Hasselbeck; play us out

There was plenty of conjecture to go around regarding whom should start for the Seattle Seahawks following last Sunday's loss against the Falcons. Seattle fans will bitch and moan no matter who is chosen to lead this reeling franchise in Tampa this weekend.

Much of the drama was taken out of the controversy immediately by a swift announcement. Head coach Pete Carroll made it clear today that Matt Hasselbeck will remain in his starting role.

Hasselbeck's 10 seasons of experience, 5 playoff berths, 17 interceptions and 5 fumbles lost this season apparently outweighs Whitehursts' brief career as a backup with 3 interceptions and 2 fumbles lost. Some would say Carroll is just picking his poison but his decision makes sense.

Despite the continually horrid play of St. Louis, San Francisco, Seattle and Arizona; one of these teams will make the playoffs. If that team is to be Seattle, Hasselbeck must start a home playoff game at Qwest.

Say what you will about Hasselbeck and his constant turnovers, but the man has to be our guy if Seattle wins the West. Whitehurst doesn't frighten a defense anymore than Hasselbeck does these days. Yet, having been there before definitely counts for something in the playoffs.

Even if Seattle makes it there, they probably won't advance. That is fine. You know why? A playoff berth was hardly in the Seahawks sights 6 months ago. It is all gravy from this point on. The fans want more, but Seattle isn't prepared to take that next step yet.

So Matthew, why don't you show Seattle one last time that you have a little gas left in the tank and conjure up some magic by taking this division.

Play us out.

NFC West, who wants it?

The Seahawks are not a good team. They aren't very talented. They are hurt. They are underachievers. Or are they?

This preseason I predicted to my football friends that the Seattle Seahawks would win six games. Eight wins would be fantastic. We bantered back and forth about if that was good enough for a playoff bid. In most NFL divisions, the team that finishes with a .500 record, is second place at best. All divisions, except in the alternate universe known best as the NFC West.

None of the West's teams "deserve" a playoff bid, but one team will inevitably "earn" one. That's the rules. In fact, that team gets to host a home playoff game. Can you believe that? With the way the NFC conference and especially the NFC South division is shaping out, the defending-champion, New Orleans Saints, will have to play on the road against the NFC West winner.

That scenario is thanks to the Hotlanta Falcons who have survived a gauntlet and conquered a battery of great teams (including the Saints) on their way to the NFC's best record at 11-2. Atlanta is not a lock to finish on top of New Orleans in their shared division because the Saints, despite their early Superbowl "hangover", still stand at 10-3 overall.

Either way the season finishes out, the bottomline remains the same. New Orleans or Atlanta will be forced to travel to Seattle, St. Louis, or dare I say, San Francisco despite playing at much higher level than any of those wanna-be teams.

But who will that black sheep team be?

Will it be those underachiever, (5-8) 49ers? Crawling back from the dead after losing their first five games this season?

How about that overachieving (6-7) Rams team? This team lost 15 games last year. They start a rookie quarterback. But something about them is dangerous and it's that same rookie. St. Louis' beacon of hope, #1 overall pick, Sam Bradford.

Or is it the tease of the West, your (6-7) Seattle Seahawks? This football team likes to mess with it's fans heads. They love to pull on the 12th Man's heartstrings with wins they shouldn't get and lose those home games in which they are clear favorites. Who are these guys? I'm not sure if they know either.

Most NFL fans and the national media will scoff at anything related to this abomination of a division. That's fair. Yet, the last three regular season games will prove interesting to those involved because all these events are leading up to January 2nd, 2011. On that Sunday, the Seahawks and Rams will clash at Qwest Field; most likely with the title on the line.

To the loyal fans, my recommendation is to hide your kids, hide your wife and cover your eyes; whether you like it or not, an NFC West winner will host a home playoff match and have an odd-defying shot at winning the Superbowl.

A rematch by the Bay and a shot at redemption

Round 2, ready, fight!

Come Sunday, it will have been three months to the day that Seattle put the 31-6 beatdown on rival, San Francisco.

The final score doesn't tell the story of that opening game. The 49ers were marching the ball up and down the field on the Seahawks defense. To make matters worse, Matt Hasselbeck threw an interception on the first drive. Things were looking scarily like last year. But Seattle managed to luck out on a couple occasions in which the 49ers settled for field goals.

After the 49ers' second field goal, Seattle flipped the switch and never looked back, scoring 31 unanswered points. Sound familiar?

Let's go back to this past Sunday's game with Carolina. The Seahawks looked down and out against a team that embodies the "seller dweller" profile. Worse yet, Seattle was confused on how to stop rookie quarterback, Jimmy Clausen. Things appeared grim, until halftime. Coach Carroll spoke and adjustments were made. The result? 31 answered points to finish 31-14.

In the second half, the Seahawks rallied as a team. The runningbacks clicked with their offensive line. The lesser-known receivers stepped up in place of the starters. The defense woke up from their trance and realized they were playing a rookie that has one win under his belt and promptly responded. Lastly, the special teams unit was once again special because of Mr. Leon "Neon" Washington's kick returns.

This is how a borderline playoff team like Seattle must play if they expect to be the last team standing in the NFC West.

Now Seattle must travel to the San Francisco Bay where an underachieving team awaits their chance at redemption. The 49ers' roster is not as scary as it was the first time around. Star runningback, Frank Gore, is out for the season. Former backup and Heisman winner, Troy Smith, is now quarterback.

San Francisco has been a mess all year long. Preseason they were division favorites. Now they and trying to stay above the somehow more pathetic, Arizona Cardinals.

Seattle is hit and miss on the road this year but a quick stop by the Bay doesn't seem as daunting as other road games. The Seahawks are riding a crest of momentum that should carry over this Sunday. It will be a heck of fight between bitter rivals who oddly enough each still have a shot at winning the West.

Seahawks luck out, play worse team in Panthers

This Sunday, the worst team in the football will run out the tunnel at Qwest Field.

No, that pathetic team is not your (5-6) Seattle Seahawks. Actually, contrary to popular belief, the Seahawks are still a "decent" football team. But, it is all relative. With that said, Seattle looks fierce compared to the play of the house cat-esque, Carolina Panthers.

This is the kind of matchup Seattle desperately needs to jump start their still viable playoff berth. Two straight blowout losses have set back the Seahawks enough that the emerging St. Louis Rams took over first place in the NFC West. Both teams technically have the same win/loss record, but the Rams beat the Hawks earlier this season which currently gives them the edge in the division.

Here's a snapshot of Carolina's 1 win, 10 loss season so far: they rank last in the NFL in points scored per game(12.7), most yards allowed p/g(259), and are lowest in passing yards p/g(157).

To add insult to utter injury, they start a rookie at quarterback and play in the toughest division in the league. Surely, the Seahawks would suffer similar results in the win column if they played in the NFC South with New Orleans, Atlanta and Tampa Bay. All of those teams have at least seven wins, compared to the NFC West in which no team has even six wins.

Seattle's Matt Hasselbeck has slung the football like a mad man lately, throwing close to 1000 yards in the last three games. Stud wideout, Mike Williams, is still gimpy with a bad left foot and is a game-time decision Sunday. Fellow reciever, Ben Obomanu, has filled in nicely for Williams. Obomanu had career day last week gaining 159 yards and a touchdown.

Hasselbeck has been forced to put the Hawks on his back and carry them because his running game is terrible. Marshawn Lynch is a bust so far with Seattle and Justin Forsett is average at best a majority of the time. Consistent offensive line play will boost the run game but who knows if consistency is something Seattle can ever expect.

The Seahawks defense is primed to feast on the inept Panther offense. Expect Seattle's ball-hawk secondary to pick Jimmy Clausen and shut down the Carolina offense early and often.

Needless to say, but the Seahawks absolutely must win this game at home. I don't even want to know what the faithful 12th Man would do, should Seattle find a way to blow this gimme of a game.



Sidenote: The Seahawks are retiring the incomparable, left tackle Walter Jones, before halftime of Sunday's game. Jones' career was truly unbelievable. He earned nine straight trips to Honolulu for the Pro Bowl and was named to the All-Pro team four times.

According to team statistics, Jones was called for holding just nine times in 5,703 pass attempts in his career and allowed only 23 sacks.

Wrangling Chiefs will prove difficult for Seahawks

With Thanksgiving tomorrow, many birds across America will be cooked and carved by household chefs. Based off of Sunday's loss to the New Orleans Saints, the carving came early for Seattle's birds.

