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E-mail thisBy Dave Wyman
Here's the difference between a 5-2 team and a 2-5 team. The calls go your way, you don't suffer injuries in key positions, you inexplicably are the beneficiary of "the breaks" of the game, AND…. the ball bounces your way.
In the 1st quarter of yesterday's game against the Dallas Cowboys, Justin Forsett ripped off a nice 6-yard run that ended with Terrence Newman blasting him and forcing a fumble. The ball came out, bounced once on the turf and hopped right into the hands of Cowboy defensive back Orlando Scandrick.
Two plays later, Jordan Babineaux returned the favor by hitting Dallas receiver Miles Austin in similar fashion on a well-defended end around play. The ball popped straight up in the air and came down amidst 6 Seahawks and only 2 Cowboys. Instead of one-hopping into the hands of any one of those 6 Seahawk players, the ball landed gently on Austin's back, bounced off Josh Wilson's helmet and conveniently landed back in Austin's hands. That is a perfect example…a microcosm…of the entire '09 Seahawk season.
In 2005 when the Seahawks were 13-3 and headed into the playoffs and eventually Super Bowl XL, I set out to make the case that the Hawks could've been 16-0. As I went back through each game, what I found was a stronger case for the Hawks being 10-6. Lots of things went right for the Seahawks that year. The ball bounced their way and the calls went for the Hawks instead of against them (Uhhh…until the Super Bowl that is). When key players went down, backups stepped in and were productive. D-Jack goes down? No problem…Joe Jurevicius steps in and catches 10 touchdowns. Ken Hamlin goes down…Marquand Manuel fills in and plays as well if not better than Hamlin. When Jamie Sharper's old knees finally gave out…enter rookie Leroy Hill and his 7.5 sacks.
Another explanation for the Seahawks 38-17 loss in Dallas is one that no one wants to hear: The Cowboys were not going to be beat at home by any team yesterday. Going into this game, the #2-ranked Dallas offense was averaging 420 yards per game. They had endured only 9 "3-and-outs" before yesterday. It just wasn't going to happen for the Hawks, even with Lofa Tatupu and Walter Jones.
That's just football…
I'll admit that I do not like demonstrative displays of criticism between two players on the field of play. When two defensive backs blow coverage, I don't like to see one defender turn to the other and put his arms up in the air. There's an unwritten code that you don't call a teammate out like that. Yesterday, I didn't like seeing T.J. Houshmandzadeh motion to quarterback Matt Hasselbeck that he wanted the ball lofted over his shoulder instead of thrown on a line in one instance. But I have to say…that's just football. When you're losing and things aren't clicking the way you'd like, emotions run wild and players get heated up. That's what you saw out of Housh and Matt yesterday.
Shortly after that, there was an exchange between the two on the sidelines and if you're a lip reader like I am, you can see Matt's argument as well. He explained to TJ that it was a 3-step drop and that the ball has to come out when he hits his back foot and there's pressure and what can I do about that?
When I coached high school football with 710 ESPN Seattle insider Ray Roberts, we would have discussions like that all the time on the sidelines. And sometimes they got heated. But as we liked to say after the game, "That's just football." There were never any hard feelings and I wouldn't be surprised if #8 and #84 were playing cards together on the plane ride home. It's a different life down there on the field. And it is sometimes hard to understand if you haven't been there and if you're trying to interpret those expressions and gestures from 1,000 miles away. I'll say this….don't read too much into it.
Fast Start…
On a brighter note, middle linebacker David Hawthorne continues to impress. The 2nd year un-drafted free agent out of TCU had a Pro-Bowl-like stat line yesterday: 8 tackles, 3 of them for a loss, 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble and 1 pass break-up. Most impressive was his fast start. On the second play from scrimmage, had Leroy Hill not come underneath a block and allowed Marion Barber to leak outside, Hawthorne would've had 4 tackles for a loss. As it was, he made a tackle for loss on the next play and then again later in the first quarter.
Tackles for loss are a big deal when you think about it. Having lots of tackles does not always tell the whole story. I once had 16 tackles in a game against San Francisco and my name was in USA Today as the top tackler in the NFL that week. Problem was they were all tackles that occurred 20-yards down field! The 49ers racked up over 600-yards of offense that day and we got blown out. But when you make a tackle for a loss…it's almost as good as a sack.
I'm not ready to put a "Hawthorne for Pro-Bowl" sticker on my bumper just yet…but if he has one more game like that…I just might. Seriously! That's 2 starts….24 tackles, 2 sacks, 4 tackles for loss,1 interception and 2 pass break-ups.
And worse yet…
If it wasn't bad enough getting beat by one of the most beloved…and hated franchises in all of sport, much of it came at the hands of Dallas Cowboy receiver Miles Austin. Did anyone else notice he looks a little bit like a guy that plays for another much hated franchise? A-Rod's evil twin has come back to haunt Seahawk and Mariner fans alike!
Matt Pitman covers the Seattle Seahawks for 710 ESPN Seattle
and MyNorthwest.com. Matt has reported on Seattle sports
since 2000 and is the host for the Mariners pre and post game
shows on 710 ESPN Seattle. Follow Matt on Twitter @mattpitman
For the past 5 years, David Wyman has been a part of the
Seahawks pre and post game team on KIRO-AM and KIRO-FM. Dave
is a former NFL linebacker. He was a 2nd round draft choice
of the Seattle Seahawks in 1987 and was a 5-year starter for
the Hawks before signing a free-agent contract with the
Denver Broncos in 1993.Copyright © 2009 Bonneville International. All rights reserved.
