Kent is playing this weekend, right?  Well, after thinking for a moment, not necessarily.  It only means Holmgren wants to retain the option of activating, and possibly playing, Kent.  Still, that speaks to progress - or a serious regression by Courtney Taylor.  What a fall from grace.

Another interesting tidbit from Sando - the Colts released Justin Forsett.  Huh.  So, if the Seahawks initially wanted him on the practice squad, they'd put a claim in for him now, right?  I mean, has anything changed since he was lost to the Colts?  I'm not saying anything, I'm just saying...

Anyway, what I like best about signing Kent, and maybe this is just me, but Kent brings excitement to the game.  He brings an extra 'gamer' element, which is something that could be used on game day.  I haven't heard much reporting about Kent since he was cut, but last I heard he wasn't learning Deion Branch's position.  Courtney Taylor was, but he obviously hadn't learned it enough.  Kent is so inexperienced that I wouldn't expect he would be inserted for Branch in this game.  So who fills in for Branch at flanker?  Colbert?  Engram has filled in at one or both of the outside receiver spots before, so maybe move him outside with Bumpus in the slot?  Or use two tight ends with Carson in the slot?  As for split end, it'll be between Robinson, McMullen, or Kent.  I'm tired of McMullen - he was a good story in the Rams game, but otherwise he's hurt more than helped.  If Kent doesn't play because Robinson is healthy enough to go, I'd be fine with that.

The Defense as a Whole

I'm not sure why I decided to single-out Julian Peterson first, because the defense as a whole failed miserably yesterday.  I'm not the best person to give advice as to where to defense should go from here, but I'll talk about where to go because I can't get it out of my head.

Somewhere (FieldGulls? SeahawkAddicts?) I heard the suggestion of putting Hobbs in as the starting corner opposite Trufant.  What's the worse that could happen? (Snark alert)  The current starting right corner is already getting torched.  Hobbs looked great in preseason (I know, it's preseason, I don't really care right now), and Wilson is more of a nickel corner (or so I've read).

Of course, if we're shaking up the secondary, Brian Russell should probably be benched too.  Babineaux?  I guess if I'm looking for something different, sure, try him there instead.  Could we put C.J. Wallace at strong safety and move Grant to Free Safety?  I'd be up for trying that.

Tapp is really starting to look like a second-round bust.  That guy can't get any pressure off of right end.  I'd love to suggest playing Lawrence Jackson inside a-la Justin Tuck (they're nearly identical in size, btw) to aid in the pass rush, but Tapp is hardly reliable as his backup.  Jason Babin was getting great pressure in the preseason, so we had to cut him.  Meanwhile Baraka Atkins has zero tackles in four games.  I don't even know which games he's been active.

Sigh.... this is just a day full of rants.

Julian Peterson

I was about to write a post (which will appear later) that started with "I don't have much more to add on top of what I wrote yesterday," and then I started thinking about the game and I immediately came up with a bunch of things to add.  I'll keep this post limited to some thoughts on Julian Peterson.

On two consecutive plays early in yesterday's game, Julian Peterson literally bounced off Brandon Jacobs while trying to tackle him.  Dude is supposed to be a pro-bowl linebacker and he's bouncing off a running back like a superball.

Tim Ruskell is all about building a smallish defense built around speed, and Peterson is perfectly representative of this.  I watched the Pittsburgh-Jacksonville game last night.  Every time I watch the Steelers play I come away amazed at the size of their linebackers.  I know they run a 3-4, so their linebackers have to be a little bigger, but the difference is beyond noticeable to the naked eye.  The Steelers' linebackers are built.  The two outside linebackers for the Steelers average 6'1", 258 lbs.  Peterson, a 4-3 outside linebacker, is 6'4", 240 lbs, and is skinny as hell.  How is he supposed to take down a 265 lbs back like Jacobs?  Exactly - he doesn't.

Peterson's smallness may be sticking out more due to the (horrendous) play the Seahawks are getting out of their right defensive end, but I'm starting to get tired of seeing Peterson unable to tackle running backs and tight ends.  I know he gets a bunch of sacks each year, but that shouldn't be a reason to inflate his value.  I would much rather have the linebackers focus on making tackles and let the ends pile up the sacks.  Again, the right ends aren't doing squat, but if they were the Seahawks wouldn't have to rely on a smallish outside linebacker to produce pressure, probably at the expense of overall tackling ability, specifically in stopping the run.

I know Peterson got a huge six-year contract, and hopefully it's front-loaded, as it would be a shame to lose Hill because too much money is already committed to an aging (31 at the start of the 2009 season), undersized veteran with a large contract.

