Sunday, January 14, 2007
SEAHAWKS AT BEARS, NFC DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF, 1/14/07
Seattle SEAHAWKS at Chicago BEARS, 10a (Fox)
What do they have to lose?
The 1-3 finish to the Seahawks' regular season greatly cut down on any expectations anyone might have had for this team when they were 8-4 after Week 13. They never got it into full gear or something close to it like we expected once Matt Hasselbeck and Shaun Alexander got a couple healthy weeks under their belts.
Unfortunately, we can't ignore that, yes, the Seahawks did indeed suck horribly the last month of the season.
Then the game against the Cowboys happened. Timely doses of unforeseen mojo were taken to enable the Seahawks to win a game they probably should have lost.
What now? The Chicago Bears. Make no bones about it, the Bears should win this game and in semi-convincing fashion.
But they do have a chance...
Too bad I have to be at work for this one. Fill the comment box, please...
Labels: seahawk game thread, seahawks
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Saturday, January 06, 2007
COWBOYS AT SEAHAWKS, NFC WILD CARD PLAYOFF, 1/6/07
Dallas COWBOYS at Seattle SEAHAWKS, 5p (NBC)
This could be it. Or this could be a small step in something bigger. Who knows?
At first glance, though, it looks like today is the day the Seahawks throw stuff at the wall and see what sticks. That's the case on defense, anyway. If ever there was a bad time to lose two starting cornerbacks, this was the time. As Seahawk fans, we've dealt with backfields that had a Terreal Bierria or an Etric Pruitt (the latter in the Super Bowl after Marquand Manuel got hurt), but how will it be with multiple guys they've signed off the street?
Either way, the Cowboys aren't going much better, and that's sort of the saving grace here with the Seahawks drawing them for this first-round game. The Seahawks lost three of the last four to end the season, sure, but so did the Cowboys. The Seahawks blew the game against the Chargers in the final minute of play, but the Cowboys lost to a team that finished 3-13 in the Detroit Lions. Other than the injuries, I'd think the Seahawks have more going for them, especially if they exhibit anywhere close to the kind of ball control they had in Tampa Bay. The time-of-possession numbers for the Seahawks were incredible for that second half.
I know what I want for the final result of this game, but I don't think I'm going to be too surprised either way. If the team that wins this game wins next week as well, then I'll be quite surprised.
To anyone going to the game, please dress in a bunch of layers and drive safely if you're taking an automobile. As for the ferry-takers, be civil, especially if you're on the boat from Bremerton and the ride's an hour long.
Labels: seahawk game thread, seahawks
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Sunday, December 31, 2006
SEAHAWKS AT BUCCANEERS, 12/31/06
Seattle SEAHAWKS at Tampa Bay BUCCANEERS, 10a (Fox)
I hope the holidays have been kind to all of you out there.
I left my place last week during the time span when I would usually write a postgame piece. It's not that I was more bummed out than usual, I guess the motivation wasn't too high. I wasn't overly happy or overly miffed about anything, unlike the two weeks beforehand where I started crafting a game post right after the game or even during it.
Once I heard Mike Holmgren's postgame press conference, I had the feeling that he went about addressing his team the right way. Specifically, he didn't unleash a tirade that peeled paint off the walls of the home locker room at Qwest Field. Rather, he was upbeat, focusing on the fact that one of their goals at the beginning of the year was to win the division, and by gum, they did it.
It's not like Holmgren could have laid into his team again. He had two straight weeks to do that, and this loss was nowhere near as devastating as those two. He wouldn't get any more out of this team by laying into them; if they didn't get it by now, they never would. There were elements that made this Seahawk team seem more like themselves. More specifically, Shaun Alexander had a very good game. The defense was largely great except for the final touchdown play, but we can't expect all of the inconsistency to be wiped away in one week, can we? Ditto the inconsistency for the Nate Burleson return touchdown getting called back on a holding penalty. Also, it appeared to me that the leftover spirit of Koren Robinson must have squeezed the champion out of Deion Branch, or how else would a Super Bowl MVP drop four passes?
Still, even though Seattle is locked into the fourth seed in the NFC, I think the Seahawks should be going for the win here instead of pulling all the starters at a certain point in the game. Why? If they lose this game, they will be hosting a playoff game at Qwest Field next weekend having not won a football game in over a month (Denver on the road). I think the fact that the Seahawks don't have a first-round bye could really work in their favor if they get a win where they get some good momentum and manage to play more like everyone knows they're capable of playing.
Still, we do have to remember that right now the Seahawks are an 8-7 team that can't finish any better than 9-7. It's hard to imagine the team was 8-4 at one point, isn't it?
Labels: seahawk game thread, seahawks
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