Saints' unofficial head chef, quarterback Drew Brees, sliced and diced the Seahawks defense, showing no mercy towards the birds just like the rest of America will tomorrow. Brees was unstoppable, throwing for 382 yards with four touchdowns. Seattle's secondary didn't stand a chance against a high-flying air show like New Orleans.

Fortunately this week the Seahawks host the run-happy Kansas City Chiefs; a task Seattle is better fit to handle.

The Chiefs' rushing attack is dynamic and relentless. The combination of ankle breaker and heart stopper, Jamaal Charles, and straight forward bulldozer, Thomas Jones, combine to lead the NFL in rushing yards at 165 yards per game.

Charles is the NFL's next stud player yet to be exposed by the national media. The third-year runningback out of University of Texas produces stats that make you scratch your head and simultaneously drop your jaw in amazement.

Feast your eyes on this: the NFL's leading rusher, Houston's Arian Foster, has rushed 194 times for 1,004 yards. Charles has rushed 139 times for 848 yards, good for seventh in yards amongst all runningbacks. The other backs in the top ten in rushing yards have at least 40 more attempts than Charles. He averages 6.1 yards per carry. Insanity, I tell you.

The bottomline is that if the Chiefs coaching staff didn't force Charles to share carries with Jones, he would easily lead the NFL in rushing. The Seahawks better wrap up on their tackles this week, otherwise it is going to be a wild day at Qwest.

Quarterback Matt Cassel manages the game with passes between Kansas City's weapon of choice, stealing a defense's soul through endless rush attempts. Cassel is not required for a Chiefs win but occasionally he will show up and shock your defense by hooking up with his favorite toy, wide receiver Dwayne Bowe.

Currently, Bowe ranks 33rd in receptions with 45 but he has an NFL leading, 11 receiving touchdowns. Similar to Charles, Bowe is a physical specimen that doesn't need the ball consistently to produce eye-popping stats. Bowe reminds me of Seattle's Mike Williams. Both players stand tall above their defenders and come up big when called upon.

Speaking of Williams, he is questionable for Sunday's game because of a left foot injury. If Williams is out, the Seahawks need big things from receivers Deon Butler and Ben Obomanu. Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck is playing like a man on fire right now so hopefully it won't matter who is on the receiving end of his passes.

In order for the hot passing to continue, Seattle's offensive line must control the Chiefs' defensive pressure. Left tackle Russell Okung, is finally starting his second-consecutive game. Okung starting is a huge positive for Hasselbeck and the Seattle offense.

The Chiefs are a young team that hasn't learned to win away from Arrowhead Stadium. The Seahawks run defense must resurrect themselves and stomp out Kansas City's rushing attack. If they keep Charles and Jones to a combined 100 yards, they have a shot for a much needed victory in front of the win-hungry 12th Man.

Hawks must play to their strengths in New Orleans

Pete Carroll and the boys will have their hands full tomorrow in the bayou, this much is sure. What isn't sure is how the Seattle Seahawks will handle New Orleans high-octane passing attack.

The simple answer would be for the Seahawks defense to play the pass. Upon further thought of that game plan, it sounds less smart than it first appears.

When you look deeper at what the strengths and weaknesses of both Saints and Seahawks are, it becomes clear that Seattle does have advantages in their clash with the defending champs. The odds are stacked against the (5-4) Seahawks but they have a shot at knocking off the (6-3) Saints on the road.

At first glance, Seattle already seems to be a lock for a loss against the talented Saints in New Orleans. The Saints rank fifth in the NFL with 276 passing yards per game, riding the arm of the unflappable, Drew Brees. Their passing defense is even better. The Saints secondary allows an NFL low, 166 yards passing per game.

Those are not the numbers Seahawks fans want to see, but there is a silver lining. The Seahawks don't really pass that well anyway, averaging 200 yards a game. Yes, Hasselbeck dominated the Cardinals last week, but lets not kid ourselves people, Seattle is not a threat down-field on a weekly basis.

Coach Carroll's game plan for New Orleans should be to control the clock and win the time of possession battle. Hence, Marshawn Lynch and Justin Forsett need the ball, often. The Saints' defense allows an average of 110 yards on the ground every week. This is their most glaring weakness. Seattle's runningbacks must abuse that fact.

Similarly, the Seahawks are allowing 104 rushing yards/game but that stat doesn't truly reflect how great Seattle has played against opposing runningbacks. That unit shut down many good runningbacks for the first five weeks. Lately, the Seahawks defensive line has been riddled with injuries. Defensive tackle, Colin Cole, is still out with an ankle injury. Cole's battery mate, Brandon Mebane, is active and will make his mark on the Saints rushing attack, as will the healthy linebacking core of Hawthorne, Tatupu and Curry.

The Saints rushing attack gets a boost this week with the return of the dynamic Reggie Bush. Coming off a broken fibula, Bush shouldn't be at his best which will give the Seahawks a chance at locking up half of the Saints' offense. With New Orleans offense you need to pick a side to defend. As scary as it sounds, Seattle has to force Brees to pass.

Keep the ball out of Brees' hands and the Hawks might get their third(?!) road victory this season.

Seattle explodes on Arizona

There were many moments in yesterday's victory 36-18 over the Arizona Cardinals that summarize the Seattle Seahawks rollercoaster season so far. Injured or not, Seattle players continually show the will to win.

Wide receiver Mike Williams and quarterback Matt Hasselbeck were feeling it all game Sunday. Hasselbeck threw for 333 yards and one touchdown, while Williams caught eleven balls for 145 yards. Both players deserve the game ball for their outstanding performances. They also share a unique story about redemption.

Hasselbeck made a triumphant return to the playing field yesterday, twice. The Seattle Seahawks quarterback first returned to the starting lineup Sunday afternoon after missing last week's slaughtering at the hands of the New York Giants. Then after a great first half by Hasselbeck, he hurt his non-throwing hand right before halftime.

That injury meant the much maligned Charlie Whitehurst was once again thrust into the starting role. Just four plays after, Whitehurst promptly threw a pass to the guys in red. Thankfully, the Seahawks defense held up and forced Arizona to punt.

Whitehurst played one more series while Hasselbeck returned from the locker room and warmed up on the sideline. The Seahawks survived that series and Hasselbeck made his second dramatic entrance onto the field much to the Cardinals dismay.

Speaking of breaking hearts, Mike Williams haunted the Cardinals' secondary all game. Even if the 6'5 receiver looked covered, he wasn't. He reached for balls and contorted his body to ensure only he would catch the pass.

With performances like that, Williams is in line for the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year award. Before Seahawks head coach, Pete Carroll, took a chance on his former USC star, Williams was known to be an utter failure. He was drafted very high in the first round of the 2005 NFL draft because of his dominance in college under then USC coach, Carroll.

Williams caught an unbelievably low, 44 balls in his time before joining Seattle. With Seattle this season, he has 46 catches. The most ridiculous part to this return to greatness is the fact that he did not play in the NFL for the last two years, gaining 50 pounds during that hiatus.

Today, Williams looks like the future. I can't honestly remember the last time the Seahawks had a legitimate number one receiver. Pair him with him with other studs in their prime, runningbacks Marshawn Lynch and Justin Forsett, and you have a solid offensive base for the future.

The future at quarterback is definitely not Hasselbeck but this much is sure, he is the man right now. Hasselbeck haters better be quiet after yesterday's vintage performance on the road.

Sunday's road victory is vital to Seattle's mentality as they prepare for the defending Super Bowl champs, the New Orleans Saints. Arizona's quarterback Derek Anderson, can't hold New Orleans' quarterback Drew Brees' jock. Thus, the Seahawks secondary needs to make the plays that they failed to do in Scottsdale if they expect to hang with the champs.

Time for Carroll to make his mark

The first time these teams met, the play of both teams was hideous. Six turnovers combined low-lighted the scrum for NFC West supremacy.

The battle of the birds continues this Sunday down in Arizona as the (4-4) Seattle Seahawks take on the (3-5) Cardinals. Both teams haven't won since their meeting three weeks ago at Qwest Field.

The Seahawks have been blown out two weeks straight, 33-3 at Oakland and 41-7 against New York. Meanwhile the Cardinals have scored 59 points combined in their two losses since Seattle. Both losses were by a mere three points to Minnesota and Tampa Bay.

