 |  |
|
| |
Sports |
October 2008
Categories
| Well, it's Friday and time for the Ask Mike Holmgren post. So if you have a question for the coach, leave it in the comments section below before the end of the Niners game. Then watch The Mike Holmgren Show on KING/5, following NBC's Sunday Night Football and see if the coach answers your question. And don't forget to leave your first name and the city where you live. ...From the AP: Seahawks starting quarterback Matt Hasselbeck will not play Sunday, Seattle coach Mike Holmgren said Friday. Holmgren told KIRO Radio that Hasselbeck will miss his third straight game when the Seahawks play at San Francisco and will have more tests Monday. The three-time Pro Bowler is rehabilitating a hyperextended right knee that is being weakened by a bulging disk in his back. Backup Seneca Wallace is ready for his second straight start against the 49ers. He has taken the first-team snaps in practice all week. Wallace completed 12 of 23 passes for just 73 yards in last weekend's loss at Tampa Bay that dropped Seattle to 1-5. Here we are, week eight of the KING/5 anchor picks. Dennis (2) had the closest pick last week and moves into a tie with Lori (2). Jean, while the most loyal to the Seahawks, is still searching for her first correct prediction. What about the national experts? ESPN.com? All Niners. USA Today? All Niners. SI's Peter King? Seahawks, 27-20.
The latest from Seahawks practice isn't great. Neither Matt Hasselbeck or Deion Branch practiced today. Good luck seeing either of them on Sunday against the 49ers. On the bright side, Seneca is getting more reps with the first stringers. Floyd Womack, who left practice yesterday with an illness, also did not practice. Willis and Wrotto worked in Womack's place. Koren Robinson practiced, but was limited. On defense, both DD Lewis and Tatupu shared time at middle linebacker. Tatupu should be fine on Sunday. ...There was talk of this after the Tampa Bay loss, and now the Tribnet has an article about Seahawks venting frustration towards the coaching staff for the recent losing streak. Specifically, Julius Jones calling Mike Holmgren out during the Bucs game. He was reportedly ranting so loudly, Jones had to be physically restrained by Red Bryant (how big a deal this was, I don't know). The RB was not in the locker room yesterday, and the TNT's request for an interview went nowhere.
Is denial in play here? Are the Seahawks really this bad? I mean, 32nd in the NFL in passing? Whatever the 12th Man believes, the Seahawks open as 5-point underdogs in Sunday's game against Singletary's 49ers. I'll leave you with some of Holmgren's better quotes from yesterday's press conference, comparing these Seahawks to his first high school team: "It reminds me of when I first started coaching at Sacred Heart High School, you know? We were kind of overmatched all the time, playing against better players for a while...They gave you everything they had. And you loved them for it. But it was going to be tough each week...That's a little bit of an exaggeration, but that's the last time, it really is the last time. I can't think in professional football. It's different."126.8 yards passing per game will get quotes like that. NFL.com is reporting that the 49ers have fired embattled coach Mike Nolan. Assistant head coach Mike Singletary will take over in the interim. Nolan went 18-37 since coaching the 49ers. A Hall of Fame LB who played for the Bears, Singletary has been coaching within the 49ers organization since 2005. Sure creates an interesting game next Sunday as the 1-5 Seahawks travel to the Bay Area to take on the 2-5 Niners. Seahawks head coach Mike Holmgren held his usual Monday presser today. He doesn't really know if quarterback Matt Hasselbeck will be back for next Sunday. He's listed as day-to-day. Holmgren thinks the team needs something a little more than just a return of Matt to the lineup.
It's a question that seems to linger around the Seahawks recent and mounting losses. Was Mike Holmgren's early retirement announcement a mistake? Even with the scope of pro players always playing to win, is having the next head coach in the wings enough to create more than just an unspoken distraction?
Only the Detroit Lions are lower. So, the question lingers. What should this franchise do next? Can this be turned around next year? Maybe with a new secondary, a new DT and a WR or two taller than 5'9". And one has to ask: Just how bad is Matt's back? ...Can the Seahawks offense do anything? Three first downs? The Bucs own time-of-possession 2:1. The defense is simply pooped. Bucs move down the field easily and get a 27-yard FG. Seahawks 3, Tampa Bay 20.
