The Ugly Start to a Scoring Drive

I wouldn't point to the scoreboard as evidence that the Seahawks offense was clicking. This drive was sloppy football rescued by sloppier football.

1-10-SEA 20 (1:36) 20-J.Forsett right end to SEA 20 for no gain (79-R.Pickett, 55-D.Bishop).

Defensive tackle Ryan Pickett steers Max Unger towards the rush lane. A little more left, there, there, that's good. Now we're in the hole. Pickett separates and assists the gang of Packers waiting to jump Justin Forsett.

Chris Spencer pulls but blocks no one and his assignment, Desmond Bishop, joins the gang tackle.

This isn't a running game. It's smear the queer with pads.

2-10-SEA 20 (1:00) 8-M.Hasselbeck pass short right to 89-J.Carlson to SEA 26 for 6 yards (55-D.Bishop, 33-B.Underwood).

Sean Locklear is bullied back and, in a novel twist, cut blocks to recover.

John Carlson runs a crossing pattern and then sits down in the soft spot in the zone (china pattern). Matt Hasselbeck finds him and Carlson redirects into a pile of defenders.

3-4-SEA 26 (:22) (Shotgun) 8-M.Hasselbeck pass short right to 84-T.Houshmandzadeh to SEA 33 for 7 yards (33-B.Underwood).

T.J. Houshmandzadeh may not be as quick as he once was, but he can still school second string defensive backs with pseudo-legal tactics. Housh approaches Brandon Underwood, initiates contact and then pushes off and into his cut.

Ben Hamilton nearly loses his block and Spencer mills behind Hamilton cogitating ways he can help. He never quite figures it out. Hamilton eventually resorts to hooking Cullen Jenkins to slow him.

I assume Spencer is saving his blocks for the regular season.

1-10-SEA 33 (15:00) 8-M.Hasselbeck pass incomplete deep right to 84-T.Houshmandzadeh. PENALTY on GB-38-T.Williams, Defensive Pass Interference, 14 yards, enforced at SEA 33 - No Play.

Packers blitz six. Housh gets a step on Underwood off the line and Underwood attempts to counter by grabbing jersey. He trips Housh in the process.

Your Seattle Seahawks offense.

1-10-SEA 47 (14:55) (Shotgun) 8-M.Hasselbeck pass incomplete deep right to 84-T.Houshmandzadeh.

An ugly play within an ugly series of plays: Green Bay blitzes free safety Nick Collins. Carlson and Leon Washington stay in to block. Washington proves instrumental, kind of.

Maybe the Objectivist lacks faith in Justin. Maybe he lacks faith in Deion Branch and Mike Williams, but for whatever reason, he never looks at Branch or Williams and instead tosses the ball deep and towards the right sideline. Menefee and Moon attributed this to route confusion, but Housh was into his break when Hass was cocked and ready to throw. I know that's a very short amount of time, a fraction of a second, but it was clear Housh was not running towards or likely even capable of reaching where Hasselbeck targeted.

Hasselbeck's body language implies it was route confusion. He looked chagrined. Matt often looks chagrined.

Branch and Williams were relatively open, each single covered, but Housh was between two linebackers running underneath, a corner over top and the strong safety rolled to his side of the field. I do not know what Hasselbeck saw, if this pass could have succeeded if Matt and T.J. were on the same page, or why he didn't bother to look to his left, but the resulting incomplete was not, all things considered, that worst outcome possible.

To end a on optimistic note: Collins warped around right end unblocked and approached Hasselbeck with quarterback killer velocity. Washington looped in front of Hasselbeck and positioned himself to stop Collins. Collins then jumped and tired to block Hasselbeck's throwing lane. He miscalculated Washington's strength. Washington caught him in flight and chucked him up, right and ultimately back-first to the turf.