From Seahawks.net

[JC_AZ]

It sucks that EVERY time we play well, that the other team's hacks blame it all on the fact that THEIR team played terrible and NEVER that the Cardinals could have played well...just an observation!


MMQB: Cardinals 27, Seahawks 21

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By Kyle Rota
Seahawks.NET
Posted Dec 11, 2006

Note to all Seattle Seahawk football fans: The sky has not fallen, we didn’t give up a top 10 draft choice for Deion Branch, Holmgren didn’t suddenly become the worst coach in football history, Josh Brown is still a minor deity, suicide is bad, and Seattle still has a very strong grip on the NFC West. Yes, Seattle lost to the Arizona Cardinals, and that sucks.

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Yes, this team is not playing as well as last year. This is not a bad football team. It is a wildly inconsistent football team, but there is talent there. Lower your expectations and realize that Seattle may not be a special team, but they’re a good team. [/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Arizona Cardinals 27, Seattle Seahawks 21
December 10th, 2006
University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Play of the Game: On 4th and 20 with less than a minute remaining, QB Matt Hasselbeck completed a 19.5 yard pass to WR Deion Branch, just shy of the first down marker. After that play, the game was over. It also serves as a perfect description of Seattle’s performance in the desert – just barely short. There is one question that needs to be asked – why did Branch (not a strong YAC guy) run a pattern that left him shy of the first down marker? [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Bringing Their “A” Game: WR DJ Hackett had another great game – 4 receptions for 104 yards and a score… WR/PR Nate Burleson continues to perform well on special teams and even caught a touchdown pass… P Ryan Plackemeier continues to boom punts all over the field… and… that’s it. We did lose to the Arizona Cardinals.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The Bad and The Ugly: This was the second worst performance I’ve seen from this team this year, behind only the drubbing the team endured at Chicago… The defensive line played awful, getting little pressure, few hits, and no sacks on a rookie QB behind Arizona’s porous offensive line… Arizona’s running game – previously an oxymoron – had a strong performance against Seattle, even on situations where it was painfully obvious a run was coming… Seattle fumbled the ball four times, which made the difference in the game… Run blocking was suspect at best for Seattle’s offensive line… Defensive Coordinator John Marshall has a lot of explaining to do for a very vanilla game-plan…[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Referee Report Card: Arizona got away with murder when it came to holding – especially on the defensive ends, who were often held right in front of the official. Otherwise, it was a very solidly officiated game. Early on the laundry was flying everywhere, but in the second half the officials showed unexpected restraint. Overall, a B+.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Offense: If the offense manages to hang onto the football, the Seahawk fanbase is taken off of suicide watch, and Seattle looks like a strong contender for a first round bye. Hasselbeck, Alexander, FB Mack Strong, and WR Darrell Jackson all had fumbles, and they were all critical – three were recovered by the Cardinals, and Jackson’s negated a first down gain. It is just so ironic that when Hasselbeck finally stops throwing the interceptions, the offense lays an egg with four fumbles.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Speaking of Mack Strong, does anybody doubt this is his last year? He is one of the most beloved Seahawks, everybody appreciates his work ethic, and he was a very good blocker for many years, but this season has just been awful. He has been removed from pass-blocking duties because he hasn’t done a good job against the pass rush, he has struggled run blocking, and he has become unreliable with the ball in his hands… At this point, he has very little going for him. It has been a great career, and Seattle should name a street after him, but 2007 will be time to turn the reigns over to Leonard Weaver, or someone else.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Even if Strong were blocking at 2005 levels, Shaun Alexander simply isn’t as good as he was last year. Yes, the offensive line really struggled today and has been inconsistent all year, but this Alexander lacks the burst of last year. A slower Alexander is not the entire problem. Alexander is also running much less decisively than last year – last year he would hit a hole, and then look to cut back. This year, he’s is waiting for the offensive line to create something, but this line isn’t able to create anything. It really is a lost year for Alexander, compared to his previous greatness.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Mike Holmgren is responsible for a lot of the offensive woes. It is not his fault that the offense fumbled the ball four times, but it really felt like Seattle could’ve hurt Arizona much more than they did, even with the fumbles. Where are the short passes and slants that have defined the Seahawk offense this century? Whatever happened to the bootlegs that Seattle used to great effect last year? More than the West Coast Offense staples, where is the tempo? Holmgren has always established a positive tempo on offense, but this year the team has never felt in sync. That, more than anything else, will determine how far the team goes in the playoffs.