After practice today Seahawks head coach Jim Mora said that offensive tackle Sean Locklear will get his first action since suffering a high-ankle sprain against San Francisco in the second game of the season, starting at left tackle for Seattle at Arizona on Sunday.
Mora said it was important to see Locklear make it through practice, show now ill affects from the injury, come back and practice the next day and not be sore. And mora said that Locklear passed all of those tests during the week
“He had a good week,” Mora said.
Mora said he chose to start Locklear over Damion McIntosh, who has been solid in two starts for Seattle, because of Locklear’s experience with the team.
“He’s been this system longer than Damion,” Mora said. “He went through all the offseason with us and training camp, and so there’s a little more familiarity.
“Of course he hasn’t played in awhile, so there’s something there. But he and Rob Sims have played next to each other quite a bit, so once again just continuity and repetitions together, that will help us.”
A lot has been talked about during the week of the importance of stopping Arizona’s potent passing attack. But one overlooked aspect has been the Cardinals recent improvement in running the ball.
Defensive tackle Patrick Kerney, who has had some big games against the Cardinals, said the first key to stopping Kurt Warner and company is stopping the running game and forcing them to be one dimensional and throw the ball.
“You’ve got to get a team passing when they have to, not when they want to,” Kerney said. “And the better the quarterback and the better the receivers, the more emphasis you have to put on that. So, as I always say, you’ve got to stop the run first. They’ve talked about wanting to established the run more, and they ran the ball well last week, and so to get the Warner you’ve got to stop the run.”
Kerney went on to say if Arizona does establish the running game then the team’s play-action game becomes more effective, and then Seattle’s defense really will have problems trying to stop Warner.
T.J. Houshmandzadeh talked to reporters today as he regularly does on Fridays.
Asked about how he feels about watching his former team, the Cincinnati Bengals, playing well and at 6-2 right now, Houshmandzadeh said he has no regrets about his decision — at least for now.
Houshmandzadeh also had an opportunity to sign with Minnesota during the offseason. The Vikings, who Seattle will face next week, are 7-1 and leading the NFC North right now.
“I don’t regret anything right now because it’s too early to say I regret anything,” Houshmandzadeh said. “Obviously, I’m human just like anybody else is human. I’ve thought about it. I like football, so I follow the NFL.
“And I wouldn’t say that I follow the Bengals, but I am aware of what’s going on, and I’m human just like anybody else. So I’m looking at it like ‘Ahh, would you believe it? But it is what it is.”
Here’s the injury report for today.
For Seattle, Matt Hasselbeck (shoulder), Sean Locklear (ankle), Ken Lucas (neck) and C Chris Spencer (thumb) were full participants in practice and are probable for Sunday.
For Arizona, LB Gerald Hayes (back) and LB Chike Okeafor (back) are doubtful. UPDATE: Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic is reporting that both Hayes and Okeafor likely will not play on Sunday. Ali Highsmith would start for Hayes for the second straight week, and Bertrand Berry would start for Okeafor if he can’t go.
T Mike Gandy (pelvis), WR Sean Morey (head), DE Kenny Iwebema (knee) and TE Ben Patrick (knee) are questionable.
And WR Steve Breaston (knee), WR Anquan Boldin (ankle), S Antrel Rolle (foot), CB Dominque Rodgers-Cromartie (finger) and G Reggie Wells (thumb) are probable.
I understand the decision to start Lock at LT but I’m skeptical. In any case, this is now as close to the pre-season projected line as we could reasonably hope to have. I’m less excited about this game a I am nervous. Show us something, men. Deliver a giant facepunch to the Cards! Let’s go!!
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Not that McIntosh is as good as Walt and not that Lock is as bad as Williams… but Mora would probably start Julius Jones at RB over Adrian Peterson because he has more reps in our system. Mora has pretty much lost me and I had been one of his biggest supporters after his initial hiring.
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I agree Bobby. I think Damion McIntosh has more than proven his legitimacy as a left tackle for this team.
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Wait, isn’t today Saturday?
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If Seahawks use the pass to set up the run, and are effective at converting 3rd downs, I would say we have a better than 50% chance at winning the game. We just need to match point for point, so that the pressure is off our “D”. If we do that, I will bet money on our D collecting turn-overs and winning the game. Go Hawks..please allow me to watch the game with out throwing crap at it.
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Mora has lost alot of faith with fans this year with his mouth and saying stuff about how team need to get better yet but no proof..
