No Surprises Seahawks Fans

The Seahawks defense stinks, but we knew that before the Kansas City game, so it is a bit perplexing that everyone just now realized it. Here is what I said before last Sunday's game: "Larry Johnson should run all over a defense that cannot tackle and is prone to giving up the big play." I wish that didn't happen, but it was almost certain that it would.

The one thing that should give Seahawks fans hope is that this personnel group has played well before. Marcus Trufant has not been the shutdown corner the Seahawks expected when he was drafted, but he was a solid starter before this year. His play has been pathetic this season and the Seahawks would be wise not to offer him a contract extension if he continues to play at this level. He may not be playing the worst football of any cornerback in the NFL this season, but it is hard to find many struggling as much as he has to this point.

The Seahawks defensive unit is still very talented and is underachieving to an amazing degree. The group has the ability to play well, so they can turn things around. The question is how bad they want to and if they can live up to their talent. One key change might be to give Leroy Hill back the role he was successful in last year - rushing the passer - and dropping Julian Peterson back in coverage and allowing him to play more in run support. The Seahawks also need to stop playing zone coverage because they stink at it. Kelly Herndon and Marcus Trufant can play one-on-one coverage with safety help over the top.

On offense, the Seahawks are playing well given the injuries. To mock Dennis Green (something you gotta love) - Seneca Wallace is who we thought he was. As an inexperienced starter, he is going to throw some bad passes and make bad choices that result in interceptions if the DBs can hold onto the ball. At 5'10" with a line-drive delivery he is going to throw several batted balls each game that could be potential interceptions and those hardballs will also lead to an increased number of "drops" by the receivers. However, the offense continues to put up points and score enough to win the game as long as the defense can force a few punts and maybe get a turnover.

The Seahawks were not expected to win in Arrowhead (the Chargers lost their the week before), especially with the Chiefs playing better football. Kansas City has won 12 of their last 14 home games. Before the doomsday naysayers convince you the Seahawks season is over, ask yourself this question: With respect to hope for the future was the Seahawks performance without Hasselbeck and Alexander at Kansas City (4-3) more disconcerting than the Bears performance at Arizona (1-7)? Just because a team struggles one week does not mean that they cannot right the ship.

The Seahawks have struggled in more than one game, but then again so have the Bears. They barely held on to beat the Vikings with a fourth quarter touchdown. Indianapolis almost dropped a game to the hapless Titans. The one thing that appears certain is that the Seahawks will need to win shootouts until the defense gets back on track (or the rest of the year if it never does). The Raiders offense is so pathetic that the Seahawks should win as long as Seneca Wallace does not throw two interceptions returned for touchdowns (see: Ben Roethlisberger).

The Seahawks might lose to St. Louis in Week 10, but Shaun Alexander could make the difference. San Francisco and Green Bay should be pushovers assuming Matt Hasselbeck is back as scheduled. There is a good chance the Seahawks will get Hasselbeck and Alexander back with Jerramy Stevens, Darrell Jackson, and Deion Branch. That offense is capable of winning shootouts if necessary. The Colts defense cannot stop anyone, but that squad is 7-0.

Before everyone gets too excited, the Seahawks did dominate the New York Giants for three quarters (42-3) and everyone is now touting them as a favorite to get to the Super Bowl. The Seahawks are 4-3 and the Giants are 5-2 with the Seahawks holding the tiebreaker if the teams even up their records. The Giants still have Chicago, Dallas, and New Orleans left at home as well as road games at Jacksonville and Carolina. The Seahawks dropped the game against Kansas City, but they should still win three of the next four and be right where they need to be at 7-4. The Seahawks could still beat St. Louis and be 8-3 if everything goes right.

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K.C. Masterpiece

Seneca Wallace and Maurice Morris are not Matt Hasselbeck and Shaun Alexander. Mike Holmgren needs to realize that if the Seahawks are going to have a chance this week. His game-planning and play-calling has been pretty bad this year. If he asks Seneca Wallace to be Matt Hasselbeck, the Seahawks will get dominated.

Seneca Wallace is similar to Tony Romo in the sense that he gives a struggling offensive line a mobile quarterback that can avoid sacks and extend the play. However, Wallace appears to choose his receiver before the snap. Ty Law is an expert at baiting quarterbacks into throwing interceptions by making the receiver appear open. Hopefully Wallace has seen that on tape and can avoid those mistakes. Holmgren needs to get Morris the ball on first down to set up the pass, rather than throwing incompletions on first, running for two yards on second, and then putting Wallace in third-and-long situations.

