Good old Friend

 

So this is what it feels like to post  victory.  Like an old friend I haven’t seen in awhile, it feels like old times.  Lets just hope that our friend doesn’t pack his bgs to leave before we get  chance to get reaquinted.

Food for Thought

I am certainly not one to bash Tim Ruskell for what he has or hasn’t done for my beloved Hawks but with Deion Branch out again this week, we are certainly bordering on considering his acquisition a complete and utter bust.  And to think, getting Branch from New England cost us a first round pick, and then New England turned around and acquired Randy Moss for a fourth…hmmm.  So did we over pay, or did Oakland under sell?  Let me know.

Depth Chart

Name	Position	Injury	Status
			Wed.	Thurs.	Fri.	Status
Branch, Deion	WR	Foot	DNP	DNP	DNP	Questionable
Robinson, Koren	WR	Knee	DNP	LP	FP	Probable
Jones, Walter	T	Team Decision	LP	LP	FP	-
Tatupu, Lofa	MLB	Concussion	FP	FP	FP	Probable
Womack, Floyd	T	Illness	LP	DNP	FP	Probable
Heller, Will	TE	Knee	DNP	DNP	DNP	Out
Hasselbeck, Matt	QB	Back	DNP	DNP	DNP	Out

 

Courtesy of Seahawks.com

And the Survey Says???

 

Today’s question is whether or not this week’s game is the final straw?  I know that even the most optimistic of fans cannot even fathom a way the Hawks make it into the playoffs if we fall to 1-6 overall and 1-2 in the division.  My question to you 12^th man is if the Seahawks win, how much does the likelihood that they makes the playoffs go up percentage wise?  Or does it at all?  I’m still awed by the fact that we are five point underdogs, so if we go in to San Francisco and pull the “upset” how much do our chances go up?  Let me know.

Fixing Liberty

 

As if the season slowly dwindling away like the Dow Jones wasn’t bad enough, word around Seahawk Country this morning was that Julius Jones, one of the top running backs in the league through the first four weeks, but regulated to only seven carries on Sunday, was outraged on the sideline during the 20-10 loss to the Bucs. According to Frank Hughes of the Tacoma News Tribune, “Toward the end of the game, running back Julius Jones, frustrated by an anemic offense that ran only 39 total plays and gained only 176 yards, began ranting on the sideline, calling out coach Mike Holmgren, onlookers say.”

This was confirmed later this afternoon during Mike Holmgren’s weekly news conference.  Holmgren, ever the consummate professional, acknowledged the tirade but chalked it up as understood frustration and considered it water under the bridge.  But is it a crumbling bridge?  One thing that I always expected from the team was professionalism.  Wow, what a concept, professionalism from a professional athlete.  Now I’m not blind to the angst and disrespect that apparently comes with youth and riches, but the Seahawks seemed to have ridden themselves of this when we sent Jeremy Stevens and Koren Robinson packing oh so long ago…oh wait.

Now we can call an illusion what it is, but people still fall for them all the time.  Even with the season taking an unexpected, and temporary (hopefully), downturn one thing that helped was the fact that the team always handled itself in a manner that spewed confidence in rebounding.  We now see the first crack in the proverbial liberty bell.  The team has been smacked, gonged, and shaken, and yes it is beginning to crack.  The question now is how far the crack will run? 

 

When The Going Gets Tough

 

I have to admit that I am a big baby when it comes to these Seahawks.  Like the kid who takes his ball and goes home after the other kids leave him out of the game, it has been hard for me to regurgitate the aftermath that has been the weekly dismantling of the Seahawks.  I realize that injuries have played a major role for this team this year, but they play a role for all teams.  Any football purist will remark “injuries are not an excuse,” nor should they be, but they are a damn good reason.  The whole league realizes that our offense has been decimated by injury.  In fact our receiving corp has been a running joke as we roll out unknown, after has-been, after unknown.  You know your team is hurting when losing Billy McMullen is considered a blow to the offense.  

 

Now I know that many of you will respond by stating that although the offense has been hurt, the defense has been relatively healthy, and relatively sh$#tty, which has also contributed greatly for the snails paced start to the season. A defense that was rolling out all eleven starters from last season no less.  I would argue that although the defense has been less then stellar, with an offense that could produce we may have still pulled out the Green Bay and Tampa Bay game.  Next thing you know we’re 3-3 and, considering the division, still very much in the playoff hunt. 

