SB Nation - Kelly Jennings

Seattle Seahawks Agonizing in Victory; Win on Stafford's Five Interceptions

John Morgan — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:05:04 -0000

More photos » by Elaine Thompson - AP

Deon Grant and the defense benefited from five Matthew Stafford interceptions to lead Seattle back after going down 17 in the first.

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Seattle won. It wasn't pretty, it wasn't exciting and the Seahawks never looked like a playoff team, but halfway through its season, Seattle is a game away from last year's win total. These are the slow steps to rebuilding. Seattle started behind by 17, but gutted out a win against a team it could have stomped. It's not satisfying but it's something.

The offensive line is still disorganized and Seattle's run game is a liability. This line needs practice together. The organization needs to thoroughly scrutinize its line talent. Much of it may not return next year. I doubt Seattle re-signs Damion McIntosh. Ray Willis is cheap enough to stick at depth, but does not fit Greg Knapp's system. Sean Locklear will likely stick. Max Unger is a Seahawks. The rest of Seattle's linemen better pick it up in the final eight. Some, like Mansfield Wrotto, may not make it through the season.

It is possible that Tim Ruskell has been shy about drafting talent on offense because he didn't know what offense to draft talent for. Whatever the explanation, Seattle is not renovating, it's building a new offense. What it can salvage from this year's unit is like recycled mortar from the Kingdome.

The defense is built. Seattle will cash in when the pick is right. It needs a young athletic defensive end. It could use another disruptive defensive tackle, but should entertain re-signing Cory Redding. There's holes to patch. The talent must develop for it to be great. This defense is young and talented and capable of looking elite if paired with a great offense.

That might take a while. Seahawks fan must be brave, because the tables will be flipped soon enough. Matthew Stafford is a 21-year old rookie playing for a team that finished 0-16 last season. If he pulls it together someday, these trials will make his fans love him. Seattle will get its Stafford soon enough. Matt Hasselbeck played fierce and his effort helped lead Seattle back, but scraping for yards against a bad defense is not some miracle turnaround or rebirth for the Seahawks offense.

It took 51 attempts to get 329 yards. 17 passes were to his backs or fullbacks. Hasselbeck played like the aging game manager I think he now is. Seattle won around him, but mostly because of Stafford's five interceptions (worth 225 or 300 yards* depending on your interpretation). It didn't win because of him. Hasselbeck dinked and dunked against the 30^th ranked pass defense. He stared at his wide receivers like there wasn't a throw he could make. Hasselbeck checked down like he was facing a gifted young secondary. He was facing Kevin Hobbs.

(*Corrected from 350)

Today wasn't fun but it was a win. Remaking this offense will be a struggle, but it can't be pushed back anymore. The defense is starting to click. The Seahawks are branching two directions. The team is getting better as a whole, but worse at critical positions. I won't remember Matt Hasselbeck leading the game with a pick or picking his way back on top, but I will remember Hawthorne's two and Josh Wilson sprinting down field for six.

Game Ball: Josh Wilson recorded his first tackle a yard before the first down marker. Hawthorne would follow with a tackle for no gain to force the field goal attempt. Jason Hanson missed. From there he was pretty quiet. He might be seen tackling his receiver where he stood like against Bryant Johnson in the second quarter, but he wasn't seen much.

Detroit is a bad passing offense and Kelly Jennings could disappear in the folds of their failure, but for Wilson, this was step up time against a corps of tall, powerful receivers. He wasn't leapt over or bullied out. When Megatron went high over him on a critical fourth quarter pass attempt, Wilson stuck in and disrupted the catch. Today was a training wheels step towards starting, but Wilson kept it level and finished off flying. The Seahawks need Pistol to turn his quiet day with an "!" into the beginning of a beautiful career at right corner.

Final Notes for the Third and Fourth Quarter

John Morgan — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 19:10:59 -0000

by LM Otero - AP

I would be surprised if Matt Hasselbeck makes it through this season without missing further time.

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Here's a final notes roundup for the third quarter and whatever it was that followed.

Max Unger struggled playing from behind. Jason Hatcher ran through him with ease and hit Matt Hasselbeck, producing the image we see above.

