Seattle slump

Only Cleveland has allowed more sacks than 0-2 Seattle (Credit: USA Today)

The season's hopes are draining away fast.

Starting with two road games is tough, but the Broncos and the Bears were both beatable teams coming off terrible 2017 campaigns.

Injuries have exacerbated the impact of high-profile veteran departures on defense. The secondary remains decent, but a poor pass rush and rookie linebackers have let mediocre Bears and Broncs passers carve us up like roast poultry.

So far, Mike Solari's revamped O-line has proven as porous as its predecessors--Tom Cable's deservedly maligned units. Offensive coordinator Brian's Schottenheimer's puzzling playcalling has achieved the incredible feat of making me nostalgic for Darrell Bevell. Despite vows to run the ball more, we continue to throw too much and invite defenses to blitz, swarm the pocket, allow Russell Wilson no avenue of escape, and reap a rich harvest of sacks.

This is looking more and more like the rebuilding year skeptics predicted.

Here's hoping the 12s can inspire the Seahawks to a better showing today.

Earlier this month, SI detailed how Seattle's dynastic ambitions disappeared into the gaping chasm separating the defense and Marshawn Lynch from Coach Carroll and his allegedly privileged pet, Wilson. The lack of input from Carroll and Wilson's camp makes it difficult to evaluate whether this is the whole story or just one side of the story, but the article provides helpful context for understanding why our roster and team culture remain in flux.

Rest in Peace, Coach Knox

Coach Chuck Knox confers on the sideline with quarterback Dave Krieg, c. 1989 (Credit: Bellingham Herald)

An old-school badass, Coach Knox seized the reins in Seattle in 1983 and wasted no time remaking the team in his winning image: a smashmouth, run-first offense, coupled with a bruising, larcenous defensive juggernaut.

Ground Chuck's journeymen run-blockers paved the way for halfback Curt Warner, whose ankle-busting cuts froze and frustrated hapless defenders. To compensate for an offensive line far less adept at pass blocking, Knox boldly benched fan favorite Jim Zorn in favor of backup quarterback Dave Krieg, an uncanny gamer who remained reviled by ungrateful Seahawks fans despite a consistent knack for winning, vastly superior chemistry with Steve Largent, and Hall of Fame-caliber statistics that clearly establish him as one of the finest passers of '80s.

On defense, Knox knew how to stuff the run, pressure passers, and force turnovers. In his 3-4 scheme, All-Pro nose tackle Joe Nash wrecked the middle while linebackers knifed through for the kill. A long, tall Texan--the All-Pro sackmaster, defensive end Jacob Green--sped in to haul quarterbacks to the turf, force fumbles, and even grab an occasional interception. How fast was Green? In 1983, he finished Cleveland by picking off a Brian Sipe pass and sprinting for a 73-yard touchdown. In 1985, #79 scooped up a fumble and ran for a 79-yard score.

A Denver defender peels away from double-teaming nose tackle Joe Nash (#72) too late to save quarterback John Elway from getting sacked by defensive end Jacob Green (#79); Seattle won this 1991 game, 13-10 (Credit: Getty)

Knox's secondary lacked a catchy nickname, but it hit as hard as hard as the Legion of Boom--and grabbed far more interceptions. All-Pro strong safety Kenny Easley hit like Kam Chancellor, nabbed picks like Earl Thomas, and returned punts as well as Golden Tate. Though decent before Ground Chuck came to town, Dave Brown blossomed into an All-Pro shutdown corner under Knox.

Knox made Seattle a winner and took the Seahawks to the playoffs several times. Critics blamed the coach's conservatism for limited success in the playoffs, and there is something to that, but Knox proved more resourceful than his detractors remember. 

No prisoner to philosophy, Coach did what he needed to do to win. In 1984, after Seattle lost star running back Curt Warner to injury in Week One, he adapted by wisely ditching Ground Chuck and adopting an Air Knox offense. The team rallied around Krieg, who rose to the occasion and posted Dan Fouts-like numbers. In the playoffs against the Raiders--who had eliminated Seattle the previous year en route to a Super Bowl win--Knox confounded the Raider defense by reverting to Ground Chuck and running the ball right at All-Pro defensive end Howie Long. Backup fullback Dan Doornink carried the ball 29 times for 126 yards, and the Seahawks won, 13-7, eliminating the defending Super Bowl champions from the postseason. Long curses Doornink's name to this day, but he should blame Knox.

Backup fullback Dan Doornink (#33) runs over a Raider defender in January 1984 (Credit: Seahawks) 

Unfortunately for Knox, a series of poor personnel decisions by the team's front office squandered draft picks and diluted the team's talent. Coach kept the team competitive, but still got blamed for the team's lack of progress. Matters grew worse when Ken Behring bought the team, fired Knox, and intentionally wrecked it to justify a move to Anaheim. It took more than a decade for the team to recover fully from Behring's vandalism.

Knox had won NFL Coach of the Year honors with the LA Rams & the Bills before earning the award a third time in Seattle. After leaving the Seahawks, he returned to Los Angeles to coach the Rams. He inherited a terrible team and failed to improve it much. After three seasons, the erratic owner fired Knox and moved the franchise to St. Louis.

Coach's mind began fading into the fog of dementia a few years ago, but Seahawk Diehards of a certain vintage will always remember Knox for making Seattle a winner and engineering the team's first Silver Age.

Coach gets carried away by guard Reggie McKenzie (#67)--who came with Knox from Buffalo to Seattle--and other Seahawks in celebration of Seattle's 27-20 win over Miami in January 1984 (Credit: Seattle Times) 

Seahawks trade soul, cut out heart

The Seahawks just jettisoned All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman & Pro Bowl defensive end Michael Bennett (Credit: Seattle Times)

This is madness.

Trading Michael Bennett for nearly nothing makes no sense.

Cutting Richard Sherman makes even less sense.

In addition to degrading roster talent, these personnel decisions eliminate long-established locker room leaders, imperil team identity and morale, and threaten the winning legacy of Coach Pete Carroll.

In nine years with the team, Carroll worked with General Manager John Schneider to build the best defense in team and league history. Through good drafts, inspired recruiting, and careful talent development, they erected an enduring defensive bulwark that allowed fewer points than every other NFL team for an impressive five-year run from 2012-16.

Last year, injuries decimated Seattle defenders, causing the unit's performance to plummet from excellent to just slightly above average.

To their credit, Carroll and Schneider are willing to take bold action restore the team's defensive dominance.

It began with firing defensive coordinator Kris Richard.

Now it continues with a purge of veteran players.

Last year's injury plague hit long-tenured defenders especially hard. Pro Bowl defensive end Cliff Avril and All-Pro strong safety Kam Chancellor sustained serious, potentially career-ending neck injuries.

Early in November, Sherman tore his Achilles--an injury from which some players never fully recover.

Carroll and Schneider have evidently decided to jettison the aging nucleus of our defense before further injuries compromise the unit's performance.

But you don't upgrade the best fortress in league history by demolishing a load-bearing wall and dynamiting the cornerstone at the same time.

Michael Bennett, a Load-Bearing Wall

As the anchor of our defensive line, Bennett rarely left the field.

This is unusual. Defensive linemen have uniquely difficult jobs. They are big men who every down must push through or run around even bigger men (offensive linemen), and then chase and tackle fleeter and more agile men (running backs and quarterbacks). Because this is such exhausting work, most teams rotate defensive linemen consistently to let them catch their breath and keep their legs fresh. Consequently, most starting NFL defensive linemen play less than 60% of their team's defensive snaps.

But not Bennett. The Seahawks have hyperexploited that man since 2014, forcing him to play more than 80% of the team's defensive snaps for four straight seasons.

Last year, Seattle accelerated the hyperexploitation with callous disregard for Bennett's advancing age. At 32 years old, and despite a lingering heel injury, the team made Bennett play 84.7% of Seattle's defensive downs. Only five defensive linemen in the entire league played more downs in 2017, and their average age was 28.

