Category Archives: Seahawks Football

Updates and opinions surrounding the Seattle Seahawks

by | February 7, 2011 · 3:31 pm

Seahawks 8 Year Run

Watching the Seahawks lose to Chicago a couple weeks ago got me thinking about how many postseason games Seattle has played in recent years. Immediately I could think of numerous games and this inspired me to analyze a little further. I decided to look at the past 8 playoffs, and specifically the 15 NFC teams. I recorded playoff appearances, games played, wins, and superbowl appearances. The results were astounding. Since the 2004 playoffs, the Seahawks have made the playoffs 6 times, played in 11 games, won 5, and appeared in 1 superbowl. In each of those 4 categories, Seattle ranks 1st or 2nd among all NFC teams.

Based on this data, there are many conclusions one can make. What I take away from this is that Seattle has been the 2nd most consistently good NFC team over the past 8 seasons, just behind the Eagles. The numbers don’t lie, and while I’d trade it all in for 1 superbowl WIN, this run the Seahawks are on is quite impressive. We’re getting spoiled here in Seattle watching our team make the playoffs 6 out of the past 8 years. Who could have imagined that 10 years ago?

-Dan

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by | February 6, 2011 · 12:09 am

It’s Been A Good Year

Today marks one year of existence for the Good Guys blog.  It’s been a funny year in Seattle sports.  One of the first posts I wrote was about the Mariners resigning Erik Bedard.  I was excited, for good reason, saying that even in the worst case scenario, it was a great signing.  What I didn’t expect was that every worst case scenario (save for Felix and Cliff) would come true for the Mariners.  The future looks brighter now for the Mariners.  I can’t wait to watch Dustin Ackley and Michael Pineda develop, and it’s about time that a guy like Michael Saunders became a productive major leaguer.  Still, 2010 was about the most depressing year I could imagine for a baseball team.

Luckily, we got to cover the Huskies last minute run into the Sweet 16. It took three quarters of the season to get them rolling, but once they got there, it couldn’t have been any better. Quincy Pondexter was dominant, Matthew Bryan-Amaning turned into the guy we all were waiting for, and the Pac-10 tournament brought a championship and an amazing amount of unintentional entertainment. And it introduced the world to Beach Girl 5 and Unbreakable. Ultimately, the season ended a little short, but that tends to be the case for most teams, and this was one team that was worth cheering for.

I didn’t really realize it until just now, but the Husky football season somewhat mirrored the basketball season.  After high expectations to start the year, the team fell a little flat, sitting at 3-6 and needing three straight wins for their first bowl game in years.  They got them in dramatic fashion, on the shoulders of Chris Polk, Mason Foster and Jake Locker. More than a few people predicted a Holiday Bowl appearance when the year started, but no one thought they would slide in with a 6-6 record, and no one gave them a chance in a rematch against Nebraska. They surprised us all, with one of the great performances we’ve seen from the Dawgs in a long time. Jake Locker didn’t have the personal season most expected, but he improbably accomplished his goal of leading his team to a bowl game. He leaves Husky Stadium a legend and someone to be remembered for how he played the game and all he gave to the University of Washington. We’ll miss you, Jake.

The year also brought the World Cup, another successful Sounders season, and a Seahawks playoff run that was improbable, controversial, and earth-shaking, literally. Now we’re a week away from spring training for the Mariners, just past football signing day (Andrew’s favorite holiday). If the Huskies can get rolling on the court again, we’ll be well on our way to a great year.

Aside from using this as an opportunity to shamelessly link all of my favorite posts from this year, I want to thank everyone who read anything we wrote this past year.  We started writing this mostly for ourselves.  Andrew (my brother), Dan (brother-in-law), and I thought it would be easier writing all of our sports thoughts than texting them to each other or waiting until we were together to talk about them, so almost on a whim we started this blog.  Joe joined up a few days later, and we’ve had a blast writing this past year.  While we’d probably be writing this whether anyone reads it or not, we’re still excited and honored that anyone takes the time to stop by.

You never know what a year is going to bring, in sports or in life.  This past year has seen Dan become a father, and I went back to school, where I’m about to start student teaching.  This time next year, hopefully I’ll be teaching high schoolers how to write.  Whatever comes along, I’d have a tough time without sports to follow.  It’s a diversion during bad times, and it can make the good times even better.  Hopefully this year brings a Final Four, a Rose Bowl, and anything good at all for the Mariners.  I won’t be picky on that. 