An injured Damon Huard and suspect offensive line gives the Seahawks defense some hope, but Larry Johnson should run all over a defense that cannot tackle and is prone to giving up the big play (at least so far this year). The Seahawks can win this game, but it will be an uphill battle. However, if they do, then it is reasonable to expect Seattle to win three or four of the next four games. That would put the Seahawks at 8-3 or 9-2 with Hasselbeck and Alexander back from injury. Let's not give up on this season just yet. Even with a loss, 7-4 is not bad at all.

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Picking the Winners - Week Eight

Arizona at Green Bay - Green Bay
Atlanta at Cincinnati - Atlanta
Baltimore at New Orleans - New Orleans
Houston at Tennessee - Houston
Jacksonville at Philadelphia - Jacksonville
Seattle at Kansas City - Seattle
San Francisco at Chicago - Chicago
Tampa Bay at N.Y. Giants - N.Y. Giants
St. Louis at San Diego - San Diego
Indianapolis at Denver - Denver
N.Y. Jets at Cleveland - N.Y. Jets
Pittsburgh at Oakland - Oakland
Dallas at Carolina - Dallas
New England at Minnesota - New England

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NFC Power Rankings - Week Seven

Week Seven
1. Chicago (6-0)
- Still undefeated and the first test without Mike Brown is against the 49ers. A loss this week or next (home vs. Miami) would be cause for concern before their toughest stretch of the season.
2. New Orleans (5-1)
- Why not?
3. Minnesota (4-2)
- The team that beat Seattle is dangerous, the team that needed a meltdown by Detroit a week earlier is in trouble.
4. N.Y. Giants (4-2)
- Eli Manning is lucky Plaxico Burress can go up and snatch bad passes, but can he lead this team consistently. Three straight home games now doesn't hurt.
5. Seattle (4-2)
- Can Seneca Wallace weather the storm? What about the secondary?
6. St. Louis (4-2)
- The Rams have to be excited about the Seahawks struggles, but can they win tough games on the road.
7. Atlanta (4-2)
- The defense looked bad against Pittsburgh and no Abraham makes it even worse. If Vick can pass consistently, then this team is very good. Vick has had good games before only to implode the next week.
8. Carolina (4-3)
- This team is pedestrian, and is only +12 points in five games with Steve Smith.
9. Philadelphia (4-3)
- McNabb starting to show how overrated he is after playing an easy schedule early.
10. Dallas (3-3)
- The Cowboys could go 3-7 or 7-3 the rest of the way with Tony Romo, but they were guaranteed to go 5-5 with Bledsoe.
11. Tampa Bay (2-4)
- Wins over Cincy and Philly have the Bucs feeling good.
12. Green Bay (2-4)
- A healthy Ahman Green makes this one of the better bad teams.
13. Washington (2-5)
- Losing two of the better starting corners hurts the defense causing an offense that needs to run the ball to play from behind and pass.
14. San Francisco (2-4)
- In an actual rebuilding year (unlike the Cardinals).
15. Detroit (1-6)
- No Shaun Rogers means even the Jets can run on them, but the offense will still put up points.
16. Arizona (1-6)
- They lost to the Raiders.

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Best of Five Series

The Seahawks are looking at the next 3 to 5 games without Matt Hasselbeck. Back when Alexander first got injured, I predicted a return in November, and later if the Seahawks didn't need him yet. The injury to Hasselbeck and a loss to Minnesota means the Seahawks need him as soon as he is healthy - no time for being cautious. It looks like that means Alexander will be back for the first game in November (Monday Night vs. Oakland - November 6th).

Taking the same approach with Hasselbeck as Alexander, we are really looking at a five week timeframe. There is an outside chance Hasselbeck could be back for an important home game against St. Louis, but that seems unlikely. The next five features two tough games against the Missouri teams and three cupcakes with Oakland, San Francisco, and Green Bay. The onus is on Seneca Wallace to go 3-2 in that stretch, and he should be helped by the return of Shaun Alexander. The Chiefs and Rams are both beatable, but those will be uphill climbs without Hasselbeck. However, a 7-4 record after 11 games is not a bad start to the season. Only a handful of NFC teams will have 4 or less losses at that point in the season.