How did Bennett respond to this increasingly brutal regime of hyperexploitation? By playing hard. Every down. Without complaint. By consistently disrupting opposing offenses, and making three Pro Bowls.

There is a cold, actuarial argument for ditching Bennett. Although his body has betrayed no outward signs of breaking down, no man could forever endure what Seattle has been doing to Bennett.

If Carroll and Schneider are right that Bennett is due to lose a step, then a 5th-round pick and a reserve wideout could represent good value for him

But if they're wrong--if Bennett remains capable of playing at a high level--then Seattle just gave away a great talent to our conference rivals, the defending Super Bowl champions.

Moreover, why would the NFL's best athletes want to play for Seattle if we develop a reputation as a team that cynically uses up players and then callously discards them?

The deal provides little immediate salary cap relief. Bennett was due just $6.7 million in 2018--a bargain for a Pro Bowl defensive end. But trading him frees up $20 million in cap space in 2019-20.

The saddest aspect of the Bennett trade is the suspicion that the team may be ousting him for his activism.

Bennett sitting during the national anthem with the support of center Justin Britt (Credit: The Nation)

Bennett angered many by sitting during the national anthem. He did this to express concern over racial injustice, and to show support for Colin Kaepernick, a starting-caliber quarterback apparently blacklisted by NFL teams in 2017 as punishment for his 2016 anthem protests.

I admired how Carroll publicly supported Bennett's freedom of expression. I appreciated Justin Britt's decision to show support for Bennett and the teammates who joined him on the bench. I rejoiced when our generally progressive city and region embraced or at least respected Bennett's activism--in stark contrast to many less enlightened NFL fan bases, which evidently believe that black men forfeit free speech when they sign on as professional athletes.

So, it is disappointing to think the Seahawks may have traded Bennett to rid the team of his activism.

(In my own work as a public educator, I often encounter people who believe I, too, have forfeited free speech as a condition of my employment. For that reason, I offer the following clarifications: I share Bennett's concerns about racial injustice, because I attend to objective reality, listen to people whose experiences differ from my own, and because, as a careful lifelong student of history, I have some concept of the scope and depth of the problem. Even if I did not share Bennett's concerns, I would support his right to protest, because I understand and endorse the Bill of Rights. In the unlikely event that Bennett were to ask my opinion, I would recommend that he protest during the anthem not by sitting--which many construe as disrespectful to veterans who have fought for our country--but by kneeling. Kaepernick himself shifted from sitting to kneeling to show greater respect, at the suggestion of ex-Green Beret Nate Boyer, a former Seahawk. Kaepernick's teammate Eric Reid aptly observed that kneeling "was like a flag flown at half-mast to mark a tragedy." I would add that kneeling has a football-specific meaning: on the gridiron, we take a knee to show respect for an injured player on the field. By extension, I find it eloquent to take a knee for a country harmed by centuries of continued racial divisions.)

Bennett is a natural leader, but it is hard for outsiders to gauge whether he wielded that power for good or ill in the locker room. The fact that his teammates nominated him for the NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year award, however, suggests that his leadership was probably mostly constructive.

Of course, Bennett is no saint. Penalty-prone, he often jumped offsides and sometimes hit quarterbacks late--sometimes very late. Last December, in the waning seconds of garbage time, he took a blatant cheap shot at an opposing center's knees.

Still, the Seahawks lost more than a load-bearing wall by parting ways with Bennett. The team traded away its soul.

A former Seahawk shares his displeasure with his former defensive coordinator Kris Richard (Credit: Clutch Points)

Richard Sherman, the Cornerstone

Seattle's handling of Richard Sherman is similarly incomprehensible.

Sherm is the nationally notorious face of the franchise. The best corner in the game. First among equals in the Legion of Boom. The greatest Seattle defender of all time--rivalled only by Earl Thomas III. And--after the incomparable Walter Jones--the greatest Seahawk ever.

In cutting Sherman, the team is cutting out its own heart.

Like Bennett, Sherm played hard, with reckless disregard for his body. He knew his Achilles tendon would snap sooner or later, but he gave his all until that happened.

His reward? The team tried to punish him for getting injured by extorting a pay cut from him. Sherm opted to test the market, instead.

Here again, cutting Sherman makes possible actuarial sense. Some players never regain full speed after an Achilles injury.

But Sherm is relatively young, with an impeccable work ethic and a longstanding history of punishing people who underestimate him.

And--again--why would the NFL's best athletes want to play for Seattle if we develop a reputation as a team that cynically uses up players and then callously discards them?

Like Bennett, Sherm is a team leader. But while Bennett makes public statements on national issues, Sherman publicly challenges coaching decisions--including yelling at coaches on the sideline. Carroll tolerated those antics more than most coaches would, but if Sherm were less talented, the team would have cut him long ago.

There may have been good reason to move on from either Bennett or Sherman, but not both at the same time.

If you want to strengthen a fortress, you do not start by knocking down a load-bearing wall and blasting out the cornerstone.

In purely athletic terms, it is hard to imagine finding a serviceable replacement for Sherman or Bennett in the draft or free agency.

It will be harder still for the team to compete in 2018 without its heart and soul.

Beyond Blair Walsh: Blunders, silver linings, and prescriptions from a season of frustration

Choke Machine #7 strikes out again (Source: 24/7 Sports)

Blair Walsh did not blow the game yesterday.

Seahawk coaches should know by now not to bet games on the erratic kicker's foot.

Seattle's final drive began on their own 25-yard line with 2:18 remaining. Always clutch in the 4th quarter, Russell Wilson promptly completed two 20+ yard passes to Doug Baldwin and Jimmy Graham.This gave the Seahawks 1st down on the Arizona 31 at the 2:00 warning--plenty of time to continue the drive.

Instead, Seattle coaches reverted to inexplicable conservatism: A vanilla handoff netted just one yard on first down. After an incomplete pass on second down, the Seahawks basically surrendered, first by calling another lackluster handoff on third down (no gain), and then again by inserting Walsh to attempt a 48-yard field goal.

Scoring from that distance is far from automatic even for the league's best legs. But for a subpar placekicker like Choke Machine #7, 48 yards might as well be 48 miles. This is the guy who almost single-footedly blew the Washington game by missing attempts from 44, 39, and 49 yards--forfeiting 9 points in a game Seattle ultimately lost by a mere 3-point margin. And, yes, this is also the guy who--when he played for Minnesota--averted a Viking victory over the Seahawks in the playoffs by shanking a 27-yard try.

Why, then, would the coaches ask the Shankmeister to go out win this one?

Why, when DangeRuss is by far the league's best 4th-quarter passer, and is also by far the team's leading rusher, would coaches take the ball out of his hands on 3 out of 4 downs on that final series?

Of course, beating the Cardinals would not have won Seattle entry to the playoffs. That close loss to Atlanta back in November gave the Falcons an enduring wing up on the Seahawks in the wild card chase.

Still, losing to Arizona was a big deal. 10-6 would have looked and felt a lot better than 9-7 does.

But 9-7 still feels pretty good.

Longtime Seahawk fans who suffered through the '70s and '90s know not to take any winning season for granted.

If we have grown so accustomed to winning 10+ games and making the playoffs that 9-7 feels like failure, then that attests to the greatness of Coach Pete Carroll, GM John Schneider, and the teams they have built. During their 8-year tenure, Seattle has averaged 9.9 regular season wins per year, earned 6 playoff berths, taken the division title 4 times, won 2 conference championships, and garnered 1 Lombardi Trophy. In that span, only the Patriots have done better; thirty other NFL franchises did worse. Most of them did a lot worse.

Coping with an Unprecedented Plague of Injuries

The Seahawks eked out a winning record despite incredible bad luck on the injury front.

Over the summer, the team's top draft pick--defensive tackle Malik McDowell--screwed Seattle by crashing his ATV and sustaining a concussion so severe that he missed the entire season.