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Well, we pretty much knew coming into the season (at least most fans did) that this starting offensive line this week would be the starters so now we get a chance to see what it’s made of.
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I’d leave McIntosh at LT too – i think he’s been outplaying Willis at the Tackle spot, and that should be the decision Mora is weighing, Lock vs. Willis.
Still – as noted above – it’s still a major improvement over the Williams/Vallos leftside combo that killed us last time.
We need a big game out of Kerney.
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So basically, the entire season comes down to this week? Win and the season is relevant, lose and the season (and most of the veteran players) is pretty much done?
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I’m very happy to have Locklear back. It was just a matter of time before McIntosh’s slowness got Matt sacked. Also, I didn’t see any of the push in the running game that I thought McIntosh could give us.
Its time to see what Lock, Sims, and Spencer can do together to get off of the line and cut block. Let’s go, men!
And its time to see Carlson running routes on every play instead of blocking so much.
I know we are likely to be disappointed. But I’m dreaming of our D sucker-punching the Cardinals right in the beak!
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Eric, Have you noticed a change in Mora’s demeanor as this season has worn on? As far as him being shorter or curt with you guys? Or his enthusiasm? I hadn’t watched the video until just now and that is as subdued as I’ve seen him all year. Perhaps it’s unfair to draw too many conclusions from that one clip but that did not have to feel of a man who was excited or enthusiastic or positive and those were all things we were told to expect. How can a team expect to play that way if there is absence of that from the top? And again, perhaps I’m reading too much into it but I’d be curious about your feelings. Thanks.
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Those Mora Q&As are getting dull, aren’t they. I think Mora must be sick and tired of the same questions over and over. Hopefully the lack of fire he shows when answering questions is because he is tired and leaves all his energy on the practice field. From what we saw in preseason, Mora and Bradley really get after it in practice. I can only hope the players really got after it this week and are now snorting and pawing the ground to get on that plane for AZ.
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We should use the middle of the field alot more with Housh and Carlson seeing as how two of there starting LB’s are out
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I agree with Bobby and Duke. Mora looks like a broken man. And with Mora benching DMac after doing a fine job on very short notice, he has lost what little confidence I had left in him…… Note to Mora…”play the BEST 5 Lineman you have”…Dumba$$!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Carlson is still lining up at TE off RT. He’s still going to have to chip and help out with Willis because pass pro isn’t his thing. The only way to maximize the talents of Carlson is for Locklear to play RT so he can actually get out and run routes instead of spending time babysitting. If McIntosh wasn’t getting push… well, I have never seen Lock get much push in the running game either (and that was after being fully trained and not riding the pine after being injured). I can see Mora’s reasoning, but don’t have to agree with it.
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The Cards aren’t gonna know what hit em.. There won’t be any more smart-a** comments from their locker room post-game this time, that’s for sure.
I hope Kurt Warner chokes on his tongue and tears his ACL and MCL and every bone in his body is snapped in two. I hope Darnell Dockett gets his throat stepped on and he dies, and nobody cries at his funeral. I hate this team. The only player they have that I hope is alive after this game is Fitzgerald. The rest of them can die a slow and painful death at the hands of the Hawks.
KILL EM!
F*** em til they love us..
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I think I know why Mora looks so downtrodden…I think it’s because he has to continually try to answer Tony Ventrellas questions with a straight face.
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I would’ve moved Housh up a peg or two on my board if he would’ve taken the Dennis Green approach and responded, “The Bengals are who we thought they were! Now if you want to crown them, then crown their asses!”
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team chemistry is at it’s lowest since 2004….no doubt about it.
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It only takes a win on Sunday to cure that..
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“Don’t know what you got ’til it’s gone.”
Cinderella (1980s hair band)
Dear Mike Holmgren… I miss your fire and passion. I miss your class. I always thought you had fire on the sidelines, even though others talked about how you were too bla, bla, bla after the games. Is there any way you’d come back to coach this team? If we lose on Sunday, the anarchists will only have revolution on their minds (me too) and your name is going to be mentioned many, many times in the next few months. Just don’t play the loyalty game crap with incompentent crapholes (a player or assistant coach like John Marshall) and please run a fun trick play once in awhile like Mora/Knapp have done with Seneca. That’s all.