Given the upcoming schedule for St. Louis, it is reasonable to think the Seahawks might come out the other end of this injury trouble in first in the NFC West. That would be a big boost for a team with a healthy Hasselbeck and Alexander for the home stretch. If you spot the Seahawks the second games against San Francisco and Arizona, then you are already at 9 wins. St. Louis looks like a 9 win team at best given their remaining schedule. So, all things considered, the Seahawks should be in pretty good shape as long as Seneca Wallace can lead this team to a 3-2 record over the next five weeks. Hasselbeck will want to play in the Monday Night game against the Packers, so my guess is Seneca will only be in there for the next four weeks.

Wallace will likely struggle at Arrowhead next week, but if he can remain confident, he should be able to pull out wins at home against Oakland and maybe the Sacramento product will feel right at home with a trip to the Bay Area to face the 49ers. His mobility could even help against the quick St. Louis defense. If the fans manage to stay in the game, the Seahawks can navigate this tough stretch and be in pretty good position even if they go 2-2 with Wallace as a starter, assuming Hasselbeck can lead the team to victory over Green Bay. If Hasselbeck is not ready, then Wallace becomes the game five starter and should be able to handle Green Bay. Joey Harrington managed to throw for 414 yards on that secondary.

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12th Man? - Fairweather Fans - Blase at Best

Before we get to why the Seahawks stunk it up on Sunday (and believe that is coming) - let's address the 12th Man. If you were at the game and your voice is not hoarse, sell your tickets for the rest of the year. The 12th Man gave up on the Seahawks after Hasselbeck went down. The fans were not terrible, but they were average at best. I thought I was at Qwest Field - Home of the influential 12th Man. Apparently not. If it is third down, then stand up and yell or just give away your tickets. After today, I am not sure if the Seahawks play at Qwest Field or in the Staples Center. Blase at best.

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Picking the Winners - Week Seven

Carolina at Cincinnati - Carolina
Detroit at N.Y. Jets - New York Jets
Green Bay at Miami - Green Bay
Jacksonville at Houston - Jacksonville
New England at Buffalo - New England
Philadelphia at Tampa Bay - Tampa Bay
Pittsburgh at Atlanta - Pittsburgh
San Diego at Kansas City - San Diego
Denver at Cleveland - Denver
Arizona at Oakland - Arizona
Minnesota at Seattle - Seattle
Washington at Indianapolis - Indianapolis
N.Y. Giants at Dallas - Dallas

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Huck Futch

Steve Hutchinson makes his return to Seattle after the much discussed offseason contract situation. He will no doubt draws boos from the crowd at Qwest waiting to feast on some football after a nearly one-month football famine in Seattle. The Seahawks will be taking the field at home for the first time since the Giants game on September 24th. The Seahawks have not played much football since the third quarter of that game, taking the week off against the Bears, the bye week, and then a dreadful first half in St. Louis. Fortunately, the Seahawks turned things around in the second half against the Rams, and need to do more of the same to beat Minnesota.

The Seahawks offense will have its hands full with a Vikings defense that has played surprisingly well, especially against the run. It was no coincidence last week that the offense was successful in the second half when Holmgren finally committed to running the ball on first down. Even if Maurice Morris is not especially effective, he needs to get the rock and keep the defense honest. A healthy Jerramy Stevens should help draw the attention of the Minnesota linebackers.

The Seahawks should have a lot of success with Deion Branch, Darrell Jackson, Nate Burleson, and Jerramy Stevens in the lineup with Mack Strong and Maurice Morris in the backfield. That package becomes very scary once Shaun Alexander returns. For the time being, Mike Holmgren needs to stop being an idiot and run the ball anyway. If the ball-hawking Vikings secondary can key on the pass, then Hasselbeck with throw costly interceptions. Although it goes against what Holgmren likes to do, he needs to use the run to set up the pass against the Vikings.

The Seahawks defense will be a lot better if the Seahawks get on the board early. The Vikings have trouble playing from behind. The Vikings are not as bad as the Falcons, but they struggle for the same reasons. The two Brads (Childress and Johnson) would like to run the ball as much as possible. Minnesota is not capable of winning shootouts or putting up a lot of points to catch up. Their offensive is successful when ultra conservative with Johnson at the helm.