I cringe thinking Nate Burleson is Seattle's #1 receiver. He is low motor, struggles with drops and is every bit the receiver DVOA casts him as: -5.2%. When we talk trade candidates and remaking the Seahawks roster, I hope Burleson continues his thousand yard pace and can fetch something fair this spring.

To the bitter end, Greg Knapp got his fullback involved in the pass game. To the bitter end.

Kelly Jennings has worked the futile attempt at the ball into his repertoire. It joins the "fall down", the "where's the ball", the "leapt over" and, of course, the "close but no cigar".

It's not epidemic, but it is weekly. Colin Cole was doubled almost to the first down marker and Marion Barber converted the first on his was to an easy 15.

Cory Redding played extensively at defensive tackle and looked active and disruptive. His presence inside allows Seattle a couple new looks in its rotation: the double three paired with Brandon Mebane and the hands unit paired with Red Bryant.

David Hawthorne blitzed into Mebane but moved with such force that he freed himself and Mebane from his blocker. Mebane delivered a finishing hit on Tony Romo, but Hawthorne tore through for the hit and strip. Hawthorne might be the best in-line blitzer on this roster - better even than Leroy Hill.

Jordan Babineaux continued to play ably against an elite corps of Cowboys skill position players. If he can continue to improve, don't be surprised if Babineaux is Seattle's free safety in 2010 and beyond.

Marcus Trufant to be Activated from PUP list

John Morgan — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 19:11:04 -0000

More photos » by Ted S. Warren - AP

The Truth returns.

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Seattle's secondary approaches whole again.

Jim Mora announced that Seattle will activate Marcus Trufant from the physically unable to return list. It's been almost two years since Seahawks fans could appreciate Trufant. After a breakout 2007 season, a mix of perceived weakness at stopping the run and a very real weakness in its secondary put Trufant back on an island in 2008. Corners tend to look bad to television audiences when they play on an island. It's very difficult to play the ball. If you are on screen, it means the receiver you are covering is being targetted and that means there is a better than 50% he will receive the ball. Trufant reassumed his role of "overrated" lockdown corner. Overrated mostly because virtually no corner can lockdown a #1 receiver in single coverage.

A corner's job is to cover. That must be appreciated in more subtle ways. Trufant's return should assist the pass rush and allow Seattle to be more creative with its coverage schemes. While both Ken Lucas and Josh Wilson have proved to be able zone corners, Seattle has relied on Kelly Jennings when it wants to man-up someone. That creates all kinds of weaknesses. It also limits the aggressiveness and innovativeness of Seattle's zones. Whenever Jennings is manning up the opposing team's number one receiver, Seattle better put a safety over top the two.

What excites me most, assuming Trufant returns at or near 100%, is that Tru showed an exciting ability to play the ball in 2007. He could play the ball because Seattle finally had cover safeties worth a damn. Brian Russell, at his very worst, could still sit in a soft shell over top. Early leads and sound deep cover allowed Trufant to make some spellbinding interceptions. Rarely will you see a corner so expertly play the ball without dropping cover.

Tru returns to the best defense he's ever played on. Corners tend to reflect the larger trend of a defense. Do not be surprised if Marcus Trufant hits the field running, pick six in his gloves.

The Offensive Line Part 2: The Transition

John Morgan — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:58:30 -0000

This is the season Seattle lost Steve Hutchinson and the foundation of its offensive line began to crumble. Walter Jones was still among the very best at his position, but he was 32 and would turn 33 less than a week after Seattle was bumped out of the playoffs.

That run was paved in part by Tim Ruskell's first ever pick, Chris Spencer, replacing an effectively retired Robbie Tobeck, and rookie Rob Sims replacing the irreplaceable Hutchinson. When Spencer and Sims helped spring an already washed-up Shaun Alexander for 108 yards and two touchdowns against the sixth-ranked Bears rush defense, all was right, Ruskell was in good graces and the future of the Seattle Seahawks seemed bright.

