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July 2009
Categories
| February 2006
Normally I'm not a big Pro Bowl fan. But this Sunday's game will feature seven (count 'em) Seahawks: Shaun Alexander, Matt Hasselbeck, Matt Strong, Robbie Tobeck, Steve Hutchinson, Lofa Tatupu and Walter Jones. Besides, I'm conditioned to watch football every Sunday, so withdrawal will have to wait a week. Go NFC! (Game airs Sunday at 3 p.m. on ESPN). ...
While Joey Porter has kept quiet so far, Steelers defender Casey Hampton is talking some smack about the Seahawks loss and the outcry that followed: "People crying about what happened, that’s crazy. It doesn’t matter. You can’t talk about what might have happened. Two or three years from now, people won’t remember who we beat in the Super Bowl, just that we won." ...In Hawaii for the Pro Bowl, Shaun Alexander said the Seahawks have contact his agent to start talks on a new contract. "I just stayed out of all that. When I get back from Hawaii then I'll sit down with my agent and we'll all have a good conversation," Alexander said. Meanwhile, it looks like Alexander's sprained ankle will be healed enough to play in the Pro Bowl on Sunday. ...
It took a day, but the NFL finally found out that Coach Mike Holmgren said a few choice words about the Super Bowl officiating during Monday's rally. So now the league says it's going to "definitely look into" the incident. Do you think the league will fine him? Is it that detached from reality? ...Shaun Alexander sprained his ankle during the Super Bowl. "I didn't even know it happened, but it swelled up," he said. Alexander will get treated in Hawaii before deciding whether or not to play this weekend. But knowing Alexander, I bet he'll play. ...
Remember all the predictions that this year's Super Bowl would have miserable TV ratings because Seattle and Pittsburgh are two smaller, lesser-known markets? Well, they were wrong. In fact, ratings were the highest since 1996. Here in Seattle, 85 percent of households watching TV were tuned to the Super Bowl, which I believe is an all-time record. ...
Last night on Late Night with David Letterman, Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger admitted he didn't think he broke the plane on his dive at the goal line. Need I say more? ...Nearly every objective observer agrees Super Bowl refs made at least one bad call at critical points in the game, but here's what NFL spokesman Greg Aiello has to say about it: "Overall it was a well-officiated game. There's no question about it." No question? At the very least the NFL could admit the refs made some questionable calls, but the league has cemented in my mind that it's more concerned about public relations than getting it right. ...
Thanks to many of you posting links in the comments, here are a few more stories on the Super Bowl officiating: Here's just a sampling of the deluge of press coverage today on the horrible officiating last night: We're just finishing up our last live report here in Detroit, standing outside Ford Field in 20-degree weather. I gotta tell you, the only thing worse than watching morning-after coverage of the Hawks loss is actually reporting it in the first place. Yes, we're journalists, but we're also big Hawks fans. My thanks to KING 5's crew of 15 here in Detroit who worked incredibly long hours over the last week. We hope to be back next year, but in Miami, the site of Super Bowl XLI. ...
In the interviews following the game, a swarm of reporters surrounded Jerramy Stevens. "The bottom line is I didn't get it done," he admitted. "I just didn't make the plays." Stevens scored a touchdown but dropped three passes, including a critical third down play. "I didn't make the catch. It doesn't matter why," he said. I have to wonder if he was distracted from all the media attention that resulted from the trash talking earlier in the week. ...Coach Holmgren in a quick press conference after the game "We've established something pretty good in Seattle. We can build on it. This is a tough, tough pill to swallow, but they accomplished as a football team quite a bit this year, and we can build on that." Adds team owner Paul Allen, "Our job for next season is to get back into it and do an even better job." ...As you can imagine, there's major outrage from Hawks fans in the comments tonight. Some selected quotes: I have to wonder how much play this is going to get in the national media. Or will we be watching the Bettis "fairy tale story" for the next few days?...
The Steelers didn't deserve this. The Hawks are clearly a better team. So why did we lose: mistakes, bad penalties, outnumbered fans, biased media coverage? Post your analysis and rants in comments below... ...
I think all of Seattle (and me right here in the press room) jumped up and screamed with Kelly Herndon's interception. And then again when Roethlisberger got wiped out on the block (no tackle this time, Ben.) And then again with Jerremy Stevens' catch for the TD. We're back in business, folks. ...
What a show. The Stones jammed a mini-set at halftime to the pure enjoyment of the crowd. Photos from the field... ...KING 5 photographer Ken Jones is roaming the stands during the game, and he took a few pictures of Seahawks fans, including a few you'll recognize... ...
When the Steelers took the field to stretch about 15 minutes ago, the crowd cheered. Now as the Seahawks are beginning to loosen up, the sea of black and gold is booing them. I said earlier that we're outnumbered 3 to 1, but it's looking more like 5 to 1. (Remember, Detroit is Bettis' hometown.) "This definitely isn't a home game," says KING 5 sports producer Tony White. ...So when I told my friends I was headed to Detroit to cover Super Bowl XL, they thought I was the luckiest guy around. But truth be told, only a slim minority of the thousands of media here actually get to see the game. The rest of us are working in the press room -- or worse, in transmission trucks -- and watching it on TV. A couple photos below... ...
I just returned from snapping a few photos of fans pouring into Ford Field, three hours before kick-off. Everyone is jazzed, electricity is in the air. Every couple minutes or so, chants break out from both sides, back and forth. We're still vastly outnumbered, but I'm seeing more Hawks fans than before -- and they're vocal. And crazy hair and hats are definitely the theme... ...I've made my way into the press room here at Ford Field, and I have to say Hawks fans are severely outnumbered so far. From the buses parked outside to the thousands of people streaming into the stadium, Steeler fans outnumber Hawk fans by at least three to one. Gold, black and terrible towels are everywhere. (You'll see what I mean on TV as the crowd begins to pack the seats.) I'll be blogging throughout the day, so stay tuned for more... ...
