The Seattle Seahawks Got What They Needed

….Ring…..Ring….

“Hello?”

“Yes, hello, Seattle? This is the wake-up call you requested. I hope you have a good rest of the season.”

I normally write an article soon after the Seahawks play, win or lose. This time I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. I expected a tough battle with San Diego given their proclivity to put up points and this game being played on their turf.

What I didn’t expect was for Seattle to get out-hustled and out-played. I didn’t expect the bully to get bullied. I fully believed that Seattle would be 2-1 to start the season. However, I wouldn’t believe how that one loss came to be.

The swagger, bravado and confidence were left on the sidelines because it surely wasn’t evident on the field. I can believe a few things to make this a bit more palatable.

I believe the heat played a part. I believe the fact that Seattle’s defense spent 42 minutes on the field played a role. I believe San Diego hyped up this game to the point that it was their Super Bowl added to this defeat. I believe that fate had other plans on that day.

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As I watched in stunned disbelief I saw a team that was one step slower than San Diego. Seattle seemed to be a half a second too slow getting to Rivers. Seattle’s cornerbacks and defensive backs were one step behind on many plays.

I also saw a Seattle team that got hit in the mouth harder than they were hitting…I haven’t seen that happen in over two seasons. Even Kam Chancellor, Seattle’s bruising strong safety looked out of sorts, unable to get a clean hit on anybody (maybe because he was out of position….a lot).

Seattle’s defensive line left me wanting more, while their offensive line left me flat out disappointed.

With all of the bad there was some good. The Seahawks offense was a quick strike juggernaut, taking up large chunks of the field with many of their possessions. Seattle averaged 7.2 yards per play against San Diego, but this ultimately hurt them. Gaining big yards and scoring quickly meant that Seattle’s offense was on and off the field within several minutes.

This also meant that Seattle’s defense was on the field for long periods of time as San Diego was able to sustain long, clock-eating, drives. The Seahawks defense suffered. But I digress.

Percy Harvin was his spectacular self and we can see the explosiveness that his body holds…although we saw only a few short glimpses of him on this afternoon. The other good part was that Seattle didn’t sustain any significant injuries.

San Diego, for my money, played the best game they could have played. River’s had the game of his life; shot-putting the ball in exactly the right spot three times to Gates.

And speaking of Gates, who gave this guy a five-hour energy drink? He looked rejuvenated and agile on the field (I should have played him on my fantasy football team instead of sitting on my bench).

The play calling for San Diego, I thought, was genius, mixing in just a few inside hand-offs to keep Seattle honest. Maybe it was genius simply because Seattle’s defense played poorly.

Seattle’s disciplined defense looked anything but disciplined. Stopping San Diego on third down was a rarity but when we needed it most we got it…only to have Irvin get called for a personal foul to extend the drive.

But on a day that almost everything, without question, went San Diego’s way (apart from the blown call on Percy Harvin’s touchdown run) Seattle still had a chance to win the game. I firmly believed that Russell Wilson would drive Seattle the length of the field and score the winning touchdown with little to no time left on the clock.

What happened to Harvin during this series? Where was Marshawn Lynch during this important possession? Losing six yards on your first play from scrimmage?

For all the creativity and excitement I saw against Green Bay and the first half against San Diego, Seattle lost it’s way. Seattle forgot their bread and their butter. The gods had other plans on this day; the heroics of Wilson would never see the light of day.

My congratulation goes to San Diego on playing as perfect of a game as they could’ve played. Enjoy it, you earned it. However, I fully expect San Diego to go out and lose their game against Buffalo; they have spent all of their mojo for the rest of the season.

For Seattle, I expect them to come back angry and ready to regroup in front of the home crowd. I fear that Denver may be in for it when they arrive in Seattle. The wake up call that the Seahawks received has awakened a sleeping giant.

…”Oh hey wait, as long as I have you on the phone, could I get some room service? Could you deliver me up a win against Denver?”

“Right away, sir!”