Early in the season, serious injuries robbed Seattle of the services of Pro Bowl defensive end Cliff Avril, our best running back (rookie Chris Carson), third-down back CJ Prosise (again), and--after a promising preseason--left tackle George Fant.

In midseason, injuries sidelined two-thirds of the All-Pro Legion of Boom (strong safety Kam Chancellor and All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman).

Late in the year, injuries temporarily sidelined or severely limited several other defensive stalwarts, including All-Pros Earl Thomas III at free safety and Bobby Wagner at linebacker, starting cornerback Shaq Griffin, and Pro Bowl linebacker KJ Wright.

Injuries also afflicted the offense, sidelining the following for several games: costly free agent left guard Luke Joeckel, utility O-lineman Rees Odhiambo, and running backs Thomas Rawls, Mike Davis, and free-agent bust Eddie Lacy.

If--before the season--someone had asked you to forecast Seattle's record and postseason prospects under these wretched conditions, then you probably would not have guessed that the Seahawks would post a winning record and remain in playoff contention until the season's final week.

How did Seattle manifest surprising competence under such trying circumstances? Primarily through Schneider's inspired personnel moves.

It began in the offseason with the signing of several veteran free agents, including starters Joeckel and linebacker Michael Wilhoite, and safety Bradley McDougald, who subbed in ably for both Thomas and Chancellor for much of the season. Defensive back Justin Coleman contributed as expected on special teams, but also came up big in limited duty on defense, evoking the spirit of Big Play Babs by nabbing two clutch pick sixes.

Solid free agent pickups continued in midseason, with the inspired acquisition of All-Pro left tackle Duane Brown from Houston, and the fortunate but unexpected retention of Jeremy Lane. Initially traded for Brown to the Texans, Lane failed his physical, reverted to Seattle, and recovered to shore up a suddenly injury-wracked Seahawk secondary until Legion of Boom veteran Byron Maxwell returned at a bargain rate to reclaim his starting position.

What Seattle Must Fix

Despite these savvy personnel moves, Seattle's season foundered due to several critical and persistent errors.

1. Too Many Penalties. With 148 accepted infractions, Seattle did not just lead the NFL in penalties in 2017. The Seahawks drew more flags than any team since 1998, and became the fifth-filthiest team in league history. (The only dirtier teams were the '89 Oilers, the '98 Chiefs, and the Raiders in '94 and '96.) As I have often observed here, this has been a chronic problem under Carroll, and the cause of too many penalties is sloppy coaching. To his credit, Coach Carroll owned the problem in his postgame remarks yesterday and took responsibility for fixing it.

2. Offensive Coordinator Darrell Bevell's Terrible Playcalling. I've written this more times than I can count, but here I go again: Bevell's playcalling--especially early in games--is killing us. The Seahawks failed to score on every opening drive in 2017. The lack of offensive production in the first quarter, the first half, the first three quarters--it causes Seattle to fall behind early, increasing pressure on our defense, and forcing our offense to abandon the run prematurely. Bevell tends to find his mojo sometime in the second half--often not until the fourth quarter--but by then it is often too late. Seattle must either find a new offensive coordinator, or augment Bevell with a starting pitcher--someone who can script or call viable plays in the first 2-3 quarters until Bevell enters in relief to close out the game.

3. Poor Placekicking. Sadly, the injury-forced in-season personnel moves created a salary cap crunch that made it impossible for Seattle to cut Walsh and pick up a different kicker during the 2017 campaign. Presumably, Walsh's poor performance this year has compromised his market value. Seattle should invite him to training camp for the veteran minimum, and bring in other cheap kickers to compete for the position in training camp.

4. No Home Field Advantage. The good news was that Seattle posted a 5-3 road record. Sadly, the Seahawks fared worse at home: 4-4. If our team ever intends to see the Super Bowl again, then we need to maintain the level of road success, while reviving the days when opposing teams genuinely feared coming here, when we were nigh unstoppable at home. Last week, Cardinals Coach Bruce Arians taunted Seattle several days before the game by calling Seahawks Stadium Arizona's "home field." Instead of making him pay, our team and fans responded by fulfilling his prophecy and meekly letting him claim one final victory, thus to retire as the winningest coach in the history of that (admittedly dismal) franchise. Pathetic.

Reasons for Hope

1. Russell Wilson remains SuperClutch.

2. The Offensive Line should be better next year. Center Justin Britt (a Pro Bowl alternate in 2016) remains solid. All-Pro left tackle Duane Brown played pretty well despite being hurt much of the season, and will prove even better next year as he grows more used to blocking for the uniquely mobile DangeRuss. Presumably, right tackle Germain Ifedi may mature, learn to block better, and stop leading the league in false starts and holding. If George Fant recovers from injury and returns to preseason form, then he could claim the right tackle position and bump Ifedi inside to guard. Several other young linemen gained valuable experience this year. If left guard Luke Joeckel wants to stick with the team, then he'll have to take a hefty pay cut; he gutted it out bravely through injury, but his play came nowhere close to justifying his fat $7-8 million salary. Presumably, more affordable upgrades are possible through the draft and free agency. Unit coach Tom Cable should enter 2018 with the best raw material he's ever, and that should mean the best Seattle O-Line since Super Bowl XL.

3. Seattle has enough good backs and receivers. Lacy proved a certified bust, and should not return. Rawls never really got going, but Carson. Davis, and third-down back JD McKissic all played as well as our O-line allowed. Pro Bowl wideout Doug Baldwin and Pro Bowl returner/receiver Tyler Lockett will need help, as the team could lose Paul Richardson to free agency, and neither Amara Darboh nor Tanner McEvoy appear ready for larger roles. Seattle should let tight end Jimmy Graham go, resign Luke Willson, and seek bargain upgrades to all offensive skill positions through the draft and free agency.

Causes for Concern

1. The NFC West got a lot better this year. The Rams will remain young, gifted, and well-coached. Arizona and San Francisco both had disappointing years, but finished strong. The Cardinals found their defense, and the 49ers found their quarterback. Winning the division will be harder going forward.

2. Tough personnel decisions loom on defense. As our defensive nucleus ages, injuries have become more of a factor. Avril and Chancellor may not be able to return. Sherman threatened to leave last year, and the team may be loath to roll the dice on his Achilles recovery. Many key defenders have a year or less remaining on their contracts, including two out of three starting linebackers (Wilhoite & Wright), defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson, and defensive ends Michael Bennett, Frank Clark, and Dion Jordan, and several defensive backs: Thomas, McDougald, Maxwell, Shead, and Coleman.

3. Jon Ryan, probable cap casualty. The defense's 12th Man--punter Jon Ryan--also needs a new contract. Unless he gets sentimental and settles at a bargain rate, Seattle will compound inconsistent placekicking with uncertainty at the punter position.

Fortunately, Carroll and Schneider have a long-established history of making sensibly coldhearted personnel decisions to retain the best players while finding and developing bargain talent. Seattle should win more games and qualify for the playoffs in 2018.

Seahawks at Cowboys: Good vs. Evil, Part II

Dallas owner Jerry Jones with All-Pro domestic abuser Ezekiel Elliott (Photo Credit: ESPN)

Most NFL games are mere mercenary bouts with little on the line but civic pride.

But there are real moral dimensions to Sunday's Seahawk-Cowboy showdown.

Back in 2015, Seattle faced a Dallas team then coddling Greg Hardy, a defensive end whom Carolina had cut for getting caught throttling his girlfriend and threatening to kill her.

Two years later, the Cowboys continue to harbor bad men who hurt women.

Sunday will mark the return of All-Pro running back Ezekiel Elliott from a six-game suspension for several separate episodes of violence against an ex-girlfriend.

Last summer, Cowboy linebacker Damien Wilson backed his truck into a woman and brandished a rifle at a man in a Dallas stadium parking lot. The Cowboy candidly told arresting officers, "I had road rage."