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]There is one player able to rise above any and all challenges. His name is D.J. Hackett, and he is extraordinary. Hackett has a nose for the first down marker, and he can make tough catches in traffic. He is also the perfect deep-threat for Matt Hasselbeck. Oh yeah – he catches almost anything he can get his hands on. Hackett had another great game, catching four passes for 104 yards and a touchdown. How does Hackett get more involved in the passing game? With Burleson looking resurgent, Branch getting more comfortable, and Jackson leading the league in touchdown receptions, it is difficult to find a spot for Hackett, but Seattle needs to make a point of designing a few plays around his abilities.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Defense: The score is ugly – 27 points scored against the defense. There are two sides to this problem. On one hand, the defense didn’t perform very well. In fact, nobody on the defense played very well. However, they were put in a really bad position by an offense that could not hold onto the ball. The touchdown reception by Cardinals WR Bryant Johnson was all on the defense – mainly CB Marcus Trufant and SS Jordan Babineaux. Babineaux lagged 10 yards behind the play, and Trufant picked a bad time to slip – but the rest of the points allowed were all tied to an offense unable to secure the ball.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The offense cannot be held responsible for the defense line, however. On running plays, Seattle was simply overpowered. A good defensive line will keep the offensive line off the linebackers, but Seattle’s linebackers had a blocker in their face on almost every play. Seattle allowed 113 yards on the ground, a bad if not tragic number, but when a defense allows the Arizona Cardinals to run for 113 yards, there is an issue with the run defense. Simply put, a defensive unit this good last year, should not be this bad this year.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The inability of the defensive line to eat up blockers has also contributed immensely to the poor tackling seen this season. Because the defensive line is beaten one-on-one, at least one linesmen – and usually a fullback or TE as well – are able to get the second level, neutralizing the undersized Seahawk linebackers. If the linebackers try to run around the blocker, they inevitably get a really poor angle on the ball carrier and often miss the tackle. The blame does not solely lie with the linebackers; it also lies with the defensive line for forcing the linebackers to take poor angles. (Jordan Babineaux, on the other hand, just can’t tackle)[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The defensive line was equally awful against the pass. Some of this is doubtlessly the fault of defensive coordinator John Marshall, but there is no excuse for not sacking Matt Leinart at least a few times. It really felt like even when we brought pressure, Leinart did not have to rush his throws. For the second straight game, Seattle didn’t capitalize on a chance to pound a rookie quarterback. The line looks tired and worn out, and has been dominated on many, many occasions.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The single most frustrating aspect of this defense is their inability to make adjustments. For example, look at Arizona’s ability to throw slant patterns against Seattle’s corners. The slant route terrorized Seattle, helping the Cardinals pick up key first downs. While the slant route is a great route for picking up short yardage, making a couple simple adjustments in the defensive scheme can lead to interceptions. Of course, the defense didn’t make any adjustments. The blame lies with Defensive Coordinator John Marshall, who is watching his defense crumble around him. Seattle is running almost the exact same defense as last year, yet somehow a top 10 defense last year isn’t even top 20 this year. Marshall doesn’t have the creativity to take advantage of versatile players like Julian Peterson while keeping the rest of the team disciplined.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Special Teams: The coverage team was lacking against Arizona, but even their performance was merely ordinary. K Josh Brown didn’t get any field goal attempts, but he made two extra points much closer than they should have been. P Ryan Plackemeier did an excellent job punting the ball, as usual. Nate Burleson continues to be stunning on punt and kick returns, and it would surprise nobody in Seattle if he took another return for a touchdown – though Mike Holmgren’s blood pressure shoots up every time he forgets to fair-catch the ball, and gets drilled immediately.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Summary: These Seahawks are lacking in the magic that the Seahawks had in their 2005 super-bowl run. However, this is still a good football team, just one that is not clicking on offense and performing poorly on defense. The Seahawks host the 49ers on December 14th, with a chance to wrap up the division and secure themselves a playoff berth. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]This team isn’t done yet.


