Hasselbeck's Fantastic Four

There was something special about every one of the four passing touchdowns Hasselbeck threw yesterday.

Both of John Carlson's touchdowns came on run fakes where the tight end pretended to block so the defense wouldn't cover him.

His second scoring reception was particularly outrageous. At the snap, Carlson did his impression of the worst cut block ever, diving prone on the turf in front of Saints defensive back Roman Harper. Ignoring the tight end's ineffectual effort, the Pro Bowl safety kept his eyes fixed on Hasselbeck as he faked a handoff and then dropped back to pass, looking to the right. The defender did not see Carlson get up and sneak into the end zone. Only when our quarterback turned left and threw did Harper turn to see Carlson--five yards away--backpedaling into the the promised land, cradling the pigskin.

Because Harper's blown assignments contributed to every Seahawks touchdown, Rich Eisen of the NFL Network has dubbed Harper Seattle's 13th Man.

The touchdowns by Mike Williams and Brandon Stokley were special because the Saints never expected them to go long.

They underestimated Williams, because he is a big-bodied possession receiver, slow by NFL wideout standards.

They also dismissed Stokley as a scoring threat, because he is a little slot receiver and no speedster.

Since Williams and Stokley generally run relatively short routes--slants, crosses, and comebacks--New Orleans was stunned when each of them went deep and hauled down touchdown passes.

Stokley's score was particularly sweet.

He, Williams, and Obomanu lined up in a trips formation bunched close to the left side of the O-Line.

Six Saints defenders--five defensive backs and a linebacker--started the play in position to cover the trio of Seattle receivers.

At the snap, Williams and Obomanu moved left, drawing most of the defenders after them.

One cornerback (Tracy Porter) bumped #15 at the line, but Stokley escaped.

When Porter tried to pursue, he bumped into Mike Williams, who was running a very short decoy comeback route.

Meanwhile, Stokley slipped past two more Saints as if he were invisible. Only when he had a five-yard head start did they give chase. And by then it was too late.