Tag Archives: Seattle Seahawks

by Joe Loughery | 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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Tagged as Charlie Whitehurst, Matt Hasselbeck, NFC West, NFL Playoffs, Sam Bradford, Seattle Seahawks, St Louis Rams

by Joe Loughery | November 1, 2010 · 2:16 pm

116-3

Atta boy Olindo!!!

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Filed under Huskies Football, Seahawks Football

Tagged as Seattle Seahawks, Washington Huskies, Washington State Cougars

by Joe Loughery | September 12, 2010 · 6:14 pm

Seahawks smack 49ers 31-6

Coming into the Seahawks game today, I honestly had no idea what to expect. I have been supportive of the new direction Pete Carroll and John Schneider are taking the Hawks in. I really feel I have no choice. When a team wins 9 games in two years, and look really bad doing it, blowing up and starting over is a good course of action. Because of this, expectations are hard to gauge.

The 49ers have been the chic pick to win the division all off season. They have a stout defense, some nice skill position players, a solid offensive line, Frank Gore and, uh, oh yeah, Alex Smith. Somehow the fact that Alex Smith has done absolutely nothing in his pro career was lost all the experts. Maybe because the rest of the division is so bad, people figured he was the lesser of all QB evils. I have never been a believer in Smith, and have been vocal that the 49ers will go as far as Smith takes them, no matter how good their defense is. Today was a perfect example of this fact, even though the Niner defense wasn’t great either.

The shocking 31-6 waxing the Hawks put on SF was a joyful surprise. I thought all along the Hawks had a shot to win, simply by virtue of the home field advantage and first game adrenaline, but I never thought they would completely dominate in all areas of the game.

Defensively, the Hawks shined. Early in the game while the offense was still feeling out the Niners defense, the Seattle defense spent a lot of time on the field. Bending, bending, but not ultimately breaking. Three times SF was in the red zone, only coming away with 6 points. They held Frank Gore to only 38 yards on 17 carries, and forced Alex Smith into an interception. Because the defense was able to hold the 49ers down, they gained confidence and became extremely aggressive as the game wore on. Right off the bat in the 3rd quarter, Marcus Trufant picked off Smith for a TD, which in many ways was the finals straw for SF, they had no fight after that. The Seahawks sent blitzes from every conceivable angle. Chris Clemons and Red Bryant were in Smith’s face all day long, and the secondary did a great job covering and hiding looks. Mid way through the 3rd quarter, I had the distinct feeling the game was on ice, Smith had zero confidence in his line, Gore was constantly getting stuffed, the WRs were unable to get YAC and the 12th Man was bringing serious noise. The defense was my MVP for the game. They played with their hair on fire, all the while playing with discipline and control. That is a scary combo for opposing offenses.

Offensively, the Hawks warmed up as the minutes ticked by. The first play of the game, Matt Hasselbeck threw as bad an INT as you could throw. But, like the good veteran he is, Matt bounced back and made play after play, hitting Mike Williams, Butler, Carlson, Branch for various gains. The running game was efficient, not great by any means, but able to get small gains. Overall the offense was efficient, not making mistakes, gaining first downs, and exposing mismatches in the secondary. I would like to see the running game get better, but seeing Matt Hasselbeck look like his old self was so great to see. A healthy and aggressive Hasselbeck will spell success for the Hawks.

Having Lofa Tatupu, Matt Hasselbeck and Marcus Trufant healthy and fast makes this team a team that can indeed win the NFC West. That is not the kool aid talking either. Considering how bad the 49ers looked today, and how pathetic the Rams and Cards looked as well, the Hawks are sitting pretty after one week. Injuries are the key, they must stay healthy. Denver will be a very difficult game, Mile High is a brutal place to play for road teams. Can Seattle go in and win? If they play defense like they did today, they can be in any game in any venue.