[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Kyle Rota is our MMQB, and is also known as "[/FONT]

 

[PortlandCardFan]

What fracking game was this moron watching?

 

[NEZCardsfan]

I just stopped reading right here......

Referee Report Card: Arizona got away with murder when it came to holding – especially on the defensive ends, who were often held right in front of the official. Otherwise, it was a very solidly officiated game. Early on the laundry was flying everywhere, but in the second half the officials showed unexpected restraint. Overall, a B+.

The fix was in on this game.

 

[Pariah]

I just stopped reading right here......



The fix was in on this game.

I hate to agree because I generally don't like to sound that paranoid, but I really do think the league wanted Seattle to bolster their record a little. The NFL has got to be embarrassed that not only will they send a handful of teams with crappy records to the playoffs, but there will be a division winner with a relatively crappy record.

Here's what I see has the two glaringly bad calls:

1. The "interception" by Peterson. There is no reason in the world that should not have been overturned.

2. The review of the spot of the ball at the end of the game. No, they didn't overturn it, but I think it speaks volumes that they'd even look at it. He clearly didn't make the first, but I think the refs were grasping at straws at that point and if it were any closer they would have given the hawks the first and the game.

There were other calls that were questionable (ie Rolle's phantom interference), but they are at least debatable.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

I hate to agree because I generally don't like to sound that paranoid, but I really do think the league wanted Seattle to bolster their record a little. The NFL has got to be embarrassed that not only will they send a handful of teams with crappy records to the playoffs, but there will be a division winner with a relatively crappy record.

Here's what I see has the two glaringly bad calls:

1. The "interception" by Peterson. There is no reason in the world that should not have been overturned.

2. The review of the spot of the ball at the end of the game. No, they didn't overturn it, but I think it speaks volumes that they'd even look at it. He clearly didn't make the first, but I think the refs were grasping at straws at that point and if it were any closer they would have given the hawks the first and the game.

There were other calls that were questionable (ie Rolle's phantom interference), but they are at least debatable.

The "interception" might have been the most blantant replay call that I have ever seen, and that says alot, for we are the Cards. How could anyone in the world not see that Fitz clearly had possession of the ball (eventhough Peterson does too) with a knee down? I rewatched the game last night and rewatched that replay 10 times. At all speeds, the play looked the same.

I don't have as much of a problem with the spot of the ball. It was within 2 minutes, and there are times when the refs measure when it is almost a yard short. You can't really blame them there.

Rolle did make contact on the PI call, he lightly had his hand on his back well before the ball got there. It should have been a non-call, but it was illegal contact if anything because the light hand in the back did not interfere with him catching the ball. Same thing with the non-call with Pace at the goalline, but his hand was much closer to when the ball arrived.

 

[CardinalMike]

The NFL has got to be embarrassed that not only will they send a handful of teams with crappy records to the playoffs, but there will be a division winner with a relatively crappy record.

Why would they be embarrassed? This is a league that preaches parity. This proves their point.

Cardinal Mike!!

 

[Pariah]

Why would they be embarrassed? This is a league that preaches parity. This proves their point.

Cardinal Mike!!

There's a difference between parity and a poor product.

 

[MadCardDisease]

There's a difference between parity and a poor product.

A poor product would mean that people were not watching the games. This is the first year that every game in the NFL has been sold out. That doesn't sound like a poor product to me!

 

[Pariah]

A poor product would mean that people were not watching the games. This is the first year that every game in the NFL has been sold out. That doesn't sound like a poor product to me!

Sorry, I disagee.

Their product is in demand (I demand it, too), but that doesn't mean in its current state it's a quality product across the board. The NFC West blows. I'm certain that the NFL would like the representative of this conference to have gone undefeated against the likes of the Cardinals, 9ers and Rams.

 

[PortlandCardFan]

Sorry, I disagee.