Anyone hitting the sauce yet? Sheesh. The Seahawks at least force a three-and-out by the Bucs. After the punt, the Seahawks finally get a first down. After stalling in the red zone, the Seahawks are on the board with a short FG. Seahawks 3, Bucs 17.
The second quarter starts off with the Bucs fumbling after a huge hit on Ike Hilliard by Hill and Tatupu in the red zone. A challenge by Holmgren ends with the Seahawks getting the ball on the turnover. Finally, the Seahawks get a break.
Well, the Seahawks converted their first third down as Holmgren starts off with three straight passes. They can't convert their second third down and after a Seahawks punt, Bryant beats Jennings for a Garcia TD pass. Yet another huge play given up by the Seahawks defense. Seahawks 0, Bucs 7.
It's an hour before gametime. It's shorts weather here in Tampa, but the wind is blowing at a pretty good clip from north to south. The Bucs website proclaims Raymond James Stadium as "The Crown Jewel of the NFL." I think that's a bit much, but you have to love the 103-foot-long ship known as "Buccaneer Cove" that sits above the north end zone. In the picture below, you'll notice the number 40 in the end zone seats. That's the number of longtime Buc, Mike Alstott, who retired after 12 seasons. One of the most popular Bucs ever, Alstott will be honored at halftime.
SEAHAWKS
Well, once again it's time for the Ask Mike Holmgren post. If you have a question for the coach, leave it in the comments section below before the end of the Tampa Bay game. Then watch The Mike Holmgren Show on KING/5, following the Seahawks v. Bucs on NBC's Sunday Night Football and see if the coach answers your question. And please don't forget to leave your first name and the city where you live. ...
From the team: Well, all the anchors picked the Seahawks to win against GB so no one gets a win. Lori is still in the lead with 2 picks, Dennis with 1 and Jean 0. This week, the Seahawks head to Tampa Bay. Seattle is still huge 10-point underdogs, across the board. ESPN? All Bucs. USA Today? All Bucs. SI's Peter King? Well, King thinks NBC wishes they could use the flex schedule starting this Sunday.
Call me crazy, but I have a good feeling about the Seahawks chances in Tampa Bay with Seneca behind center. First, it's an East Coast night game which takes away the time zone advantage. Second, Seneca was 2-2 in 2006 when he started. He knows this offense. He understands Holmgren's West Coast hybrid. And the defense is going to come out hungry.
Receiver Michael Bumpus cleared waivers today and is officially back on the Seahawks practice squad. Bumpus was cut yesterday to make room for Justin Forsett. I'm sure Forsett will take Bumpus' spot in the return game. ...Seahawks head coach Mike Holmgren says Matt Hasselbeck will not play on Sunday. Backup quarterback Seneca Wallace will start if his calf is healthy. Wallace will run with the first team in practice this week. Holmgren says they only have one game plan ready for the Bucs. That means, as of right now, the team's offensive game plan centers on Seneca starting at quarterback. Holmgren believes the optimists on the team hope Hasselbeck will be back in time for San Francisco game (that's the next game after the Bucs).
Jim Zorn and the Redskins signed three former Seahawks today. As well as signing Shaun Alexander to back up Clinton Portis, the Redskins also inked former Seattle punter Ryan Plackemeier. Plackemeier won a competition among the free agents flown in to audition this morning. To replace Reed Doughty, the Redskins' strong safety who was recently placed on injured reserve, the Skins added yet another former Seattle player, safety Mike Green. After a stint with the Bears, Green played two years with the Seahawks, but was cut at the start of training camp. ...And the Redskins signed Shaun Alexander to backup Clinton Portis and the Dallas Cowboys traded with the Lions for Roy Williams. The Cowboys reportedly gave up a first round, third and six round pick next year, and a seventh round pick in 2010 (this sounds like Jerry Jones kind of thinking, doesn't it? No way Bill Parcells would have given up so much for Williams). Here is the press release from the Seahawks concerning Forsett and Bumpus:
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