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Lame
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snydro22 says:
“I hope Kurt Warner chokes on his tongue and tears his ACL and MCL and every bone in his body is snapped in two. I hope Darnell Dockett gets his throat stepped on and he dies, and nobody cries at his funeral. I hate this team. The only player they have that I hope is alive after this game is Fitzgerald. The rest of them can die a slow and painful death at the hands of the Hawks.
KILL EM!
F*** em til they love us.. ”
Now i have to admit–that’s a quality statement. With that said, I align myself more so with the post that pleaded for holmgrens triumphant return. Will see what happens sunday
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hey snydro,
Don’t forget to single out Duece Litui–or however you spell his !@#$% name. seriously, if anyone gets injured on sunday i hope it is him! maybe an ACL–you know, something light.
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I love the hawks like anyone else but lets be realistic if we cannot put pressure on Warner he will eat our secondary up. Knock him down and rattle him and the turnovers will come pouring out he has proven that. Hawks need to get some pressure and make things happen early on to have a chance.
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I agree with duke, Mora seems annoyed, almost disgusted with the questions. Answering redundant questions from the media is part of his job, so suck it up and help the reporters write their stories. Holmgren always understood this and
I don’t recall him ever being short with, or dismissing questions like Mora is doing. Needless to say, Mora won’t be winning the media award that Holmgren used to win this year.
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Well, I will say that when Holmgren first got here, he and the beat writers definitely did not see eye to eye. It takes a while for those relationships to build, I understand that. But Mora looks down. It would be interesting, to me anyway, what someone like Clare Farnsworth’s take on this is. He’s been covering the ‘Hawks for 30- something years, I think he’s covered all their head coaches. I’d like his comparisons, personality wise, and how they each related to the press.
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I need some fantasy advice –
I need to pick two of these three to start : Housh, Burleson, Brandon Marshall..
I am leaning towards Housh and Marshall.. Advice?
And I need one of these three to start : Mendenhall, Moreno, Mike Bell, or Ryan Grant.. Advice?
I am leaning toward Mendenhall, but he is playing a stout Cincy run defense..
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My goodness snydro22, sounds so tough,ha? It is easy to say such things hiding behind the protection of the web. I’d pay money to see you say that to ANY AZ player in their face. I bet you’d sound more like a lap dog , bitch ! To wish someone’s death or, serious injury over a f…ing game !?! How pathetic can you be? From your past post I could tell you were an IDIOT, and now I am sure about it. No wonder Chewy used to call you : STUPIDO22 !! How right he was.
I have always been a fan of the Seahawks and, i admit to hating the raiders and the donkies but, I never wished serious harm to none of them. Cardinals, on the other hand were pathetic (like you) through all of their times except for the last two years. (And) they will go back to their place as NFL doormats as soon as Warner stops playing and Boldin moves on. Yeah, they have better coaches (for now) than us, but that is it.
STUPIDO22 try to grow up to be a man instead of being an idiotic bitch !!!!
Well…maybe you aren’t a man and you were born to be an idiotic bitch…
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‘It would be interesting, to me anyway, what someone like Clare Farnsworth’s take on this is’
Duke- that would be interesting. It seems to me that so many of the questions are either mediocre, or just plain stupid…more so than in past years at least. Is that just me?
But Mora acts like a teacher who makes fun of his sudents for giving stupid answers…and thats pretty weak imo.
I always liked how Homgren tollerated all questions well, and tried to answer them thoughtfully.
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I’m glad that Lock is starting. I just wish it wasn’t at the expense of DMac. I am glad that Wilson is starting, although it’s by default.
I am one of the biggest PNW homers and one year ago I was so happy that Mora was taking over for the Hawks based on his connections to Don James and the Huskies. Also, b/c of his moderate success in Atlanta. Since then he has lost every bit of my confidence (with his collective Boneheadedness. If that in fact is a word). A win this weekend would go a ways to restore it. But, I’m not counting on it, unfortunately.
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Interesting to see support for McIntosh. I’m not sure what he’s done in his two games that was so special, except that he didn’t suck like we feared he would. That might say more about how bad Detroit is than how good MIntosh is.
If the coaches really believed in McIntosh, wouldn’t they have called some rushing plays to his side during the Detroit game? I think the play calling last week showed that our coaches didn’t have confidence in their O line. That’s why I want Lock back at LT. They weren’t afraid to run the ball when they had Lock and Sims playing next to each other back in weeks 1 and 2.
Should McIntosh get a shot at replacing Willis at RT? That’s an interesting take. McIntosh competed for that spot on the Chiefs and got cut from the team, and he then went unemployed for months before we picked him up. Willis has 7 games in a row playing next to Unger, and continuity is very important on an O line. I don’t think we should mess with that.