It makes sense for the Seahawks to commit Michael Boulware in run support this week. They did that the past few weeks when facing teams with formidable passing attacks, which was a mistake. Marcus Trufant appears to be very average at best right now, so it makes sense for Ken Hamlin to give him help over the top if he is covering Troy Williamson. Kelly Herndon should be able to cover the other Vikings receivers. Speed is not a factor for Travis Taylor and Marcus Robinson. Listen up Holmgren and Company - the key to effective pass defense is to not let Williamson get deep. The Vikings will only go three-wide in obvious passing situations, so Boulware can drop back in coverage as well to help out the rest of the secondary in those situations.

Steve Hutchinson will help Chester Taylor rack up yards on the ground, which is why getting a lead is so important. Until the Seahawks can force the Vikings to pass, bringing Boulware up in the box might be necessary to stop the run. Fortunately for Seahawks fans, the Seahawks will not want to let Hutchinson be the reason the Vikings win, so Holmgren will try to put the onus on Brad Johnson to carry the load.

A win this week puts the Seahawks in a great position to make a run at home-field advantage through the playoffs, even with the loss in Chicago. The Seahawks have a great shot to win the next five after this week. That stretch includes road games at the struggling Chiefs and the woeful 49ers, as well as Monday Night home games against the Raiders and Packers. The toughest game might be the rematch against the Rams. This time it is in Seattle and Shaun Alexander should be back by then. Anything can happen, but it is not a stretch to think Seattle might be 10-1 at that point.

The Bears have a bye week, then San Francisco and Miami at home. However, they then go on the road three straight weeks - at the Giants, Jets, and Patriots. A Bears defense without Mike Brown and maybe no Ricky Manning, Jr. either could easily lose two of those three games putting the Bears at 9-2. That stretch is followed by a rematch with division rival Minnesota and then a trip to St. Louis. That gives the Seahawks a chance to regain control of the NFC, but they have to do it by then because the Bears close with Tampa Bay, Detroit, and Green Bay. If the Seahawks can win at least one of the two games against Denver and San Diego, then they have a chance to finish the regular season atop the NFC.

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Come Aboard. We're expecting you.

The Love Boat rolls into Elliot Bay this Sunday, and Brad Childress has assumed the roll of Captain Stubing. The Vikings are coming off a bye week, but this year there have been no reports of lewd acts or indecent behavior - at least since the season began. Former Seahawk Koren Robinson was suspended for one-year by the NFL this past week for his high-speed, drunken effort to make it back to Viking Training Camp by curfew. Within a days of the Vikings cutting Robinson, Dwight Smith (another NFL problem child with several gun charges) was charged with indecent conduct after apparently having sex in a stairwell outside a night club. Smith was disciplined and sat out the opener at Washington.

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NFC Power Rankings - Week Six

Week Six
1. Chicago (6-0)
- Survived a scare, but lost Mike Brown for the season. The defense could become much weaker after losing a pro bowl safety, especially while Ricky Manning, Jr. serves a suspension. They might drop the NFC lead by Thanksgiving Weekend, but could regain it with Seattle facing Denver and San Diego in the final 5 weeks. The Bears close with Tampa Bay, Detroit, and Green Bay.
2. Seattle (4-1)
- Mike Holmgren has some serious game-planning issues, but the team is on an emotional high and should be able to run off six wins in a row if they can get by the Vikings this weekend.
3. New Orleans (5-1)
- A 3-point loss at Carolina from being undefeated. No hurricanes in New Orleans, just a strong Brees.
4. St. Louis (4-2)
- Tough loss at Seattle, but this team proved they are for real. They need to avoid a big collapse after an emotional loss, but the bye week should help. However, three of their next four are on the road against San Diego, Carolina, and Seattle.
5. Carolina (4-2)
- The Panthers have scored 109 points and allowed 111. Even their four wins with Steve Smith were by a combined 15 points. They are living on the edge and could easily drop the next two games. The defense is struggling.
6. N.Y. Giants (3-2)
- Big win against Atlanta. The division is up for grabs on Monday night.
7. Dallas (3-2)
- Winning against the Giants on Monday Night and at Carolina next Sunday would put them in the driver's seat for the NFC East. I recommend throwing catchable balls in the direction of "the player."
8. Atlanta (3-2)
- Vick can't pass, it is that simple. It hurts when guys can't catch either.
9. Philadelphia (4-2)
- The Eagles had the easiest schedule to start the year, but finish with one of the toughest. It might be tough for them to win much more than 8 games this year.
10. Minnesota (3-2)
- Minnesota is not very good, but has found a way to win. They head to Seattle this week and host New England next week. However, five of their final nine games are against teams with only 1 win so far, and that does not include the game against two-win San Francisco.
11. San Francisco (2-3)
- Three winable games left on the schedule, but 5 wins is probably the ceiling this year.
12. Green Bay (1-4)
- A bye week and trips to Miami and Buffalo with a home game against Arizona sandwiched inbetween could help this team get on track. This team could even win seven games this year, but they could also finish with only four wins.
13. Tampa Bay (1-5)
- One of the worst teams in the NFC beat one of the best in the AFC - gotta love the NFL. Gruden can keep this team in games with Gradkowski, but the defense is struggling and so is the offensive line.
14. Detroit (1-5)
- The Lions finally won. The talent is there, but three offensive lineman are out and Shaun Rogers (the best player on the team) has been suspended for four games. They will only be successful if Jon Kitna and Mike Martz can win shootouts. The next six weeks feature four very winable games and a bye week.
15. Washington (2-4)
- Only Arizona saved them from the bottom spot. The Redskins are without both starting corners this week against the Colts. Washington has a lot of tough games left on the schedule, so it looks like last place in the NFC East is likely.
16. Arizona (1-5)
- Arizona knows how to lose, but Matt Leinart doesn't. They could easily win the next two at Oakland and Green Bay heading into the bye week, but they cannot beat good teams if they cannot run the ball.