A loss is a loss, but I'd much rather lose like Arizona than Seattle. The Seahawks aren't even putting up a fight. To win in the NFL you need leadership first and foremost. This team needs it's coaching staff to make an imprint. The players aren't the only problem. The offensive scheme is terrible.

Coaching aside, Seattle's chances soar now that they get their field general back. Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck returns from the concussion he suffered at Oakland. Hasselbeck alone gives Seattle the mental intangibles to win. He has proven for many years that he has the ability to will a team to victory but this season has shown to be his most difficult task yet.

The offensive line is supposed to be a quarterback's piece of mind in the sense that he doesn't need to worry about them. Hasselbeck does not have that luxury anymore. His line is bruised and battered. Head coach Pete Carroll has been forced to mix and match free agent offensive linemen seemingly every week this season. The ever-changing unit has impressed at times but overall it is truly a mess.

The Seahawks defense gets a boost up the gut this weekend with the return of Brandon Mebane. The Seahawks' stud defensive tackle missed the last four games with a calf injury. His return is helpful but not the answer. Fellow tackle Colin Cole is still out and defensive end Red Bryant is on injured reserve for the season.

Seattle proved in Chicago a month ago that they can win on the road. The Seahawks were healthy that weekend and it showed. Left tackle Russell Okung dominated that game and so did the Hawks. Seattle's defense was ferocious, relentless and healthy. This Sunday, Okung's playing status is questionable and the defense is hurting.

This team needs to dig deep and play like men. Coach Carroll has to conjure up the fire that took USC to such great heights. Come on Hawks, show us the will to win.

Earn everything. Always compete. Right Pete?

Mariners lose their voice, Niehaus dead at 75

As far as Seattle is concerned, Dave Niehaus was baseball. If his warm voice was filtering through the A.M. static you knew it was summer and you were going to hear some stories.

Baseball is a unique sport to call as a play-by-play announcer. Baseball is a game of patience with many moments between the action. Those moments are filled by color commentary so the listener stays focused but necessarily on the game at hand.

Many times the words spoken between pitches are of stories about baseball's rich history or better yet, first-hand experiences by the radio announcer. Mr. Niehaus wielded the ability of words and story telling. Unfortunately for Seattle and baseball fans everywhere, Niehaus passed away yesterday at the age of 75.

The best way I can express my love for Niehaus is the undeniable chills that course through my veins when I hear one of his famous calls replayed. The best call of all-time is the Mariners game winning double that rocketed that amazing 1995 team past the New York Yankees and into the next playoff round.

"'The '95 call "

Reliving that franchise defining play arouses an incredible feeling, a feeling that reminds me why baseball has always been America's past-time. Baseball is notorious for being slow developing and hard to watch, especially on television. But when the right voice is calling the game, those negatives disappear.

I think every baseball fan should experience a radio broadcast of a major league game. There is nothing like sitting in your backyard on a humid summer night listening to a legend like Niehaus call a game. It is classic Americana.

Niehaus is irreplaceable and the Mariners know that. On behalf of all Mariner fans, we will miss you Dave.

Here's hoping you fly, fly away, to that great baseball diamond in the sky.

LeBron's passing is "Magic"

The endless summer of hype surrounding LeBron James' exodus to South Beach is over. Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh and James are expected to set the bar for wins and exotic nightly stat lines. Now the Miami Heat just have to play. If only it was that simple.

The Heat began the 2010 season with a loss. The defending Eastern Conference champion, Boston Celtics, turned down the Heat in 88-80 victory on opening night. Can you believe it? Apparently you can't just roll the ball out on the court with all that talent and chalk up a win. The games must be played. The Heat opponents are going to give the Heat their best shot on a nightly basis.

For their first seven years in the NBA, James, Wade and Bosh have excelled on teams in which they each were the focal point. Now they must learn to share and compromise. That seems like a lot to ask of these ridicously talented players but no one is asking, it is a must.

Eight games into the season, the Miami Heat are 5-3 and fresh off an overtime loss to the Utah Jazz. This is hardly what the experts predicted but it's very obvious to this expert (yours truly) that the Heat are getting better each game because of a major change in LeBron's game.

For the Heat to consistently scorch opponents they must allow LeBron to run point. If you have ever watched LeBron, you can't help but notice he passes better than anyone in the game. Each assist is powerful and accurate. It reminds me of the way Peyton Manning operates. All Manning requires of his receivers is to be in the right place at the right time. If the receiver can get there, expect the ball to hit them in the chest.

LeBron is a "small" forward, standing 6'8 and 240 pounds. Typically, a small forward is a great shooter and slashes toward the hoop for easy points. But Miami already has that covered in the incomparable, Dwayne Wade. Basketball is all about spacing and I just don't see how LeBron, Wade and the seven-footer Bosh, can "fit" on the court together.

To combat this problem, Miami's coach, Erik Spoelstra, has LeBron bringing the ball up the court as if he is the starting point guard. In the last four games, LeBron has dropped 12, 10, 9, and 14 assists respectively. Magic Johnson anyone?

This change in LeBron's game is genius. It allows Wade to continue scoring at will and it frees up Bosh to post up whenever the matchup allows it. Now, no one is saying LeBron isn't getting his. Just because he passes more than he shoots doesn't mean he isn't scoring at will anymore. He is. Currently, he is averaging 20 points, 5 rebounds and 9 assists.

These players all have gigantic egos and for this pairing of the titans to succeed, they each will compromise their previously unrivaled individual stat lines for unrivaled W's.

Giants quiet the 12th Man, stomp Seahawks

Has anyone seen the 12th Man?

They're about 67,000 strong, really passionate and were last seen entering Qwest Field yesterday afternoon. Authorities suspect the New York Giants stole their tongues late in the first quarter after Seattle gave up it's third touchdown.

Sunday's 41-7 thrashing at the hands of the Giants should be a wake-up call, eluding to the fact that Charlie Whitehurst is a bum. The Seahawks had no chance.

Whitehurst couldn't hit anyone with the ball, except for his two interceptions. His only touchdown pass came in the final minutes when Whitehurst connected with the usually irrelevant Ben Obomanu. It's hard to imagine how much worse Whitehurst could play if the game was on the road.

Coming into this game, the Seahawks were focused on forming an offensive line that could actually hold up for three to five seconds. Mission accomplished. That unit played very well together considering the Giants constant pressure by their freak athletes. The strangest stat of this game has to be the zero sacks allowed by either team.

Too bad the strong play of Seattle's line didn't boost Whitehurst's stock whatsoever. He should not start again for the Seahawks unless Hasselbeck remains concussed. Hasselbeck's status for this weekend is unknown.

The Giant's Eli Manning looked sharp in the first half. He threw three touchdowns and his shifty runningback, Ahmad Bradshaw, scored twice. As the second half wore on, the Giants continually handed their second and third-string runningbacks the ball until the clock ran out.

The 12th Man was so throughly embarrassed by the second quarter, that Qwest Field might as well have been the 18th hole of the Masters considering how quiet it was while the players worked.

Whitehurst and the Seahawks defense deserve a verbal beat down by head coach Pete Carroll for their effort Sunday. The NFC West may be open for the taking but Seattle isn't acting like they want anything but a high lottery pick in the 2011 draft.

Careful what you wish for Hawk fans...

Run for the hills! The tidal wave of inevitability is upon us!

Many Seahawk fans asked for it. Seattlites have yearned for the day Charlie Whitehurst replaced the face of Seahawks football, Matt Hasselbeck. At 1:15, Sunday afternoon, Whitehurst makes his first NFL start ever at quarterback against the New York Giants.

When Whitehurst steps onto the field he will have the 12th man on his side, until his first interception. He will need to hook-up with his under-used safety valve, tight end John Carlson. Who knows maybe Whitehurst can do what Hasselbeck couldn't, throw more than seven yards down the field at a time.

The scary part of this game is a Seattle make-shift offensive line versus a Giants defense that has literally knocked out three starting quarterbacks this season. The Seahawks offensive line is so bad and injured that it could make Peyton Manning look average, i.e., it might not matter who plays quarterback for Seattle

Just to clarify this drastic change by Pete Carroll, Hasselbeck suffered a concussion in last week's beating by the Oakland Raiders. I do not believe coach Carroll would start Whitehurst if Hasselbeck was healthy. Seattle is in the midst of a playoff push, is it not?

New York (5-2) comes into this game about as hot and rested a team could be. Quarterback Eli Manning is passing for high totals every game but is still susceptible to an interception on any given throw.