On behalf of all of us writers here, thanks for reading and sharing in the experience.  We’d love to hear from more of you this year.  Take care, and we hope this next year is a good one for all of you.

-Matthew

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by | January 20, 2011 · 6:30 pm

Matt Hasselbeck and Seattle Star Treatment

This post probably carried more weight a couple weeks ago following the Seahawks win over St. Louis, when Charlie Whitehurtst was trending well in Seattle, and Matt Hasselbeck was not. The same Charlie who completed one pass that traveled more than 10 yards. But anyways, onto my point: Matt Hasselbeck, the greatest quarterback in franchise history, seems to be a polarizing name in Seattle. Most agree he is a great guy and all, but for whatever reason, a lot of people aren’t fans of him. This is a perplexing topic and a major pet peeve of mine. I realize this sort of thing happens in other cities (i.e. Donovan McNabb), but for as few championships as Seattle has seen, you’d think Matt and the few stars we have would be well loved. Some are and some aren’t, but I am particularly curious why Matt is not unanimously loved like an Edgar Martinez or Steve Largent.

My two all time favorite athletes are Gary Payton and Matt Hasselbeck. My reasoning is simple. Twice in my lifetime have I seen a Seattle professional franchise reach the championship. In 1996, Payton (and Kemp) led the Sonics, and in 2005, Hasselbeck led the Hawks. Payton is a well liked name in Seattle, and you won’t find many fans who disliked him. But Hasselbeck, despite his 5 playoff wins, witty humor, and general likeability, still has plenty of haters.

I had multiple sports debates surrounding Matt Hasselbeck this year. Like I mentioned, he is up there with Gary Payton as my all time favorite athlete, so of course I am biased towards defending him. Even so, I couldn’t believe the amount of ignorant fans calling for Charlie Whitehurst, and booing Matt Hasselbeck this season. This guy took us to a Super Bowl. He’s played in 3 pro bowls, and he is the greatest quarterback in franchise history! I know that it’s about “what have you done for me lately,” and sports are results driven. Fans aren’t remembering 2005 when they boo Matt, I get that, and I was frustrated as any fan watching Matt committ 13 turnovers during a 4 game stretch this year. But all you need are a good pair of eyes and a 1/2 functioning brain to see that Matt still gave us the best chance to win.

This past season, Ken Griffey Jr, despite all his past greatness, reached a point where he was not helping the team. Lots of fans, including me, felt that his everyday DH role should be taken, but I didn’t hear many fans booing him or trashing him on sports radio. In this circumstance, fans treated Griffey well until the very end. I wish the same could be said for Hasselbeck and some of our other stars. I’ve seen this star treatment, or lack thereof, play out numerous times. Shaun Alexander, Ichiro, Jake Locker, and Mike Holmgren to name a few. They are all Seattle sports legends that have given this city plenty to cheer about. Alexander and Ichiro each won an MVP in Seattle. Locker committed 5 years of his life to re-build a university that he owed nothing to. Holmgren coached the Super Bowl team, and led the Seahawks to 5 division titles and 6 playoff appearances in 10 years. Fans should love players and coaches like this. They all deserve statues in my opinion. And yet, plenty of “fans” criticize these icons, even dislike them.

My point is this. If you must boo, then direct it towards Richie Sexson, TJ Houshmandzadeh, Carlos Silva, or the whole team’s performance. Trash them in the chat forums and on the radio if that’s your thing. But respect the guys who have worn Seattle on their jersey for many years, played in all star games, and taken our teams to championship games. We are on the map because of these guys, and frankly, we don’t have a lot of them, so please, embrace the few icons that we do have–guys like Matt Hasselbeck.

-Dan

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by | January 8, 2011 · 7:58 pm

My Favorite Seahawk

I’ve never been a big Seahawks’ fan.  I grew up in the state of Washington and never liked a team more than the Seahawks but I had a sense of apathy when it came to watching NFL games on Sunday.  After long Autumn Saturdays, in which I’d travel with my dad and sister across Snoqualmie Pass to Seattle, watch the Huskies (probably lose), and then drive back home, I didn’t have enough in me to passionately care about the Seahawks like I do with the Huskies or the Mariners.