I still think the main thing our O line needs is to play our healthy starters together for a string of games. If we make personnel changes, those should be made during camp, not during the season.
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It has been an interesting season so far. Tomorrow marks the beginning of change or the beginning of the end. I have been absent most of this season from the blog trying to get a seahawks fan based Podcast. If you are interested you can find us at http://www.thebrettandbrianshow.com or find us on twitter @Brettnbrianshow . Enjoy the game and GO HAWKS!!!!!
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Finally watched the video..
My take, Mora looks to have spent tons of energy in preparing for AZ. I’d hope these guys are sifting through reels of video of the Cards looking for advantages. My gut says, the hawks compete, and right now I’d take that.
If the Hawks win the turn-over game, hawks win. End of story.
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Bit off-topic here. I’m watching OleMiss vs Tenn game and, honestly I don’t think Eric Berry is worth top 1st round pick by looking at his production in this game or this year in general. I don’t think we should pass on Suh or Okung ( I know they’ll be taken before our turn comes —yet, I can still dream about getting one of this two) to take Berry or Mays.
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I feel the same way about Mays. I’ve seen a lot of USC games and unless he being singles out for a big hit, he disappears. I don’t see him constantly involved in the action.
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It was an over-the-top comment, seahawklovertoo. It was meant to be outrageous. I don’t REALLY hope that their players die, lol.. And I wish I had access to the players but I don’t, so for now I am resigned to talking trash on the web. That’s just the way the cookie crumbles..
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I’ve said this before, but if we take Taylor Mays in the second round… I’m going to be pissed.
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snydro22 – I just assumed you got drunk and vented. I’ve done that with Bill Leavy drunk and sober (I don’t really want him to die… but I’d like to punch the bastard).
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Someone got Cinderella lyrics stuck in my head and anger ensued.. I think Joni Mitchell would have been even less tormenting.. Damn you BobbyK!
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Normally I’m merely happy with the Seahawks keeping it within 20 points in games like this, but I think they have a pretty good shot of winning the game tomorrow.
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I hope you’re right. I think there comes a point in every season where you win and there’s a chance and if you lose it’s basically the final nail in your coffin. A loss tomorrow and we’re done. We’d have to finish with a higher record than the Cards, since they own the tie-breaker (and they would be 6-3 and we’d be 3-6), and I don’t see it happening. And that’s assuming we can pass another team too (the 49ers). Will it be time to get excited with kool aid or will it be time to hope for luck in the Suh sweepstakes?
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I can see the bottom of the cup of kool-aid, but the fat lady has not sung yet.
I heard that fat bitch is heading to the stage. There is a chance she might trip and die..and I’d be for that.
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It must be pretty difficult for Mora to answer the questions that V asks him after the game, because V is so straight forward with his questions, he mine as well be saying, so you guys sucked complete ass and now what does your sorry ass team do to prepare to lose next week.
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Watching college football today… there are a lot of stupid coaches who do the dumbest things… For as respected as the Iowa program supposedly is… I don’t get some of their decision making. You get the ball on about your own 30 with about a minute to go and 2 time outs and you play for overtime by running out the clock? Why not try to gain 15 yards in 50 seconds and then try one bomb on the last play of the game? As much as I hate Ohio State, I’m glad they won just because the Iowa staff did such a terrible job.
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Hey BobbyK
Why would you not like taylor mays in the second round? That would be a nice snag and then use most of the other picks for OL and interior DL.
By the way, does anyone have an accurate account of our draft picks this year? Didn’t we also get something from detroit?
2 picks in the first rnd need to be on OL all the way!!! And that should be the case even if we get the guard from the saints that BK has been talking about.
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variable you’re a bandwagon jumper that really doesn’t have a clue. You just don’t add 2 rookie O-Lineman and then you’re 100 percent secure for the rest of your franchises future, yeah there’s exceptions. I’d like to see an established FS and LG acquired somehow this off-season, albeit through trading draft picks or players, or just signing them through free agency. Ultimately, the best scenario would be to draft an LT, hope to god Walter Jones plays next season, and has the chance to groom said LT into a near-Big Walt caliber player, while the rest of the O-line is somewhat good. Throw spencer under a tank, put Unger in his native position, and let the right side pan out with lock and sims. My optimal line would be
LT; Walter Jones (or Whomever we draft
LG; Whoever is added in FA
C; Unger
RG; Sims
RT; Locklear (or willis, i’m unsure who is better to be honest)
As for the safety, I don’t think Deon Grant is particularly bad, but I don’t think he’s great either, and Babs just isn’t starting safety material IN MYOPINION. Replace Babs with whoever is a pretty good acquisition via trading or FA, and we now have a stacked team.