Ten things I didn't know about the city of Detroit (because I haven't been here before).... ...
Until yesterday, Detroit looked in some ways like Seattle. Chilly. Windy. Rainy. Same average annual rainfall as Seattle: 36 inches. Then today all heck broke loose in both cities. Hurricane-force gusts in Seattle. And 8 inches of snow forecast for Detroit. Snowing so hard here looks like someone shook all the feathers out of an old comforter. Security tighter than grandma's girdle. Fans packed tighter than sardines at the souvenir centers and the aerial tram. (It's called a people mover. But today it's a people leaver with waits up to an hour.) Don't say cab. You can't have one.... ...Congrats to former Seahawk QB Warren Moon who was named today as one of six inductees into the 2006 Pro Football Hall of Fame. "What a great day for me and my family," Moon said. "To be inducted in my first year of eligibility is mind boggling." ...Now, we've read a lot of Seattle bashing over the past few weeks, but nothing comes close to Rick Reilly in this week's Sports Illustrated. "You suck at sports," he writes. "You make nice motherboards, but you're dweebier than Frasier Crane's wine club." He's just getting warmed up. "You Seattle fans don't just accept mediocrity. You crave it.... Your Seahawks went 21 years without a playoff win, and the fans didn't so much as clear their throats. Everybody just goes, 'Well, that was fun. Let's kayak!' Hey, you can't spell Seattle without settle." So, what's the deal with people slamming our city? Anyone have some words for Reilly? ...
Fresh pics from today's Seahawks practice and the team's morning press conference. And take a look at Floyd Womack... ...
Don't know who God is rooting for, but Seahawk fans of all faiths are invited to put in a good word with the Big Guy on Friday. St. James Cathedral is hosting "A Prayer for the City" at 6:30 p.m. Friday. Father Michael Ryan told KING 5 News "a great football team can remind a city of its call to greatness," and he hopes Seattle will be reminded of that as we celebrate the Seahawks' success. The church's Web site also says: "At this historic moment in Seattle's history, we gather with local leaders to give thanks for our great city and to remind ourselves of the responsibility of all great cities: to provide economic opportunity for all, to care for the poor, to foster culture, education and the arts." ... |
It was ugly, but the NFC 
It was only a matter of time, and 
Columnist Neil Hayes has some 
Fifteen Seahawks will become free agents if they're not re-signed by March 3rd, including key players like Shaun Alexander, Joe Jurevicius, Marquand Manuel, Rocky Bernard, Steve Hutchinson and Mack Strong. Alexander's contract talks begin as early as today. "The most important thing to me is just [to be] fair," Alexander 
That didn't take long. So far over 
"We knew it was going to be tough going against the Pittsburgh Steelers. I didn't know we were going to have to play the guys in the striped shirts as well," Coach Holmgren 
He was asked the question at least twice during his post-game interview. "I'm going to sit back and pray on it," he said. When asked if he was "sure" he would return to Seattle, he said, "No one is sure of anything." Alexander said the team "took Seattle to a place they'd never seen before." Let's hope he does it against next year.
With the trophy presentation in full swing on the field, Hawks fans by the hundreds joined me on the long, disappointing walk out of Ford Field. Others, like this guy in the picture, took a little quiet time. Interestingly, as Steeler fans began to emerge, they were quieter and more orderly than I expected. A little chanting and no trash talking. But I'm sure that will change when the victory parties get underway here in Detroit later tonight.
Fortunately, the refs reversed yet another bad call, on the Hasselbeck "fumble." But there was the questionable holding call that brought back the completion to Jerremy Stevens on the one yard line. And then calling Hasselbeck on the tackle on the interception that followed. Is anyone keeping track of all these bad calls? It certainly appears the refs' initial reaction is to call everything against the Hawks and sort it out later. And these calls are having a dramatic impact on the direction of this game, especially that "holding" call which took away a likely Hawks touchdown and gave one to the Steelers.
On the bootleg, Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger dove toward the end-zone, colliding with the Seahawks line. At first, the line judge ran toward the spot, acting like he was going to call it down at the one. Then he called a touchdown. The instant replay? Incredibly close, but the refs stuck with the call on the field. As Mike Holmgren walked off the field at halftime, he gave them an earful. And that wasn't the only questionable call. What about that "offensive pass interference" that cost Darrell Jackson a TD?
Finally, Super Bowl XL is underway, after enough pre-game activities to drive any Seahawk fan crazy. The stadium is LOUD (not Kingdome loud, but close). And those terrible towels are everywhere. If you don't have a TV, you can track the game 
I walked around the entire inside perimeter of Ford Field (it's really a beautiful facility) and snapped some more photos as the crowd begins to fill up the stands. Out of everyone, the first guy below wins the prize for the wackiest Seahawks fan I've seen so far...
After weeks of planning and days of covering the build-up to the Super Bowl here in Detroit, it's a relief to finally cover the Big Game. We're gearing up to dispatch our crews inside the stadium, from the stands to the field to the locker room. Security is extremely tight -- everyone has to pass through metal detectors -- and the snow is an annoyance (OK, we're freezing out here). But so far the roads are mostly clear, and it's shaping up to be a Super Bowl to remember. Go Hawks!
From the media compound here at Ford Field to the Renaissance Center on the other side of downtown Detroit, KING 5 crews have been busy covering the Hawks. I've been producing alongside Dennis Bounds and Jean Enersen, and I've snapped a bunch of photos. Here's a behind-the-scenes look that you may not expect to see...
Pittsburgh players and fans are beside themselves after Seahawks tight end Jerramy Stevens had a 