The line was crumbling though. Jones was approaching old, and the intolerance to pain medication that once stood as a testament to his greatness began to loom as a horrible "what if?" Sims could not replace Hutchinson. Chris Gray was 36. Without that insane left side to protect him, Sean Locklear could no longer be trumped up by contrived stats. Seattle was halfway between the collapse of an all-time great offensive line and a rebuilding effort that couldn't possibly be as successful.

Seattle did not invest much into rebuilding the line in 2006. The draft was a bit top heavy and talent poor. Seattle could have selected Guy Whimper with its Sims pick, Willie Colon, Chris Kuper or Jeromey Clary, but if Sims has maybe not been the most valuable lineman selected in the second day, he has been a good player for the pick and more successful than much of his class.

Seattle could have spent an earlier pick but didn't. It's almost impossible to argue that had Seattle kept spent its first or second round picks on offensive linemen, it would be a better team today. Its first round pick, Kelly Jennings, has busted, but so has Winston Justice, selected 39^th, and neither Deuce Latui, 41^st, nor Daryn Colledge, 47^th, strike me as significantly better players than Sims. It could have made a play at a tackle like Marcus McNeill, Andrew Whitworth, Jeremy Trueblood or Eric Winston, but it believed itself set at tackle, and it seemed to be.

Instead, Ruskell added Tom Ashworth. Ashworth was awful: Another body on the pile of winners and veterans that Ruskell has burdened the team with. But Ashworth was fourth string and therefore as likely to play as Kyle Williams. Sean Locklear had been healthy to that point. Ashworth was behind Jones, Locklear, Ray Willis and even Floyd Womack.

Injuries became a factor. Locklear missed five games. Willis missed 15 and was put on IR. Womack was starting at left guard. Locklear's injury forced Ashworth into action and he played like the fourth string tackle he was. The line did not play well and compared to 2005, it was awful.

The talent Ruskell had added was good. It was young and cheap and seemed promising. The line had declined from a peak it could not possibly reach again, but where it had been expensive, aged, but elite, it was now turning into cheap, young and serviceable.

Darryl Giftwraps Kelly Jennings Interception, but Jennings Refuses

John Morgan — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 21:27:05 -0000

Kelly Jennings went Keary Colbert on a pass thrown right for him, dropping a game changing interception. Darryl Tapp forced the pressure that forced the bad pass, but despite another awesome defensive showing from Seattle, the Seahawks are again not scoring, but only winning field position.

Patrick Kerney's Two Seconds to Factor

John Morgan — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 02:03:51 -0000

More photos » by Darron Cummings - AP

Peyton Manning has among the fastest reads in the history of the NFL. That keeps pass rushers away and him healthy. Seattle's secondary was weak enough that Manning could pass before defensive line pressure was possible.

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Before I lay out the bones of Patrick Kerney's second quarter, let us talk about Peyton Manning. Manning does two things exceptionally well.

He is able to make almost any pass with perfect accuracy. It's astounding. In the modern NFL, a receiver always has some separation. If his quarterback can consistently hit him in the hands, Pierre Garcon can burn Asante Samuel. That's the trick to Austin Collie blowing past Travis Fisher for a 21 yard touchdown. Fisher wasn't close, but Collie never broke his route. That play was practice-smooth. Collie ran his route and received a perfectly placed pass to his hands just as he finished it.

Manning is also able to consistently read a defense, find a target and pass in two to four seconds. If you watch Manning, you will nearly never see him stall like Ben Roethlisberger, Seneca Wallace and, truly, almost every other quarterback, bad, good and great, in football.

This is where Kerney comes in. He was in for 15 plays, rested for three when Nick Reed subbed in, and in those fifteen plays, whether he snapped off the line, beat his man, made a good move or not, he could not factor into the play. Seattle's defensive line had no time to create pass rush. That was in part the product of a complete secondary collapse. Seattle could have lined up Dwight Freeney - Brandon Mebane - Tommie Harris - Jared Allen and not sacked Manning. Seattle could not cover and that meant its line did not have enough time to create pressure.

Let's take this to the logical extreme. If Seattle had the above line, but no other players on defense, that line would never record a sack. Conversely, if Seattle bred four mutant Deion "Night Train" Lotts and populated their secondary with them, a line of four Colin Coles would eventually sack the quarterback.