Game 1 of the Pete Carroll era is a smashing success. I hope Seahawks fans (myself included) will enjoy this. Just take it all in and enjoy the week. Please don’t be the boo hoo naysayers you have been all off season. Put on your Hawks colors and get ready for Denver. Talk some smack, have fun, dream big. This is Seattle, bad things are always around the corner, so let’s get on the bandwagon now and have a blast!

-Joe

Alex Gibbs resigns

Reports all over the place that offensive line coach of the Seahawks, Alex Gibbs, has resigned. This is shocking news. Speculation is the Hawks will release OG Ben Hamilton, who Gibbs brought in to help mentor Russell Okung. So much for that plan. This development is mystifying on so many levels. I understand how a guy can resign over health issues, which if that is the case, I hope he is fine, but it also could be the fact that it is becoming more and more apparent by the days and weeks that this franchise is rebuilding, and Gibbs may not have the patience for that. Wish he would have figured this out when he decided to come back to coaching. Ridiculous!

-Joe

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Tagged as Alex Gibbs, Pete Carroll, Seattle Seahawks

by Joe Loughery | September 4, 2010 · 10:10 am

Hawks cleaning house

The news yesterday and today is that T.J. Houshmanzadeh has been released by the Seahawks, additionally, today, Jason LaCanfora is reporting they have released J.P. Losman, leaving Seattle with two quarterbacks on the depth chart. Obviously this will not be the case going into week 1. I fully expect the Hawks to sign a 3rd stringer soon, because as we know, Patrick Willis, whom they play in the opener, has a knack for putting QB’s in the hospital.

On the Housh front, I am fully in support of cutting him. I know his defenders will say he is a competitor and wants to win, hence his brash behavior, something Seattle sports needs because we are a soft sports town, and the Hawks are a soft team. News flash: He was on the team last season that was the softest I have ever seen. Huffing and puffing, undercutting your offensive coordinator, and going on local sports radio stations ripping media members who are paid to critique and give their opinions was chump and frankly embarrassing to the franchise (I include Deion Branch in my criticism as well…). Teams in the NFL with distracting, big ego diva players will not go far. (Unless you are the 1990’s Dallas Cowboys who had HOFs all over the field, they are the exception…). The Seahawks are light years from that. The Hawks need team players who keep their mouths shut and go out and let their play do the talking. I could give a rip what Housh did in Cincy. What he did in Seattle was meaningless. I’d rather have Mike Williams, Deon Butler, Golden Tate. They have something to prove and will play hard and won’t belly-ache about getting the ball, then disguise that opinion by saying “oh, I just want to win, I’m not bitter”. Sure, never heard that before, c’mon.

The Seahawks have a long way to go to be in serious playoff contention, so a move like this I think is healthy in purging the team of problems and looking to the future. Is it a drop off in talent? Probably, but I think it will be an increase in moral and team chemistry. This is Carroll and Schneider’s team. Any time they cut ties with the Ruskell era, I am all for it. I am fine with the Josh Wilson trade as well. If they don’t think he fits, better deal him, or he’ll be a problem as well. Wilson has some talent, but people are overreacting like the guy was a pro-bowler. Again, the Hawks will be thin in the secondary, but this regime wants to see if Walter Thurmond can play. I like the move. I think Thurmond has all the tools to be a good NFL player.

Overall? Addition by subtraction.

-Joe

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Tagged as Pete Carroll, Seattle Seahawks, T.J. Houshmanzadeh

by Andrew Long | April 22, 2010 · 1:26 pm

Summer is Coming

Spring is in full bloom. I’ve always associated the season of spring with the word hope. Spring hasn’t quite gotten us to the full-blown joy that summer brings but that joy is within reach. The chill of winter has mostly passed but there’s still those cold days where we hope that the sun will come out tomorrow. Things aren’t perfect but there’s enough evidence to make hoping for summer justifiable.

It just so happens this is where we are right now in the Seattle sports scene. A few weeks ago we were able to enjoy one of the best weeks sports has to offer; The Masters, college basketball’s championship, and Opening day in baseball. But, this is a week where spring can turn to summer sports wise. Hope could turn joy. Cautious joy, but joy none the less. The Mariners, Seahawks, and Huskies all have significant events starting today and lasting through next weekend. If all goes well this city could be as excited about sports as we’ve seen in a long time.