I would always know their record and place in the standings.  I would always cheer for them if I was watching.  Knowing these things were more a product of being an avid sports fan instead of a Seahawks’ fan though.  Of course, I was sad when the Seahawks lost the Super Bowl, but I wasn’t heart-broken like some of my fellow Good Guys.  The NFL game just didn’t draw me in like the college game, it still doesn’t, and I would often opt for a Sunday afternoon nap instead of watching a football game on the edge of my seat.

Today was different though.  I tuned into the Seahawks game this afternoon in my dorm room, expecting nothing.  Maybe the game would be competitive, maybe not, but it would be a little break from playing Assassin’s Creed.

The game started how I expected.  The Hawks looked like they were going to get manhandled.  Facing an early 10-0 deficit, Seattle made an impressive drive and there was little bit of hope.  In fact, that was the spark in what turned out to be one of the most entertaining first halves I’d seen in an NFL game.  Forget the underdog aspect, this was just a fun game.

As I made a quick Wendy’s run at halftime, I couldn’t help but think, “If Seahawks games were always like this, I would be passionate about this team.”  Still, I almost missed the Seahawks first touchdown of the second half because I was listening to Lorenzo Romar’s pre-game interview on KJR.  Needless to say, I wasn’t completely drawn in.

The second half was just as entertaining as the first though.  The Seahawks went up by 14 and the Saints came roaring back, looking like the defending Super Bowl Champs that they were.  I was stunned when the Saints were held to a field goal in the 4th quarter, when a touchdown would have tied it up.  Still, they had lots of time to win the game, which was exactly what I expected to happen.

I’m a Young Life leader at Mercer Island and a about a month ago we had the opportunity to have a meeting at the Seahawks training facility.  As if that wasn’t enough, Marshawn Lynch had agreed to speak to our high school students.

That night, I watched a man who I was taller than, speak to high schoolers about how everyone told him that he was too small.  His high school coach asked him to change positions because he was too small.  He signed a couple of months after Letter of Intent day because schools wouldn’t offer him a scholarship because of his size and lack of breakaway speed.

He spoke softly, but with the confidence of a man who had proven many people wrong.  He thanked God for getting him as far as he said he worked harder than any of his teammates.  As I saw him stand at the same height of high school freshmen, as he posed for pictures, it was easy to believe him.  That night I gained a great deal of respect for the Seahawks running back and decided I would follow him no matter where his career would take him.

That brings us back to the game.  Seattle was trying to run the clock out.  If they had gotten a first down the game would be close to over.  Lynch decided to do something even better.  On a second down play, Lynch broke 2 tackles at the line of scrimmage and then dodged one in the secondary.  Still it looked like he would be brought down, he didn’t have the breakaway speed.  Lynch broke another tackle.  As he bolted down the sideline, another Saints defender looked like he would bring him down.  But, Lynch then gave the best stiff arm I’d ever seen.  He literally threw a guy out-of-bounds with this move.  Then, there was one more guy to break through to get to the end zone.  Sure enough, he did.  Too slow?  Nope.  Too small?  Nope.

The Seahawks would hold on to win the game.  And that play was the icing on top of it.  No, Lynch wasn’t the reason Seattle won, Hasselback played out of his mind and it was a team effort.

Marshawn Lynch didn’t become one of the Seahawk greats this afternoon, but he did become my favorite Seahawk.  The announcer called his run “the greatest efforts he’d ever seen by a running back.”  In what was one of the greatest runs in Seahawk history, Lynch showed us that effort sometimes outweighs the intangibles.  In some people’s eyes, Lynch is too slow and too small to be a good running back in the NFL, but the greatest upset in NFL playoff history proves that they’re wrong.

Andrew

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by | January 8, 2011 · 7:00 pm

Seattle Sports Twilight Zone

Amazing day in Seattle sports. I’m not really sure all of this happened:

The Seahawks win despite being largest home dog in NFL Playoff history, continuing their improbable run deeper into the NFL playoffs.

Matt Hasselbeck looked like a spry 23 year old out there dropping dimes to Stokely and Williams. Hard to believe since he had his hip drained this morning.

Marshawn Lynch’s run was the greatest ever. Period.

The Huskies hang 63 on the Beavs in the second half en-route to a 31 point blowout and a 4-0 start to Pac-10 league play.