Dez Bryant--the team's All-Pro wideout--hit his mom and tore her bra and T-shirt back in 2012.

Jerry Jones remains the NFL's vilest owner. That is no mean feat in a league that includes scoundrels like Stan Kroenke (who stole the Rams from St. Louis) and pervy bigot Jerry Richardson, who erected a 13' statue of himself outside Carolina's Charlottesville stadium, but is now selling the Panthers in an effort to forestall investigations for sexual harassment and racial slurs.

What makes the Dallas owner so vile? Jones not only condones domestic violence, but also opposes free speech. Earlier this season, Jones threatened to bench any player who knelt during the national anthem, and cited President Trump as the inspiration for his ultimatum.

The owner's threat has evidently cowed the entire Cowboy roster from exercising their First Amendment rights during the pregame patriotic observance.

Seattle, however, remains the home of free and the land of the brave.

Center Justin Britt supports left tackle Duane Brown as he kneels & defensive linemen sit during the national anthem last week (Photo Credit: Q13)

In 2015, Seattle and Dallas met in midseason, each entering the contest under .500. The Seahawks edged the Cowboys, 13-12, and their fates diverged from there. Dallas tanked to 4-12, while Seattle finished 10-6, won a wild card road game before losing to Atlanta in the divisional round.

This Sunday, the two teams meet in penultimate week of the regular season, each with identical 8-6 records and slim playoff hopes. A loss would conclusively doom either team's playoff hopes.

The Cowboys ride in on a three-game winning streak, while Seattle reels from a close loss in Jacksonville followed by a humiliating home blowout by the Rams.

Nothing went right for Seattle last week.

We learned that our run defense crumbles when All-Pro middle linebacker Bobby Wagner is hobbled by a hamstring injury and unassisted by his Pro Bowl counterpart KJ Wright (out with a concussion). And we learned that our defense will quit when it gets no help from the offense.

Offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell reverted to customary form as a playcaller early in the game. Normally, he gets a feel for the defense and calls better plays in the second half, but last week he innovated by deploying his reverse Midas touch until the game's bitter end.

Seattle fell behind early, abandoned the run prematurely, and threw too much.

After getting shut out against Jacksonville, Pro Bowl tight end Jimmy Graham--instead of stepping up in the clutch--limited his production to one catch for a one-yard loss, plus a 15-yard personal foul penalty for pointlessly pushing a Ram in the back well out of bounds.

(Credit: #Go Hawks 24/7)

The Seahawks have endured Job-like bad luck with injuries this year, but on Sunday they have a chance to redeem themselves, the city, and the season by defeating Jerry Jones and evils for which he stands: violence against women, Donald Trump, and the oppression of people of color.

Go, Hawks!

Shedding last week's shame & playing hurt against the Rams

The Seahawks battled valiantly in Jacksonville last week and nearly pulled out a win. Seattle defenders had every right to crash into the Jaguars' victory formation in hopes of forcing a fumble, but--no matter how dirty the Jaguar O-Line played--Michael Bennett brought enduring shame upon our city and team by taking outrageous cheap shots at the Jacksonville center's knees both before and after the whistle. The NFL should suspend Bennett and any other player who so obviously attempts to inflict gratuitous and potentially crippling injuries on opponents--and couple those suspensions with stiff fines.

Quinton Jefferson's efforts to climb into the stands to get at a fan who threw stuff at him only deepened our shame.

Fined and penalized for his own part in the proceedings, Pete Carroll needs to master himself and get control of his team.

While the penalties last week came after the contest's outcome had been decided, indiscipline is a familiar feature of Carroll's coaching style; it compromises our competitiveness and has blown games for us. Seattle gets flagged both for the penalties our players actually commit, and sometimes also for imaginary penalties that officials call under the influence of our longstanding bad reputation. Since Sunshine Pete came to town, the Seahawks have perennially ranked among the most penalized teams in the league, and this year's squad remains in contention to claim the shameful title of the most flagged team in NFL history.

We're supposed to be the Seattle Seahawks, not the Oakland Raiders.

Carroll's apologists sometimes assert that this indiscipline is an acceptable side effect of the emotional intensity he reliably elicits from the team. Nonsense. That argument posits a false choice between playing hard and playing within the rules, and treats football players as mere animals rather than thinking men capable of complex learning. In actual fact, player indiscipline stems from sloppy, permissive coaching, and bad team culture. This will take time to fix, and it is far from clear that Carroll even recognizes the need to fix it.

Everyone, however, recognizes that the Seahawks must beat the Rams tomorrow to have any chance of winning the NFC West.

Seattle effectively contained the potent Los Angeles offense earlier in the season, but injuries have decimated the Seattle defense since then.

Despite the loss of Kam Chancellor and Richard Sherman, the Legion of Boom has met expectations by holding up relatively well, with the continued leadership of Earl Thomas, the reintegration of Byron Maxwell, the rapid development of Shaq Griffin, solid safety play by Bradley McDougald, and the fortunate retention of Jeremy Lane.

But the Legion of Whom still needs help from the rest of the defense. No secondary can cover receivers indefinitely.

A few weeks ago, the Seahawk defensive line looked so deep that Seattle ditched Dwight Freeney--a foolish choice, in retrospect. Soon after parting ways with him, injuries wracked the unit. Last week against Jacksonville, our front four failed either to stuff the run or mount much of a pass rush. Blake Bortles emerged from the game not only unsacked, but almost entirely unpressured. Seattle hit him just once the entire game.

Attrition at linebacker--the devastating losses of Pro Bowlers Bobby Wagner and KJ Wright in Jacksonville--further hobbled our already-reeling defense, causing the normally stingy Seahawks to forfeit 156 rushing yards and surrender 30 points.

Expect the red-hot Rams offense to experience even greater success against an even weaker Seattle defense.

Still concussed, KJ Wright will not play. Hamstring-hobbled Bobby Wagner has not practiced all week and is listed as questionable. Seeing our defense play without Wagner only bolsters his case for NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

The return of Dion Jordan should help the defensive line.

Seattle's offense, on the other hand, is mostly coming together. Offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell--who I often troll here--is calling better plays.

Russell Wilson continues to frustrate defenses by eluding sacks, running for first downs, heaving long bombs, and lighting up the scoreboard--especially in the fourth quarter. However, he needs to stop throwing at covered receivers, especially early in game, because those picks hurt.

As I predicted a few weeks ago, Seattle is now fielding the best left-side offensive line since Super Bowl XL. Duane Brown already rivals Walter Jones at left tackle. Justin Britt plays better than Robbie Tobeck ever did at center. Grossly overpaid, Luke Joeckel is unfit so much as to gather up the crumbs under Steve Hutchinson's table, but he's good enough when playing between Britt and Brown to blast open some holes for our runners, and help provide decent protection for DangeRuss on most plays.

Mike Davis appears determined to stick as our starting running back. JD McKissic provides a nice change-up with his speed and receiving skills. Thomas Rawls and the obscenely overpaid Eddie Lacy have had plenty of rest and should be able to offer fresh legs if Seattle were able to

Seattle has not yet reaped the benefits of our improved rushing attack because falling behind early forces us to abandon the run.

Jon Ryan's clutch punts make him the real 12th Man of the Seattle defense. He can even tackle. Did anyone else notice him make a tackle and nearly strip the ball last week?

Sadly, Blair Walsh remains the Anti-Clutch. The slumping kicker is still shanking fairly routine field goals, but Seattle is stuck with him because we lack the salary cap space to cut and replace him.

Beating the Rams will require an inspired performance like the one Seattle mounted just two weeks ago against Philadelphia. I hope, but I do not believe.