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I think Taylor Mays is like Bruce Pickens. Granted, Mays is a S and Pickens was a CB (3rd overall pick in ’91). They are extremely talented and if you judge them by the numbers they should be future Pro Bowlers. But I don’t (or didn’t) see that production when watching the games. I’m not going to claim that I’ve seen a lot of Mays, but whenever I see USC he never does anything to show me that he’s very good. But I will say at the time that I laughed so hard at the Falcons when they drafted him and as Denny Greene would say “he was, as an NFL player, who I thought he’d be.”
We have the Denver #1, but we traded our 3rd rounder, so we’re sitting at 7 picks like almost everyone else. I don’t think we have added or traded any others?
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If I were GM going into next year, our line would look like this:
LT Walt (Brian Bulaga would be taken with the Denver #1 and he’d be Walt insurance)
LG Mike Johnson (as long as you’re a team not in the top 5-6, it’s much easier to trade down and I’d trade down as often as possible until we get to the mid/late 20s… depending on how the combine goes and stuff like that…) He’s a stud LG from Alabama.
C Unger
RG I’d make Jahri Evans the highest paid OL in the history of the world. I’d even include Paul Allen’s Captain Kirk chair if I had to.
RT Lock/Willis can fight it out, but I’d draft Casey Knips in the early/mid rounds to groom as the eventual, long term replacement at this position. He reminds me a bit of Michael Roos (had a buddy at Eastern at the time… and, yes, I’m a nerd who has seen South Dakota State University… and didn’t even get jumped by a sheep either:)
If the doctors told me that Walt was truly done, I’d offer Curry to the Browns for Joe Thomas and then have the Bulaga (Denver) pick to go for the BPA, regarless of position.
I know the draft doesn’t always go as you hope and some team may take Bulaga/Johnson… but you get the idea. All I know is that we’d have an offensive line we could be proud of again…
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RADEoN,
Why are you such a complete idiot? don’t answer!
a guy can’t even be cordial without some moron taking shots at him for no apparent reason other than stupidity–as in little RADEon’s case.
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By the way radeon,
Who said anything about adding to rookies and than you’re 100%? You must be drunk to have pulled that out from my post………….
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Bobby, realistically, I don’t see Curry being worth it to really anyone. I wouldn’t say he’s a “bust”, but not worth a #4 pick and the money he’s making. I could see Tatupu or Hawthorne being trade bait, and I’d love to see Hawthorne get traded to another team after this season, he’s too good to be a backup, and I’d love to see the underdog prosper.
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2 picks in the first rnd need to be on OL all the way!!! And that should be the case even if we get the guard from the saints that BK has been talking about.
The two freshly drafted offensive lineman drafted would in fact, be rookies. It’s unfortunate that you don’t know what a rookie is.
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Come on, Bobby. You mean to tell me that, for you, Curry’s future with the Seahawks relies on whether Walt can come back in ’10 or not? That’s crazy. He is a cornerstone player that will be and should be here for many years. And as necessary as it is to assemble a quality, young line for the future success of this team, there are other needs here as well (DT, Safety, RB). I’m in agreement however that in November it’s nearly impossible to predict how the draft 5 months away will pan out, but clearly one of the first round picks should probably be invested in an o-lineman. And I know you love Bulaga but there are others; Trent Williams, OT Oklahoma, Adam latoski, Texas, Russell Okung, Oklahoma State, Zane Beadles, Utah to name just a few others.
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I like Okung personally.
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Radeon- try to make some sense if you’re going to post.
No duh they would be rookies-it’s called rebuilding and again who said or implied we’d be 100%??
being a prick must come naturally to you as does being dense!
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Radeon-
don’t respond to my posts anymore, i’ll do it for you in an equivalent fashion.
Radeon says: “blah blah blah…………..duh, oh yeah, blah blah blahhhhh”
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Radeon-
You must not understand what’s going on. imagine you post something and i come at you with something unrelated, a jab, saying to you that Mathew Hass is “In fact” a QB. It’s unfortunate you don’t know what a QB is. That’s basically what you did, kinda makes you look like a…………you get the point. Then again you probably don’t.