That is the push and pull of pressure and coverage. Neither one can be understood without the other and either can make the other look better or worse than it is. Seattle's secondary is not terrible, but it's weak. Weak doesn't work against Peyton. Kelly Jennings has rebounded well and Ken Lucas has impressed me. Travis Fisher is a little in over his head. Maybe it's a hangover from an injury wracked start to his season, but Indianapolis was not his chance to get healthy. Jordan Babineaux is clearly still struggling. Deon Grant - I'm not exactly sure how to categorize Deon Grant.

Kerney only had one very good jump off the line. That was to begin the Colts touchdown scoring two minute drill. He even turned the corner and got close to pressuring Manning, but slipped. For much of the drive, Kerney looked, well, tired. He looked very tired. That was most pronounced on the fourth and fifth plays, after the Colts twice snapped "no huddle". On the fifth play, he ran a very slow stunt across the line. Manning was flushed from the pocket, but Kerney did not flush him and did not pressure him after he was flushed.

Kerney did not factor. That is the best way to put it. In eight of the fifteen plays, I have scribbled "DNF". His performance at the start of the second drive and his visible fatigue on the fourth and fifth plays are instructive. Kerney played worse when he was tired, but was not regularly substituted out. Later Kerney was injured.

Before the season, Seattle spoke of using Kerney in a more limited capacity to extend his life as a pass rusher. Looking at Brian McIntyre's snap counts, that doesn't look to be the case. Kerney played in 66.7% of Seattle's defensive snaps against the Rams, a game Seattle led by 21 midway through the third quarter. He played in 80% and 82.5% of Seattle's snaps against the 49ers and Bears, respectively. He played in 65.1% of the teams' snaps last Sunday and left the game because of injury.

Seattle has more defensive ends with talent than almost any team in the NFL. It needs to start using them, before it loses them as it lost Kerney. Until its secondary can cover more than two seconds, it won't matter.

Dear Patrick Kerney, an End Is Not a Set of Legs

John Morgan — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 23:56:14 -0000

More photos » by Marcio Sanchez - AP

Seattle signed Patrick Kerney to a backloaded contract. His first season and through the half season that followed, he was a steal, but Kerney is getting expensive just as he is getting injured and inadequate.

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At the end of the quarter, Nick Reed substituted for Patrick Kerney. I didn't initially notice it was Reed, but caught on in time to scribble this note "Reed looks slow as shit." He was attempting backside pursuit. Kerney is faster than his young disciple. That doesn't bode well for Reed, but it's also not a backhanded compliment of Kerney. Kerney still has some quicks. His point about regaining his burst off the edge to regain his pass rush prowess is instructive. Kerney can still jump around an offensive tackle, it's everything else that is starting to worry me.

1. 1-10-IND 20 (11:47) 18-P.Manning pass short left to 29-J.Addai to IND 37 for 17 yards (51-L.Tatupu, 27-J.Babineaux).

Kerney's pressure is slow developing because of confusion instead of inability. The Colts line swelled and flexed, consuming the Seahawks other three linemen and not presenting Kerney an avenue of attack until the play had developed. That's when Kerney cut in and pressured Manning and that's when Aaron Curry did something stupid. He dropped cover on Joseph Addai and rushed Manning. Manning lobbed it to Addai and Addai ran for 17.

Kerney displayed his quickness on the next snap, getting backside pursuit and contributing to a Kelly Jennings run stuff. Then started a series of plays that alarmed me. The next two plays, Kerney got around end only to be washed out or knocked down turning the corner.

A quick aside. I never bought into Tony Ugoh. He always looked bad to me. I don't mention this because a bloggers' work is his credibility, though that factors, I mention this to gauge the quality of Kerney's matchup. Indianapolis replaced Ugoh with Charles Johnson. Johnson is a different profile of Ray Willis. The Colts selected him late and have practiced him into an NFL regular. But I see no proof he is good. Manning makes everyone look good, so Johnson isn't dissimilar to Pierre Garcon in my mind. If Marcus Trufant was active, Seattle would need Trufant to shut down Garcon whenever the two were matched. Seattle wasn't going to stop Manning from making his teammates look good, but on certain matchups, Seattle's best had to win-win-win for Seattle to survive.

