The Seahawks closed out their 2011 season with a hard-fought, chippy, grind it out overtime loss to the Cardinals today to give themselves a 7-9 record and third-place finish in the NFC West. As Rob Staton tells us, this 7-9 record means the Seahawks will now pick 11th or 12th in the 2012 Draft, pending a Roger Goodell (or someone representing the NFL) coin-toss at the NFL Combine, as the Seahawks end in a dead lock with the Kansas City Chiefs, both in record and strength of schedule.

A few thoughts on the game then as usual we'll get more in depth this week...

First off, another great NFC West game - I came away from the last two weeks with a great feeling for what the division is becoming. I feel good about the future of the Seahawks but at the same time I also have come to respect the improvement the Cardinals have made and the type of team that is put together in San Francisco. Apart from the Rams (who reportedly will fire HC Steve Spagnolo and GM Billy Devaney) the trio of Seattle, San Francisco and Arizona all look to be on the rise and the rivalries developing there are compelling. Looking forward to next season, it's easy to imagine each divisional matchup being huge, and despite the year the Rams had, you can't forget they were runner up to the NFC West title last season, so they could surprise as well. All in all, it's nice to have a legitimate division again.

Nothing in particular stood out to me in this game as overly concerning or overly exciting. The Seahawks rushed for 178 yards on 34 attempts, 5.2 ypc, and Tarvaris Jackson finished 21 for 33 for 222 yards, a touchdown and a pick. 35 throws to 34 runs, the typical balance from this offense and overall a pretty typical performance from it too - some nice interior running, a few deep shots, and of course a few really bad throws and a few really sweet throws from Tarvaris Jackson. Sprinkle in your obligatory strange, cute red-zone play calling by Darrell Bevell and this was a typical Seahawks' game.

Marshawn Lynch continued to look excellent running in Tom Cable's zone-blocking scheme. He picked lanes well, fought for yardage, ran over defenders, and ended with 86 yards on 19 attempts, 4.5 yards per carry. He failed to score a touchdown for the first time in 12 games unfortunately, but he looked the part as a feature back. Leon Washington had a good game, finally, as a running back, rushing seven times and taking advantage by breaking one open for 48 yards and a touchdown with a few nice cuts downfield.

One theme from this game was the idea that some players would be playing for their jobs following the season, and a few of these performances stood out. Justin Forsett, for one, struggled, finishing with 16 yards rushing on six attempts, or 2.7 ypc on the ground and caught three passes for -4 yards. Likewise, Ben Obomanu had a tough night, hauling in three passes on seven targets, and at least three of those missed targets were borderline drops.

On the other hand, Richardo Lockette had another 'take the top off the defense' play when he caught a 61-yard bomb from Tarvaris Jackson for a touchdown in the 4th quarter. John Boyle of the Everett Herald wrote this week about how Tarvaris Jackson had compared Lockette to Forrest Gump at the beginning of the year - just runnnang - but now he's improved on his routes and catching ability. Well, that's probably true, but this run and catch was pretty reminiscent of Forrest Gump's fictional Alabama All-American campaign.

When you watch the replay of the touchdown, Lockette the Rocket just runs directly straight down the field and simply beats his defender to the endzone. Whatever, two games, two big plays for a guy many of us were hoping would be that deep threat type of player. So far, so good.

On defense, the vaunted run-stopping unit tilted back toward mediocrity, giving up 131 yards and 4.2 ypc to Arizona's backups, though it should be noted, as Thomas pointed out earlier in the year, the Seahawks definitely struggle more against smaller, shiftier backs and that's what LaRod Stephens-Howling is. Our defensive line has a harder time keeping contain on these players and our linebacker group isn't athletic enough to hang with them on the edge.

Exacerbating this issue with stopping the run was the ridiculousness of Larry Fitzgerald, who had an otherworldly game and was easily the MVP for the Cardinals. He had at least two highlight-reel catches and was huge in overtime, picking up 46 yards on three catches and essentially sealing the deal for Arizona.

