No big surprise there.

Last Sunday, Washington led the Seahawks to a 27-20 victory over the San Diego Chargers at home. He compiled over 250 yards on only four kickoff returns, including two returned for touchdowns. Both touchdowns occurred in critical moments during the second half of the football game.

As good as Washington was, it is almost unbelievable that he was very close to returning a third kickoff for a touchdown. While trying to make a move on San Diego’s Nate Kaeding, Washington tripped himself up and fell to the ground.

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I can’t help but wonder which Seattle defense will show up for this weeks match up against the Chargers. If it’s the week 1 defense, I think the Hawks might have a chance. This defense held the 49ers to 1-15 on 3^rd downs, a meager 77 rushing yards, had 2 sacks , and 2 interceptions. One was for a touchdown courtesy of Marcus Trufant. This is the defense that held one of the elite rushers in the NFL, Frank Gore, to a harmless 2.2 ypc. Red Bryant stood out on this defense picking up a sack and hitting the qb on 2 more occasions. Chris Clemons made contact 4 times, and even Curry managed to make a ripple collecting 2 hits on Alex Smith. This defense was like an avalanche that chased, caught, and eventually engulfed a 49ers offense. It was a suffocating force drenched in a chaos of decibels created by the 12^th man. It was a defense I would love to grow accustomed to.

The following week in Denver the same defense, the chaotic, high energy defense fueled by it success starved fans, seemed to forget how to play. They could not get off the field giving up 14-20 third down conversions, and only made contact with the qb once. It was on a sack by Raheem Brock. Ya I know. Me either. Although the defense looked impressive against the run it gave up over 300 yards passing. Jennings looked like a fat kid chasing an ice cream truck, and the pass rush was virtually non existent. Kyle Orton and a rookie wide receiver who was playing his first regulars season game made the defense look sluggish and confused. On the bright side Curry’s number was called a couple of times as he collected 2 tackles for a loss as did Mebane, but outside the run defense this performance will not cut it against the Chargers. The Chargers have the potential to make the Hawks look worse than they did in the Denver game.

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12. In solidarity with Vincent Jackson, the whole Chargers team goes out and gets drunk, leading to multiple DUIs and other alcohol-related arrests. The Seahawks easily beat the hungover Chargers.

11. It’s an old school AFC West rivalry. Nostalgia is stoked, Qwest Field will be electric, and the Seahawks break out some vintage smash mouth defense. Dan Fouts has a flashback of Jacob Green crushing him, and he ends up wetting himself in his Lazy-Boy.

10. The Chargers got smoked by the Kansas City Chiefs while playing in a downpour. Seahawks fans: start your rain dances.

9. Ryan Mathews has two fumbles and no touchdowns so far this season. Keep them coming Ryan. It’s better to give than to receive and giving the ball to the Hawks’ defense is the greatest gift of all.

8. Qwest Field remains the loudest place in the NFL and Qualcomm Stadium is the quietest. The Chargers will need earplugs and the refs will need extra flags for all the false start penalties.

7. Shawne Merriman has had his head up his ass for a couple years. Imagine how distracted he’ll be when his ex-girlfriend Tila Tequila raises the 12th Man flag before the game. Make it happen Seahawks brass!

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Even if Mathews did play, I’d have to believe he would have a hard time finding room to run through Seattle’s massive defense. The front four on the defensive line – Red Bryant, Brandon Mebane, Colin Cole, and Chris Clemons – combine to weigh over half a ton and are predictably stout against the run.

With Mathews shelved for Sunday’s game, the San Diego Chargers will give the football to Mike Tolbert, a 5-foot-9, 243-pound wrecking ball. This season, Tolbert has carried the ball 18 times for 108 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Tolbert might not be as talented or publicized as Mathews, but he provides a different version of smash-mouth football that could challenge Seattle’s massive front.

“They have to go at my legs cause I’m trying to decapitate anybody that’s out there,” Tolbert told the San Diego Union-Tribune earlier this week. “I’m not trying to run around anybody cause I get tired like that.”

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When Tim Ruskell was in town, his moves were sometimes predictable. Predictable isn’t a great trait for a general manager, but Ruskell was egotistical and very disciplined in his philosophy on building a football team.