 

Long story short, I blame myself.  Just because nobody wants to read about an ass whoopin, let alone write about one, doesn’t mean the game itself shouldn’t be acknowledged. I’ve been given a great opportunity to express my feelings both positive and negative for the Seahawks, and instead I sulk throughout the week like that wussy ass kid I referenced at the beginning. Feelings that I believe a lot of fans out here have been experiencing. So here and now this stops.  I’ve wiped the tears from my cheeks, I’m going to buck up and be a man that holds not only his favorite team, but himself accountable.  I will be on here everyday until the Hawks catch back up in this division race. Whether it’s a bio on a particular player, or just a Seahawks thought of the day, something will be here. I firmly expect the rest of the NFC West to leave the door open until at least the last week in the season.  So if being on here and spewing out how I feel about my beloved Hawks is what I need for my own sanity then it shall be done.  No more walking home with the balls, I’m going to hold mine, and use this self imposed modified fast to rally myself so that I don’t forget how fortunate I am to be able to scribble this stuff out, and to be able to root for my Seahawks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Giant Butt Whoopin

 

I’d like to consider myself an unbiased observer of the great product we call the National Football League but let’s face it; it kills me all week when the Fighting Blue Jackals lose.  So you can just imagine the football kick to my groin that has been eating away at me all week.  I targeted the week five match-up with the Giants as a game that would give us a true indication of what the 2008 version of the Seahawks was going to be.  But like a college player who gets berated for talking smack, I have to back track, and state that there is no way that the Seahawks we saw last Sunday are the real Seahawks.  Now I can’t start spewing statistics that support my belief that the Sqwaks simply had a bad week, hell, they are having a bad season, but having watched this team throughout the Holmgren regime I know that they simply are a better team then the one that Dominic Hixson had looking like a bunches of biatches.

 

They are better on offense and defense, they just weren’t last week.  Now I understand the old adage that a team is what their record says they are, but having been down this road before I know that, maybe they aren’t now, but the Hawks will be better than their record says they will be.  I hearken back to the Indianapolis Colts during their Super Bowl season.  I remember them getting scorched by the two headed beast that is the Jacksonville running game.  I remember pundits asking how a team that was giving up a season worth of rushing yards each week could win the Super Bowl?  The fact is, they made some adjustments and found ways to win games the rest of the way.  That’s what good teams do.  That’s what veteran teams do.  I’d bet dollars to doughnuts that not one player in the Hawks locker room is pushing the panic button, yet I know there are Seahawks fans throughout the state scribbling suicide notes as we speak.  The Seahawks, contrary to popular belief will prove that they are still the playoff team we thought they were coming into the season.  And with a playoff game in Qwest, who knows what the playoffs will have in store.  So I understand why fans have to take a double take when we watch the Hawks.  We simply do not recognize our team, our family.  But much like the Prodigal Son, they will return, and we will welcome them with open arms.

 

Mid Season Recap

 

 

What We Know…Or Think We Know

 

NFC

 

Arizona – That Edgerrin James still has something left in the tank.

Seattle – Even Matty can’t make chicken salad out of chicken sh*t, Courtney Taylor

St. Louis – A coach without the ear of his team is a fired coach.

San Francisco –Mike Martz can make chicken salad out of chicken Sh%@t… Ask J.T.

 

Dallas – That their secondary is full of big names, not big plays.

Philadelphia – That DeSean Jackson was a draft day steal.

Washington – That Dan Snyder didn’t need a big name for a coach, just big effort.

N.Y. Giants – This is the real Eli.  Amazing what a Super Bowl does for one’s psyche

 

Green Bay – That it never should’ve been about Rodger’s talent, but his health.

Minnesota – That a guy can lose his job, without ever really having it to begin with.

Detroit – That Jon Kitna must be color blind.

Chicago – That defense can and still does win games.

 

Carolina - That speculation that John Fox was on the hot seat was extremely premature.

Atlanta - That a solid career back-up can become a successful starting RB. 

New Orleans – That Drew Brees is the best QB in football.

Tampa Bay – That leading a team to the playoffs last year, means nothing this year.

 

AFC

 

Denver – People who doubted Cutler’s ability have no idea how debilitating diabetes is

Kansas City – That Carl Peterson is now officially the worst GM in football.

San Diego – That LT is only human, and that A.J. Smith knows his RB’s.

Oakland – That old ass Al Davis is a crazy old ass.

 

Jacksonville – That not even athletes are immune to random and unfortunate violence.

Tennessee – That slow and steady can still win the race.

Indianapolis – That even Peyton Manning needs some tune-ups before the real thing.