So Kerney shouldn't have battled Johnson to a draw. He shouldn't have created occasional edge rush that was quickly nullified by a step into the pocket and a well-timed shove by Johnson. But that's exactly what happened here

2-7-IND 40 (10:32) (Shotgun) 18-P.Manning pass short left to 29-J.Addai to IND 45 for 5 yards (51-L.Tatupu)

and here

3-2-IND 45 (9:52) (Shotgun) 18-P.Manning pass short left to 44-D.Clark to SEA 45 for 10 yards (31-K.Lucas, 92-B.Mebane)

--the very next play. A play later, Gijon Robinson sealed him off and Addai ran for five. Then he was washed out again, and sealed twice more on the final three plays of the quarter. Three runs, all successful, the final to score the touchdown.

Kerney was right. He got his speed back. But Kerney is wrong. An end needs more than quickness to be good. He needs strength to separate and strong arms to anchor on an inside move. He needs a bull rush, even Freeney has one, and needs and edge rush that doesn't redirect five yards behind the quarterback. If he's going to get sealed out by tight ends, half backs and full backs, he better be a terror rushing the passer, and Kerney isn't anymore. For one quarter he wasn't, anyway.

Fifty One-liners about the Second Quarter

John Morgan — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 23:14:35 -0000

More photos » by John Froschauer - AP

Jay Cutler musters a "yeah" before calming himself with a two-hour sad nap.

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50. Seattle's offensive line struggled against a still good Bears defensive line.

49. No one struggled more than Ray Willis.

48. Willis spent much of the quarter crouching, watching his man chase Seneca Wallace.

47. Robert Mathis says "hello".

46. Seattle's two-minute drill to end the half was miserably executed.

45. It's a testament to how self-defeating the two-minute defense is that Olindo Mare got a shot.

44. Greg Knapp spaces his running back at half, full and right of center.

43. Seattle's situational pass rush line is very effective.

42. Aaron Curry blew two tackles in two plays.

41. As best as I could tell, Seneca Wallace was not using hot routes.

40. The Bears relied heavily on the blitz to protect their secondary.

39. Their secondary sucks.

38. Deion Branch was playing the Deon Butler role.

37. That role: Run deep and never get targeted.

36. Kelly Jennings hesitated to tackle Earl Bennett on a wide receiver screen.

35. That hesitation allowed Chris Williams to pull out and block Jennings.

34. The reception went for 23 yards.

33. Deon Grant fell midway through a Greg Olsen route and left him wide open, but Jordan Babineaux stopped him at the reception point with a solid open field tackle.

32. Brandon Mebane was doubled off the line but Colin Cole held his ground and tackled Matt Forte after one yard on second and two.

31. Will Herring looped around two lead blockers to get a glancing blow low on Forte.

30. It worked and Seattle's backup backers dropped Forte for a loss of two.

29. Staying uncharacteristic, Herring blew coverage on the next play.

28. He dropped and that allowed Forte to come free underneath.

27. Gang tackling forced a drive-ending fumble.

26. !

25. Cory Redding dropped into cover on a sublimely hidden strong safety blitz by Deon Grant.

24. Grant wrapped around end untouched and hit Jay Cutler as he was throwing.

23. The ball floated into the hands of the big man and Redding took a knee in the end zone to give Seattle the ball at the twenty.

22. The officials reviewed Redding's cover and ruled he actually fell attempting to jam Olsen...

21. that Olsen caught an easy touchdown pass...

20. and that Ichiro is an illegal and should be promptly deported.

19. Wallace started the two-minute drill by throwing into double cover.

18. That double cover disintegrated when two Bears smashed into each other, hurting one.

17. A stupid decision turned wonderful--T.J. Houshmandzadeh streaking uncovered with one man to beat--is undone by an overthrow...

