My sincerest apologies for the lack of blog posts the last few weeks. Having an unexpected vacation in the ICU with 3 brain surgeries will do that to you. Thanks so much to many of you for your prayers/thoughts/support over the last few weeks. Very much appreciated. A big thanks to the Hawk Alley crew for the dedicated Sea-Train before the Dallas game. Nice to see the Sea-Train in midseason form. No movie to reference this week as there is plenty to discuss and I couldn't find one that would work.
So....anything happen while I was gone? What's that? We became despised nation-wide as a result of the Monday Night game? No, couldn't be. Ok, let's discuss for a minute. First off, does anyone honestly think this would have been one-tenth as big a deal if we were playing, say, Jacksonville, Carolina, or Detroit? Absolutely not. But we played one of the ESPN golden children and as a result we got to hear about it for another week. Now, reasonable people can debate the merits of the call on the final play. If you dared to find pictures other than from the 4-letter network, you'd even see evidence that Golden Tate did have more possession of the ball as they went to the ground. But, again, since it was Green Bay and Aaron Rodgers got his panties in a bunch, only the ESPN camera angles were allowed to show replays across the country.
So....anything happen while I was gone? What's that? We became despised nation-wide as a result of the Monday Night game? No, couldn't be. Ok, let's discuss for a minute. First off, does anyone honestly think this would have been one-tenth as big a deal if we were playing, say, Jacksonville, Carolina, or Detroit? Absolutely not. But we played one of the ESPN golden children and as a result we got to hear about it for another week. Now, reasonable people can debate the merits of the call on the final play. If you dared to find pictures other than from the 4-letter network, you'd even see evidence that Golden Tate did have more possession of the ball as they went to the ground. But, again, since it was Green Bay and Aaron Rodgers got his panties in a bunch, only the ESPN camera angles were allowed to show replays across the country.
I've been asked by a number of people if I feel bad or guilty about that win. Hmmm...how about HELL NO!! We finally end up on the right side of a controversial call and you want me to feel guilty? I believe the term is pound sand. After the debacle of Super Bowl XL, the phantom Vinny Testaverde helmet touchdown, and the game 7 travesty of the 1993 NBA western conference finals, this city was owed at least one. We're owed a couple dozen if we're being realistic, but I'll take what I can get for now.
The one thing that can't be debated about that Green Bay game is how the Seahawks defense completely dominated the Packer offense, particularly in the first half. I'm coming out of surgery that Monday evening and my mom tells me the Hawks had 8 sacks in the first half. I immediately assumed it was the morphine talking. It was nice to see Bruce Irvin's coming out party and put the nation on notice that this defense is not to be toyed with and it's not the finesse defense of the Holmgren Era.
So, after the exhilaration of the Monday Night game, the Hawks made their annual trip to St. Louis and promptly crapped the bed. Unfortunately, I think we saw what happens when you have a coaching staff that at times isn't concerned about attention to detail. How else do you explain a fake field goal play that wouldn't work in most high school games? Not to mention the penalties that helped the Rams seemingly on every third down. One thing I will say is where did they find Janikowski's son? Did you see that kid? He's hitting 58 and 60-yarders like they were chip shots. I guess there's a reason they let the Prisoner to the Businessman Josh Brown take his whining and walk on down the road. Of course, it's in a dome and I'd like to see him try that in the swirling winds of Seahawks Stadium, but still.
And now last Sunday the Hawks took their talents to the Queen City to meet the Panthers. In the least surprising part of the game, the stands were half empty. When a group of us made that trek a few years back, same thing. Thankfully the outcome was not the same. The defense showed up yet again. It was even more impressive this time since the Cam Newton show has far more weapons than did St. Louis. They took the Pouty One (sorry, not to be confused with Jay Cutler) out on his weird ears and wiped that fake smile off his face. Superman didn't get out of the phone booth and the Hawks get a much needed victory on the road and on the east coast. Now, in true Seahawk fashion they couldn't do it without causing more of my still-growing-back-hair to turn gray with that punt-turned-safety-on-purpose. At least Jon Ryan held on to the ball and didn't give the Panthers a chance to get a touchdown.
Now, we come to this weekend. Tom Brady, his shorn hair, and the New England Patriots make the trek cross country to Seahawks Stadium. Brady has never played here since he was hurt the last time the Patriots came to Seattle. So, he has yet to feel the furor of the 12th Man. Let's greet him appropriately. And if you want to throw in an extra jab, maybe mention that old Tom Terrific hasn't won a Super Bowl since he's been with Gisele.