The Legion of Boom & the Fall of Troy

Seattle's Legion of Boom: Ajax, Achilles & Odysseus (Credit: AC)

Despair has spread across Hawkdom, for many good reasons:

1. In the second quarter of that pyhrric victory over Arizona, the Legion of Boom lost its Achilles. With apt poetic injustice, a heel injury felled our team's best player. Like the nigh-invincible warrior of Homeric myth, Richard Sherman dominated the left half of Seattle's defense over the course of an epic 99-game starting streak. Early on, opposing offenses quickly learned not to throw Sherm's way; quarterbacks who dared test him usually came to regret their hubris. After establishing himself early on as a true shutdown cornerback, the Seahawks' Achilles continued to hone his craft, showing increasing skill as a sure tackler and fearless run defender. Losing Sherman for the year now exposes Seattle's defensive left side to unprecedented aerial attack.

2. Late in the same game, the Legion of Boom also lost its Ajax. Before it became associated with cleaning products and programming acronyms, that name denoted the next mightiest Greek warrior (after Achilles) in the seige of Troy. Just as the mythical Ajax outlived Achilles, Kam Chancellor helped ensure Arizona's defeat before exiting late with a neck injury that may sideline him for the season. Like his ancient Greek analog, Bam Bam is a basically a brute. Like most strong safeties, he plays decent pass defense, but in Seattle's scheme, he functions more as a fourth linebacker, moving up as the eighth man in the box to punish opposing runners. The loss of Chancellor invites future foes to test Seattle's ground defenses.

3. After Achilles and Ajax went down, it fell to the wily Odysseus to engineer Troy's defeat. Earl Thomas III is the best (and wiliest) free safety in the game. His speed is key to his signature Trojan Horse gambit: lulling opposing quarterbacks into believing a receiver is open in the middle of the field, and then closing the seemingly impossible distance once the ball is in the air. However, an ailing hamstring kept Thomas from playing against Washington or Arizona. He appears set to play Monday night, but a still-tender hammy may limit his range and his ability--as the original Legion's last standing member--to compensate for the youth and inexperience of his peers in the defensive secondary.

4. Attrition has thinned Seattle's ranks elsewhere on the defense. Starting linebacker Michael Wilhoite and run-stuffing defensive tackle Jarran Reed may miss this week's game.

5. Pete Carroll's aggressive defenses often rank among the league's most-penalized, but this year has been worse than most--by far. Culprits include player indiscipline, sloppy coaching, and reputation-influenced officiating. In the last game, wearing eye-aching neon lime uniforms against black-clad foes may have exacerbated the referees' long-established tendency to notice Seattle's sins more than those of our opponents.

6. Our O-Line remains inadequate and penalty-prone. Recent All-Pro pickup Duane Brown plays well when healthy, but the ankle he sprained in Arizona may keep the left tackle off the field Monday. Center Justin Britt remains solid, but the rest of our linemen draw false starts and holding penalties more reliably than they protect the quarterback or open up running lanes.

7. We still miss Beast Mode. Since the departure of Marshawn Lynch, no other running back has managed to remain healthy while replicating #24's uncanny ability to plunge into a gap-plugged wall of defenders and burrow forward for positive yardage, anyway.

8. For lack of help, the normally sensible Russell Wilson is increasingly pushing his luck by throwing at well-covered receivers. DangeRuss has averaged one interception per game since Tennessee, but he has made more ill-considered throws in recent weeks, avoiding greater damage only through the ineptitude of butterfingered defenders. Still, if #3 continues to press, surer-handed opponents will surely make him pay.

9. Our entire offense is predicated on Wilson's unique set of skills; if he gets hurt, the season is over.

10. Offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell remains unimaginative, especially early in games. Seattle seldom scores in the first quarter, partly because defenses correctly anticipate Bevell's utterly predictable playcalling. Later in the game, Bevell generally gets a feel for the defense and finds his mojo, but this too often proves too little, too late. Instead of falling behind early, Seattle should hire someone like Mike Holmgren to script our first fifteen offensive plays to give us a chance to keep up or even take a lead early in games.

11. We can't trust Blair Walsh, who single-footedly blew an otherwise winnable Washington game by botching three eminently makeable field goals. Seahawk fans simply can't process this, having long been spoiled by an improbable series of clutch and superclutch kickers, from Norm Johnson (1982-90) to John Kasay (1991-94), Todd Peterson (1995-99), Rian Lindell (2000-02), Josh Brown (2003-07), Olindo Mare (2008-10), and Steve Hauschka (2011-16). Our last suspect kicker was Efren Herrera (1978-81), and he made up for his somewhat unreliable leg by being adorable, Mexican, and an occasional offensive threat. Walsh, however, wore out his welcome in Minnesota by choking at the least convenient times, and threatens to do the same here. He did fine against Arizona, but it will take years of clutchness to diffuse the PTSD-inducing stench of that unforgiveable home loss to Washington.

12. Currently the #6 seed in the conference, the Seahawks (6-3) lag a game behind the Rams in the chase for the NFC West title. In the quest for home-field advantage and a first-round bye, Seattle trails not just the Eagles (8-1), but also the Rams, Saints, and Vikings (all 7-2), plus the Panthers (7-3). With four 5-4 four teams nipping at our heels (Atlanta, Dallas, Detroit, and Green Bay), Seattle will have to fight hard just to remain eligible for the postseason. 

Amid this litany of despair, is there cause for hope? Yes. Here's why:

1. Though diminished, the secondary should remain decent. Carroll has long history of eliciting strong play from new and young defensive backs, as evinced by the emergence of rookie corner Shaquille Griffin. While no one can truly replace Richard Sherman, our cornerback corps has benefited from the unexpected retention of Jeremy Lane and the welcome return of Legion alumnus Byron Maxwell. DeShawn Shead's recovery from injury has reportedly plateaued, but if he can make it back, he can play safety or corner. In the meantime, having filled in ably for Thomas at free safety, veteran Bradley McDougald will slide over to play strong safety in lieu of Chancellor.

2. Stout run defense and a strong pass rush can compensate for a weaker secondary; fortunately, our D-Line is deeper than Puget Sound. Losing Pro Bowl defensive end Cliff Avril should have degraded the unit, but Frank Clark has stepped up his game, new recruit Dwight Freeney appears ageless, and All-Pro Michael Bennett remains relentless. Dion Jordan--just returned from injury and rock bottom on the depth chart--made a case for more playing time with a bull rush sack for the ages, reminding everyone why Miami made him the #3 pick in the 2013 draft. On the inside, Pro Bowl tackle Sheldon Richardson and reserves Nazair Jones and Garrison Smith should be able to hold down the fort until Jarran Reed recovers.

3. When Duane Brown and Luke Joeckel return to action (within a week or two), Seattle should have its best leftside O-Line since Super Bowl XL, when two Hall of Famers (Walter Jones and Steve Hutchinson) lined up beside Pro Bowler Robbie Tobeck. This should mean better quarterback protection and more room for our runners.

4. Russell Wilson reliably learns from his mistakes. He will likely stop throwing into coverage. 

5. If DangeRuss were felled by injury, then Seattle could still salvage the season and profit from the league's folly by signing Colin Kaepernick to augment Austin Davis.

6. Seattle still controls its own destiny in the NFC West. If the Seahawks can stay within one game of the Rams, then we can win the division by completing a season sweep when Los Angeles comes to Seattle next month.

7. Seattle also controls its own destiny in the conference--to a point. Some of the top six teams benefited from fairly soft early schedules, but all six face several tough games late in the season. For example, Seattle will host Atlanta, Philadelphia and Los Angeles, but must visit Dallas and 6-3 Jacksonville. The Seahawks could rise as high as the second seed by winning out, but would need additional help to wrest pole position from the 8-1 Eagles.

The Greeks could not have felt sanguine about taking Troy after losing Achilles and Ajax in swift succession. Nevertheless, their ranks proved deep with talent, and Odysseus showed that what really matters is how you finish. Seattle fans must hope for a similar outcome.