Start posting after your beer buzz wears off.
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I could post a 10-20 page scenario sheet of what I’d do and how the OL would/could look but I don’t want to write that much and nobody wants to read that much. It’s an idea or ideas. There’s plenty of ways to go but the bottom line is that much attention/focus needs to go to the line and if some of the ideas involved trades… so be it. Teams don’t trade cornerstone players for slop. It was ONE idea. And I don’t want to speculate on players I haven’t seen play for myself. I hate letting others do my thinking for me. Not that I’m never influenced (we all are). I could provide a scenario with Okung at LT, Sims at LG, Unger at C, Willis at RG, and Lock at RT. It wouldn’t be ideal, but players don’t always fall where you want them to and sometimes you end up taking someone too early after someone you wanted got gobbled up… I understand that. The reason I mention Bulaga more than Okung is b/c I think it’s realistic for him to be available 15-20 (whereas Okung is probably top 10). And then there’s a scenario where Bulaga is only a junior. And trading Curry wouldn’t be dependent on the health of Walt. I’d offer the son of a bitch in a deal if I could add Suh too. It’s a lot of dough, but a dominant DL is more important than a dominant LB in a 4-3. And then there’s the scenario that Curry could tear his ACL tomorrow and be worthless in trade talks this off-season. Or Matt could suffer a career ending injury and then it’d be time to think QB and OL and forget all the holes like FS and realize we’re going to suck with growing pains of a young QB and a young, yet talented OL and there’s too many holes than picks to fix them. And the whole ball of wax changes again.
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Matt Hasselbeck’s career road record against teams that finished the year with a winning record is 2-21 (assuming the Cowboys finish with a winning record). Wallace is 0-5 (assuming the Colts finish with a winning record) for a combined 2-26. Hasselbeck was 0-3 in 2005.
Given that the Seahawks have lost 4 of their last 5 in Arizona with the only win coming in 2005, it’s going to be hard for them to reverse course tomorrow. I think they have a chance, but certainly the team’s history works against them.
At the very least, a close game would indicate that we are indeed not currently in a repeat of the Tom Flores years.
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How about that Stanford RB Gerhart? Tore up Oregon’s “D” and today run for 178 yards and 3 TDs against USC ! That kid is something.
If everything stays the same, in the 2010 draft we won’t have a shot at drafting Suh or Okung (unless we lose tomorrow and sandbag every game after that— —-but, there will be others sandbagging as well); it is much more realistic to hope for Bulaga, I kind-of like Cyron Black from LSU. He can play both LOT and ROT
equally well and he is as big as a “mountain” plus he is quick and very tough as well. I only watch SEC and BIG 12 games just to see what players we might be able to get next year. That is why I kept saying there will be 6 or 7 good left tackles coming out.
I still like BK’s suggestion about getting our guards as FAs and paying them handsomely but, I wouldn’t trade Curry under any circumstances.
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And I can honestly say that, although I would entertain offers, that trading Curry probably isn’t smart. I’m sure there are major salary cap ramifications… my point is that I wouldn’t deem any player on a bad team, record wise, untouchable. If we lose tomorrow, then we are a bad team. 3-6 records don’t lie (although one game can be blamed on the kicker). And there’s no way we go to the play-offs with a loss tomorrow. Still, I think the overall team is good (minus the OL). And I hope that after tomorrow all I have to look forward to is ’10. It’s too early to give up on a season. It sucks, actually. I want to beat those damn birds! And I want to get on a roll. And I want to win the damn Super Bowl.
One thing about tomorrow… I have reservations for the NFC Championship Game at the Hampton in Seattle… if we lose tomorrow, there’s no way we’re hosting that game and I had probably better cancel them. Even if we win the division the odds of hosting the championship game aren’t good, but like AZ last year — it’s possible.
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bad team record wise
good time minus OL
2 losing seasons in a row = changes (didn’t mean to contradict in previous scenario… but did)
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BK, didn’t intend to copy your post; I started mine and got called to do something. By the time I came back, you posted yours….