Houston – That they still have a problem…winning games.

 

New York Jets – That Brett still has it.

New England – That Randy needs a QB more than a QB needs Randy.

Miami – That if you want the chef to cook the food, let him buy the groceries.

Buffalo – That Special Teams is definitely one third of the game.

 

Cleveland – That Anderson was a fluke, and Edwards is starting to look like one too.

Pittsburgh – That you can never have enough running backs

Baltimore – That Willis McGahee will have the longest season of his career.

Cincinnati – That some teams are just destined to fail. Really,  Cedric over Shaun?

 And That Football is The Greatest Sport on Earth

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Run Baby Run

Run baby run…that’s exactly what the Seahawks did on Sunday.  Never a fan of simply writing about what happened in the game, since let’s face it, anybody checking out this page was tuned in Sunday afternoon, I always try to discuss something that can spark some conversation.  After this weeks game the question is, is the Seahawks running game for real?  In typical Seahawks fan fashion; I’d imagine that most of you are still unconvinced of the validity of the running game.  Hell, I think Seattle fans coined the phrase, “Let’s wait and see.”  Ripping off 245 rushing yards against the Rams on Sunday, the Seahawks showed that even when an opponent knows that it’s coming, stopping the run game will be far more difficult then it has been over the last two seasons.

The Hawks showed us something the fans haven’t seen in far too long.  They jack hammered the Rams on the ground all four quarters with Julius Jones and T.J. Duckett leading the way.  Jones poured in 140 yards, including a 29 yard blast to the end zone.  Not to be outdone, Duckett contributing 79 hard earned yards of his own.  Scoring twice on one yard dives. 

So it the running game for real, or have the Seahawks’ last two opponents simply been pushovers up front leaving holes so wide that any back could have rumbled through…(a direct quote from a guy sitting next to me in the bar, the other night)?  Only time will tell for sure, but ask yourself this question, didn’t the Niner’s and Ram’s defense suck last year too? 

 

Fans Must Stay

 

As the Seahawks welcome the division rival St. Louis Rams into Qwest Field this afternoon, terms like “must win” are getting thrown around more than a UW linebacker.  As a football purist I know never to make judgments this early in the season, but when you hear that only one football team has ever started 0-3 and made the playoffs I realize that this season isn’t the time to start daring the football gods.

 

I think like most of the 12^th man I came into this season with high hopes, and still carry this mentality.  I still feel that Seahawks are the only legitimate team in the division, and basically the only reason the NFC West exists, but football is a “show me” sport, and the Hawks aren’t showing us a whole lot these days. 

 

I’m not going to roll out tried and true excuses for this, shall we say, sputtering start.  The whole country knows that the Hawks are signing receivers like an Army recruiter at a country high school, but we knew that Hawks were thin at receiver coming into the season and we still had high hopes.  Then theirs the whole east coast road game curse that the Hawks can’t seem to shake.  Hell, we knew the Hawks were starting the season in Buffalo, and many of us still prematurely notched that game in the win column.  No, I’m not going to throw out any comforting facts that will help you sleep at night, all I can say is that the Hawks are who we thought they were.  We just hoped they wouldn’t be.

 

Which brings me back to this week’s game. Regardless of all of the deficiencies this team brings to the table this week, there is no way that the Hawks shouldn’t convincingly win. In fact they better win, no excuses.  If Matt gets hurt today, we better win.  If our entire starting offensive line catches food poisoning and we have to snag five people out of the stands to fill their shoes, we better win.  The Hawks have put themselves in a situation were they better win.  In this fical town, if the Hawks let this game slide the loss of fervor and rowdiness amongst fans will be substantial.  Although I hate to admit it, the entire country knows Seattle is filled with bandwagon fans, and if the Hawks don’t start resembling the team that the city embraced, then the city will spit them out.

 

Now although this will probably translate into me getting better season tickets next year, I certainly would never trade better seats for an inferior team.  The fact is that I am already completely and utterly committed to this team.  Good or bad I’ll be losing my voice each and every Sunday.  It’s just that I know the rest of the fan base doesn’t feel the same.  The Hawks feed off of the 12^th man.  It’s why they have been so dominant at home over recent years, and they need us as much as we need them.  So when I call this a “must win” week.  It’s because they MUST keep the fan base excited.  They MUST keep Qwest Field the most feared destination in all of football.  They simply must, because it’s hard to scream your brains out, all by yourself.   Plus the football gods don’t like being double dared…Go Sqwaks.

 

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