12th Man Rising » 2011 » January

What I Like About Pete

Riley Moore — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 21:08:20 +0000

The season’s over and I am starting to feel a little better everyday.

Remember in the Peanuts cartoon when Lucy used to talk Charlie Brown into kicking the football only to remove it at the last minute leaving an embarrassed Chuck laying on his back contemplating the reasons why he keeps making the same mistake over and over..

After the Bears game, I felt like Charlie Brown.

Disappointment is a strange emotion. Too much can force a fan to abandon a team, and not enough can turn fans into obnoxious elitists (see any Cowboys or Patriots fan).

The Seahawks have been a disappointing franchise for well over half of their existence. That’s why they have been moved from the NFC to the AFC and then back to the NFC. Fans are used to getting kicked in the teeth by players, owners, and the league. Nothing really seems to surprise us as far as disappointment goes.

At the beginning of this season, the only thing that would surprise me was success. … [visit site to read more]

Why Didn’t WE Do That?!

Joseph Okabe — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 04:15:59 +0000

While watching the first half of the NFC Championship Game featuring the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers, I was reminded of something about last week’s game between the Bears and the Seattle Seahawks. After seeing Green Bay harass Bears’ QB … [visit site to read more]

Looking Back at My Five Keys

Joseph Okabe — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 19:07:49 +0000

Having a day to think about the Seahawks’ loss to the Chicago Bears really didn’t do anything to change my perspective on the game. It was still very disappointing from an effort standpoint. Let’s look at the five keys I felt were vital to the Seahawks’ chances of victory. They were:

Establish and maintain good field position.

Do not turn the ball over.

Limit penalties.

Do not fall behind early.

Run the ball.

Jon Ryan has been one of the most valuable players on the team this season. In Week 6, he had a great game against the Bears in Soldier Field. Unfortunately, Ryan had his worst game in quite some time on Sunday. He ended up averaging 35 yards per punt, but it sure didn’t seem that way. His worst punts came at the least opportune times.

One of the main reasons the Seahawks won in Chicago in Week 6 was that they had a tremendous advantage in field position the entire game. Not so on Sunday. To make matters worse, his counterpoint, the Bears’ Brad Maynard, had a great game. The Seahawks started eight of their thirteen possessions inside their own 30 yard line, compared to five for the Bears. The Bears scored five touchdowns on the eight possessions that began on their own 30 or better (I won’t count the final possession where they took three kneeldowns.) Field position isn’t the sole reason the Seahawks lost this game, but they needed to dominate it to win, and they didn’t. … [visit site to read more]

Not So Quick Looks from Soldier Field

Joseph Okabe — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 23:24:28 +0000

I knew the Seahawks were in trouble the moment John Carlson was injured. Not that Carlson is my favorite player; in fact, far from it. However, Seattle’s recent successes offensively have come from 2TE sets. With Chris Baker already on IR, that left … [visit site to read more]

Seahawks at Bears Live Chat

Zach — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 17:51:53 +0000

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Here We Go!

Joseph Okabe — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 15:24:25 +0000

I’m on my way to Soldier Field for the Bears/Seahawks game. Local media is arrogantly confident; fans are confident but wary. I feel good about the Seahawks’ chances in this … [visit site to read more]

TJ is Baltimore’s Problem Now

Riley Moore — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 01:53:48 +0000

It’s not often that I really loathe a player. Usually I am ok with someone leaving, or I couldn’t care less. I remember wishing Dilfer well when he left. He seemed to leave with a tip of the hat and a hearty handshake. TJ Houshmandzadeh, … [visit site to read more]

A Conversation with Chicago Beat Writer and Radio Personality Jeff Dickerson

Riley Moore — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 18:11:28 +0000