What I am trying to say is: we got Ungar at center and that is it. If we can “grab” two good OGs from FA and get lucky to draft Bulaga and Cyron Black, then we are in business for many years to come. We still need new FO , Coach, OC/DC
and new trainers. That is how I see it, unless Suh is there when we get to draft.Then, we should go Suh, OLT, OT
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Yeah, Suh is crazy good, great, etc. I’m all for OL as much as the next guy, but I don’t think you get a chance to draft a guy like Suh very often and when you do, you can’t pass it up (even if it means trading, gulp, up, if you can). You can easily get by in a 3-4 without a great/dominant DL, but if your bread/butter is a 4-3 it’s really hard if you don’t have a dominant guy up front (whether it’s a DE or DT). When you have to rely all the time on a blitz to get your pressure, that’s not good. Getting pressure with your front 4 could even make Mora look like a genius. When I used to coach baseball all the time… I looked like a genius when my starting pitcher was on his game and I looked like a bad coach when the pitcher couldn’t find the strike zone or have his good stuff that day. It’s the nature of the beast. If you’re gonna win championships, you’re gonna need the horses to ride. And my main horses are a QB and OL (although it takes a, mostly, complete team).
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If anybody wants a good laugh, check out this mock draft. We are supposedly taking an Inside Linebacker with the #8 overall pick. What a dumb@$$.
http://newnfldraft.com/
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I know we don’t have a high probability of winning tomorrow but I decided I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see the game live so I am going to my first game in Glendale! Hopefully the Hawks make it a competitive game!
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Yeah….homie with the mock draft is on crack
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azhawkman – I agree. I don’t like our odds here in MN next week, but I’ll be there rooting them on.
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Hawthorne, Hill, and Curry need to be the future of this team. We seriously need to look into cashing in Tatupu this summer. Hawthorne brings that toughness that we need. Call me crazy if you would like.
We should look into drafting Antoine Caldwell out of Alabama in the later rounds.
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I actually really like Herring (and about $5 million less) almost as much as Hill this season. We have some serious talent at LB, there’s no doubt about that. If our OL were as good as our LBs, we’d be golden and probably going to the SB this season. Instead, our season is over with a loss tomorrow (please, no).
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Yeah, unfortunately we are done with a loss this early in the season.
We should trade Lofa for a linemen or two that way we can spend one of our higher draft picks on a running back….Mark Ingram?
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Did I read this correctly, Matt H is 2-21 on the road against winning teams(at the end of the season record)-and the Hawks haven’t beaten a team on the road that finished 10-6 since 1988-WOW!!!!
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Haha that is god awful
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Personally, I’m more inclined to allow Hill to leave if we have to let one of the starters depart. A lot of this is the salary cap ramifications (our LBs are already good and I’d like to see the money invested in an area that actually needs improvement). I know Lofa makes good money, but I just think he’s better and more valuable than Hill. I never thought Hawthorne would function well at OLB when I saw him as a rookie, but he is faster/quicker than I thought he’d develop into, which tells me he could possibly factor in at OLB (opposite Curry) if he could beat out Herring (who, as stated, I like). No matter what, I like these “problems.” Heck, our back-up LBs grade out higher at their positions than our starters do on the OL. And since I think OL are more important than LB — that’s pretty pathetic on our part.
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About Mora, put yourself in his shoes for a minute, I mean I would probably be pulling my hair out by this point of the year, all the injuries, the underachieving, maybe a little finger pointing behind the scenes. He also is following in the footsteps of a legend and future Hall of Famer. So as any coach he’s tried to be enthusiastic, say all the right things, but things haven’t worked out yet. I guess you have to ask yourself a question, would you rather him be some upbeat robot who continues to be happy and PC despite the fact we’re doing our best to be cellar dwellers, or a guy that shows he’s human and is just as bummed about the current year as we are.
I will say this much, as much as I liked Holmgren, I couldn’t stand hearing the same-”We’re going to look at the film and fix some things” after every single week when we couldn’t A.) run the ball B.) continued to give up the deep ball(ken hamlin/boulware era).
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I’m gonna tell u why we have a chance tomorrow in Glendale.
Don’t bother posting how stupid & delusional i am cuz i won’t check back on this thread. I’m going to the game tomorrow!
Matt’s right, except for the game last time in AZ (which he said is one of their worst at qwest) the hawks rank at 50% success rate on 3rd down. They will continue that tomorrow. (50% would rank them near the top in the league)
Continuity in the Oline. They’ve finally had some time to continue to start the same guys over the past few weeks. Locklear can’t hurt… The running game will be better than the last game.
Tru & Hawthorne. Tru matching up with the big WR’s of AZ. He won’t win every battle but he will be an improvement over the last debacle. The heater has come on strong lately. Look for him to light up the middle of the field.
