Cardinals at Seahawks, First Quarter Notes

Jordan Babineaux stayed assignment correct and popped LaRod Stephens-Howling after a return of 21. It makes me happy that Big Play has found a home in Seattle.

• Max Hall's first pass attempt may have been tipped away by Colin Cole, and was certainly tipped away by Walter Thurmond. The pass fell at Lofa Tatupu's feet, and you could see his agony because he couldn't intercept it.
• The five on four dilemma showed itself in a nine yard run and a five yard run in two plays following the incomplete pass. On both plays, two linemen pulled out and blocked two linebackers and that paved the way into the second level.
• Aaron Curry chased Jordan Babineaux's assignment and that left Stephen Spach wide open to receive from Hall on a roll out right. (Research suggests information packed sentences like this correlate with a lower incidence of later-in-life Alzheimer's.)
• Earl Thomas snagged the gimme interception to end the Cardinals first drive. Mostly, this was Hall just boning the throw. There was one more kind of subtle component: Thurmond was matched against Max Komar on the left, and he badly knocked Komar off his route and towards the middle of the field. Hall may have thrown to where he thought Komar was supposed to be, but, because Thurmond had dominated and repositioned him, the pass seemed errant and eminently pickable.
• This little mini-drive lasts 2:20 of game clock, evidence of how Whisenhunt was attempting to slow the game down and protect his quarterback.

Seahawks ball.

• Wet ball slips out of Hasselbeck's hand? Looks like it.
• Williams drops a pass in traffic.
• Alan Branch cooks Sean Locklear around the right edge, and that's bad for all sorts of reasons. One prominent reason is that Branch is a converted defensive tackle. Matt Hasselbeck could have stepped up into the pocket and avoided the rush, but that's not to pin the sack on Hasselbeck, just an observation.

Cardinals ball.

• Hall lobs it in the air. Somewhere, Spach is wide open.
• From left to right, Aaron Curry, Red Bryant, Colin Cole and Kentwan Balmer hold ground and Chris Clemons chases down Tim Hightower from behind after a gain of one.
• Larry Fitzgerald has a step on Thurmond and Earl Thomas but Hall throws, well, somewhere. Incomplete.

Seahawks ball.

• Lynch literally drags Adrian Wilson for an additional three yards. Wilson has a hold of one leg and Beast Mode pistons forward with the other. It's cool. That turns a stuff into a four yard gain.
• Pass towards John Carlson looks like another pass that just slips out Hasselbeck's hand.
• Futile pass underneath to Carlson is undone by a neutral zone infraction on Calais Campbell.
• And that sets up weak play action followed by an "A" gap blitz and sack by Daryl Washington. Spencer's caught doubling and probably should have peeled off and picked up the man. Also, how about bothering to sell those play fakes?

Cardinals ball.

• Push is thwarted by Aaron Curry. He sheds Andre Roberts and tackles Beanie Wells from behind.
  
• Red Bryant saves himself from a neutral zone infraction but stumbles back and stops until he's super late off the line. Junior Siavii sheds the center and tackles Wells. Bryant, big hustle, is involved in the tackle.
  
• Roy Lewis goes through the back of Early Doucet but it isn't flagged. Which makes it a pass defended.

Seahawks ball.

• Branch works Tyler Polumbus. Lynch for no gain.
• Attempted back shoulder pass to Cameron Morrah that Morrah apparently does not expect. Incomplete.
• Then we get a five yard pass into double coverage that Mike Williams somehow still snags. The old slow wobbler for five on third and six, I don't want to say watching Matt Hasselbeck is a trial, but I will say watching Matt Hasselbeck is The Trial.