It's the #1 offense vs. the #1 defense on Sunday. The irresistible force vs. the immovable object. Although our objects will need to be able to move if New England gets that no-huddle offense going. That will create problems with our defensive substitutions and will probably keep Bruce Irvin off the field. For these reasons, it is imperative that the 12th Man keep the noise at a high level even if the Pats are able to make plays in the no-huddle. I have no doubt that you will. Let's put the country on notice one more time that this is the toughest place to play in the NFL and the Seahawks are back and are a force to be reckoned with.
On a side note, it's KJR Kares tailgate weekend again, just this time it's on Saturday for the Huskies-USC game. We will have a Seahawk tailgate with them in December when the Rams come to town. If you haven't been to one of our tailgates and wonder what it's like, go to 950kjr. com and the Traffic Divas page (also on our Media page). You'll find a video of what last year was like. Once again, thanks for the support during my hiatus. It's good to be back in the saddle again. GO HAWKS!!!
Mark
The one thing that can't be debated about that Green Bay game is how the Seahawks defense completely dominated the Packer offense, particularly in the first half. I'm coming out of surgery that Monday evening and my mom tells me the Hawks had 8 sacks in the first half. I immediately assumed it was the morphine talking. It was nice to see Bruce Irvin's coming out party and put the nation on notice that this defense is not to be toyed with and it's not the finesse defense of the Holmgren Era.
So, after the exhilaration of the Monday Night game, the Hawks made their annual trip to St. Louis and promptly crapped the bed. Unfortunately, I think we saw what happens when you have a coaching staff that at times isn't concerned about attention to detail. How else do you explain a fake field goal play that wouldn't work in most high school games? Not to mention the penalties that helped the Rams seemingly on every third down. One thing I will say is where did they find Janikowski's son? Did you see that kid? He's hitting 58 and 60-yarders like they were chip shots. I guess there's a reason they let the Prisoner to the Businessman Josh Brown take his whining and walk on down the road. Of course, it's in a dome and I'd like to see him try that in the swirling winds of Seahawks Stadium, but still.
And now last Sunday the Hawks took their talents to the Queen City to meet the Panthers. In the least surprising part of the game, the stands were half empty. When a group of us made that trek a few years back, same thing. Thankfully the outcome was not the same. The defense showed up yet again. It was even more impressive this time since the Cam Newton show has far more weapons than did St. Louis. They took the Pouty One (sorry, not to be confused with Jay Cutler) out on his weird ears and wiped that fake smile off his face. Superman didn't get out of the phone booth and the Hawks get a much needed victory on the road and on the east coast. Now, in true Seahawk fashion they couldn't do it without causing more of my still-growing-back-hair to turn gray with that punt-turned-safety-on-purpose. At least Jon Ryan held on to the ball and didn't give the Panthers a chance to get a touchdown.
Now, we come to this weekend. Tom Brady, his shorn hair, and the New England Patriots make the trek cross country to Seahawks Stadium. Brady has never played here since he was hurt the last time the Patriots came to Seattle. So, he has yet to feel the furor of the 12th Man. Let's greet him appropriately. And if you want to throw in an extra jab, maybe mention that old Tom Terrific hasn't won a Super Bowl since he's been with Gisele.
It's the #1 offense vs. the #1 defense on Sunday. The irresistible force vs. the immovable object. Although our objects will need to be able to move if New England gets that no-huddle offense going. That will create problems with our defensive substitutions and will probably keep Bruce Irvin off the field. For these reasons, it is imperative that the 12th Man keep the noise at a high level even if the Pats are able to make plays in the no-huddle. I have no doubt that you will. Let's put the country on notice one more time that this is the toughest place to play in the NFL and the Seahawks are back and are a force to be reckoned with.
On a side note, it's KJR Kares tailgate weekend again, just this time it's on Saturday for the Huskies-USC game. We will have a Seahawk tailgate with them in December when the Rams come to town. If you haven't been to one of our tailgates and wonder what it's like, go to 950kjr. com and the Traffic Divas page (also on our Media page). You'll find a video of what last year was like. Once again, thanks for the support during my hiatus. It's good to be back in the saddle again. GO HAWKS!!!
Mark