Branch vs the safety. Was he there for the first game? (I’m sure alot of people ask that) The corners might cover Nate and Tj, Branch vs the nickle back or safety. Wins the battle. (by the way tj is always open) LOL
Hawk pride. They will play much better becuz they want to prove they can hang with the Tards. Put them down all you want, they will get tough and hammer the AZ Oline.
They won’t drop behind 14-0 early. AZ’s home field disadvantage will continue. On paper they’re almost even..
I’m going. The hawks win 75% of their games when i show up. laugh if you want. It’s a game of trends.. Nate guaranteed it!
I may be wrong,, but what does it matter?
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macarob you are dirnking the kool aid
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Another OT: What if Hawks picked Ndamukong Suh to go along with Mebane, Red and Cole next year? Will Kerney be there, or Redding? I don’t know, but Suh looks like an upgrade to W.Sapp. I would sure love to see some Hawk NTs/DEs collapse the front of Warner’s pocket while LBs LoJac, Tapp, Reed, et al sweep in from behind.
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Mocarob, you made my night, buddy.. I’m feeling extra confident going into this game.. My gut is really telling me we will pull this one out tomorrow. I can’t even sleep.
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olsonc – The Seahawks won in KC in 1990 and the Chiefs finished 11-5 that year thanks to 2 losses to the Seahawks.
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Replacing Hill with Herring on a permeant basis weakens the linebacker position. He is a nice player in a backup and situational role but he’s not the linebacker Hill is. It’s not a Hawthorne / Tatupu situation. Let’s see how he plays the remaining 8 games but right now, he is simply demanding a significant, permanent role here.
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Yes. Hill is better than Herring. My only point is that saving about $6 million for another position may be preferred. If we’re not in a great cap situation, I’d like to clear the room for a good, FA OT or OG if any hit the market. Or put that money on a good FS like Nick Collins.
In an unrelated note, if Wilson has beaten out Lucas it isn’t because Lucas is bad. He’s a good, solid CB. Why can’t Lucas have a good few years of FS in him? I know some former good CBs had done that with positive results. We certainly could use a FS. He’s big, physical enough. I know he’s a FA at the end of the year, but he could be the answer at FS. One thing I hate about FS like Brian Russell… they have NO ability to cover anyone one on one if they are asked to do so or caught in a specific situation that demands they do so. Lucas would bring flexibility to the position too. I don’t know. Maybe I’m way off base?
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Lucas is a good idea at FS but Babineaux is playing well.
I don’t get the Lucas demotion. While Wilson is a big time playmaker, he has shown little ability to cover while Lucas has been solid in coverage this year.
Today will answer our questions on Babineaux at FS and Wilson vs Lucas. Matching up with Arizona in Arizona is where reputations are made or destroyed.
If the Seahawks win this game, it will be because the secondary brings its A game to play. I don’t see much success for the Seahawks offense here.
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Pabuwal, I guess arizona is weak against the screen pass, and ranked 29th against the pass. These stats are that low after completely shutting down our passing game for a game, and playing against the shaun hill pass attack too. Doesn’t speak volumes for the ARI secondary. If we had a decent offensive line and hasselbeck couldve stayed on his feet for a few seconds each snap, that game was more than winnable. This is the seahawks statement game today.
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Babs isn’t playing that much better, in my view. They’ve been bringing him on blitzes more the last two games so he’s more involved, I’ll grant that. But I haven’t seen any real improvement.
As for a few years of FS in Lucas. I’m not sure what evidence there is that he can be anywhere near physical enough to play safety. At the very best (and that “best” would be a major long shot) he would serve as yet another stop gap until the position is addressed in earnest. Not interested.
There is really no way of knowing where the ‘Hawks are with relation to the cap. There will be players released, contracts will be reworked and all the signings of FAs and players brought up and resigned to the PS to sort out. I don’t think we’ll know where they stand until the end of the season, February or March.
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I hope the Hawks are fully prepared to come out and start quickly. If they can score quickly instead of being down 17 points before they can get the offense on the field, this will go a long ways to setting a different tone for the whole game. Hopefully this week we can set up the run with the short passing game and like most other games, create some TO’s and get a short field to work with we can win this game and salvage this season. IMO this game will be a good indication of whether this coaching staff is worth a damn. One more thing, I really hope this Defense is PISSED and flies to the ball and really punishes Warner and Company.
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