Lets start with the Mariners because this is probably the most evident case of things turning golden quickly. The M’s had an outstanding homestand and are now tied in first place. You think things can’t get better? Ladies and gentleman, meet Cliff Lee. Next Friday, April 30th, the former cy young award winner will be making his Mariner debut. This is the moment Mariner fans have been dreaming of since mid-December. He’ll be thrown right into the fire against a pretty good Texas Rangers lineup. Will he be as sharp as he was in the world series his first start? Probably not, but this is still cause for celebration. And if this isn’t enough to get someone excited, Felix pitches the next day. Finally, what was billed as the best 1-2 punch in baseball is here.

The same night that Lee returns on his white horse, the Dawgs will take the field at Husky Stadium. Now, I know spring games aren’t going cause the excitement that upsetting USC brought but I truly think that after seeing this team play people will be buzzing about what could be next fall. The freshman running backs, Nick Montana, the emergence of the secondary, Mason Foster, and Jake Locker will provide the Dawgs with higher expectations than they’ve had in years. While a team has to fulfill expectations to be considered a success, high expectations is step is important for a program. The fact that those expectations are coming back is enough to bring a smile to my face and after April 30th I think Husky fans will have plenty of smiles going around.

By that same day we should know the fate of Terrance Jones and Terrance Ross. Both of these guys are mega recruits that the Husky basketball team would love to have. If these two commit the sky may be the limit for the Huskies next year. The dawgpack will be partying in the streets of Montlake and the basketball team would move up 5 or 10 spots in the “way too early” preseason rankings. The sun will be shining bright if Jones commits and if both commit then you might as well put on your swimming suit because it will be like we’re on a beach in July.

Then there’s the Seahawks. Few sporting events bring the amount of hope that the draft brings. Dan wrote about what he thinks the Hawks should do with their picks earlier today so I won’t get into that. A franchise is built on young talent and today is the start fo Seattle rebuilding their franchise. Unfortunately, this hope can’t translate to joy as soon as these other examples. The NFL draft can be really hit and miss and it will take a few years to fully judge these players. But that doesn’t take away from the hope there is in this day for the Seahawks. The last few years have been absolutely awful and today may be the start of that changing.

Yes, this could just be me getting excited about nothing too important (it wouldn’t be the first time). But it’s hard not to feel a sense of excitement and hope about the next week.

Meanwhile, Donald Butler, who just last year was an average linebacker playing for a terrible Husky defense, is sitting somewhere today waiting for a phone call that will tell him he’s going to receive money to play professional football for the first time in his life. 22 years of hard work will pay off for him today. His hope will turn to joy. His spring will turn to summer. As I sit here looking out the window at a sunny day, I can’t help but feel that summer might come a little bit early this year.

Andrew

Cheer Up!!!

No use in rehashing last nights meat grinder of a game at HecEd. Let’s focus on the positive, the good juju in Seattle sports. It’s sunny out, WHY NOT!

Jake Locker is coming back this fall. Let’s not forget that Husky fans. I’ve got a purple kool-aid keg in my garage at the ready for Labor Day weekend. BYU is toast.

Come September, this guy will be running WILD!!!

Ken Griffey Jr has arrived at Spring Training is is already holding court in the locker room. I heard he was doing P90 in the offseason, dropped seven pounds and is in great shape for a guy his age. Add to that Ichiro arriving soon, along with Mike Sweeney? Can there BE any more Sodo Mojo love in the desert? Don’t think so…

The Seahawks have two first round picks. They have holes at literally every position. Hence, they will more than likely draft two guys who will play right away. Sounds good to me, let’s just hope they go best available. I like what I am hearing from Schneider and Carroll. Sign me up, I’m buying.

Have an awesome weekend!

Joe

PS – These video highlights make me quite happy and full of joy. I hope you feel the same.