I recently had the chance to talk on the phone with Jeff Dickerson. Jeff has been traveling with the Bears and covering them for ABC-7. Jeff also appears on Chicago’s Game Day Live and hosts a nightly show on ESPN 1000 from 7:30pm to 11:00pm. To see more about Jeff and his work, check out espnchicago.com And a quick thanks to Don Povia for setting me up with Jeff.
Due to a last minute technical difficulty, I was not able to get a recording of this interview, but I was able to take notes. Unfortunately my typing is not as fast as I thought it was, so I had to paraphrase the answers a little bit.
Do the Hawks deserve to be here?
I got the feeling that Jeff absolutely thought that the Hawks deserved to be in the playoffs. “If you win your division that’s how it goes.” He understood why some fans might be “upset”, and went on to suggest that maybe reseeding teams might be one solution. One thing Jeff was absolutely clear about was that the Bears players were not overlooking the Seahawks. … [visit site to read more]

Five Keys to the Seahawks Winning

Joseph Okabe — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 16:23:41 +0000

I felt good about the Seattle Seahawks’ chances to beat the New Orleans Saints last Sunday. Not bet the house good, but good. There were five key things I felt the Seahawks need to do to win that game. Included were the following:

Establish and maintain good field position.

Do not turn the ball over.

Limit penalties.

Do not fall behind early.

The Seahawks failed miserably on every one of those counts early against the Saints. Olindo Mare put the opening kickoff out of bounds, which gave the Saints great field position at their own 40 to start the game. The subsequent drive led to a field goal. On the Seahawks’ first possession, Matt Hasselbeck threw an interception that gave the Saints the ball on the Seattle 35. That drive, which included two defensive penalties, resulted in a touchdown. Less than nine minutes into the game, and the Seahawks were down 10-0.

It could have been easy to throw in the towel and phone it in, like they did against the New York Giants. Yet this game had a different aura around it. However, the offense needed to score on the next possession or the game could have gotten totally out of hand. The Saints’ refusal to kick to Leon Washington early in the game was a costly mistake for them. A short kickoff gave the Seahawks the ball on their own 43. The offense went into high gear, scoring on six of their next seven possessions to take a 34-20 lead midway through the third quarter. … [visit site to read more]

5 Questions for the Bears Blogger

Riley Moore — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 04:57:18 +0000

These were my questions for Jonathan.

1. How much does it really matter that the Seahawks beat Chicago? Does it have any impact or influence on the upcoming matchup?

Chicago HQ: Hell yes. The game against the Seahawks was the beginning of Mike Martz changing. He kept wanting this team to be “The Greatest Show on Turf” but instead the only thing on turf was Jay Cutler. The line was playing for crap and the Chicago Bears stopped running the damn ball. Now, the Chicago Bears are a running team that sprinkles in passes when the situation calls for it. The offensive line is playing better. Plus, the defense is going to better than what you saw. Lance Briggs is healthy and the defensive line has gone through some personnel changes. Trust me, the Chicago Bears considered the Seattle loss as unforgivable. The opportunity to feel better about it comes possibly comes Sunday.

2. Being a 12th Man, I have to ask: How much of an impact does the crowd at Soldier Field have on the outcome of the game?

Chicago HQ: They do this BS in Chicago called “The 4th Phase”. We’re supposed to be wild and crazy. Honestly, and I know you’re not going to like what I’m going to say, I don’t buy into this crowd business. Look, great teams win because their great. The Seahawks beat the Saints because the Saints became one dimensional and forgot how to tackle (I picked you guys by the way…I thought the Saints were way to caught up in how bad Seattle was, and they weren’t prepared for that game at all). The way you get the crowd out of any game is running the damn football. I’m expecting the Seahawks to do that Sunday. … [visit site to read more]

5 Questions from A Bears Blogger

Riley Moore — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 02:40:59 +0000

This has been a busy week for the 12th Man Rising. I recently got an email from a fellow blogger, Jonathan D. Carroll, who runs a blog called Bears Head Quarters. The website is www.bearsheadquarters.com He suggested that we each ask each other 5 questions about the upcoming game. Thought it might be fun, so I gave it a whirl. These are the questions that he asked me. I will post my questions for John shortly.

1. The Seattle Seahawks came to Solider Field in early October and defeated the Chicago Bears. Is this the same team that beat the Bears at Solider Field or can we as Bears fans expect something else?

