Seahawks in Honolulu

There was, as usual, some poor play in the Pro Bowl. On the NFC's first running play, the offensive and defensive lines rose wearily from their stances and leaned lazily into one another, embracing like exhausted heavyweight boxers, while Philadelphia Eagle LeSean McCoy tentatively took the handoff and trotted nonchalantly into the gentle embrace of his opponents. The half-filled stadium roundly and rightfully booed this pitiful display of sloth and complacency.

Fortunately, some athletes came to compete. The few who played at full speed--like Larry Fitzgerald and Brandon Marshall--looked like fleet Olympians among lumbering, clumsy couch potatoes.

Fortunately, the Seahawks acquitted themselves admirably. Michael Robinson blocked effectively, though not brutally.  Neither McCoy nor Matt Forte capitalized on this--each carried only twice--but Marshawn Lynch ran hard, taking 8 carries for 43 yards. It wasn't quite Beast Mode, but he showed more toughness than anyone else on the field that day.

Most of Seattle's starting secondary played. The AFC quarterbacks threw downfield relentlessly, but Seahawk defenders rarely allowed their receivers to catch anything. Miami's Marshall managed one big reception at Brandon Browner's expense--the big cornerback tried to make a play, but obliterated his safety support in the process, allowing Marshall to escape downfield to the end zone.

Earl Thomas had a similar experience. He made a great read on a deep ball, moving in front of the receiver to make an interception, but a cornerback blundered into him, preventing him from completing the pick. To add insult to injury, the ball bounced freakishly off Marshall's foot and into his hands for a touchdown.

The takeaway lesson seems to be that chemistry matters in the secondary. When you don't know what your teammate is going to do, you can get in one another's way. That kind of chemistry is hard to build in the brief, perfunctory Pro Bowl practices.

It was a fun game. The NFC's coaches called an aggressive game, including an early onside kick, a fake punt (San Francisco's Andy Lee threw for a first down), and a lot of laterals the first time the defense intercepted a pass. The NFC led for much of the game, but made a fundamental mistake by letting Cam Newton play the entire second half. He looked every bit a rookie, completing only 33% of his passes for 2 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. Initially, Newton appeared to be trying, but when he threw an interception to the AFC's Derrick Johnson late in the game, the fleet, hulking Carolina quarterback made no attempt to stop the defender, despite being in excellent position to do so. Sad.

It's nice to see Seahawks in the Pro Bowl again, and gratifying to see them play with distinction.