All in all, though ugly and frustrating at times, this was another good divisional game and the Seahawks once again put themselves in a position to win late. More to come soon, but what were your thoughts?

First and foremost Merry Christmas.

Unfortunately we're not sitting here thinking about a hard-fought Seahawks win, a result that certainly could've been had yesterday. They lost a war of a football game, one that was an absolute energy sucker of a game to attend. There were twists and turns, after the whistle hits with no accompanying penalty flags, multiple one play momentum changes, oodles of nerves; a rekindled NFC West rivalry at its best for about three hours.

The momentum bubble is much, much smaller than it was about 24 hours ago. And in reality, a win against the 49ers would've been a very big deal and somewhat unexpected. Even though I really wanted this game, I'm not too disappointed over this loss due to the grand scheme of things.

At the end of the second quarter of last week's victory at Chicago, when Anthony Hargrove sacked Caleb Haine, I began thinking about the 2010 comeback victory against the Panthers, when Raheem Brock sacked Jimmy Clausen to end the first half. After the Seahawks scored 31 unanswered to beat the Bears and used an early third quarter defensive touchdown from a team leader to energize the comeback, the comparison became one I thought about semi-regularly over the past week.

I do feel as though that 2010 team and this current team are very different. That comeback win was "mystical" and unexpected; the win in Chicago was a semblance of validation for the ‘beastmode identity." But the other reason why the comparison wouldn't leave my head is because of the team the Seahawks played after both of those victories; the 49ers. Though, last year's 40-21, Week 14 loss was in The Bay and this loss was at home. Not to mention, the 49ers have an entirely different staff.

However, what I'm getting at here is that this opportunity and that opportunity were both unique, in the sense that both games versus the 49ers followed absolutely dashing comeback wins; games where the bounce back could quite easily be a let down. The bounce back game last year was a huge let down, while this one was hard fought until the end.

Though mystique wasn't a topic of conversation after last week's win, I think few were unsurprised by how strongly they came back. I certainly didn't think 31 in a row were coming. That said, this is a program in a completely different place than when they lost in Week 14 last season. That team got blown out in nine of their ten losses; this team was in it to the end in at least half of their eight losses to this point.

Earlier in the season, Jacson wrote about the loss in Dallas being not just any loss; it was a loss that showed the foundation for a championship team is being built, the pieces beginning to settle into place are a consolation for the struggles. Coincidentally, that's the game where the Seahawks shifted their offensive identity to what we've seen over the second half of the season. This experience of watching the team beginning to grow, I think, has been somewhat mystical because the shift was so sudden, coming after a few steps backwards. Sometimes a step forward comes after two steps back.

The loss to the 49ers shows that this Seahawks team can hang with anyone, despite the injuries and holes on the roster. They've taken a step in the right direction, at least enough so that they feel capable of playing to anybody's level. There are a lot of questions going forward about the roster for next year, but it's worth acknowledging this team recovered from having their continuity severely hampered by the lockout and then a 2-6 start. Heck, they were alive in the playoff race through Week 16.

Continue reading this post »

I'm going to be honest. I didn't expect a win today. I hoped for one, but didn't expect it.

As much as I hate the 49ers and think they're overrated, turnovers have played a significant part in the Seahawks' wins lately, and this 49ers offense isn't good enough to put itself in the position to turn the ball over -- if that makes sense. Harbaugh may be what some have said - obnoxious, whiny, petulant - but he's smart enough to know that his QB is incredibly limited and should keep his passing to a minimum, and that sort of gameplan immediately limits one of the Seahawks' strengths.

However, for some reason, I knew the Seahawks would be able to run the ball today. It didn't matter that the 49ers sport the #1 run defense in the NFL. I knew Marshawn would get his 100 yards and his TD, and both rushing records the Niners held so dear would fall. And when they did, I felt like the day was won, regardless of the outcome.

