Sunday, September 21, 2003
SEAHAWKS RALLY
Today was the first time this season that I've been able to listen to the homeristic tones of one Brian Davis (thanks to NFL.com's Field Pass for that). And boy, did I ever pick the right day to listen to the guy.
This is a game that the Seahawks needed. They were 2-0, and the national media had been hyping this game up with ferocity. ESPN was actually talking about the Seahawks in the first 10 minutes of their NFL shows for crying out loud. Usually, since the Seahawks are a Seattle-based team, they would disappoint the masses.
Not today. I think this Seahawks team is very special. Sure, it's hard to say that after only three games. But as today showed, this team has a lot of character. Their defense had struggled most of the day, allowing Rams quarterback Mark Bulger time to throw the ball all day long. But in the end, the Seahawks won this ballgame.
The Seahawks missed Shaun Alexander badly in the first quarter. Alexander was at the hospital with his wife, who had gone into labor Sunday morning. Happy to report that the Alexanders had a baby girl, named Heaven, born at 12:37 Pacific time. Kudos to the Seahawks organization for allowing Shaun to be there for his wife...even with the fact that they had a big game to play today. As always, this shows that there are more important things than football.
Back to the game. It is amazing to see how well Matt Hasselbeck has responded to being a starting quarterback in the NFL. When he first came to Seattle in 2001, he tried way too hard to be Brett Favre. I think Mike Holmgren had tried to label him as the man way too early as well. Hasselbeck had his moments during his first year in Seattle, but also struggled mightily as well. 2002 rolled around, and Trent Dilfer had become the main guy behind center. Dilfer had signed a brand new contract before the season, and Hasselbeck was on the bench. Then Dilfer got hurt in the preseason, giving Hass another shot to start. Dilfer came back in Week 2, then got hurt again in October down in Dallas. Hasselbeck took over the offense and never looked back. During this past offseason, a lot of national attention had come Hasselbeck's way, with good reason. But could the Seahawks offense pick up where they left off last season? Well, with a 3-0 start, they haven't been great. But the scary part is, they haven't reached their full potential yet.
With the bye week next week, the Seahawks won't play again until two weeks from now, at Green Bay. That is a very winnable game as far as I'm concerned. Yes, the Seahawks have not done too well coming off of the bye week. But this is a different team. They could very well be 4-0 going into the Sunday Night Football showdown with the 49ers October 12.
Here's the deal: You hear about all of the mediocre teams that have gone on to win in January in the past couple of years. Baltimore, St. Louis, New England, to name a few. Why not Seattle? Remember, Mike Holmgren is one hell of a football coach. As far as I'm concerned, the big deal of the offseason was when Holmgren relinquished his duties as general manager. He was finally able to coach again.
Not to say a whole lot, but that could be the difference between the Seahawks playing in January or sitting at home.
Finally, it's NOW time. 4 years later, but whatever.
This is a game that the Seahawks needed. They were 2-0, and the national media had been hyping this game up with ferocity. ESPN was actually talking about the Seahawks in the first 10 minutes of their NFL shows for crying out loud. Usually, since the Seahawks are a Seattle-based team, they would disappoint the masses.
Not today. I think this Seahawks team is very special. Sure, it's hard to say that after only three games. But as today showed, this team has a lot of character. Their defense had struggled most of the day, allowing Rams quarterback Mark Bulger time to throw the ball all day long. But in the end, the Seahawks won this ballgame.
The Seahawks missed Shaun Alexander badly in the first quarter. Alexander was at the hospital with his wife, who had gone into labor Sunday morning. Happy to report that the Alexanders had a baby girl, named Heaven, born at 12:37 Pacific time. Kudos to the Seahawks organization for allowing Shaun to be there for his wife...even with the fact that they had a big game to play today. As always, this shows that there are more important things than football.
Back to the game. It is amazing to see how well Matt Hasselbeck has responded to being a starting quarterback in the NFL. When he first came to Seattle in 2001, he tried way too hard to be Brett Favre. I think Mike Holmgren had tried to label him as the man way too early as well. Hasselbeck had his moments during his first year in Seattle, but also struggled mightily as well. 2002 rolled around, and Trent Dilfer had become the main guy behind center. Dilfer had signed a brand new contract before the season, and Hasselbeck was on the bench. Then Dilfer got hurt in the preseason, giving Hass another shot to start. Dilfer came back in Week 2, then got hurt again in October down in Dallas. Hasselbeck took over the offense and never looked back. During this past offseason, a lot of national attention had come Hasselbeck's way, with good reason. But could the Seahawks offense pick up where they left off last season? Well, with a 3-0 start, they haven't been great. But the scary part is, they haven't reached their full potential yet.
With the bye week next week, the Seahawks won't play again until two weeks from now, at Green Bay. That is a very winnable game as far as I'm concerned. Yes, the Seahawks have not done too well coming off of the bye week. But this is a different team. They could very well be 4-0 going into the Sunday Night Football showdown with the 49ers October 12.
Here's the deal: You hear about all of the mediocre teams that have gone on to win in January in the past couple of years. Baltimore, St. Louis, New England, to name a few. Why not Seattle? Remember, Mike Holmgren is one hell of a football coach. As far as I'm concerned, the big deal of the offseason was when Holmgren relinquished his duties as general manager. He was finally able to coach again.
Not to say a whole lot, but that could be the difference between the Seahawks playing in January or sitting at home.
Finally, it's NOW time. 4 years later, but whatever.
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