16. Proving two mistakes beat one.

15. Dick Stockton credited Lance Briggs with the pressure.

14. The Bears rushed three, none of whom was Briggs.

13. Wallace was not under pressure.

12. John Carlson dropped a pass.

11. Chris Spencer blew a block on a sloppy screen pass attempt.

10. King creative set his tight ends wide in a four wide receiver-tight formation.

9. The wide receivers were aligned like tight ends.

8. The tight ends were supposed to block in and then run laterally into the flats.

7. Neither tight end managed to block anyone.

6. Wallace didn't look towards either in the flat.

5. The pass was tipped by Anthony Adams and fell incomplete.

4. Seattle blitzed four times.

3. Owen Schmitt dropped a pass.

2. Dick Stockton thought it was John Carlson.

1. Upon further review, all white people look alike.

Is 2008 Creeping Up on 2009?

John Morgan — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 21:30:19 -0000

More photos » by Bill Kostroun - AP

Brandon Jacobs told Seahawks fans to turn off the light on 2008. Will Peyton Manning do likewise this Sunday?

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The human mind excels at recognizing coincidence. It doesn't always analyze it very well. I had a coworker once tell me a flu shot had prevented him from getting a cold. My wife, who works with the elderly, hears "they always come in threes" every few months. Deaths, that is. The amount of time in which those three deaths occur is conveniently elastic, of course. Obvious exceptions are ignored.

Seattle is 1-2 and preparing to travel cross country to face a perennial powerhouse. That powerhouse looks less imposing after losing a valuable starter, but only a fool would underestimate them. It has one convincing win against St. Louis, a close loss and a somewhat lopsided loss that turned on a few big plays. Matt Hasselbeck is injured, but how injured and when he will play again is not certain. Health has been a problem, but one unit is getting healthy while another is more wiped out every day. Is this 2008 all over again?

I would like to say no, but I can't say no with great confidence until after this Sunday. Seattle is a better team through three games than it was in 2008. The Seahawks have performed well at the most important indicators of success: pass offense and pass defense.

It is in the top ten in pass defense by net yards an attempt, 5.3, and only has one interception on the season. Interceptions fluctuate quite a bit. If Seattle had a team full of Kelly Jennings, I might say it would underperform in forcing interceptions all season, but it has good hands men in Deon Grant, Jordan Babineaux, Ken Lucas, Aaron Curry and Lofa Tatupu. One could throw Darryl Tapp in there, if they wanted to adjust relative to position. In 2008, Seattle started mediocre, 6.5 NY/A, and got bad.

In reality, it already was bad. Seattle had posted mediocre pass defense stats after facing Trent Edwards, J.T. O'Sullivan and the collective Rams offense. That offense was awful and Edwards and O'Sullivan..well. Seattle had eight sacks against the 49ers, but its secondary was a tortilla Mary. That is, holy.

Seattle's passing offense is a bit below average, but it has faced two tough opponents. The Bears rank sixth and the 49ers rank 11^th in pass defense as measured by NY/A. Seattle ranks 18^th on offense, and has split the season between its starter and its backup. Matt Hasselbeck was brutal in 2008. Through three games, he had 4.9 NY/A. That compares him to 2009 Jake Delhomme (5.3), but without Delhomme's maddening picks.

In those crucial aspects, Seattle is a better team than it was in 2008, but football teams can change their season in one game. Or so it feels. Seattle is traveling to Indianapolis, and the Colts have stormed out to huge lead in NY/A: 9.9. The Cowboys rank second: 8.3. It is also top five in pass defense: 4.7. If Seattle plays at Indy and is crushed, it will be hard to see this season as anything but 2008 repeating itself.

I don't think it is though. The parallels are everywhere, sure. The 49ers are 2-1, including an impressive win and a tough loss on the road against a presumed powerhouse. See: Arizona 2008. But the 49ers passing offense is stagnant, their running back injured and his replacement noted for the wrong reasons. Of course, the 2008 Cardinals were no world beaters. They were lords of a bad division. San Francisco can certainly be that. God knows, Seattle has worn that crown enough times.

The team isn't healthy and the injuries it is suffering do not seem abnormal or likely to reverse themselves. Matt Hasselbeck and Walter Jones are old and were injured last season. In fact, Jones is still recovering from last season. Josh Wilson, Sean Locklear and Chris Spencer have a history of being injured. Lofa Tatupu is continuing an alarming trend that started last season. Marcus Trufant is the only fluke injury. That happens.