Their product is in demand (I demand it, too), but that doesn't mean in its current state it's a quality product across the board. The NFC West blows. I'm certain that the NFL would like the representative of this conference to have gone undefeated against the likes of the Cardinals, 9ers and Rams.

The NFL will get it next year when the Cards are 6-0 with in the conference!!!

 

[RugbyMuffin]

On 4th and 20 with less than a minute remaining, QB Matt Hasselbeck completed a 19.5 yard pass to WR Deion Branch, just shy of the first down marker. After that play, the game was over. It also serves as a perfect description of Seattle’s performance in the desert – just barely short.

Ridiculous. If Branch was lucky he was 1 yard away. I see it he was about 1.5 yards away. "Just shy?" Give me a break.

Overall performance was "just barely short". I think this has been a long time comming for the Seahawks. They have won more than a couple (2 against the Rams) with no effort, or execution but with pure luck. They would somehow be given the game on a silver platter with time running out. I guess the well went dry and the Seahawks, IN MY OPINION, played like the average team they are.

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Referee Report Card: Arizona got away with murder when it came to holding – especially on the defensive ends, who were often held right in front of the official. Otherwise, it was a very solidly officiated game. Early on the laundry was flying everywhere, but in the second half the officials showed unexpected restraint. Overall, a B+.[/FONT]

WOW! Does this team, fan base, and local media use the refs as a scapegoat or what ?

Oh yes, Our defensive ends and their OBVIOUS holding was the key to the game. I mean how do you expect ANYONE to win with our DE's holding everyone in sight.

Seriously if that is all it takes to bring the Seahawks to their knees then they should be a lot more worried about other things than holding.

And to be honest I can remember a few ticky tack calls against the Cardinals as well.

And what about the Julian Peterson "INT". What the heck was that?!?!?!? Tie goes to the WR last time I checked. But OUR team overcame and won anyway.

The touchdown reception by Cardinals WR Bryant Johnson was all on the defense – mainly CB Marcus Trufant and SS Jordan Babineaux. Babineaux lagged 10 yards behind the play, and Trufant picked a bad time to slip – but the rest of the points allowed were all tied to an offense unable to secure the ball.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The offense cannot be held responsible for the defense line, however.

You know what he is right. All the fumble recoveries were recovered on the 1 yard line, and the Cardinals tripped over their own shoe laces and fell into the endzone.

How about our offensive line just PUMMELING their defensive line. How about Edge running all over them? How about Larry Fitzgerald just OWNING Kelly Herdon some bad he will be on sale at Larry's next garage sale ?

Like usual all the points allowed by the Seahawks were by crazy circumstance as per the norm.

This guy is a hack.

The Cardinals came to play and the Seahawks didn't. We out hustled them, we played more physical, and with more emotion. And for ONCE. FINALLY, we played to our potential which as Sunday showed is good enough to win the NFC West by a long shot.

 

[devilalum]

It sucks that EVERY time we play well, that the other team's hacks blame it all on the fact that THEIR team played terrible and NEVER that the Cardinals could have played well...just an observation!

Its called respect and you don't get it from winning a couple of games in a row after starting 1-9.

 

[Big Deal]

Its called respect and you don't get it from winning a couple of games in a row after starting 1-9.

1-8

 

[SuperSpck]

either way, the record means no respect, I don't know that it should be any different.

The writer of the article is more involved with what's going on from the Seahawk's perspective than to dig deeper and find out little things. The Oline's been improving and is working it's way up from bad run blocking teams (Rams) to alright teams (Seahawks) to good teams (Broncos) and gaining confidence so hopefully when they're most challeged (Broncos) they'll know they can compete.

But that's just the opinion of a fan who's too involved with his team to notice the little things about the Seahawks.

 

[vinnymac]

they can cry all they want to. the fact is the cardinals beat the seahawks. like it matters anyway. the cardinals are not going to the playoffs. so it is pointless to cry about this game. all the bears have to do is win one more game and they have home field advantage throughout the playoffs. the way the saints are playing they will get the other bye week. so the seahawks are going to have to be content with winning the nfc west and play on wildcard weekend. that is if they don't choke and let the 49ers win the division.