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Looking Forward: St. Louis

It is important for the Seahawks to bounce back this week. Nothing will be a surprise against the Rams, at least it shouldn't be. The Seahawks should employ the gameplan that they used for the first three quarters against the Giants (which is the last time this team actually played football).

The concern for the Seahawks will be Marc Bulger, Torry Holt, and Company when the Rams have the ball. The front seven needs to be able to stop the run and get pressure on the passer, so the safeties can help a struggling secondary. Getting Babineaux back and having a healthy Boulware will also help, but Marcus Trufant needs to bounce back in a big way. Steven Jackson should eat up yards, but the defense needs to bend and not break. Stops on third-and-short will be critical, but the Seahawks can't let Bulger beat them deep. Torry "Big Game" Holt might live up to his name anyway.

When the Seahawks have the ball, it will be important to commit to running the ball to keep the defense honest. The Rams secondary is not that good (and has injuries), but they can drop men in coverage if they don't have to respect the run and Matt Hasselbeck will make mistakes. Nate Burleson could have a big day with injuries to corners Fahkir Brown and Travis Fisher. Jerramy Stevens is inactive, so he will not make an impact this week. The offensive line and Matt Hasselbeck need to work together to minimize sacks. Leonard Little and La'Roi Glover could cause headaches all day, so Hasselbeck needs to get rid of the ball and know that throwing it away is ok. He just needs to avoid forcing it and making debilatating mistakes.

The Rams are a lot better this year and it starts on defense. Arizona did not make any notable moves except adding Edgerrin James, but St. Louis did. La'Roi Glover, Will Witherspoon, Corey Chavous, and Tye Hill all help this team from a year ago. This week will be a struggle with Fahkir Brown and Travis Fisher both dinged up, but the Rams defense is not the joke that it was a year ago.

If the Seahawks stick to a solid gameplan, there is no reason this game won't look like the Giants game. However, St. Louis should put up some decent numbers on offense, or at least get close enough for Jeff Wilkins to kick a bunch of field goals.

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Picking the Winners - Week Six

Buffalo at Detroit - Detroit
Carolina at Baltimore - Baltimore
Cincinnati at Tampa Bay - Cincinnati
Houston at Dallas - Dallas
N.Y. Giants at Atlanta - New York Giants
Philadelphia at New Orleans - New Orleans
Seattle at St. Louis - Seattle
Tennessee at Washington - Washington
Kansas City at Pittsburgh - Kansas City
Miami at N.Y. Jets - New York Jets
San Diego at San Francisco - San Diego
Oakland at Denver - Denver
Chicago at Arizona - Chicago

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NFC Power Rankings - Week Five

