Matters Of The Heart
It should be a good time for Seahawks fans right now. They have locked up the NFC West and will host a first round playoff game. Shaun Alexander and Matt Hasselbeck have come back from injuries and the defense is coming off of their best game since last year. However, you can't polish a turd and every Hawks fan knows it.
They are 8-7 and fell ass backward into a division championship after a loss by, wait for it, the 49ers. The offense is not even close to being in sync. Injuries have plagued the O-Line all season, Bobby Engram is just now returning from a thyroid condition, and Darrell Jackson has suffered a turf toe injury, which amputation would cure faster than anything. Jerramy Stevens couldn't catch a drunk girl at a bar.
The defense has been worse. Michael Boulware was in tears in the locker room following his blown coverage at the end of the San Diego game. Grant Wistrom apparently is still on the team, though you wouldn't know it by watching. Lofa Tatupu inexplicably made the Pro Bowl team, despite anchoring a defense that has been terrible against the run and being as effective a tackler as Helen Keller.
The most telling statistic of the season is Josh Brown's NFL tying record of four game winning field goals. That is four more O faces than I've ever wanted to see Coach Mike Holmgren make. Craig Stadler getting lucky is more vomit inducing than a Gonzaga celebration. A 9-6 victory over Detroit, who now is 2-13, turns out to be a very revealing omen for the Hawks season. The Hawks are just good enough to eek out a win over bad teams on the road, and as last week showed, they are just good enough to hang with good teams at home.
I understand that Holmgren isn't one to hang his players out to dry, but after the obvious difference in the way the Hawks attacked the Chargers in their game last week, asking where this was all season is fair game. Where is the heart? Where is the desire? Where is the burning desire to win? Where is the waitress, I need another beer. Part of the answer lies in the offseason blunder that still haunts the team even this late in the season.
In recent weeks, players have spoken more openly about what Steve Hutchinson meant to last year's team. He was the marshall of the locker room, the one who kept players in line, the one who got their face when they dogged it. There is a rumor that last season Hutchinson was furious with what he perceived as a lack of concentration on the part of Boulware and put the safety into his own locker. That kind of self-accountability is what great teams have and what average teams don't. What's worse is that it's become crystal that the Hawks haven't had anybody step into that role. So, Holmgren probably won't risk dissension in the clubhouse this late in the season, but publicly calling his players' heart into question might be something they need to hear. Even if it causes a rift, it might produce results on the field. Then again, it could just as easily lead to Alexander not smiling. And we wouldn't want that.
The Hawks have one last tune up this week against Tampa Bay to try and find that loving feeling again. A four win team might be just what the doctor ordered, especially with an offense that is one notch above Impacted Colon. However, Seed of Chucky Jon Gruden won't go down without a fight. Holmgren has already announced that the starters will play this week, especially since they decided to take a few weeks off during the season. This needs to be a game for the defense to sharpen their claws and for the offense to sharpen everything else.
A guaranteed home playoff game is nice, due to the biggest home field advantage since Vietnam, but the result lies in the question. Do the Hawks want to just hang with good teams at home or do they want to live to play again?
They are 8-7 and fell ass backward into a division championship after a loss by, wait for it, the 49ers. The offense is not even close to being in sync. Injuries have plagued the O-Line all season, Bobby Engram is just now returning from a thyroid condition, and Darrell Jackson has suffered a turf toe injury, which amputation would cure faster than anything. Jerramy Stevens couldn't catch a drunk girl at a bar.
The defense has been worse. Michael Boulware was in tears in the locker room following his blown coverage at the end of the San Diego game. Grant Wistrom apparently is still on the team, though you wouldn't know it by watching. Lofa Tatupu inexplicably made the Pro Bowl team, despite anchoring a defense that has been terrible against the run and being as effective a tackler as Helen Keller.
The most telling statistic of the season is Josh Brown's NFL tying record of four game winning field goals. That is four more O faces than I've ever wanted to see Coach Mike Holmgren make. Craig Stadler getting lucky is more vomit inducing than a Gonzaga celebration. A 9-6 victory over Detroit, who now is 2-13, turns out to be a very revealing omen for the Hawks season. The Hawks are just good enough to eek out a win over bad teams on the road, and as last week showed, they are just good enough to hang with good teams at home.
I understand that Holmgren isn't one to hang his players out to dry, but after the obvious difference in the way the Hawks attacked the Chargers in their game last week, asking where this was all season is fair game. Where is the heart? Where is the desire? Where is the burning desire to win? Where is the waitress, I need another beer. Part of the answer lies in the offseason blunder that still haunts the team even this late in the season.
In recent weeks, players have spoken more openly about what Steve Hutchinson meant to last year's team. He was the marshall of the locker room, the one who kept players in line, the one who got their face when they dogged it. There is a rumor that last season Hutchinson was furious with what he perceived as a lack of concentration on the part of Boulware and put the safety into his own locker. That kind of self-accountability is what great teams have and what average teams don't. What's worse is that it's become crystal that the Hawks haven't had anybody step into that role. So, Holmgren probably won't risk dissension in the clubhouse this late in the season, but publicly calling his players' heart into question might be something they need to hear. Even if it causes a rift, it might produce results on the field. Then again, it could just as easily lead to Alexander not smiling. And we wouldn't want that.
The Hawks have one last tune up this week against Tampa Bay to try and find that loving feeling again. A four win team might be just what the doctor ordered, especially with an offense that is one notch above Impacted Colon. However, Seed of Chucky Jon Gruden won't go down without a fight. Holmgren has already announced that the starters will play this week, especially since they decided to take a few weeks off during the season. This needs to be a game for the defense to sharpen their claws and for the offense to sharpen everything else.
A guaranteed home playoff game is nice, due to the biggest home field advantage since Vietnam, but the result lies in the question. Do the Hawks want to just hang with good teams at home or do they want to live to play again?
posted by Justin Graden at 2:53 PM
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