The Giants' runningbacks are Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs. Bradshaw is the ankle-breaker always looking for the big play. Jacobs is a basically a bulldozer standing at 6'3, 24o pounds. Look for New York to pound the ball against the beat-up Seattle defensive line.

The Seahawks lost stud defensive end, Red Bryant, for the season earlier this week. Tackle Brandon Mebane hopes to return Sunday as does fellow tackle, Colin Cole. If those two play this weekend, the Seahawks have a shot at stuffing the run but if not, it's going to be ugly.

Manning has a stable of great young receivers lead by second-year wideout, Hakeem Nicks. Nicks leads the NFC with eight touchdowns. Seattle will be without cornerbacks Kelly Jennings and Walter Thurmond so expect Nicks to have a huge game.

A healthy Seahawks team could handle the ferocious Giants at Qwest but today the edge is surely on New York's side.

Durant, Thunder do it the right way, together

The front page of the Oklahoma City Thunder website states "Rise Together".

That mantra makes sense for a team so young and determined to succeed before they should. The Thunder player's average just under 25 years of age. That ranks third youngest in the League behind Minnesota and Memphis.

'Behind' is a relative word in this case. Minnesota and Memphis are far behind O.K.C. in many ways, but mainly in realistic chances to consistently beat great teams. The Thunder's best two players are both 22 years old.

Point guard, Russell Westbrook's stock is growing exponentially each season. Last season he averaged 16 points, 8 assists and 5 rebounds per game. Through his first three games this season, Westbrook is averaging 22 pts., 7 asst., and 6 reb. per game.

Only an All-NBA First Team player could make Westbrook's numbers look less than amazing.

Enter small forward, Kevin Durant.

At 29 points per game, Durant leads the NBA in scoring this season. He doesn't seem to want to relent from last year's pace of 30 ppg. The reigning scoring champ Durant, has officially surpassed Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade and LeBron James as the League's best shooter.

In fact, Durant proved to the world that he is a force to reckoned with by leading the USA team to gold this summer. He was named MVP of the 2010 FIBA World Championship. The USA squad steamrolled the World's best teams, going 9-0. Pretty amazing stuff.

Back in America, the Thunder have a mighty tough task ahead of them. The NBA's Western Conference is stacked head to toe. Standing above the competition is the Los Angeles Lakers. This Lakers team is comprised of the one and only, 5-time NBA champion, Kobe Bryant and a bunch of great sidekicks.

Last June, Bryant and company knocked the rising Thunder out of their first playoff berth in Oklahoma City. The Lakers beat the Thunder 4-2 in the first round but the clinching sixth game was decided by one point. Needless to say, O.K.C. had a chance to oust the eventual champs.

Recently, Sport Illustrated approached Kevin Durant about being on the cover of S.I.'s October basketball issue. The magazine initially thought they would feature Durant and his best teammates, Westbrook and Jeff Green. Durant refused.

Instead, he requested that he be featured with less-known foreign players, Thabo Sefolosha and Nenad Kristic or he wouldn't do it. So S.I. conceded and granted Durant's selfless wish to showcase his unknown teammates.

As the inexperienced Thunder learn the only true way, trial by fire; they continue to build towards a ever-brightening future, together.

Halloween in Oakland was a freaky as it sounds for Seattle

It was all trick and no treat for the Seattle Seahawks blowout loss in Oakland.

Halloween in Oakland is not much different than any other day by the Bay. Scary.

The Raiders worked the Seahawks over, allowing only three points and sacking Seattle's Matt Hasselbeck eight times.

Oakland's 33-3 win was a spirit crusher. Oakland didn't allow a first down until more than 27 minutes into the game and gave up just 162 yards of offense, including 47 on the ground.

If that isn't frightening enough, Seattle's previously unbreakable run defense was shattered by the Raiders' Darren McFadden and company. The breakout runningback McFadden, sliced and diced his way to 111 yards on the ground. There was a bevy of spot carries by other Raiders who added another 128 rushing yards and a touchdown.

Even maligned Raiders quarterback, Jason Campbell looked like a stud against the Hawks. Campbell threw for 310 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. The Hawks are supposed to ruin average quarterbacks like Campbell, just like they were supposed to do with the Rams' Sam Bradford too. Instead, Seattle's secondary gift wrapped a win to each team.

So much for Seattle's reliable fallback strength. The defense looked tired and very beatable.

Seattle's running game was completely shutdown by the Raiders' strong defensive line. Marshawn Lynch rushed nine times for a putrid seven yards. Justin Forsett was equally ineffective, gaining eleven yards on five carries. Those two were supposed to dominate Sunday's matchup with a usually ineffective Raiders defense. Not this time.

To be fair though, head coach Pete Carroll tightened the leash on his runningbacks too quickly. I understand that when a team falls behind, the coach calls a lot more passing plays. But when your passing game stinks as bad as Seattle's does, why not dial up more than 14 rushing attempts for your best offensive players?

Either way, the Seahawks were badly beaten and now they come home to face the NFC's best team, the 5-2 New York Giants. The Seahawks will be tested against a powerful team this Sunday but as always, anything can happen at Qwest Field.

The Raiders are back but so are the Hawks

Seahawks vs. Raiders is a classic matchup of old AFC West foes.

It also is one of those "something has to give" games.

The Oakland Raiders are pounding the football like crazy. Oakland's starting runningback, Darren McFadden is playing like a man possessed through the first seven weeks of the season.

McFadden and the Raiders rank first in rushing attempts, averaging 33 attempts per game. They are beating back defenses at a 4.7 yard per carry average. Those fun-sized numbers add up to a Raiders offense collecting 158 yards/game on the ground and eight touchdowns.

Oakland meet your match, the 2010 Seattle Seahawks.

The Seahawks relentless defensive line and their talented linebackers have kept every opposing runningback in check this season. Seattle's run defense deserves to be preceded by "vaunted" if they continue their dominance in Oakland this Sunday.

Coming in this weekend's battle by the Bay, the Seahawks are allowing a puny 3.3 yards per carry and 77 yards per game on the ground. Of the Seahawks eleven total touchdowns allowed, Seattle has only given up four to runningbacks. By the way, eleven touchdowns allowed through six games is really good. Only the typically stout Pittsburgh and Tennessee defenses rank higher.

Conversely, the Raiders defense is allowing close to 140 yards on the ground each week. That mouth-watering stat should be enough for head coach Pete Carroll to veer away from the inconsistent passing attack otherwise known as Matt Hasselbeck and the Who?

Bring on Marshawn Lynch and Justin Forsett. I want to see Seattle run the ball 30 times between those two. Lynch should realistically dominate Oakland for over 100 yards and a touchdown, maybe two.

An interesting side note to this game is each team's point spread in their respective victories last week. The Seahawks won 22-10 over Arizona, a 12 point differential. The Raiders beat Denver 59-14, a 45 point differential. And the Broncos beat the Seahawks in week two, 31-14.

I'm not sure what to make of all those scores but one them is an aberration and one is reality.

Only time will tell which one is which.

Go Thunder!?

Editor's Note: From this day forward, Wednesday's on Rambling Tangent will be dedicated to the Oklahoma City Thunder and the NBA. Read at your own emotional risk.



I've been known to go against the grain occasionally in my life. My opinion on the Oklahoma City Thunder is one of those rebel moments.

July 2008 was a horrible time in Seattle, Washington. It marked the end of an era when the Seattle Sonics left town for the Oklahoma flatlands and took the NBA's brightest future with it.

Before the team moved, they drafted the best player since LeBron James, sharp-shooter Kevin Durant. The 19 year-old Durant was fresh off a dominant freshman year at the University of Texas. He then was promptly selected second overall in the 2007 NBA Draft by your Seattle Suuuuuuper Sonics. Sorry, I just had to. (Sonics P.A. Announcer, Matt Pittman was incredible)

Durant met all expectations by winning the 2007 NBA Rookie of the Year award. He averaged 20 points per game as a teenager; begging the question, how high is this young man's ceiling?

At that point, the Sonics still had a future in Seattle and it was burning bright, at least on the court.

But then it all came crashing down.

Of course, the Sonics didn't leave without a fight. It has been well documented how the Sonics weren't moved, they were stolen. Owner, Clay Bennett bought the beloved basketball franchise from Starbucks owner, Howard Shultz. Bennett promised to try his best to keep the Sonics in town and get the stadium funding they needed.

Neither happened. Shocking.

