Seahawks Offense Shows Fans a Sign

Welcome back offense. We sure did miss you guys.

Game Balls

Matt Hasselbeck finished with 333 yards and 1 td for a rating of 106.6. He opened the game with a 7 play drive resulting in a touchdown. He was right on the money all day delivering one deep ball after another. On two separate occasions receivers dropped would-be touchdowns, Carlson and Obamanu. Imagine the stat line had those passes been complete. Great Job Matt Hasselbeck. I hope you saved a little for the Saints.

Mike Williams had 11 receptions for 145 yards. He was targeted 17 times. Even when defended Mike Williams is open. His size dominates smaller corners and his hand strength gives him the ability to pull in what would be considered “uncatchable” for most wide receivers. His only problem is that he is either “on” or “off.” My guess is that he is still acclimating himself back into the NFL, and what is now flashes will become consistency by year’s end.

Justin Forsett had a great game collecting 64 yards on 9 carries averaging 7.1 ypc. Forsett always seemed to hit the hole at full speed being the quick and elusive change of pace back complimenting Lynch. Forsett was a big part of many sustained drives by the Seahawks, and deserves the nod.

Jeremy Bates was given much credit after the game for his game plan and execution today. Bates rushed 31 times and passed 40 times. The Hawks had 24 first downs and were 6-15 on third down. Neither of these statistics jump out, but they are certainly far better than what fans were becoming accustomed to. Seattle also held the ball nearly 10:00 longer than the Cardinals. It looked like Hasselbeck and Bates were starting to develop a chemistry. One statistic that stood out to me during the game was that Seattle has started 7 different combinations of offensive line starters this season. Injuries being considered, Bates did a great job of getting the most out of his players today.

The Seahawk Defense held the Cardinals to 2-11 on third down, intercepted a pass, and recovered a fumble. A Curry had his best game of the season registering 8 tackles and 2 sacks. It was nice to see Curry making plays consistently after struggling throughout most of last season and the beginning of this one. Curry reminded fans that he is an athletic playmaker whose mind is starting to catch up to the speed of the NFL.

Who deserves a slap in the face? The announcers for the fox broadcast of Sunday’s game. I stopped counting after 5. 5 times they mispronounced a player’s name or just called him a different guy altogether. It’s one thing when your at a high school or college game and the announcer struggles a time or two. Those guys have other jobs and responsibilities to worry about during the week. NFL guys don’t. They spend the entire week preparing for their game. Or at least they are supposed to. Study harder next time fellas. This is probably the reason you got stuck with this game in the first place.

And last but not least, What did you think of Pete Carroll going for it on 4th down? I really like the points. But I can’t help but be enamored with the thrill of the risk. Pete Carroll answered the question by simply stating, “I thought we would get it.” I love the confidence in his team to make that call, however, in the end the better call would have been to take the 3. Was it worth 3 points to give a nod to the offense? To send other teams a message of unpredictability? To tell you the truth, I just can’t make up my mind.