Free falling

Sunday's loss confirmed our worst fears about this season's Seahawks team.

We knew they were poorly coached.

We knew our roster lacked talent.

We feared that the players lacked heart, that their will to compete was as weak as it had been during the Seattle's late-season slides of 2008 and 2009.

And now we know.

Tampa Bay has one of the league's worst rushing defenses. We should have been able to run the ball against them. We tried to run more than 25 times, and netted a mere 90 yards.

Our awful O-Line still can't find the slightest hint of daylight for our running backs, but our players got little help from offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates, who continues to forfeit any element of surprise through relentless playcalling predictability.

Sure, the playbook shrinks a little when your backup quarterback enters the game. Perhaps Carroll told Bates to save the good stuff for next week, upon learning that the game had no meaning for the team's postseason prospects. But even with a restricted palette, an offensive coordinator can choose to help the defense by giving them what they expect in every given situation, or he can keep the defense off balance by calling plays for which they are not ready.

One welcome exception came early in the game on a third and short when Bates split Hasselbeck wide and had fullback Michael Robinson step under center, take a direct snap, and run for a first down.

But when Hasselbeck left the game, Bates seemed to have lost all playcalling creativity.

Our starting quarterback's early exit gave us an opportunity to see what Charlie Whitehurst could do.

Jesus of Clemson did not impress.

I tire of the excuse that the backup quarterback doesn't get enough reps in practice. As a middle and high school coach, I always made sure my second-string QB was ready to go. I'm not sure why some pro coaches can't seem to manage this, despite being more capable and better compensated than I ever was.

Whitehurst's mobility would be an asset if he were wise enough to throw the ball away when he escapes the pocket and no one is open.

This is a useful skill, because most of the time when we want to pass, none of our receivers can get open. That's what happens when you jettison last year's best three wideouts (Burleson, Housh, Branch) and replace them with a bunch of inexperienced kids.

As bad as our offense was, our defense was even worse, surrendering more than 200 yards on the ground, and letting Josh Freeman throw for five touchdowns.

Most of Freeman's scoring passes came at the expense of Marcus Trufant, normally our best cornerback, and once a Pro Bowler. Has Tru quit? Are nagging injuries compromising his performance? Does anyone else miss Josh Wilson as much as I do?

When Bucs running back LaGarrette Blount hurdled veteran safety Lawyer Milloy, I found myself wondering...

At what point did Seattle jump the shark this season?

Didn't the Seahawks see the film of Blount hurdling Kerry Rhodes against Arizona earlier this year? Why didn't that sobering footage inform Milloy's tackling technique?

Why did Milloy drop his head? Doesn't he know you're supposed to see what you hit, both for reasons of safety and secure tackling?

Is it time for Milloy to retire?

Would Deon Grant have made that tackle?

Why did our team squander so badly their last chance to achieve a respectable record?