Huskies, Intro & Quick Hits

Wow, well, finished up watching the Dawgs wipe the floor with ASU. That’s great, I really don’t like Derek Glasser, he’s a bum. Thursday at Cal. CAN WE GET A ROAD WIN PLEASE!?!? National TV, ESPN, let’s do this DAWGS!!! UW wins and first place is ours.

Anyway, I was invited to be a member by Danny and so far the posts have been excellent, I expected nothing less. I am clearly NOT the best good guy here, I can tell right away I might just be the peanut gallery!! I am honored to be a part of this, as I am passionate sports. It’s a wonderful constant in my life, always a great topic of discussion and interest. I think humor and lightheartedness are vital to loving sports (especially in this town!!!!), so fair warning, I may not always be serious…

About me… I’m 32, born and raised in the state of Washington, so yes, I am a homer, but I love the national sports scene as well. Went to school at Auburn High, then college at the UW, class of 2000. The Huskies are it for me, football and hoops are 1 and 2 on my list. I am very passionate about the UW, I love the school, the campus, the neighborhood. I love the vibe before and after games. I really don’t pull for any other school, and I am generally not a “root for the Pac-10” guy. I backed Penn State in the 1994 Rose Bowl against Oregon when a bunch of so called UW fans thought it was “neat” the Ducks made it. “Go west coast” they tell me. Bull. Oregon sucks and always will. Kenny Wheaton is a cuss word in my vocab.

Regarding pro sports, I love the M’s, Hawks, Sonics, Sounders, TBirds. Yes, the Sonics. I still love them and always will. The Supes are a passion of mine. The 1990’s are the decade I really matured sports wise, and the SuperSonics had their best run that decade. I am old enough to remember Dale Ellis, Tommy Chambers and the X-Man, but for me Payton and Kemp are almost sports deity. The 1996 Sonics are family. The spring of ’96 was one of the best times of my life. The fact that this city does not have an NBA team is a complete and utter disaster and joke. I shake my head every time I think about it. But, I am hopeful. No idea why, I just choose to be hopeful that one day I’ll see the Green & Gold back out there on the hardwood.

I have a ton of thoughts about the upcoming Mariners season, the upcoming NFL draft where the Hawks MUST get it right. In the NFL if you screw up the draft, it will set back the organization years.

Random Quick Hits:

Quincy Pondexter is Pac-10 POTY.

The Mariners should bring back the teal jerseys.

Cortez Kennedy belongs in the HOF, and so does Edgar.

The Kingdome was awesome, even if it stunk of stale beer constantly and had only two bathrooms.

Safeco Field is even more awesome: Tons of bathrooms!!! ICHIRO!!!!!!!!!!! Garlic Fries!! Ivars fish!!!! Sushi!!!! Zombie Nation Kernkraft 400 BLARING!!!!! DIPPIN DOTS!!!! DAVE SIMS!!!! HEY NOW!!!!!!!

Steve Scheffler and Frank Brickowski had game.

Shaun Alexander could catch, check his stats from 2001-2004.

Vin Baker was an all star in 97-98 with the Sonics. Then he discovered donuts during the lockout. The rest is history.

Steve Emtman was unstoppable. Best defensive player I have ever seen. Period.

Jackie Z and Wak are geniuses, how the M’s were above .500 last year is beyond me, (not to mention the amazing offseason JZ has put together so far, the Cliff Lee deal was highway robbery).

Game 7 of the 1993 NBA Western Conference Finals was fixed, you cannot convince me otherwise, it’s established fact, look at the boxscore.

The 2005 NFC Championship is the best game I have ever seen live. (seeing Jimmy Johnson’s hair freeze was an added bonus…)

Both times the UW lost to UConn in the Tourney resulted in me refusing food and water for days and human interaction suffered for weeks.

I have major, MAJOR bromances with Coach Sark, Jake Locker and Chris Polk.

If you’ve made it this far, congrats, I am done, sorry no prizes… I know it was a lot about me, but I thought I better get my street creds out there now before someone asks for them. More to come!!