You see, I think today's game said a lot about the Seahawks' season and where this franchise has ended up, now, today, Christmas Day of 2011. They were playing for a playoff spot they supposedly didn't really deserve. The odds were against them. Though many of the talking heads may have picked them to win, they were decided underdogs. Yet they came out fighting, literally, and spent the entire first half shoving their brand of smashmouth football down the Niners' throats. They were beating them at their own game, and it looked for a time like the best of outcomes could be ahead.

What more could we ask for? Out-smashing the Niners, spoiling their chance at a first-round bye, sending Harbaugh and Co. home with shoulders slumped, and oh just for funsies, keeping our own playoff hopes alive? A better Christmas present could not have been conceived, even in the deepest recesses of the heart of the most ardent Twelfth Man.

But in the end, the 'Hawks were defeated, and we were brought back to earth, reminded that this rebuild isn't finished. Much respect is owed Pete and John for keeping the rebuilding Seahawks in the hunt for the playoffs through week 16 of consecutive seasons, but this team is not complete, and we would do well to keep sight of that fact, if for no other reason than to avoid sleepless nights and gray hairs.

Continue reading this post »

Though I didn't post a preview for last night's game, I did write some pre-game thoughts on what I thought this game meant. After attending a jacked-up Clink on Monday night I re-read the following when sitting down to write this recap. I determined that even though it was written before the game, it clearly and concisely (as you may know, concise can sometimes be a problem for me) got to the point, even after the fact:

They showed up under the lights last week, and this opportunity isn't much different. Carroll has been putting an extra emphasis on continuing to play hard, sticking with it, doing things better and longer than the opponent. These are things they want to do on a game-to-game basis in the present, but this current four-game stretch is also a lesson for the future.

Heading into the Dallas game, the emphasis was on getting the running game going so it could affect their style of play in a positive way later in the season. We've seen changes as a result. The bigger-picture lesson that draws from this upcoming stretch will focus on how they finished; the information the team absorbed from the smaller examples earlier this year, both good and bad, will be tested. If they can finish the second half of the season strong, they will have a semblance of how to win, consistently.

Momentum into a business-as-usual offseason is something this coaching staff wants for this young team, understanding finishing strong and further learning their "identity" for the future is paramount. Without a win tonight, the final quarter will feel hollow; more of the coulda-shoulda feeling felt after the Redskins loss, a sour taste that is yet to really go away. The Seahawks need to win tonight, and they need to win big.

The 30-13 win wasn't the big win I was hoping for, as the 31-14 victory against the Eagles had more of a big win feeling for me. This game started with an odd mix of razzle-dazzle and ugly, but 10 points in the first quarter was a solid enough start. The fact that the Seahawks needed almost three full quarters to score an offensive touchdown kept this game from getting that big-win feeling. Special teams and defense held it together until the offense - with "new" starters at two spots on the offensive line - finally got it going. The Seahakws hung tough, from ahead. Not pretty it was, but it's a W under win or go home circumstances.

This was the last of three in a row at home, this game coming after a mini-bye, just one game removed from a momentum killer of sorts. Seattle was supposed to win this game. If anything, I think it's a sign this young team is becoming more apt at winning the games they should win and are proving to be on the upswing. They're up to the task of searching for an identity, playing a results-driven game for more than just results, when the results may not even matter.

In the post-game presser Carroll said his team is "on track to find ourselves," but also added he simply hopes they can keep playing this style, instead of trying to do too much, and he is anxious to see a good practice on Wednesday. I'm anxious to see how this team responds to the short week, heading on the road for an early kickoff. Sitting at 7-7 and hosting the 49ers would put them in position to finish the home schedule in a big way. This next week should be interesting. Observations from the game are after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

It wasn't always a pretty game, but the team took care of business and dominated an inferior opponent. Our playoff dream is still alive, and we embarrassed a divisional rival on national television. What more could a fan ask for?

Danny and Co. will have more eloquent posts up later, but use this thread for drunken exuberance and revelry.