Week Five
1. Chicago (5-0)
- Best team in the NFL right now.
2. Seattle (3-1)
- Is St. Louis catching up?
3. New Orleans (4-1)
- Better than anyone could have expected - this team is for real.
4. St. Louis (4-1)
- A very unimpressive start, but wins are all that matter. The best is yet to come.
5. Philadelphia (4-1)
- Can McNabb hold this team together against tough competition? The injuries are mounting.
6. Carolina (3-2)
- Not as great as everyone thought, but better than most.
7. Atlanta (3-1)
- Big test against the Giants. Vick should blow it.
8. N.Y. Giants (2-2)
- Loses are to Seattle and Indianapolis, so their record is as expected.
9. Dallas (2-2)
- Pat Watkins and Drew Bledsoe lost the game for them last week.
10. Minnesota (3-2)
- Last week was a gift from Kitna. Minnesota is not that good.
11. Washington (2-3)
- Shawn Springs is nearing his return, but this team has problems on offense.
12. San Francisco (2-3)
- At least they can beat other terrible teams.
13. Green Bay (1-4)
- Favre looked good last week until the final play.
14. Arizona (1-4)
- Leinart is a plus, but losing Fitz hurts an already struggling team. Edge a difference maker? Seriously, how did people think that he was going to run behind this line?
15. Detroit (0-5)
- A talented team that can always find a way to lose.
16. Tampa Bay (0-5)
- Gradkowski looks good, but this team has too many problems.

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Looking Back

The content on this blog has been lacking lately, mainly due to the bye week, the Seahawks getting a week off, and the fact that it was hard to get up the initiative to write about the Chicago game. However, it is necessary to address the problems from Week Four Before looking ahead to this weekend and the Rams. Before painting too bleak a picture, the Seahawks only have one loss (only the Bears and Colts are undefeated) and it was on the road against the best team in the NFL right now.

The loss of Shaun Alexander had more of an impact than many people are realizing. The concern for the rest of the season is that the breakdowns in the Chicago game started from the top down. Mike Holmgren, Matt Hasselbeck, and Marcus Trufant deserve the lion's share of the blame for the terrible loss. The good news is that those guys should bounce back to play and coach at a high level. If they do not, then this team might not even go to the playoffs.

On offense, Holmgren and Hasselbeck appeared at a loss when the oppossing defense was no longer focusing their attention on Alexander. If Jeremy Shockey played for the Seahawks, it would be known by everyone that the Seahawks not only got outplayed, but also outcoached. Holmgren's play-calling was nothing short of pathetic. He showed his tendency to pass on first-down. When Holmgren does this and the pass is incomplete, it leaves the Seahawks with a second-and-ten, and then Holgrem inevitably calls a run straight up the middle into the teeth of the defense for a couple of yards. That leaves the team with third-and-long, which is always difficult, especially against a good defense.

The play-calling was especially poor inside the ten yard line. In the first quarter, the Seahawks marched down the field and had a first-and-goal from the 7-yard-line. Holmgren called a pass, instead of letting Maurice Morris at least get a couple of yards. He did call a run on second down, but that play should have been run on first down. Second-and-goal from the 5-yard-line is a great situation to keep the defense guessing, but third-and-goal from the 5-yard-line means a pass. Holmgren did not give Morris or the offensive line a chance to get into the endzone. In the second quarter, Holmgren called three straight pass plays from the 6-yard-line (all incomplete). Terrible! He also out-thought himself on a third-and-six and a third-and-ten when he ran draws with Mack Strong. That does not work against the Bears.

Matt Hasselbeck played a terrible game as well. He took a sack late in the first quarter on the Seahawks third possession. After that he lost confidence in the offensive line and played scared. He rushed throws, panicked, and made bad decisions the rest of the game. We can blame the offensive line all we want, but it was more Hasselbeck than anyone else. The interceptions were terrible and he just made some bad throws. Darrell Jackson did drop two catchable balls and Nate Burleson another, but they were not easy catches by any means because of poor placement on the passes. When asked to shoulder the load without Shaun Alexander, Matt Hasselbeck failed. Those criticising K.C. Joyner's article on Matt Hasselbeck's decision-making owe Joyner an apology.

Walter Jones did get beat for two sacks, but one of them was 100% Matt Hasselbeck's fault. Jones had pushed Alex Brown to the outside and all Hasselbeck had to do was step up in the pocket, but he ran backwards into Brown for some reason. However, Jones was struggling all game. The worst play might have been when he was blocking for Maurice Morris out in the flat. He ran completely laterally and Morris outran him. People want to blame Morris for not following his block, but if he had he would have run straight out of bounds. Jones needed to get down the field some or the play was doomed. If he would have moved vertically a little bit, Morris could have followed him. Jones also appeared to give up in the second half and was clearly not giving a full effort. That is inexcusable, especially for an All-Pro.