The Huskies football team land a big commit, James Sample, today during the Army All-American bowl. Things just keep getting better for Sark and the Dawgs on the recruiting trail.

I am certain something good happened to the Mariners today, I’ll back to you on that.

One day closer to the Hornets moving to Seattle.

And finally, Bennett Scansen’s first big sports day. Can’t get any better than that! (I’m eagerly awaiting your first post big guy!!).

-Joe

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by | December 27, 2010 · 11:44 am

Seahawks v Rams for the NFC West title

Playoffs? Playoffs?? You kidding me? Playoffs???

This Sunday the Seahawks host the Rams for the NFC West division title. 6-9 hosting 7-8. Winner gets a home playoff game against either Green Bay, New Orleans, NY Giants or Tampa Bay. All those teams will have 10 or more wins going into the playoffs. I have a random thoughts on all of this.

I think a rule change should be in order, but not right away. I think making a team be at least .500 to host a playoff game is appropriate (Re-seed). I do not like the idea of preventing a team with a sub .500 team from even making the playoffs. The goal each year is win the division, you should be rewarded for that. But be .500 please. If not, you gotta go on the road.

I think all of this hosting a playoff game negative chatter could be moot. Look, Green Bay and New Orleans will beat either Seattle or St. Louis on the road, at home, on the moon, doesn’t matter. So I think all the huffing and puffing is unwarranted. Just a thought.

Draft position is an issue, and probably the biggest debate point. I go back and forth on this one. The difference between winning and losing is 8 draft slots, 13 to 21. That may seem like a lot, and considering the Hawks need a QB, maybe the fans saying lose to get the higher draft position are right. I tend to disagree. Take a look at this link: http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/mock. Both Rang and Reuter have the Hawks taking an OT at 13 (if they miss the playoffs). Even if the Hawks win, look at 21, at RB and OT. I think both of those positions are needed, but OT help is huge. Neither have the Hawks taking a QB. I think fans just assume they’ll take a QB, but will one be there at 13 or 21? Who knows. I think the draft is a craps shoot, I don’t like the idea of losing just for draft position. Win or lose the Hawks have a 1st rounder. They could trade up and get Newton, maybe Mallett, or trade for one in the league already like Kobb or Flynn. Or they could just man up and get good at talent evaluation like the Patriots and find diamonds late in the draft while saving money. Personally I like option three (the Patriots are the best organization in football.). Heard this today: Aaron Curry? 4th overall pick with a huge contract on a bad defense, little to no impact. Legarrette Blount? Undrafted rookie 1,000 yard back. Who would you rather have, considering the value? I’d take Blount in a second, even if he is a Duck. Again, the draft is about talent evaluation, not draft position.

Another angle to all of this is the Rams. They, in my opinion, are the best young team in the division. Why? Sam Bradford. He’ll be an all pro very soon. He has all the tools. Now, if the Rams come into Qwest and win, imagine the confidence boost that franchise gets. They were the worst team in the NFL last season, now a division winner, with two wins over Seattle? As a Hawks fan I don’t like the idea of that franchise getting on a roll.

I just want to win a game. A win would then allow the Hawks to host a playoff game. Isn’t that what we all wanted in August? I fully understand and agree this team is frustrating to follow and all things being equal don’t deserve to make the playoffs. Where is the team that beat Chicago on the road in what was, in my view, the best game the Hawks have played in four years? They are in there somewhere. Odd things have happened at Qwest in the playoffs (Tony Romo anyone?), so I think a win and a playoff game would be exciting and interesting for so many reasons.

Finally, here is the bottom line: If Charlie Whitehurst starts, the Hawks will lose. He is the worst QB in the NFL. He’s terrible. He can’t read defenses, he can’t hit an open receiver, he can’t look off defenders, he’s just bad. In order for Seattle to win, Hass must play, even with a bum hip. No Hass, no chance to win, it’s pretty simple. This is most likely Matt’s last stand, so I’d love to see him go out fighting. He deserves it, no one works harder and cares more about the Seahawks than Matt Hasselbeck. Here’s hoping he’ll get a shot in the playoffs.

Joe

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by | November 4, 2010 · 1:41 pm

POLL: Who has a better chance of surviving this weekend?