Bennett was planning on moving the team from the get-go. The cowboy Bennett was based in Oklahoma City already, so moving the team there after one year was inevitable. The moving trucks came and took Seattle's baby away and we have grieved for two years straight.

It happened Seattle, it is time to move on.

I'm attempting to rip the life-sized Band Aid off this deep emotional wound Seattlites suffer from. I know many fans will not like my thoughts on this subject but that is not enough to stop me from sticking with my team.

The location changed, the jersey's look different but the history is still ingrained in my cranium and I 'Refuse To Lose' (those memories).

Bennett can't take away the fact that the franchise he purchased, thrived in Seattle for four decades, including in 1979 when the Sonics brought home a championship. He can't take away the fact that Kevin Durant was drafted by Seattle and played his rookie season at Key Arena.

With that said, I'm declaring myself an unabashed Thunder fan that never stopped rooting for the team he grew up watching. Bring on the boos and hissing. I will be the bigger man in this controversy and go with my heart. The rest of you can quietly and enviously, watch Durant dominate the NBA out the corner of your eye.

The O.K.C. Thunder kick-off their season at home tonight against the highly talented Chicago Bulls. All-Star point guard, Derrick Rose runs the Bulls offense along side his odd-looking, yet very physical, Joakim Noah. These two are the center-pieces to the Bulls lineup but the edge in this matchup of young basketball duo's goes to O.K.C.

The league's reigning scoring champion (30 points/game), Kevin Durant, returns with his trusty sidekick, point guard Russell Westbrook. Durant enters his fourth season and Westbrook's third season coming off a great summer in which they won a gold medal with the USA Basketball team at the World's Championship.

But the last time the NBA saw this combo and rest of the Thunder players, they were pushing the Los Angeles Lakers to the brink of elimination from the 2009 playoffs. In the end, the Lakers were the better team and went on to defeat the Thunder and everyone else for that matter, winning the 2009 NBA title.

The future for the Thunder is simple: feed Durant the ball and the wins will come. I expect O.K.C. to earn a high-seed for the playoff run and shock the basketball world by upsetting a couple veteran teams. They are not championship caliber. Yet.

Earlier I posed the question: how high is Durant's ceiling? It was a trick question.

There is no ceiling.

Good, bad and certainly ugly; Hawks find a way to win

A win is a win, right?

When that win is "earned" and appears sloppy, some hesitate to embrace it, including yours truly.

Yesterday's win over the Arizona Cardinals was one of those unattractive wins the Seattle Seahawks have unfortunately come to rely on.

Sunday's 22-10 Seahawks victory played out in Seattle's typical autumn weather, which in hindsight likely had a strong imprint on the horrid play of the sun-kissed Cardinals.

In the intermittent downpour, the Seahawks forced the Cardinals into four turnovers including rookie safety Earl Thomas' fourth interception in six games. The defensive play of the game for Seattle was when Cardinals punt returner, Alan Branch muffed the catch and simultaneously was recovered by Seattle's Roy Lewis. The great play by Lewis gave the Seahawks the ball inside Arizona's 10-yard line.

From that turnover the Seahawks Matt Hasselbeck threw a jump ball to his 6-5 receiver Mike Williams for the first and only Seahawks touchdown to put Seattle up 10-0 at halftime. Williams is hands down Hasselbeck's go-to receiver as those two hooked up eleven times for 87 yards on Sunday. In fact, the Seattle's quarterback-wide receiver combo has connected 21 times for 210 yards in the last two games.

Seattle's new star, Marshawn Lynch ran a season-high 24 times for 89 yards and his fleet-footed backup, Justin Forsett, kept his run per attempt (4.6) up by rushing nine times for 41 yards. The most exciting number from the ugly Seahawks offense was the 24 carries by Lynch.

Head coach Pete Carroll must implement this run-heavy strategy every week to stay successful. Because the Seahawks do not even threaten opposing defensive secondaries with deep passes, they must continue to perfect their running game. Rushing a combined 33 times is a great step forward.

The true hero of the game was Seahawks kicker, Olindo Mare. The man simply doesn't miss. Mare nailed five field goals yesterday, extending his streak of consecutive field goals made to 30. Actually, he hit two more but because of penalties he was forced to re-kick twice; an impressive feat considering each kick was progressively longer.

The Arizona offense never got off the ground, both literally and figuratively. Rookie Cardinal quarterback, Max Hall, was 4 for 16 passing, gaining only 36 yards with one interception and one fumble. The hapless Hall was pulled in favor for another borderline starting quarterback, Derek Anderson, who managed 96 yards on 17 attempts.

Compared to the passing attack, the Cardinals ground game worked well. It was consistent enough to garner one touchdown and 113 yards on 20 carries. Their back-field looks similar to Seattle's, in that they rely on two runningbacks with different abilities. The bruiser is Beanie Wells and the pass-catching back is Tim Hightower. Both players combined to rush for more yards in a game than the Seahawks had given up all season. Despite their efforts, Seattle still ranks second in rushing yards allowed at 77 per game.

The dink and dunk Seahawks offense stalled many times in the red-zone, which is never helpful but fortunately for them, their kicker is absolute money. Coach Carroll needs to address their passing game because it looks disgusting and irrelevant. The rest of the team looks solid and should continue to get by on great defense and consistent run play as long as Seattle keeps playing mid-level teams.

Speaking of average teams, the Seahawks fly to Oakland this weekend to take on the surprisingly good Raiders. The Raiders are fresh off a massacre victory over rival Denver Broncos, so the Seahawks shouldn't take this game lightly.

Seattle proved they could win on the road by whooping the Bears in Chicago, and now they need to recapture that same mentality next week in Oakland.

Seahawks defense makes Bears look like cubs

They did it. They won on the road.

The Seattle Seahawks 23-20 win over the Chicago Bears this weekend was as solid a win the team has seen in years. This was one of those no excuses wins. The Seahawks went on the road, played early in the day, scored multiple times without special teams and won.

The Seahawks accomplished the seemingly unfathomable by controlling the clock with a consistent rushing attack and timely 3rd down conversions. Seattle had the ball for 34:23 to Chicago's 25:37. The combination of Justin Forsett and Marshawn Lynch ran the ball 27 times for 111 yards and two touchdowns.

Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck connected with wide receiver Mike Williams ten times for 123 yards on his way to 242 passing yards and a touchdown with no interceptions. Hasselbeck shared the wealth by hitting seven other receivers, including a beautiful 22-yard touchdown pass to Deon Butler in the corner of the endzone to tie the game early in the first quarter.

The Butler touchdown represented the missing ingredient the Seahawks were looking for all this time away from Qwest Field; the ability to respond immediately when scored upon.

As for the defense, they played very well against a big-play Bears offense. This stat never gets old: the Seahawks rank second in the NFL in rush defense, allowing 70 yards per game. The Bears ran for 61 yards on 14 attempts. Most of those rushes came in the first half when the Bears coaches believed they still had a chance to burst through the Seahawks wall.

No chance.

Not only did the defensive line continue building on it's previous run-stopping success, they also swarmed Bears quarterback Jay Cutler all game and sacked him six times. Cutler only connected with his speedy receivers, Johnny Knox, Devin Hester and others, 17 times on 39 passes and gained 290 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions.

The defense line is playing surprisingly aggressive and the ball hawking secondary always seems to be on the verge of picking off a pass. Very simply, the Seahawks defense is real and they're spectacular.

As great as the team played as a whole, my game ball goes to rookie left tackle Russell Okung for his elimination of the NFL's most feared pass rusher, Julius Peppers. Most NFL coaches would agree Peppers is dominant enough to warrant a double-team block on most plays but Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll doesn't fall in with most coaches.

Carroll allowed Okung (starting his first full NFL game) to go one-on-one with Peppers all game and Okung won. Peppers finished with two tackles and no sacks. That is amazing. Okung's play gave me chills when I day-dreamed about the possibility of having a Walter Jones protege' protecting Hasselbeck. It's quite possible that the Seahawks stuck gold with Okung.

The battle for the NFC West lead will be held at Qwest Field this Sunday when the 3-2 Hawks take on the 3-2 Arizona Cardinals. Seattle is licking their chops for a shot at Cardinals rookie quarterback Max Hall and a chance to come home to a heroes welcome by the 12th Man.

Revamped Seahawks fly into Chicago

In case you haven't heard, the Seahawks do not win on the road. Unfortunately, this is not an exaggeration.