Ruskell wanted to obtain players who had won before. He wanted determined players with experience against the best competition, a team-first attitude, and a relentless work ethic. Most importantly, the player had to be of high character, a stand-up citizen, and well-behaved off the field.

Ruskell’s philosophy landed players like Deion Branch, Patrick Kerney, and Julius Jones. In the NFL Draft, Ruskell opted for experienced, “safe” picks like Kelly Jennings, Lawrence Jackson, and Aaron Curry.

We knew what to expect when Tim Ruskell was in charge. The new regime, however, is still somewhat mysterious.

We had no idea what to expect in last April’s draft. Some people thought John Schneider would submit to Pete Carroll and favor players from Southern California and the Pac-10 Conference. Others assumed the Seahawks would significantly reach for a quarterback like Jimmy Clausen or Tim Tebow.

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McLoughlin will replace Tod Leiweke, who is leaving to become a part-owner and executive of the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning. In his new role, McLoughlin will be responsible for all business operations, sales and marketing, sponsorship, administration and operations of Seattle’s football and soccer franchises.

Seahawks fans shouldn’t notice any difference on Sundays; McLoughlin will not influence football-related decisions and will likely follow the blueprint left by Leiweke.

McLoughlin has spent the past four years working with the NHL’s St. Louis Blues and has known Tod Leiweke for roughly 15 years. Leiweke assisted in the search for his replacement.

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Hasselbeck’s popularity in Seattle has always been a sensitive subject.  From the time they brought him in, and he was the cocky unproven kid from Green Bay to his Pro Bowl caliber Super Bowl season.  His 17 interception season under dufus coach Jim Mora has not helped his cause going into this season, and his up and down performance concerning weeks 1 and 2 have left many fans frustrated to say the least.

Fact:  Matt Hasselbeck is one of the most experienced quarterbacks in the NFL.  He learns from failure by turning it into experience.  He shoulders the blame of every loss because he is the leader of his team.  He has run 3 different offenses in 3 consecutive years, but has never used that as an excuse.  He had one of the biggest cry baby receivers in the NFL to deal with last year.  A receiver who consistently threw his teammates and quarterback under the bus.  Yet Matt never mirrored the same behavior.  He exemplifies the character Seattle fans have grown to expect out of our players. 

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In Kolb’s absence, Vick played well enough to lead the Eagles to a victory in week two. Against the Detroit Lions last Sunday, Vick completed 61.7 percent of his passes and threw for 284 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He also added 37 rushing yards on eight attempts.

Now that Michael Vick is a starting quarterback in the National Football League, people from all over are openly protesting his promotion. Their reasons for protest are obvious – and somewhat justified – but Vick deserves this opportunity in Philadelphia.

People don’t have to be radical, crazy, or members of PETA to be angry at Michael Vick. A lot of lingering resentment comes from dog owners and average people, still upset at Vick for his participation in the dog fighting case.

Michael Vick, however, deserves a second chance. What he did was wrong, illegal, and probably immoral on some levels, but he still should be given a new opportunity.

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The 49ers, despite an 0-2 record, looked much improved against the New Orleans Saints. And despite a defeated season through two weeks, the media is prepared to admire Mike Singletary and friends once again.

Prior to the season opener, the San Francisco 49ers were considered by many to be the class of the NFC West. That isn’t saying much, but on paper, they seemed to be primed for a breakout season in a weak division.

Everyone conveniently forgot Alex Smith is still San Francisco’s starting quarterback.

Mike Singletary, a clown not worthy of his apparent prominence, is still the head coach – and still “great” despite a 13-14 coaching record without any postseason appearances.

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Leroy Hill strained his calf and was wearing a boot following the game. According to reports, Hill is going to need some time to completely recover.

Hill, however, was barely noticeable prior to his injury. Combined with his suspension and previous injuries, he was an unreliable asset entering this season anyway. David Hawthorne is expected to remain a starter for now and his position with the first team has been earned.

Continuity on the offensive line remains a concern, especially following Max Unger’s season-ending injury. Stacy Andrews was less-than-impressive as a replacement, but mostly because of ill-timed mistakes and needless penalties.

Ben Hamilton returned to the starting lineup after the team briefly experimented with Mike Gibson at left guard. Hamilton was the projected starter throughout the offseason, but Gibson outplayed him in training camp and was given the starting nod in week one.

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