Updated Nov 1, 2009 - 6:31 pm
Beyond Confused: Caught Between the Seahawks and the NFC West
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E-mail thisby Mike Salk
Let me be perfectly honest with you. I'm confused right now.
For the past two weeks, I've been saying that the Seahawks were in a must-win situation against Dallas, Detroit and Arizona. And I was 100% sure that I was right.
And after watching their second straight epic stinker, I was ready to declare the season a lost cause. In fact, everything tells me this season is over...except for one thing:
The Math.
Look at the math (i.e. the standings in the NFC West). It'll tell you that despite the misery of watching another Seahawks blowout on the road, they aren't even close to out of it yet. The math says that with Arizona laying an enormous egg at home against Carolina, the Hawks are still just two games behind with a trip to the desert two weeks away.
And a look at the schedule allows for a little more hope. While the Hawks host a Detroit team that fell to previously winless St. Louis at home, the Cardinals go to Chicago to play a suddenly rejuvanated Bears squad.
Could the Hawks beat Detroit at home? Sure. Could the Bears beat the Cardinals in Chicago? Sure. Could the 49ers lose in either of the next two weeks against Tennessee or Chicago? Sure.
In fact, you could potentially see Seahawks play the Cardinals for a share of the division lead at 4-5!
OK, that's a pitiful division leader, but that's the way it could shape up.
On the other hand, let's use our eyes.
Our eyes tell us that this Seahawks team is severely, if not fatally flawed.
For much of this season, you've heard me say that the silver lining of all the injuries has been the fact that most of the injured players would return. But now that Walter Jones and Lofa Tatupu are done for the year, that is not really the case anymore. Leroy Hill and Marcus Trufant are back. Matt Hasselbeck is back. Josh Wilson is back. For the most part, the team you saw out on the field in Dallas is the team you'll see for the rest of the way.
Did it look good enough to beat Arizona on the road? Did it look good enough to go 7-2 and get to 9-7 on the year? Did it look like getting Sean Locklear back was going to be enough? Of course not.
The team we watched in Dallas struggled badly in all three phases of the game. So much so that I can't even bring myself to do a proper “3 Up, 3 Down.” But let's take a quick look at the three phases.
Offense
The offense was stagnant. The running game had a few pops, but was mostly a predictable affair. How many times were they in 2nd and long after a first down run went for less than two yards? Unfortunately, the passing game wasn't much better. I have no idea what is going on between Matt and TJ Houshmandzadeh, but they are clearly still not on the same page after eight weeks. Deon Butler continues to be a non-factor. And just when I was ready to declare Deion Branch to be a difference-maker after a fantastic touchdown catch, he runs a route half a yard short on a third down play. Unacceptable for a guy that makes his money as a possession receiver. And the passing game can't just blame the offensive line the way we did after the Arizona loss. Hasselbeck had time to throw in Dallas. He was only touched four times.
Defense
The defense, however, was the bigger issue on Sunday. It's not that they are altogether awful or likely to give up more yards or points than anyone. It's more that they seem unable to come up with a big play when they need one. The Cowboys offense put the ball on the ground three times, but only once could a Hawks player jump on it (and that came after the game was out of reach!). Not once could they pick off Tony Romo, who is known for taking too many chances. And although David Hawthorne registered two sacks, neither came at a key juncture.
Tim Ruskill and the Seahawks braintrust put their money and resources into their defense in recent years. That defense needs to be the heart and soul of the team. It needs to be the identity. And it needs to pick them up when the stakes are highest.
Jordan Babineaux was named the starter because he makes big plays. Right now, his biggest plays have involved missing tackles while a running back cruises by him. Aaron Curry has played like a beast at times, but three tackles and a QB hit is not a serious impact. And that front four has been unable to get any penetration for weeks now. Where is Cory Redding? Where is Brandon Mebane? Colin Cole?
Special Teams
And finally, the special teams play was a disaster on Sunday. It started early with Justin Forsett making a fair catch at his own six and was capped off by the Patrick Crayton 82-yard punt return that essentially put the game away. But in between, they failed to capitalize on a Crayton fumble and could muster just 10 punt return yards on their own. The kick return unit wasn't much better, averaging just 22.7 yards on three Josh Wilson returns.
So where are we now?
We know this Hawks team is seriously flawed. We also know the NFC West is still wide open and that it night take only eight or nine wins to take the division crown. We know that not much more help is on the way and that the group on that plane ride home is going to have to dig deep if it wants to save this season.
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Brock Huard played football for his father, Mike, at Puyallup High School before moving on to the University of Washington. There Brock erased older brother Damon's name on several season and career passing records. Brock spent the first three years of his professional career with the Seahawks before being traded to Indianapolis. He rejoined the Seahawks in 2004 and ended his career that season.
Mike Salk comes to Seattle from the ESPN Radio Network and 890 ESPN in Boston. At the national level, Salk teamed with ESPN NFL reporter Michael Smith to host "Countdown to Kickoff," ESPN Radio's NFL pre-game show. He has also hosts a variety of afternoon, evening, and weekend shows for the network.
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