Required reading on the rift separating Sherman from Carroll & DangeRuss

This article explains why Richard Sherman wanted out of Seattle, and why the Legion of Boom resents Pete Carroll and Russell Wilson.

I hope they can work it out.

Thanks for the memory, Romo

Everyone remembers the bobbled snap, but that night in January 2007 aptly encapsulated Tony Romo's career.

Read the story here.

Pound the rock & break the ice

Seattle fullback Marcel Reece (Photo Credit: Seattle Times)

In order to beat Atlanta today, Seattle needs to sustain the strengths that defeated Detroit last week,

After a season of troubled gestation, our offensive line improbably came together and came to life, manhandling Lion linemen and linebackers to make running room for a finally-healthy Thomas Rawls. Even our tight ends blocked well, but the secret sauce in our revitalized ground game is late-season arrival Marcel Reece. Though new to the team, the fullback is an old hand in Tom Cable's run scheme, by virtue of their common Oakland pedigree. Last week, Reece played a key role in clearing those running lanes for Rawls, and then Baby Beast Mode did the rest, grinding out precious yards after contact by busting through arm tackles and dragging defenders with him.

Fortunately, the Falcon run defense ranks 29th out of 32 teams in the NFL, so the Seahawks should be able to gain some yards on the ground today. Less happily, Reece hurt his foot last week, so he may not be able to play as much or as well. To compensate, Seattle might need to run more read-option. Moreover, the possible return of rookie CJ Prosise--a tough and elusive runner with great hands--would add a welcome extra dimension to Seattle's backfield.

By running the ball, the Seahawks can Bogart time of possession, slow down the game, and keep Atlanta's potent offense off the field.

The Falcons struggle to stop opposing passers, too; they rank 28th in pass defense. Atlanta particularly struggles to cover tight ends, so Seattle should target Jimmy Graham and Luke Willson early and often. As for the wideouts, Doug Baldwin and Paul Richardson had monster games last week, and Jermaine Kearse has a knack for playoff heroics.

Special teams may be interesting. Punter Jon Ryan remains consistent, but Stephen Hauschka continues to shank extra points with alarming frequency. Newcomer Tyler Ott may prove a steadier longsnapper than the injured Nolan Frese. In Devin Hester, Seattle replaced the injured Tyler Lockett with the best returner in league history. Hester may have lost a step, but he may have also added value as a source of fairly recent intelligence on Atlanta special teams, having played there from 2014-15.

The main event, of course, is the showdown between the high-octane Falcon offense, which led the league in scoring, and Seattle's defense, which ranked third in stinginess.

Atlanta runs and throws equally well. The Seahawks remain stout on the ground, but have become suspect through the air. In our narrow home win over the Falcons earlier this year, Earl Thomas III showed up big, but Kam Chancellor and Frank Clark missed the whole game and Michael Bennett missed half of it due to injuries. Since losing Thomas, the Seahawks have struggled to stop opposing passers. 

Fortunately, the rest of our defense is reasonably deep and pretty healthy again, and they looked good last week. Three-fourths of the Legion of Boom remains intact: Chancellor continues to enforce; Richard Sherman remains miserly, and DeShawn Shead has held up well on the other side despite relentless targeting. All-Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner continues to play like a man possessed. If our front four can pressure, punish and rattle the normally imperturbable "Matty Ice," then Seattle may be able to slow Atlanta enough to make the game competitive.

Go, Hawks!

Appreciating Seattle's modest playoff prospects

This player should be used almost exclusively for running routes and catching passes

The Seahawks probably won't fly far this postseason, but the team did well to win ten games and secure the NFC's third seed.

Pete Carroll's defense held up pretty well. Bobby Wagner led the league in tackles to secure his reputation as the best linebacker in football. Richard Sherman maintained his All-Pro form. However, injuries sidelined Michael Bennett for several weeks and Earl Thomas indefinitely. After four straight seasons as the NFL's #1 scoring defense, Seattle slipped to a merely excellent #3 in 2016 (behind New England and the Giants).

Special teams suffered primarily due to the team's summertime decision to conserve salary cap space by cutting veteran long snapper Clint Gresham and replacing him with rookie Nolan Frese--a move that contributed to several of Stephen Hauschka's botched extra points and pitifully short field goals. Had we kept Gresham, Seattle probably would have swept Arizona instead of tying the first time and losing the second.

Like many longtime Seattle fans, I believe in investing in the offensive line. (Look what it's done for Dallas!)

However, I refuse to join the chorus condemning Coach Carroll and GM John Schneider for the bargain-rate O-Line they fielded. I understand the underlying economic reality: If you want to keep the league's best defense together, then you have to save money elsewhere. Seattle did the right thing by investing draft picks in the offensive line this year, giving unit coach Tom Cable better raw material than he has had in past years--raw material that will remain under contract at affordable rates for the next 3-4 years. Justin Britt is emerging as a solid center, and the rest of the line shows sporadic promise; I predict they'll be pretty good next year.

An injury epidemic ensured that the offensive line never really had a chance to gel this year. Some of those injuries were on the O-Line, forcing shifts that disrupt chemistry, but a battered backfield created even more chaos. The offense had to change radically early in the season when Russell Wilson was hobbled by a host of hurts, and had to change still more as virtually every running back we fielded succumbed to injury in turn: Thomas Rawls, Christine Michael, CJ Prosise, Troymaine Pope, Will Tukuafu, Thomas Rawls again, etc.! (I did question the decision to cut Christine Michael when he got injured... he seems to be playing well enough for Green Bay. Did his attitude problem come back?)

Russell Wilson played like a champ. He gutted it out through hideous injuries, found ways to survive despite horrid O-Line play, the frequent inability of his receivers to get open, and stupefying play-calling by offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell.

Jimmy Graham's improvement as a blocker on running plays reflects well on his character as a football player and a teammate, but it reflects poorly on Darrell Bevell as an offensive coordinator. We pay Golden Graham the big bucks to catch balls and score touchdowns. If the Ginger Giant can take one or two defenders out of the play just by running a decoy route, then why keep him in to block so much of the time? If you need an extra blocker, use Brandon Williams or Nick Vannett, or throw in a sixth offensive lineman. Reserve Graham (and Luke Willson) primarily for use as receivers.

Seattle continues to dominate the NFC West, having won the division eight times in the last 13 seasons. While the Seahawks struggled to defeat its divisional opponents, the rest of the league had little trouble with our NFC West rivals. We won the division title in large part thanks to Arizona's unexpected implosion, combined with the customary suckitude of the Rams and 49ers.

The Seahawks looked like Super Bowl contenders only once this season, during our road win over New England. We started a robust 7-2-1, but then faded to an anemic 3-3 after Thanksgiving.

Still, ten wins is a real achievement any year, and anything can happen in the postseason. The Lions are an even worse road team (3-5) than Seattle (3-4-1). Moreover, Detroit ended the season with a three-game losing streak, so they're stumbling into the playoffs worse than we are. With the deafening roar of the 12s behind us, the Seahawks need to exorcise the demons of our home loss to Arizona and savage the injury-wracked Lions without mercy.

Finally, apologies to any loyal readers for going AWOL for most of 2016. Life got busy, and what little time I could spare for writing I spent writing about history and current events, mostly in a failed effort to avert the tragic onset of the Fourth Reich.

Siegfried & the roster flaw that could blow the season

Coach Carroll counsels backup quarterback Trevone Boykin last week against Dallas (Photo Credit: TNB)

How is the Seattle's roster like Siegfried?

No, not the Vegas entertainer whose partner got mauled by a tiger. I'm talking about the tragic hero of Wagnerian opera.

In Germanic legend, Siegfried slew a dragon and bathed in its blood to become invincible. Unfortunately, a leaf fell on his back and stuck there, so that one spot--right behind his heart--remained unprotected. His wife Kriemhild helpfully stitched a yellow cross on the back of Siegfried's shirt to mark the point of vulnerability--ostensibly to help his comrades shield him, but in fact to facilitate his assassination.