No Longer Watching the Seahawks Game

Not by choice though. The game was such a blowout that Fox switched to the Eagles-Redskins game. I would have liked to have watched Seneca Wallace play, but at that point it's like watching a preseason game. Of course I would have watched to the bitter end (how often do I get to watch Seahawks games in my living room?) but Fox just put me out of my misery. Now I have a chance to watch some competitive games.

So, let's get onto some quick thoughts about the three quarters I did see:

The Giants are a damn good team. I didn't really believe it until I watched them in this game. From a pure win-loss perspective, there's no shame in losing to the Giants in the Meadowlands. (There is, however, shame in losing by 40 points to anybody. The Giants treated the Seahawks like the Seahawks treated the Rams. Ouch).

Deion Branch left the game with another injury. Deion is a great guy, and a good weapon when healthy, but this guy doesn't stay healthy. Did he have problems staying healthy in New England? The sad truth is that the Seahawks' receiving situation is completely handicapped by Branch's contract and his potential. He's like D.J. Hackett only three-times as expensive.

But, on the flip side, the only receivers with meaningful receptions in this game were Branch and Engram. McMullen is awful. Daryl Johnston spotlighted a horribly-run route by McMullen early in the game, where in jogging out of his route he allowed the defensive back to break up the completion, which I believe would have been a third-down conversion otherwise. McMullen was pulled off the scrap heap of unsigned receivers for a reason.

Where was John Carlson? I'm not even sure if I saw him targeted. That's just good defense I guess, but with a dearth of good receivers Carlson needs to be a reliable target.

Kelly Jennings has regressed. Or maybe there's enough game film on him that offensive play-callers know how to attack him. Whatever the case he's become an absolute liability, especially on deep passes. I don't know how this can be fixed, but it is currently the greatest weakness on defense, and opposing teams are exploiting it every week.

Lastly, I know I said this game was house money.... but the Seahawks did lose something today - hopes of beating any NFC East team in the playoffs. At least, if the playoffs were to start next week, the Seahawks wouldn't be able to be, well, pretty much any NFC playoff team. Of course, at 1-3, if the playoffs started today, the Seahawks wouldn't even be in the playoffs. At this point, I'm still not worried about the Seahawks having a chance to make the playoffs - this game wasn't supposed to be a win, and ultimately it will be all about beating Arizona twice. But this loss is certainly demoralizing. I'm much less confident about the Seahawks chances against the Packers next week, what with Aaron Rodgers looking good this week and the Packers coming in off a tough home loss.

Thoughts on the Giants Game - Preview Edition

My girlfriend is an east-coaster. I, obviously, am a west-coaster. We like to argue about which coast is better, and there are pluses and minuses to each, of course. One of the huge pluses to living on the west coast is that I get NFL games at 10am on Sunday mornings. This Sunday will be one of the lucky occasions where I get the Seahawks at 10am in my living room.

I'm looking at this game like gambling with house money. What (besides more injuries) can the Seahawks lose? Conventional wisdom around the league is that the Giants are one of the best, if not the best, teams in the league. The Seahawks started horribly, and have already shown this year that they don't travel to the east coast well. I haven't seen a single pundit pick the Seahawks, and really, I can't expect any of them to. Hell, in my pick 'em leagues I'm picking the Giants. The Seahawks should have no business winning this game.

So, what happens if they lose? I initially ranked this game as the third-most difficult game of the season, and it has to be more difficult than a home game against the Brady-less Patriots. Regardless of what the Seahawks record is now, regardless of their division or conference standings, unless they were thinking this game was going to be the difference between 15-1 or 14-2, this wasn't a game that they had to win to get into the playoffs. Now, the 49ers game at home was one they had to win, and now they have to make up for it, but this Giants game isn't that. The game at Tampa, or home vs. Philadelphia, those are the tough games they now have to win to make up for the loss to the 49ers. This game, again, is house money.

Regardless of the final score, if the Seahawks come away from the game without a major injury, they can't be worse off than they are today. Perhaps you can argue that a Rams-style blowout would put them in a worse place in terms of confidence and momentum, but horrible losses can be put in the rear-view mirror.

But think of what a win would do. First, in terms of wins and losses, it would be an absolute steal and would completely make up for the 49ers loss. It will make the trips to Tampa, Miama, and maybe Dallas, easier from the standpoint of having confidence in travelling east. Maybe most important of all, a win would go a large way towards writing off the first two losses to injuries - to the receivers, to Locklear, to Morris. It would put the Seahawk right back on track as the favorite in the NFC West, and give them a ton of momentum going into a home game against a beat-up Packers team.

House money. That means no worries when watching on Sunday.