The reason I don't see 2008, though, is that Seattle has shown the ability and has the talent to perform. It has been a very good pass defense and has created pressure without the blitz. The pass offense is talented, skyscrapers more talented than it was last season, and that talent is both at the skill positions and on a developing offensive line. Chris Spencer, Rob Sims and Ray Willis are bona fide assets, Unger is not, but being a rookie should develop, and Brandon Frye has been respectable as a fill in.

Maybe Seattle is going down that path and my optimism is ignoring the coming flood. A blowout loss coupled with a wave of injuries would put Seattle at 1-3 and without a good shot of crawling back. That team could easily finish 4-12. A win, of any kind, would put Seattle in the thick of the West and on path to get healthy and excel down the stretch. Teams with early injuries and new coaching staffs sometimes do that.

The most likely scenario, the most likely scenario before the season even started, is that Seattle is an average team in a bad division that someone will have to win. San Francisco could be this season's Cardinals and Seattle this season's 49ers. The Seahawks could squeeze out wins down the stretch, grasping towards respectability, but be eliminated early and never have a credible shot at the playoffs. San Francisco wins the West and does whatever in the playoffs. The Seahawks take their picks and continue to improve.

That's the real difference. Maybe Seattle tanks. Maybe it has a top ten and bottom twenty pick in 2010. But 2008 was definitely the last season of Mike Holmgren football, and the team tanked because Holmgren's talent had been cast off or grown old. 2009 is distinctly the work of Tim Ruskell and Jim Mora. Whatever Seattle's record, it feels like a team on the rise and not a team stumbling through an ending era. The best players are home grown and the injuries have disproportionately struck leftovers from before Ruskell. Of course, the other edge of a young team that loses is: The Seattle Seahawks could be bad. The young talent organized by Ruskell could be not at the end, but smack in the middle of a disappointing stretch of Seahawks football. We will know a lot more about this season and this team's future after this Sunday. I want a win. I need hard-fought, competitive football.

Seattle Seahawks First Quarter Notes: Secondary

John Morgan — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 19:55:28 -0000

More photos » by John Froschauer - AP

Jordan Babineaux is still a long way from being a competent free safety, but he is inexperienced and deserves patience.

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Seattle's secondary was its weakest link on defense. Kelly Jennings was the class of the unit, disappearing and disappearing his man like he routinely did in 2007. Perhaps his brief display of ball skills in the preseason bought him a little respect from Jay Cutler. Or maybe the Bears lack that big receiver to box out and jump over and on Jennings. The Colts lack that receiver too.

Seattle didn't blitz once all first quarter.

Jordan Babineaux is still struggling at free safety. Criticism he received following the 49ers game was unjust and over the top, but in a general sense, his timing is off and his angles are loose. Give him time.

Babineaux and Ken Lucas each missed a tackle on this play.

2-10-CHI 21 (10:15) 6-J.Cutler pass short left to 82-G.Olsen to CHI 35 for 14 yards (57-D.Hawthorne).

Then combined to blow coverage on this play.

3-3-CHI 42 (8:21) 6-J.Cutler pass short left to 80-E.Bennett to SEA 39 for 19 yards (57-D.Hawthorne).

They blew cover in a similar way: both making a play for the ball and ignoring the man. That's bad chemistry. On a double team, good teams have one man play the ball and one man play the receiver. It's not predetermined, the players coordinate the action in real time. When his was with the Eagles, Brian Dawkins combined with a host of cornerbacks to execute the always-pretty interception/ass-whooping. One defensive back grabs the pick; the other viciously drops the receiver. All legal, and all hard-nosed, winners football.

David Hawthorne bolted down field to fix his teammate's mistakes.

Seattle used a lot of zones, but kept with the play much better than they did in 2008. It only allowed one hole in zone reception, but it was a costly error. Cory Redding pressured Cutler and Cutler scrambled right and found Earl Bennett wide open for 31. Hawthorne somehow got the tackle.