Ride the tiger

Last week's loss dropped Seattle to 2-4 and has reduced this season to a struggle reminiscent of the famous postgame rant of Jim Mora the Elder, who faced similar futility at one point when coaching the Colts:

"Playoffs? Playoffs? I just hope we can win a game."

At this point, the Seahawks cannot hope to overtake 5-1 San Francisco for the division lead, nor should we dream of winning a wild card berth.

We just need to win a game.

Last week, our injury-riddled offense melted down, wasting one of the most dominating defensive performances in team history.

The offensive failure was comprehensive: False starts, botched snaps, delay-of-game penalties. Our line couldn't block, our running backs couldn't find daylight, our quarterback played poorly, and our receivers couldn't get open or catch the ball, even when it hit them in the hands. Worst of all, our coaches lacked the intelligence to alter a game plan predicated on the availability of Marshawn Lynch when he succumbed to injury in warmups.

In Beast Mode, Lynch opens his own holes between the tackles, but neither Leon Washington nor Justin Forsett have a Beast Mode setting. They're small, shifty guys who need space in which to run.When they enter the game, we shouldn't be trying to pound the rock inside on down after down. We should install a mix of runs and screen passes to let the little men do what they do best: get into space where they can avoid potential tacklers.

Several starters return from injury this week.

The return of starting center Max Unger should reduce the number of botched snaps, false starts, and general confusion among the offensive line.


Having Marshawn Lynch back in the lineup should improve our prospects on the ground.


And Zach Miller's recovery should open up our passing game, if our coaches have figured out how to get him the ball. So far, we've generally failed to capitalize upon his Pro Bowl-calibre receiving talents.




Tarvaris Jackson's probable return is least useful. Given the comprehensive nature of last week's offensive failure, it is foolish to assume that T-Jack would have done better than Charlie Whitehurst if he had played against the Browns.

In last year's home finale and against the Giants, we saw that Jesus of Clemson can walk on water when he gets a modicum of assistance and cooperation from his teammates.

Despite more opportunities, we still haven't seen Jackson put together a complete game, but we have seen him lay eggs of comparable putridity to the one Whitehurst squeezed out in Cleveland last week. (Consider T-Jack's first 3 starts, for example.)

I'd rather see the Second Coming of Jesus of Clemson, but if he's healthy, Jackson will play.

According to an online poll currently running on the website of the Seattle Times, a slim majority believes that the Seahawks should have taken Bengals rookie quarterback Andy Dalton with our first pick, instead of right tackle James Carpenter.

Do the respondents realize that drafting Dalton would have done nothing to increase the intelligence or capacity of Seattle's offensive coaches? I shudder to imagine how poorly a rookie quarterback would fare in our offense, victimized by poor pass protection, feeble run support, and shoddy playcalling from the sideline. In the alternate reality where the Seahawks selected Dalton, the rookie quarterback is already sitting out the season, mending manifold wounds on injured reserve.

Meanwhile, Carpenter, though initially disappointing, has shown signs of improvement. It's too early to condemn him as a bust.

The Bengals are a legitimately good team.

In this morning's Seattle Times, Danny O'Neil helpfully points out that the Bengals' defeated opponents have compiled a combined record of 9-16.

That's a slightly higher winning percentage than the Seahawks currently possess.

We fit right in with the types of teams the Bengals beat.

It's humiliating to be home underdogs, but we deserve it.

Can our offense finally get it together?

Can our defense dominate again?

They must be exhausted. Last week, the defense played the equivalent of one and a half games, because Cleveland's offense maintained possession for nearly 45 minutes.

And they must feel betrayed. The defense held the Browns to a mere 6 points, but neither the offense nor the special teams could eke out a score to tie or win the game.

(If I'm Red Bryant at the end of that game, I don't head-butt an opposing player in frustration, I slam my helmeted head like a wrecking ball into the brittle crania of Coach Carroll and the imbeciles on his offensive coaching staff.)

The level of challenge continues to increase for our secondary. After initial struggles, Brandon Browner has emerged as our best cornerback. Sadly, this is true not just because his play has improved a lot, but also because our corners have succumbed to injury with a frequency rivaling the mortality rate for Spinal Tap drummers. In successive games, first Marcus Trufant and now Walter Thurmond have sustained season-ending injuries. Once again, attrition makes a 3rd stringer into a starting cornerback. This time, it's rookie Richard Sherman.
Still, Seattle's best bet is to replicate their defensive performance against Cleveland: Stuff the run and dare a rookie quarterback to throw the ball. Backed by the 12th Man, the defense should be able to pull it off.

But we still need the offense to score some points if we hope to win. Cross your fingers.


Go, Seahawks!