Seahawks Lose 18-17

by: Mike Parker

I saw some good, some bad and some ugly tonight, as expected.

First of all, thanks to everyone who made the live chat another insane and banter-ridden success. My kind of crowd. Let's get another good room going on Friday, minus of course Mr. Sullivan, who will be at the game watching Lofa eat McFadden's lunch.

On to the action tonight -To continue...


The Good:

-Jordan Kent should be all but a lock to make the team now, as his impressive showing tonight (4 rec, 47 yds, 1 TD) was second only to Nate Burleson, who took a Charlie Frye bomb into the end zone on the first drive of the game for 68 yards. Burleson didn't catch another ball the entire night.

-On the subject of Frye, the backup QB looked light years beyond the lackluster showing last week against Chicago. He went 19-for-29 and threw for 219 yards and two TDs - respectable numbers for any NFL quarterback.

-The running game looked solid again, even with an absence of rushing touchdowns. (Let's not forget that the Chargers have an extremely tough run defense, even without Merriman.) TJ Duckett, most notably, led the Seahawks with 6 carries for 46 yards. Maurice Morris carried 5 times for 31 yards, with Julius Jones getting 8 touches for 30 yards. I hope this dissuades the notion that Duckett should be cut, but I'm sure there's going to be an outcry of haters calling for his premature termination nonetheless. Ridiculous thought, if you ask me, but I'm not in charge.

The Bad:

-The secondary looked asleep for the first half, even with the first unit in. The blown coverage on the wide-open pass to Vincent Jackson in the first quarter brought back some seriously unpleasant memories of the ill-fated end to the 2006 game against the Chargers, I'll be honest. But they quickly regrouped and got back in a rhythm, thanks largely in part to Kevin Hobbs' aggressive play. Deon Grant also blew what should've been an easy pick in the first half, but I'll take a pass breakup over a wide open grab any day.

-Charlie Frye left the game in the fourth quarter, but was walking under his own power. A good sign as far as injuries go, but an injury no less. We'll keep you updated on his status as soon as we hear it. (This sucks, especially after a game in which he threw no picks. When has that ever happened?)

-Seneca came in and lacked the confidence he usually has, but then again, he was nursing a sore groin and wasn't even expected to play tonight. Sadly, he threw a pick that sealed the game for the Chargers.

The Ugly:

-The return game couldn't get going tonight. Justin Forsett was running most of them back, and barely passed the 20-yard line on each occasion. This is to be expected from a rookie working behind a special-teams unit that's still trying to find a rhythm, and Holmgren will probably want to think more about who he wants for that job this year.

-What happened to Jamar Adams and David Hawthorne? I only saw Hawthorne, aka "The Heater" make one play, and though it was a good one, Adams was largely a ghost.

-Some of the receivers couldn't find their usual groove tonight, including Logan Payne and Ben Obomanu. I don't think tonight was a very good measuring stick for them, because they've both been solid thus far in the pre-season. And might I remind you all that just a week ago, a lot of people were calling for Duckett to get cut and Forsett to start. Reversal of fortune, party of one, your table's ready...

So what does all this mean in the end? It means every dog has his day, and tonight, we saw exactly what we needed to see from the people who needed to show it. If I told you last night that Frye would throw for over 200 yards, 2 TDs and no picks, and that Duckett would lead the backs in rushing yards, you'd have probably called me insane (well, more so than usual.)

But that's what happened tonight. The right guys stepped up, and even though the team didn't pull through with a victory, I think some key players made a case for themselves. And aren't we glad we didn't cut some guy named Weaver last year...? -END-