For many years now the Seattle Seahawks as a team have been the NFL's most considerate guest and have simultaneously proven to be the league's rudest host. Translation: they love playing at Qwest Field and they don't know how to win away from Qwest and their 12th Man.

Since the Super Bowl run of 2005, the Seahawks home record is 28-14 and their road record is a frightening 15-27. Rarely do you see such a dramatic home/away split in sports. Talk about home cooking.

The last time Seattle won on the road was November 29th, 2009 at St. Louis. The previous road win came a year prior at San Francisco in October of 2008. Yes, both were division wins which are always important but do you know the last time the Seahawks won outside the NFC West? Try December 2, 2007 against the Philadelphia Eagles.

So how about that Bear's game in Chicago this weekend?

Despite the foreboding path I've laid out for the Seahawks chances on the road, they actually could beat the Bears with the right approach. The key to a Seattle victory is to mimic the Bear's long-standing mantra; play hard-nosed defense and pound the football.

The Seahawks enter this Sunday's matchup with a tough new look. In their bye week Seattle added a bulldozer of a runningback in Marshawn Lynch. He runs with purpose and thrives when he is the hitter not the "hit-tee". The new offensive approach is simple; feed Lynch the ball and control the time of possession.

On defense, the Hawks will have their hands full. The Bears best weapon is runningback Matt Forte. With streaky quarterback Jay Cutler coming off a concussion he suffered last week, the Bears are sure to test the Hawks run defense.

Forte is scary for one reason, he loves receiving short passes and turning them into homeruns. In the Bears first five games, Forte has two rushing and three receiving touchdowns. Expect Seattle to continue stopping the run with their second ranked rush defense. The focus should be on stopping the dump-off passes to Forte because that will significantly shutdown the Bears attack.

The bye week timed out well for Seattle because they were able to acquire a potential stud runningback and the extra week allowed left tackle Russell Okung to rest his bum ankle. Those two figure to be important cogs in the Seahawk's future. It will interesting to see how the previously hopeless Seahawks rushing attack responds with the exciting makeover.

I have a feeling this Sunday could be the start of a new period in Seahawks football and there would be no better way to jump-start the Pete Carrol era than with a solid road win in the Windy City.

Lynch adds much needed grit

He runs nasty. He wears gold teeth. He is perfect.

He is Marshawn Lynch.

The Seattle Seahawks addressed a major flaw in their offensive approach Tuesday when they acquired runningback Marshawn Lynch from the Buffalo Bills. Lynch runs with the mentality that the defender is not an obstacle to run around, instead Lynch prefers to run through the defender as if he isn't standing there. (Supposedly he has an extra gear called 'Beast Mode')

That is the type of player the Seahawks were desperate for. Many players have come through and still play for Seattle who don't have a chip on their shoulder or show a mean streak. Football is a violent game played by hard-nosed men who enjoy hitting each other. When a key position like runningback doesn't fit that profile, the mindset filters down through the team in a negative manner.

Lynch was drafted in 2007 by the Bills and he immediately paid dividends for the team. In his rookie season he rushed for 1,115 yards with seven touchdowns. Next season he repeated with 1,036 yards and eight touchdowns. During those years he ran behind a suspect offensive line and a weak passing attack. Sound familiar?

For two seasons Lynch rarely shared carries with another runningback. But then something changed. Last season there was a considerable drop-off in Lynch's numbers. The decline came when he shared half his carries with the Bills other runningback Fred Jackson. Lynch rushed for a mere 450 yards with two touchdowns. This should be a warning sign to Seahawks head coach Pete Carrol.

If Lynch performs well early on, he needs to be the featured back because it's quite possible he is a lot better rusher than current starter Justin Forsett. Plus if Lynch is running well that means he is bruising defenders. Thus, by the fourth quarter the defense will be more prone to getting run over and be tired because of all the physical play early on.

Coming into this season I thought runningback was the biggest question mark. Forsett is the Hawks most dynamic offensive player and coach Carrol would be a fool to forget that. Ideally, Forsett would play on third down or in obvious passing situations because he is a great weapon in the flat for a screen pass.

Lynch brings a nasty attitude and some flash (a gold grill) to a team without much personality. Seahawk management should be applauded for recognizing their short comings and be pro-active about it.

Seahawk fans are sure to fall in love with the team's edgy new look when they take on the blue collar Chicago Bears next Sunday.

It's just like starting over

Well that didn't go as planned.

The Seattle Seahawks strolled into St. Louis this weekend feeling confident that they were the better team and the status quo would live on.

Not so fast.

The Rams emphatically snapped their 10 game losing streak against the Seahawks with a 20-3 win. St. Louis has suffered through seemingly infinite misery and now has come out of the other side with hope for a bright future. That future being quarterback Sam Bradford.

The rookie Bradford, threw for 289 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. By NFL rookie standards those numbers are fantastic, especially win you also beat a division rival.

On the complete opposite end of the quarterback spectrum, the 35-year-old Matt Hasselbeck looked helpless and beatable. Hasselbeck passed for 196 yard with no touchdowns and one interception.

Once again the frustrating offense sputtered. Each pass attempt rarely looked threatening; most completions were for seven yards or less. The worst part was the Seahawks lack of adjustments when it was apparent the Rams were not fooled by anything.

The Seahawks running game was actually decent most of the game. Justin Forsett ran for 65 yards on 19 carries. Unfortunately, the Rams knew the Seahawks couldn't afford to run the ball in the second half as their lead grew. Seattle had to pass often which allowed the St. Louis linebackers to tee off on Hasselbeck and the perpetually beat up offensive line with no regard for human life.

The Hawks emerging defense played well in spurts; collecting four sacks and one timely interception by their most dynamic defensive player, Earl Thomas. The Seahawks safety snatched a Bradford endzone pass right out of the air, saving a touchdown. Their defense is consistent enough to give the Seahawks a chance to win; but the offense attempts to blow that chance every Sunday.

Despite the flashes of hope on defense, the Seahawks are doomed to repeat this performance because the offense is absolute garbage. They had 11 straight possessions after the first quarter when they either punted or turned the ball over. Something needs to change. Coach Carrol needs to re-access his team during this week's bye and adjust the offensive scheme.

The Seahawks were handed a wake-up call by losing to the one team that represents how far they have fallen and whom to model their future after.

One thing is for sure, the times are a changing.

Fiery Seahawks defense looks to rattle Bradford

There is something about Seahawks vs. Rams.

Any football fan outside of Seattle and St. Louis probably doesn't understand what I mean. And why should they?

The Seattle Seahawks and St. Louis Rams are the butt of many NFL jokes. Neither team has sniffed the playoffs in years or even the division title. Yet, when these two strap up the laces and line up across from each other Sunday afternoon, there is a unique bitterness pulsating between that four inch gap called the line of scrimmage.

The Seahawks have won the last ten games versus the Rams. A very nice streak for any team and a devastating streak for another. You can imagine how the Rams players feel about the Hawks coming to their turf this weekend. They want this to end. Now.

Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo said this week that "it wouldn’t matter if we had won 10 games in a row, I would still want to beat them."

Of course, second-year head coach Spagnuolo only experienced two of those losses but it is apparent he feels the intensity of the division rival match-up just the same.

The first overall NFL draft pick, quarterback Sam Bradford, was drafted by St. Louis this year and this Sunday marks the first of many battles with the Seahawks. Bradford replaces long time Rams quarterback, Marc Bulger and many other unworthy QB's St. Louis has thrown into the fire over the years.

Bradford gives the Rams a very interesting dynamic for the future. So far he has played well (for a rookie). Bradford has thrown for 655 yards with four touchdowns and five interceptions. The Seahawks are sure to exploit Bradford's short-comings with their consistent pass rush and ball hawking secondary.

As for the Seattle's offense, runningback Justin Forsett needs to continue to work the gaps that the rag-tag offensive line provides him. Head coach Pete Carroll said this week that there is strong possibility that Seattle's own first round draft pick, Russell Okung plays this week at left tackle.

Okung suffered a high-ankle sprain very early in the season and has a lot to prove. If Okung can get comfortable covering Matt Hasselbeck's blindside; the Seahawk faithful will be quite smitten. Left tackle has been a black hole since All-Pro Walter Jones retired.

Rams runningback Steven Jackson is questionable with a pesky groin injury, so the Seahawks might avoid one of the league's biggest bruisers. Even if Jackson plays, the Seahawks defense should be able to contain him with stout D-line play. The Seahawks are only allowing 2.5 yards per carry through three games.