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by | November 1, 2010 · 4:04 pm

Our Expectations

This wasn’t the way this Husky football season was supposed to go.  But, that phrase has become normal in Seattle over the past couple years.  We had the Seahawks in 2009, while the Mariners and Huskies put up surprising, yet still mediocre, seasons.  This year we said that about the Husky basketball team, before they took off on a run.  The phrase never ringed more true for this years Mariner season and now we have a Husky football team that is spinning out of control.

With so many disappointments, we have to ask the question, ‘Did we set our expectations too high?’  You can’t clump all these teams together so let’s take a look at each team.

  • The 2009 Seahawks:  I’m not going to pretend to know a ton about the Seahawks, I don’t, but I think it’s fair to say that expectations for this team were reasonable.  Most fans would have accepted a 7-9 or 8-8 record, that seemed reasonable given the personnel on the team.  You could argue there were liabilities all along the offense and the team was plagued by injuries.  If you take those into account, we could add another loss to the record.  So let’s say 6-10 was a bare minimum for this team.  I’m not taking into account the weak division they play in.  The team finished 5-11.  Not only did they finish below expectations, they weren’t very competitive in many of their games.  I think Seattle had their expectations right for this team but the Seahawks failed to meet them.
  • 2009-2010 Husky Basketball: The Huskies were coming off their first league championship in decades and expectations were very high.  There was talk about repeating as league champions and making a run to the final four.  Then, the season started slowly.  The team didn’t gel and was extremely inconsistent.  The Huskies couldn’t win on the road but looked as if they could beat anyone at home.  At times it looked as if they let the expectations get to their heads.  Of course, the Huskies turned it around and made one of the most thrilling runs in their history, all the way to the sweet 16 after looking like they wouldn’t make the tournament.  The expectations for the final four might have been a little high for this team, but they did show they had the talent to do that, from time to time.  Thankfully, a team is judged by how they finish so this team met expectations in my mind because of their late run.
  • The 2010 Mariners: In case you’ve forgotten (or just tried to erase this from your mind) their was actually some buzz about the Mariners this year.  They were everyone’s sleeper pick to make the World Series.  An overachieving 2009 team combined with some sneaky acquisitions and one huge trade (Cliff Lee) by Jack Z had fans thinking playoffs for the first time in almost a decade.  Then, the season started.  The Mariners were terrible, so terrible that there’s no point in retelling how bad they actually were.  But, were the expectations justified?  Partially.  It was unreasonable to think that the offense would be good.  On the other hand, it was unreasonable to think that the offense would be that bad.  So, dreams of a World Series were probably unrealistic but dreams of the playoffs or a team in contention?  That wasn’t that far out of the question.  Needless to say, the Mariners failed completely.  The fans weren’t wrong in this instance.

Now, we’re on the brink of losing another season.  Jake Locker will be out against Oregon, and potentially more, and the Dawgs will need to win 3 of their last 4 to make it to a bowl game.  Going into the season, a bowl game was the minimum expectation and 8-4 seemed like a popular record that most people were picking.  Was expecting 8-4 too much?  Probably.  There were too many holes in the lineup that faced a tough schedule.  But, 7-5 or 6-6 was and is completely reasonable.  A senior quarterback with all kinds of talent, an offense filled with weapons, and a defense that seemed to improve at the end of the year gave us reasons to think this season would be better than it is.  I don’t think we were that wrong in our expectations.

We definitely weren’t wrong in expecting a competitive team, and we haven’t seen that the last couple weeks.  That’s the disappointing part.  I still believe in this coaching staff, but this team is getting worse.  It felt like during the Ty years that the team didn’t bother practicing during the week, it’s seemed like that’s the same case the last 2 weeks.  We, as fans, deserve more than we were given against Stanford.  Our players and coaches were not even close to the standard we should expect.  That’s whats frustrating.  I’ve put up with losses, and they’re bad in their own right, but Saturday’s loss was different.  It was embarrassing for players, fans, and coaches.  Of course, the Huskies could turn their season around just like the basketball team did.  They could win their last 3 games and salvage their season.  But, things are looking grim right now.

In short, we need to have expectations.  We need to expect more than what the Mariners gave us this year and what the Huskies and Seahawks gave us this weekend.  If we don’t, there’s no pressure to get better.  Hopefully, those teams have higher expectations of themselves.  If not, this is going to be another long couple years in sports.

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