12th Man: It depends on which Seahawks team shows up. If it’s the one that got crushed 41-7 by the Giants, then they’re worse. If it’s the team that just beat the New Orleans Saints, then they’re better. I guess my answer would have to be, YES, and I hope it’s the team that played last week.

2. Sometimes the luck of the draw has a team making the playoffs and a team with a better record staying home. Does it get old to hear teams like the Giants and Buccaneers complain about the Seahawksmaking it to the playoffs with a sub-500 record? Did the win over the Saints help establish the Seahawks belong or did the Saints look past this game (for the record, I picked you guys to win)?

12th Man: It does get old. And it’s not just the teams complaining, it’s everyone. Especially in the National Media. I understand that it is frustrating for teams with a better record, but what I don’t get is why they take it out on the Seahawks. They didn’t make the rules. It’s not their fault those other teams didn’t get in. If fans want to be frustrated, I understand. Just take it out on the people who made the rules not the team that is following them.

… [visit site to read more]

Complain, Complain, Complain

Joseph Okabe — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 05:05:59 +0000

A friend of mine (a Bears fan) started complaining to me that the Seahawks shouldn’t be playing the Bears this Sunday because they shouldn’t have had a home game in the Wild Card round. Yadda, yadda, yadda. Blah, blah, blah. I just rolled my eyes and let it slide.

Who was the only home team to win last weekend? The Seattle Seahawks.

Who was the only division champion to win last weekend? The Seattle Seahawks.

The New Orleans Saints (11-5) had a better record than the Seahawks (7-9). That’s a fact. However, EVERY ROAD TEAM last weekend had a better record than the home team. How come no one made a fuss about that?!

Baltimore (12-4) had a better record than Kansas City (10-6). The New York Jets (11-5) had a better record than Indianapolis (10-6). Green Bay and Philadelphia had the same record (10-6), but if Philadelphia hadn’t won the NFC East, Green Bay would have won a tiebreaker since they had beaten the Eagles in Week 1. Yet I don’t recall hearing any complaints in the media that the Ravens, Jets and Packers weren’t playing at home. … [visit site to read more]

Humble Pie

Riley Moore — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 07:48:50 +0000

Joe Okabe

It’s time to eat some crow. I think I’ll have mine grilled with a side of rice.

I’ll admit, I wanted Charlie Whitehurst to start last Sunday’s playoff game against the New Orleans Saints. Nothing about Matt Hasselbeck’s recent play led me to believe he was the right choice. I felt Pete Carroll was making a mistake in starting Hasselbeck. That’s why I’m writing on a blog while Carroll is making the big bucks.

I would have been thrilled if Hasselbeck matched his performance in Chicago in Week 6. He didn’t. He blew that game out of the water. Against the Saints, Matt Hasselbeck had the greatest game of his life.

He did all the things that he hadn’t been doing in previous weeks. He spread the ball around to all of his receivers instead of focusing on Mike Williams. He didn’t force throws into coverage and threw the ball away when he should have. He took advantage of what the Saints’ defense gave him rather than try to make the perfect play every time. (Granted, the Saints’ defense gave him a LOT.) … [visit site to read more]

Was That Pass Interference on Ben Obomanu?

Riley Moore — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 02:06:41 +0000

It was hard telling through binnoculars, but on the replay it looked bad. I would be the first to admit that objectiveity sometimes becomes irrelevant during the heat of the moment, and this game was a super nova. Just wondering what everybody … [visit site to read more]

Lynch Finds a New Home With Fans in Seattle

Riley Moore — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 02:04:12 +0000

People are still talking about it.

”The run.”

It has been called by many fans and media sources alike, “The greatest run I have ever seen.”

It was bound to happen at some point for Marshwn Lynch. All year long he has been running like a Beast, however, has had little to show for it but pride. You see him fight harder than any other runningback in Seahawks history for every yard. He plays with no fear of injury, and you never get the feeling that he is just padding the stats. He gives 100% on every play in every game.

As great as Shaun Alexander was for the Seahawks, he never ran like that. Ever. … [visit site to read more]