This Sunday at St. Louis figures to be the most winnable road game this season for the Hawks; a team that plays like Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde depending if they're at Qwest Field or not.

I think if reality plays out, the Seahawks will be 3-1 entering the bye week. First in the NFC West.

Cy Felix

Few nicknames truly fit the player they're given to. Even fewer players exceed the hype bestowed on them. Phenoms are one of the most interesting dynamics about sports to me. I love when a player has the weight of the world lumped on them and then rises up to the challenge and proceeds to smash even the highest ceiling predicted as a rookie.

Ace pitcher Felix Hernandez is unbelievably fantastic. The nickname "King Felix" was bestowed upon him as an 18 year old rookie and ever since that day, the 'King' has ruled.

Hernandez, at the age of 24 is finishing his sixth Major League season and he has the brightest future of any pitcher in baseball. Unfortunately, few really understand this because he plays for the unbelievably horrible Seattle Mariners.

Over the years, in all sports, great talents get lost on hapless teams. Barry Sanders on the Detroit Lions. Dan Marino with the Miami Dolphins. Patrick Ewing in New York. Even Hernandez's current teammate Ichiro suffers the same fate.

Felix is just the latest victim of circumstance. The man cannot get any love from his "offense". In his 12 losses, the Mariners have scored a total of eight runs while he was on the mound -- and no runs in his last five losses since mid-July. Are you kidding me?

Many people in the mainstream media will point out CC Sabathia (21-7) or David Price (19-6) as the American League Cy Young favorites because their team's made the playoffs and those two led them there. This is true but how can you deny Hernandez (13-12) just because he has six less wins than Price and eight less than Sabathia?

Felix is a pitcher. The Cy Young award is presented each year to the best pitcher, not the guy who can accumulate the most wins and playoff berth.

Math was never my strong suit but I'm pretty sure these numbers are untouchable:

232 Strikeouts; 2.27 Earn Run Average; 1.06 WHIP (Walks + Hits / Innings Pitched)

Those insanely great numbers are all rank first in their respective pitching categories. If that doesn't somehow convince you; how about this?

Hernandez has pitched at least seven innings in 25 consecutive starts, a Mariners record, and is only the seventh pitcher in the majors since 1980 with 30 quality starts (three earned runs or fewer while pitching at least six innings).

That means he gives the Mariners a high chance to win every time he takes the mound but the Mariners hitters steal his glory practically every start.

Hernandez finished second in AL Cy Young voting last year and his numbers were almost better than this year. The first line of numbers are Hernandez's 2009 stats and the following set is 2009's winning numbers by Kansas City's Zack Greinke:

19-5 W-L; 217 SO; 2.49 ERA; 1.13 WHIP

16-8 W-L; 242 SO; 2.16 ERA; 1.06 WHIP

The point is that Hernandez had great numbers last year and he was denied by a pitcher with better numbers but a worse win/loss record. So if the Cy Young voters are sticking to the same criteria, they cannot deny Hernandez the award this time around.

This Sunday the Mariners close up their season at home against the Oakland Athletics and guess who wants the ball? Instead of Fan Appreciation Night, the Mariners should reconsider and rename it Felix Appreciation Night.

Long live King Felix.

2010 Seahawks: the young and the fearless

Fill in the blank: yesterday's Seahawks win made you feel _____

Excited? Optimistic? Satisfied?

Try alive. That was easily one of the more thrilling games the Seahawks have played in years.

Seattle's 27-20 win over San Diego was explosive. There were two kick returns for touchdowns; 675 yards combined passing and a total of seven turnovers.

The Seahawks defensive line was all over San Diego's quarterback Phillip Rivers. Defensive ends Chris Clemons and Red Bryant consistently collapsed Rivers' throwing pocket which allowed defensive tackles Colin Cole and Brandon Mebane to penetrate the running lanes.

Once again, the Seahawks shutdown the run. They gave up 89 yards rushing with no touchdowns. This trend is becoming more and more a staple as the weeks go by. After yesterday's dominance, the Seahawks run defense ranks fifth in the NFL at 67 yards allowed per game.

The difference between the defense last year and this year is pretty obvious. The line is pressuring the quarterback which is giving the linebackers opportunities to fly around the field and make plays. It also cuts down the time that the cornerbacks and safety's have to stay in coverage. That pressure is vital because if the quarterback has all day to throw then the secondary will inevitably get burned by the receivers.

As ferocious as the Hawks defense looked at times, they still blew plenty of coverages at the end of the game. Rivers threw for 455 yards with 109 of those going to All-Pro tight end Antonio Gates. Shockingly, the Seahawks constantly left him wide open in the fourth quarter. It's hard to believe San Diego's most dangerous weapon didn't even appear covered on many key passing downs. That is completely unacceptable, especially in a tight ball game.

It seems like the defense is becoming Seattle's identity but because they are so young and inexperienced, they will still get shredded by veteran studs like Rivers and Gates. On the other hand, they looked hungry and fearless. The Seahawks sacked Rivers four times and rookie safety, Earl Thomas intercepted him twice.

Seattle's offense relied on a lot of short passes and the occasional running play. It is very apparent that head coach Pete Carroll doesn't think he has any weapons that scare defenses. The Hawks don't throw deep or even threaten to which allows the defense to cheat up on every play. This needs to change soon or the offense will only digress further.

Lastly, and absolutely not least, Leon Washington deserved the game ball for his highlight reel performance returning kicks yesterday. Washington delivered a shot to the mouth of the Chargers coming out of halftime by returning the kick 101 yards for the score.

Then just when the Chargers tied the game at 20-20 late in the fourth, Washington took the following kick return 99 yards to the house. Washington was brought in this offseason for that exact thing. The electricity he generated at Qwest Field makes one think; are you sure his name isn't Neon? Either way, his name certainly deserves to be in lights after those game-changing plays.

So what did we learn this weekend?

The defense is having fun. The offense is desperate for a deep threat. Special teams looks well, special. The 2-1 Seahawks sit a top the NFC West with a winnable game in St. Louis on Sunday.

Can you feel it?

San Diego's high-flying air show lands at Qwest

This Sunday Qwest Field will be buzzing like the electrical transformers your parents warned you as a kid to stay away from.

Caution: High Voltage!

The electricity generated from the match-up between the Seattle Seahawks and the San Diego Chargers, all obvious puns aside, will be palpable.

The Chargers enter this week beat-up at runningback which means it is up to star quarterback Phillip Rivers to shred the already questionable Seahawks secondary. San Diego's first round pick, Ryan Matthews, has a high ankle sprain and is out for Sunday. Despite the lack of a solid running option, the Chargers would look to pass often anyhow.

San Diego will pass early and often for two reasons; the Seahawks have proved they can stop the run and the Chargers wide receivers all stand at least two inches taller than any Seahawks defender. Their top two receivers, Legedu Naanee and Malcom Floyd are 6'2 and 6'5 respectively and San Diego's dynamic tight end Antonio Gates stands at 6'4.

Did I mention that the quarterback Rivers is 6'5? That height is very impressive and a huge challenge for the vertically challenged Seahawks secondary who can't boast anyone over 6' tall. Look for lob passes and routes where Chargers receivers can use their athletic ability to jump straight up and snag the ball out of the air over helpless defenders.

Much of the electrical current will pulse from the stands at Qwest Field. The Seahawk players are fortunate to have the best fans in football because they literally provide energy to the team for all four quarters. Seattle fan's impact on the game is no joke considering the team's high home winning percentage and the excessive false starts incurred by the visitors (3.2/per game).

An interesting side note to San Diego being in town this week is their recent trade with Seattle involving the much-ado-about-nothing, Charlie Whitehurst. The Seahawks traded for Whitehurst during this year's NFL Draft as an insurance policy for oft injured quarterback, Matt Hasselbeck.

The timing is quite dramatic because of Hasselbeck's struggle to pass to the right colored jersey recently. The easy answer for fans is to call for a change at quarterback but it is hardly that simple. Smartly, head coach Pete Carroll said this week that "Matt is our guy". You just can't convince me that Whitehurst should step in when Hasselbeck is healthy.

Fortunately for the Chargers, their quarterback is young and capable of great things every time he steps onto the field. Thus, they didn't sweat the "loss" of Whitehurst to a desperate team like Seattle.