Starting the game without Jordan Babineaux and then losing Michael Boulware with a concussion didn't help, but the secondary was in trouble from the start. The defensive line did not get much pressure, but the Seahawks coverage was absolutely terrible and Marcus Trufant was the biggest disappointment. He did not even play well enough to start for Wilson High School. It would almost be comforting to hear that he had the flu or some undisclosed injury because his play was horrendous. Oliver Celestin can be blamed for most of the plays that made Kelly Herndon look bad, but that is understandable for a guy that barely made the team. Herndon requires help over the top, especially against a fast receiver, and Celstin did not give it to him.

Outside of Trufant, the biggest problem on defense was the game plan. Remember what the Seahawks did against Tiki Barber and the Giants? Stop the run with the front-seven and drop the safeties in coverage. That might have worked against Chicago as well, but the Seahawks bit on every play-fake, committed safeties to stopping the run, and got burned in the secondary because of it. Stick with what works and change it only if something isn't working. The Seahawks got outcoached on both sides of the ball in a major way.

The Seahawks got humbled and they needed it. The coaching staff underestimated Rex Grossman and the Chicago offense. They need to avoid making the same mistake with the St. Louis defense. If the Seahawks do not commit to running the ball against the Rams and dropping safeties in coverage on defense to help defend the pass, then a loss in St. Louis is almost guaranteed.

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Picking the Winners - Week Five

Buffalo at Chicago - Chicago
Cleveland at Carolina - Carolina
Detroit at Minnesota - Detroit
Miami at New England - New England
St. Louis at Green Bay - St. Louis
Tampa Bay at New Orleans - New Orleans
Tennessee at Indianapolis - Indianapolis
Washington at N.Y. Giants - Washington
Kansas City at Arizona - Kansas City
N.Y. Jets at Jacksonville - Jacksonville
Oakland at San Francisco - San Francisco
Dallas at Philadelphia - Dallas
Pittsburgh at San Diego - San Diego
Baltimore at Denver - Denver

Washington and Dallas are on the road in NFC East showdowns against good teams. I think they both pull out tough wins anyway. I like Detroit to hand Minnesota their third straight loss.

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NFC Power Rankings - Week Four

Week Four
1. Chicago (4-0)
- This offense is for real. Dick Jauron and Buffalo could surprise them in a let down game, but I wouldn't bet on it.
2. Seattle (3-1)
- Let's hope that last week was an aberration, especially for Matt Hasselbeck and Marcus Trufant.
3. Dallas (2-1)
- T.O. is drawing attention and Terry Glenn is getting open because of it. Offense and defense are both on a roll.
4. Washington (2-2)
- The defense needs to improve, but getting Shawn Springs back will help.
5. New Orleans (3-1)
- Sean Payton, Drew Brees, and Reggie Bush have this offense in good shape, and Marques Colston is making a difference as well. The addition of Scott Fujita and Mark Simoneau seems to have solved the linebacker problems from a year ago.
6. St. Louis (3-1)
- St. Louis is 3-1, and still has not lived up to potential yet. The pieces are there for a very good season if they can keep it going.
7. Atlanta (3-1)
- The win over Arizona doesn't mean much, and Michael Vick has still only thrown 1 touchdown to a wide receiver.
8. Carolina (2-2)
- The Panthers are 2-0 with Steve Smith, but it has more to do with the competition and a big play by De'Shaun Foster.
9. Minnesota (2-2)
- Two straight losses, could quickly become three against Detroit.
10. Philadelphia (3-1)
- We still don't know much after wins over the 49ers, Texans, and Packers.
11. N.Y. Giants (1-2)
- The Giants look headed towards a 1-3 start, which means lots of distractions and more unravelling.
12. Detroit (0-4)
- This team could be good if the offense and defense would show up at the same time.
13. Arizona (1-3)
- Same old Cardinals, but Leinart will help if he can manage less than two turnovers per game.
14. Green Bay (1-3)
- Aaron Rogers first start is coming soon.
15. San Francisco (1-3)
- 41-0. Enough said.
16. Tampa Bay (0-4)
- This might be the worst team in the NFL in several years. Injuries at their weakest positions have really hurt.

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