Coach Pete Carroll and GM John Schneider have sewn a similarly glaring weakness into the fabric of the Seahawk roster.

If Russell Wilson were to suffer a serious injury, then Seattle's season would be finished. Having lost the security blanket of Tarvaris Jackson, the team has settled on rookie free agent Trevone Boykin as its backup quarterback. A Horned Frog from Texas Christian University of the Big 12, he got drunk and punched a cop two days before last year's Alamo Bowl, thus blowing his chance to play in the biggest game of his life to date, while also convincing NFL teams not to risk a draft pick on him.

Boykin failed to impress during the preseason. He runs well, but his errant throws and questionable decisions should relegate him to remedial work on the practice squad. While DangeRuss has proven remarkably durable to date--he's never missed a practice or a game as a Seahawk--betting the season on that run of luck continuing indefinitely is simply foolish.

There are many better options. Let us begin with several quarterbacks who already know the Seahawk offense.

BJ Daniels, Seattle's once (and future?) backup quarterback (Photo Credit: CST)

Chicago just cut BJ Daniels. He served as Seattle's third-string quarterback and sometime wideout and kick returner from 2013-15. During the 2015 preseason, he executed the offense even better than Tarvaris Jackson did. Late in the season, the Seahawks tried to stash him on the practice squad, but Houston stole him to add quarterback depth. During the offseason, he tried to catch on first with the New York Giants and then with the Bears as a receiver and returner. That versatility certainly increases his utility for Seattle (fragile reserve corner Tharold Simon is our backup kick returner?!?!?), but it presumably would not take long for Daniels to knock off the rust and supersede Boykin as our best backup option under center.

T-Jack's mug shot (Photo Credit: P-I)

The Seahawks could roll the dice again on longtime backup Tarvaris Jackson, Presumably, he would owe a suspension of several games for getting drunk and pulling a gun on his wife, Given that he cited poverty to request a public defender for his criminal case, he seems so financially desperate that he would probably play for the veteran minimum salary. Employment could restore some semblance of structure to his life and help him recover from his demons and become a better husband and father.

Two other former Seahawk backups--Clipboard Jesus (Charlie Whitehurst) and Matt Flynn--remain available. Neither can credibly replicate the running dimension of Seattle's offense, but both of them throw well enough. Christ of Clemson and his pop star girlfriend Jewel could double date with DangeRuss and Ciara.

Clipboard Jesus & Jewel (Photo Credit: HW)

Even Matt Hasselbeck would be a good option, if he were not poised for stardom as an ESPN analyst.

Having exhausted the ranks of former Seahawks, we can contemplate quarterbacks with skill sets well-suited to the Seattle offense.

As I have suggested before, the team should consider coaxing local hero Jake Locker out of retirement. Injuries marred his stint in Tennessee, but being Seattle's backup would give him an opportunity to finish his career with dignity.

Mike Vick looked dismal with Pittsburgh last year, but may be worth a tryout to see if he's a better fit in Seattle's offense.

Of course, there's always Tim Tebow.

I mention him only to see if it attracts additional traffic to my website, and for the opportunity to troll him: Tebow reminds me of Michael Sam: both of them achieved more fame as cultural icons than their athletic achievements justified, and both lost my respect when they refused to pay their dues in the Canadian Football League, If they really loved the game, then they should have followed Joe Theismann, Warren Moon, Doug Flutie, Brandon Browner and other unconventional athletes who proved their detractors wrong by dominating the CFL and earning another shot in the NFL. Tebow's recent decision to try out for pro baseball seems particularly quixotic. Even if he makes it, how would playing his next-best sport for chump change in the minors be better than pursuing his true calling in the CFL?

Finally, there's Johnny Football. Sorry. Kidding again. Obviously, Manziel is kryptonite cancer dumpster fire train wreck.

Putting Tom Brady’s struggle in perspective

The owners Kraft, Bill Belicheat & Tom Shady gloat (Photo Credit:  AP/NFL)

Tom Brady just acquiesced to a modicum of martyrdom. Earlier today, the New England quarterback finally ended his prolonged appeal of a league suspension. Brady continues to maintain his innocence, but will accept the consequences for rigging game balls during his team’s defeat of Indianapolis in the 2014 NFC Championship. That victory enabled the ethically incorrigible Patriots to advance to Super Bowl XLIX, which they also won.

During his suspension, Brady will sit out the first four weeks of the 16-game regular season. For missing one-fourth of the regular season, he will lose nearly a quarter of his salary. Originally, forfeiting those game checks would have cost him more than $2 million, but New England kindly reworked Tom Shady’s contract to defeat league discipline. By shifting funds from game checks to untouchable bonus money, the team cut the cheater’s losses to just $235,000 of the $13 million he will earn this year.

Patriots owner Robert Kraft denounced the league’s punishment of his multi-millionaire employee as “unprecedented, unjust and unreasonable.” In a statement, the billionaire businessman put Brady’s struggle in perspective: “What Tom has had to endure throughout this 18-month ordeal has been, in my opinion, as far removed from due process as you could ever expect in this country.”

Evidently, Kraft doesn’t watch the news. Last week, Alton Sterling and Philando Castile endured actual ordeals much farther removed from due process, and infinitely more damaging to the fabric of this country.

Perhaps their astonishing lack of ethical perspective helps explain Kraft and Brady’s affection for Donald Trump, who promises, if elected, to perpetrate even more extreme violations of our constitutional liberties.

Bye, T-Jack

Hey, T-Jack.

I didn't want it to end this way.

I appreciated your contributions to the franchise. I'm sorry it never worked out for you to become a successful longtime starter in the league. We all felt safe with you as Russell Wilson's backup, and we would have liked that to continue.

But not now. Dude, why do you even have a gun? Why would you handle a firearm while inebriated? And why on earth would you pull a gun on your wife?

You need to get help. Your NFL career doesn't have to be over, but playing this year seems unlikely. Take the time you need to resolve your mental health issues, make restitution, reconcile with your family and sort out the legal situation. If there are second chances for Mike Vick and Ben Rapistberger, then there is hope for you, too. But getting your life together and providing for your children is far more important than returning to the field.

Who was history's greatest male athlete?

I am long overdue to write about Seattle's eventful offseason.

I've been posting a lot on my history blog. It rarely relates to sports, but yesterday was an exception.

I wrote this piece weighing the evidence for who deserves the title of greatest male athlete in recorded history.

Even the most casual reader of this blog knows what a hopeless homer I am, but no, I did not make a case for any Seahawks--not even my man Walter Jones, a transcendent talent who remains criminally underrated.

Good riddance, DirecTV

...and the horse you rode in on.

Once the Seahawks got eliminated from the playoffs, I eliminated DirecTV.

When you live outside of your home team's market, NFL Sunday Ticket is the only way to ensure that you can see every Seahawk game in the comfort of your own home. And subscribing to DefecTV is the only way to get NFL Sunday Ticket.

When you roll in taxes, fees and nickel & dime equipment charges, RegreTV gouges customers about $100 per month for basic service--about double what cable costs, for essentially the same channels! And then, when football season comes, you still have to pay several hundred additional dollars to get NFL Sunday Ticket.

To add insult to injury, InepTV's college football offerings have always been feeble, unless you pony up another several more hundred dollars for yet another sports package. Penury forced me to choose between the Huskies and the Seahawks, and that's not right.

It almost used to be worth it to pay DiureticTV. Before I had a family, I played fantasy football and watched every televised NFL game, every Thursday and Monday night and all day on Sundays. Now I can barely make time for the Seahawks game once a week.

Aside from football, I've never watched that much television. I'm in the dad zone right now: I don't have much time to watch anything my son can't watch with me. In the unusual event that he falls asleep when I'm awake, watching television is generally dead last on my list of things to do.