The Seahawks have their hands full this weekend but as it's been proven time and time again; Seattle is capable of short-circuiting opponents at home behind an electric crowd.

Hasselbeck under fire

Turnovers, turnovers, turnovers.

Everyone knows what results from them. Coaches have that word on automatic response when the media inquires on what the key is to any win or loss.

Turnovers either make you or break you.

The Seattle Seahawks looked broken on Sunday against the Denver Broncos. It wasn't as if the Seahawks couldn't move the ball; the Seahawks just gave back the ball after driving into Denver territory three times and once more on a muffed punt return. They gift wrapped these turnovers as if they were just trying to be polite guests in someone's home. Denver being the gracious host that they are, showed their gratitude by handing Seattle a 31-14 beating.

Last week's hero, quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, rushed for a touchdown and threw from another along with three interceptions. For those of you counting, that is 14 interceptions in his last six regular-season games. Ouch.

Hasselbeck has never been so inaccurate in his career. He has also never had such a threatening backup. Second-string quarterback Charlie Whitehurst will hear his name mentioned increasingly more each week that Hasselbeck struggles.

Head coach Pete Carroll has a number of mantras he lives by and Carroll demands his football team to adhere to as well.

Earn Everything. Always Compete.

Hasselbeck knows these words apply even to him, the longest tenured Seahawk. Job security at the quarterback position has really never been in question in Hasselbeck's time with Seattle.

Since becoming the starter in 2003, Hasselbeck has led Seattle to five playoff appearances and a Super Bowl appearance as well as being selected three times for the Pro Bowl. Pair those accolades with a "lifer" backup like Seneca Wallace who sat behind Hasselbeck every season till this year and you get very strong job security.

During Hasselbeck's dominant years he had reliable players around him. First and foremost, he was protected by arguably the greatest left tackle of all-time in Walter Jones. Jones' utter dominance gave Hasselbeck a quarterback's dream gift, piece-of-mind that his blindside was protected. When a quarterback feels comfortable in the pocket he will inevitably play with more confidence and find the open man.

Hasselbeck is trying to do too much. I don't blame him for taking risks when his receiving core doesn't scare anyone and the treadmill running game is going nowhere. But these are the toys he has to work with and a change in quarterback will not add talent to the offense. Despite the interceptions, Hasselbeck is the only player on the Seahawks that I trust.

Yet, the fans and media are crying out for answers and the only one that comes to their mind in Whitehurst. I get it. But do you really want a guy who has never started an NFL game to lead your team when Hasselbeck is healthy?

Let me breakdown Mr. Whitehurst for you. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the third round of the 2006 draft after two average seasons at Clemson University. You think you hate interceptions now, check out Whitehurst's decision making skills back then:

2004: 2067 yards, 7 TD, 17 INT
2005: 2483 yards, 11TD, 10 INT

Yeah, I'm sure collegiate defenses play similar to NFL defenses....

Critics of the Seahawks need to look outside the box for once and not latch onto the easy answer for the team's problem. How about the soft running game or inexperienced, injury-plagued offensive line?

The Hawks head home to their haven, Qwest Field, this weekend where they will take on the high-octane San Diego Chargers. Seattle always plays their best ball at home so I won't be surprised if the Hawks bounce back with a strong performance against the Chargers.

Expect a see-saw season from 2010 Seahawks and know that it is never just one problem.

Week 2 preview of Seahawks and Broncos

Momentum. It's a funny thing. In sports, momentum can often trump talent. It serves as a intangible force that drives a team to victories and performances that didn't seem possible just weeks earlier. The Seattle Seahawks look to build momentum off last week's blowout of division rival San Francisco 49ers when they fly into Denver this weekend.

The Denver Broncos know first hand what momentum can do for your team. Coming into last season the Broncos were in flux. Long time head coach Mike Shanahan retired and was replaced by rookie head coach Josh McDaniels. Their budding quarterback, Jay Cutler was traded and they were starting a rookie at runningback. The Broncos defense was full of unknown players with no real identity. Needless to say, the Broncos were not picked to win the AFC West.

But a funny thing happened. They won their first game in dramatic fashion on a deflected pass that landed in the right receiver's hands and he dashed for a game winning touchdown with time expiring.

Denver built off that crazy win by dominating their next two games in which they only allowed nine points total. The defense was rolling and the team's confidence was a mile-high in Denver. The Broncos entered their week 7 bye with a 6-0 record. Pretty amazing considering their preseason outlook.

Seattle has momentum and confidence entering this Sunday's battle with their old AFC West division foe. The Seahawks need to replicate their high energy performance from last week to keep this intangible monster unleashed on the unsuspecting NFL.

The key to the Seahawks win last week was their ability to wrap up on every tackle and fly to the ball on every snap. The performance against the 49ers was exciting for Seattle fans because they showed so much of the intensity that last year's team lacked.

That passion was ignited by head coach Pete Carroll, a man who doesn't know the meaning of indifferent. Carroll will do everything he can to raise his players to his heightened energetic level.

Carroll was so visibly fired up after each defensive stop and offensive score that I got chills watching from home. You see, there is an difference between a positive, player friendly coach and a professional motivator, player friendly coach.

Carroll demands accountability from his players. He won't let his men slouch or play any other way but full-throttle. Carroll has proved that by cutting and trading half of last year's roster.

The Broncos are coming off an opening week loss to the hapless Jaguars and once again look mediocre. But as the Broncos proved before, looks can be deceiving. Led by 'average Joe' quarterback, Kyle Orton, the Broncos feature a balanced offense with an above average defense.

Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck proved to the critics that he has some gas left in the tank by throwing two touchdowns and scrambling for another. Hasselbeck will need to keep his team focused on the field this Sunday because the Seahawks typically do not play well on the road. A couple early Seahawk defensive stops will calm the schziophrenic offense.

Both the Seahawks and Broncos enter week two trying to assert themselves and find an identity.

They stack up pretty evenly on paper; except for one thing, momentum.

Hawks D Shocks Niners

Their defense can scare you. They hit hard. They wrap up on tackles. Running backs hit a unforgiving wall. Receivers struggle to get open. Their coach is a defensive genius.

That is all the media could talk about leading up the San Francisco 49ers opening day matchup with the Seattle Seahawks. The word on the street was that the Niners would cripple any Seahawks drive. Most everyone agreed that Seattle was simply overmatched. But after yesterday's 31-6 49er drubbing, the Seahawks were the team that deserved the aforementioned defensive accolades. At least for week one.

Coming into the 2010 season the Seahawks were full of question marks. No bigger question mark was the how the defense would play after finishing the last two seasons ranked 24th and 30th in total team defense. Those stats don't conjure up much optimism for 2010. Yet, for the first game, the Seahawks defense dominated the Niners in all phases.

The obvious key to a Seahawk win was to shutdown running back Frank Gore and boy did they come through on that one. Gore was limited to an incredibly low 38 yards on 17 carries. The Hawks defensive line, supposedly the worst unit on the team, would not allow Gore to get going at all. As a unit they played like an absorbing solid. Gore would hit the hole and the line would give a little, then push him back with the help of the Hawks linebackers.

The most telling stat of the day was 1-15 for the 49ers offense on 3rd down. The Hawks dominated 3rd down which dictates the overall effectiveness of an offense. Seattle even stood San Francisco up on 4th down near the goal line. All those stops had the Hawks defense pumped up which then allowed the home crowd at Qwest Field to impose their vocal will on San Francisco.

Although the score was only 14-6 Seahawks at halftime, it was obvious that Seattle meant business. Usually the Seahawks are the team that sputters on offense and only scores field goals but not yesterday. Head coach Pete Carroll kept his men focused throughout the second half; Seattle forced the 49ers to punt on every drive except when cornerback Marcus Trufant intercepted Smith and proceeded to run it back for a 'nail-in-the-coffin' score.

Another improvement displayed was the Seahawks' ability to rush the quarterback. The defense repeatedly hit 49er quarterback Alex Smith, forcing two interceptions (one returned for a touchdown) and two sacks. Defensive ends Red Bryant and Chris Clemons will haunt Smith's dreams after combining for 7 hits on the QB. If the Seahawks expect to continue this type of performance they will need the defensive line to control the point of attack. If that happens, the secondary will continue to feast on rushed passes.

This was the type of performance that a football team can build momentum off of and carry throughout the season. Not much was expected from Seattle this season and deservedly so; but if the defense brings the intensity they showed against their biggest rival, maybe the Seahawks can break some more hearts.