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| The Vikings can't stop DangeRuss |
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| Nowhere to run for Adrian Peterson |
To the tune of Randy Newman's "Baltimore":
Beat-up little Raven
On the stadium stair
Tryin' to end the season
'Cause this one ain't fair
Hard times in the city
In a hard town by the sea
Ain't no depth to turn to
No one to help you compete
Flacco's done for the year
Leg ligaments torn
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| Bruce Irvin: No longer a liability in run defense |
Forearm bent, bones shorn
The fans hide their faces
And they hide their eyes
'Cause their team is losin'
And they don't know why
Oh, Baltimore
Man it's hard, just to win
Oh, Baltimore
Man it's hard, just to win, just to win
Man it's hard, just to win, just to win
Running backs? We don't know who
Got a no-name defense
And a no-name offense, too
No names on special teams
Nobody in the stands
Just got a coach in khakis
But what happened to our fans?
Oh, Baltimore
Man it's hard, just to win
Man it's hard, just to win
Oh, Baltimore
Man it's hard, just to win, just to win
Man it's hard, just to win, just to win
Despite Baltimore's bad luck, I'm not advocating clemency. I particularly mourn the injury to ex-Seahawk Justin Forsett, whose heroic comeback story provided a welcome counterpoint to the perfidy of Ray Rice. The Diehard wishes Forsett a swift recovery.
However, the Ravens already have two more Super Bowls than they deserve. I felt bad for Baltimore when the Irsays smuggled the Colts out of town, but my sympathy diminished when Mobtown robbed Cleveland of its pro team, leaving behind only the hideous uniforms, the lame name and the legacy of losing.
No, Seattle is on its customary December roll, and we need to keep it going. The offense is firing on all cylinders. Darrell Bevel has found his playcalling groove again. Tom Cable's O-Line is run blocking effectively and providing decent pass protection.
Russell Wilson is playing the best football of his life. Tired of getting sacked, he has become the fastest gunslinger in the West, throwing with deadly accuracy from the pocket. This new skill has reduced his reliance on the rest of his vast suite of skills, but when needed, DangeRuss can still pull off Houdini escapes, throw on the run, roll out, extend plays, improvise, execute the read-option and use his legs to punish lapses in defensive discipline.
Doug Baldwin and Tyler Lockett have emerged as potent receiving threats, which is good since Paul Richardson will not be able to play this year. Kevin Smith, the newest addition to the wideout corps, has demonstrated impressive skill as a run blocker, perhaps the most important skill for a Seattle receiver.
Luke Willson and Cooper Helfet have filled in ably for Jimmy Graham. The team took the Diehard's advice and picked up Anthony McCoy.
Thomas Rawls continues to shoulder the load admirably at running back, but DuJuan Harris did not look good in limited action last week. Christine Michael continues to languish on Washington's practice squad, ripe for the plucking. He knows the offense. He has always run the ball well, and in preseason he showed improvement in pass protection. Was he such a locker room cancer that Seattle could not now use him?
Speaking of locker room cancers, the disappearance of Cary Williams was disappointing. I love that DeShawn Shead stepped up to seize the starting cornerback role--Williams had been our Achilles' Heel at corner all season--but you'd think he would have wanted to continue contributing as a reserve.
Presumably, a bad attitude got him deactivated and then cut. Pitiful.
Shead is a great story, though. Dude played strong safety and was a decathlete at Portland State, went undrafted, filled in at strong safety during Kam's holdout and then learned to play cornerback--the most challenging position in the secondary--well enough to supplant Williams. Dude is a badass.
Still, the loss of Williams stings, because Seattle needs a deep secondary to compete against elite teams. Our defense gets torched by effective passers like Tom Brady, Carson Palmer and Ben Rapistberger. If we don't remedy that weakness, we won't go far in the playoffs.
At 4-8, Baltimore is a bad team. The Ravens defense remains respectable, so if our offense can keep up its momentum, then that will mean something.
The Legion of Boom could probably phone it in against the anemic Baltimore offense, but the Diehard hopes the Seattle defense seizes the opportunity for another shutout. (The Vikings' sole score came on special teams last week.)
After shutting down Adrian Peterson and what had been the league's best running offense in Minnesota, the Seahawks should be able to blank the feeble Ravens.
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| Doug Baldwin torches the Viking secondary |
How banged up is Baltimore's offense? The Ravens have lost...
an All-Pro quarterback (Joe Flacco),
his Pro Bowl backup (Matt Schaub),
a Pro Bowl running back (Justin Forsett),
an All-Pro wideout (Steve Smith),
their top draft pick (receiver Breshad Perriman),
another rookie wideout (Darren Waller)
a key slot receiver (Michael Campanaro),
a starting center (Jeremy Zuttah)
a starting left tackle (Eugene Monroe),
a starting tight end (Dennis Pitta),
his backup tight end (Crockett Gillmore),
etc.
Third-string quarterback Jimmy Clausen is 0-2 against Seattle. He choked as a Panthers in 2010 and failed again as a Bear in Week Three of this season.
His backup? Bryn Renner, whose only pro passing experience came in Arizona--not for the Cardinals, but for the Rattlers of the Arena League.
Go, Hawks!
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