However, when we had DefecateTV, my son could not get enough of the several Disney channels, the Cartoon Network, Nickel Odious, etc. While there is some good kids' programming (Wonder Pets, Octonauts), much of it is stultifying (Thomas & Friends), ugly (computer-animated everything), ultraviolent (superheroes, A Clockwork Orange) or idiotic (Paw Patrol--the dumbest thing to come out of Canada since Loverboy).

So, when Carolina eliminated Seattle, I leapt at the chance to cancel Hubris UncheckedTV.

Of course, it's not easy to cancel JesusWepTV. On their website, you can upgrade your package (i.e., agree to pay them more money), but you can neither trade down to a lower-priced package nor cancel your service altogether.

To do anything that might result in SuspecTV taking less of your money, you need to dial it back to the 20th century, pick up the phone and spend an eternity navigating an inefficient automated labyrinth designed to thwart you from speaking to a human being.

When you do reach a customer disservice representative, the conversation somewhat resembles the horrible experience that one guy had trying to cancel his service with Comcast.

Of course, Dick (not his real name... probably) asked why I wanted to cancel. I didn't feel like baring my soul to Dick, so I told him it was a purely financial decision and I politely asked if we could complete the transaction as quickly as possible.

"Are you aware that you are still under contract with us?" Dick asked ominously. He explained that I owed HenpeckedTV five more months and it would cost me money to break my contract.

"What's the damage?" I asked.

Dick did some math and said I would need to pay $120 to be done with GenuflecTV.

"That's a bargain!" I exclaimed. "That's like paying one month to get out of paying the next four months. Yes--please cancel my service now."

"Is there anything we can do to encourage you to stay with us?"

"Nope. I need to save money, so unless you are going to pay me to keep DirecTV, please cancel my service immediately."

"We can give you 5% off per month for the next year," Dick offered hopefully.

"No. That's not you paying me. That's still me paying you. Please cancel my service."

My broken record routine eventually got through to him. After twentysome excruciating minutes (hold time plus talking to Dick), I was a free man.

I enjoyed boxing up their equipment and shipping it back to them. Die, Wrecked TV!

Manning hobbles into the Hall of Shame

Manning in happier times (Photo Credit: Denver Post)

Along with most of America, I was hoping that Peyton Manning would play well in the Super Bowl.

Like many, I admired his dad, his distinguished career, his gaudy stats, his cerebral approach to the game, his heroic fight against injuries and Father Time, his quest for redemption after the Colts cut him and Seattle humiliated him in Super Bowl XLVIII.

I worried a little about the Al Jazeera allegations of performance-enhancing drugs, but not too much, because I don't regard Qatar's news leader as a particularly credible source for US sports news.

More than anything, though, I appreciated the goofy and likable persona he cultivates in all of those commercials.

Don't get me wrong: I didn't want Manning to win the game, because John Elway and the Broncos already have too many rings. I just wanted him to play well enough to retire on a high note.

I didn't get my wish: He played rather poorly, and the Broncos won.

Five years after he retires, Manning will be voted unanimously into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

But today he earned a more dubious honor, joining Bill Cosby, Jared Fogle, Ben Roethlisberger, OJ Simpson and Woody Allen in the Hall of Shame, where formerly beloved figures rot in the eternal discredit generated by their creepy and downright criminal behavior.

Earlier today, the New York Daily News broke a story that USA Today inexplicably buried 15 years ago.

In a nutshell:
1. Manning allegedly sexually assaulted an athletic trainer he disliked at the University of Tennessee.
2. She filed a complaint.
3. Manning allegedly taunted her after the fact by twice mimicking the sexual assault in her presence with his teammates;
4. UT chose the star quarterback over the trainer. University officials allegedly...
a) invented an alibi for Manning, which he used;
b) lied to support that alibi;
c) pressured another football player to lie to protect Manning, and revoked his scholarship when he refused to do so;
d) asked the complainant to frame one of his black teammates for the offense, instead; and

e) terminated the trainer, but UT ultimately paid her a large settlement. As part of the deal, Manning and the trainer made a nondisclosure agreement.

That's bad enough, and it should have been the end of it.

In 2001, Manning violated the nondisclosure agreement. He and his father published a book (Manning) that included several vindictive allegations of unprofessional and inappropriate behavior against the trainer. Case evidence casts serious doubt on all of that defamation.

Nevertheless, The trainer--by then an assistant professor in Florida--lost her job due to the slurs in Manning. She filed suit. Ultimately, the case was settled on undisclosed terms.

Elsewhere in Manning, Peyton wrote of his Christian faith: "My faith doesn’t make me perfect, it makes me forgiven."

I think Manning's response to today's report will tell us everything we need to know about the sincerity of his religious convictions.

Shaun King, the author of the New York Daily News article, wrote, "Peyton Manning... is the Captain America of sports.... He's also a prolific pitchman, the friendly face of several multi-billion dollar corporations...." Citing the available case evidence, King concludes "it's all a facade, an act, a well-designed for-profit creation, maintained and manicured at all cost."

I think King is wrong about that last point. The frightening thing about people like Cosby, Allen, OJ and Manning is that they are authentically fun and charming. That's what makes it so hard to believe when we encounter evidence that they have done evil things. And that's why it's so easy for them to get away with it.

In other news...

In other news, we note with sadness and gratitude the retirement of Marshawn Lynch. Beast Mode has left the building.

It was nice to see Russell Wilson and Michael Bennett play well in the Pro Bowl and claim offensive and defensive MVP honors.

Other than that, the playoffs were a drag after Seattle's elimination.

I had hoped Arizona would show some life against Carolina and get another Super Bowl ring for my man Red Bryant. It would be nice for the Cardinals to take home the Lombardi Trophy once. I confess to being a little soft on Arizona after living in the state for a dozen years.

After Carolina crushed the Cardinals, I was rooting for the Panthers to win the Super Bowl.

I don't buy into the Cam hate.

Yes, he's arrogant. There's a lot of that going around in professional sports, including on the Seahawks. ("I'm the best corner in the game!")

Yes, his celebrations sometimes border on gloating and taunting, but since Seattle has two Stanford grads prone to "drop a deuce" celebrations, we can't really claim the high ground there, either.

Yes, he tossed a 12th Man flag when a fan offered it to him after the Seahawks game, but in the exuberance of victory people don't always make great decisions.

Yes, it was unwise for him to say, "I'm an African American quarterback that may scare some people." Not because racism is over--it's not--but because the good guys won the black quarterback debate a long time ago.

We won it in 1988 when Doug Williams won the Super Bowl.

We won it again when Warren Moon won five consecutive Grey Cups, made nine Pro Bowls and entered the NFL Hall of Fame.

We won it again with the careers of Randall Cunningham, Steve McNair and Donovan McNabb.

And, of course, we won it once and for all when Russell Wilson hoisted the Lombardi Trophy two years ago.

So, I wanted Carolina to win because they've never won a Super Bowl.

But the game revealed that Cam deserves not our hate, but our pity. Early in the game, when the going got tough, the newly anointed league MVP started pouting, and he continued to sulk throughout the game. It is deeply demoralizing when a team leader displays such downcast demeanor and defeated body language. Oddly, for most of the game, his execution remained decent--he is that good at his craft--but if I'd been coaching, I would have benched him, anyway, until he could pull himself together and act like a man and a leader.

The nadir, of course, came when Cam quit/wussed out/made a business decision, by declining to dive for a fumble with the championship on the line. That will haunt him forever.

Denver's defense was extraordinary, and I'm very happy for Von Williams and Wade Phillips.

But I wanted the Broncos to lose because John Elway is such an insufferable jerk.

And now we know that Peyton Manning is as bad, if not worse.

Pity about the first half

The first half was so dreadful that it almost erased everything Seattle achieved this season.

The second half reminded us why the Seahawks made it as far as they did.

Carolina played well and deserved to win.

Assessments can wait for later.

Thank you, Seahawks, for another very good season.