Well, maybe we’re worried a little
A GRIP ON SPORTS
I'm not worried. Not me. No sir. I'm sure the Seahawks will be OK. I think. Maybe. Read on.
• Sure, the Seahawks will be OK. It just depends on your definition of "OK." If it means they will repeat as Super Bowl champions, then "OK" might be stretching it a bit. I mean, really, after watching the way the offensive line got manhandled, the way the defensive line got manhandled, the way players seemed to limp off every other play, can anyone around here really say this team, right now, will win the Super Bowl again? Lucky for them, they don't play the Super Bowl right now. There is time to get the ship off the shoals. And, what is that cliché, time heals all wounds? Well there are a lot of wounds that need to be healed. Physical ones. Mental ones. Self-inflicted ones. Way too many players are dealing with either major injuries or enough small ones to limit their effectiveness. Such is the legacy of a long playoff run. Way too many players are dealing with a bit of shock as well, as winning isn't coming as easily as it did last season. And then there is strange way the Hawks used two of their most imposing offensive weapons yesterday, Percy Harvin – or as he's known lately, Mr. Fly Sweep – and Marshawn Lynch. Seems like both would be key elements of the attack against Dallas and really weren't. Lynch carried the ball 10 times, averaged more than six yards a carry and was a non-factor. Harvin had three runs for minus one yard, three pass receptions for no yards and never once seemed to use his speed north-south. There is no doubt the Cowboys' domination of the line of scrimmage had something to do with this. It's hard to throw deep when your quarterback is vibrating around inside the pocket like one of the players on your old electric football game. Dallas kept Russell Wilson contained, kept Harvin contained and kept the Hawks offense quiet. But that's usually not that big of deal. Not with the Legion of Boom on the other side. But Sunday it was more bust than boom, what with Byron Maxwell picked on then injured, Bobby Wagner, the best tackler the Hawks have, in and out of the game, and the guys up front unable to get any semblance of pressure on Romo after the first few minutes. Heck, the 30-23 final score seemed a bit out of whack. If it weren't for some early strong play from the special teams, it would have been even worse. Heck, even Pete Carroll didn't seem all that upbeat after the game. And he's always Mr. Sunshine. Next up is St. Louis in St. Louis. And the Hawks' offense has always shined there. Oh, right. It hasn't. OK, then.
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• WSU: The Cougars are in a bye week, which not only means no game this weekend but a light schedule this week. Jacob Thorpe gets a bit of a break as well, though he does have a morning post today with links. ... ESPN.com's Pac-12 blog ranks the conference's teams and the Cougars are a bit higher than I expected. ... John Canzano thinks the playoff format is a fraud while Chris Dufresne of the L.A. Times thinks the dominance of the SEC East is as well.
• Idaho: The Vandals' soccer team got past Eastern's 1-0 Sunday.
• Seahawks: There was frustration in the locker room after the loss and it showed in the interviews. Doug Baldwin, especially, went off on the way the Hawks were playing. He didn't point fingers, necessarily, but did call out the entire offense. If he had pointed at the offensive line, I'm not sure anyone would have blamed him. My personal sacrificial lamb would be Mr. False Start, Russell Okung. ... Would you want to be in the meeting rooms this week when the Hawks are given their grades? ... Given all the time he had, Tony Romo looked a bit like Troy Aikman.
• Mariners: Money means something when it comes to making the playoffs. In the postseason, not so much.
• Sounders: There is a big bunch of flowers headed Dallas FC's way today, courtesy of the Seattle Sounders. Dallas rallied, scored two second half goals and defeated the L.A. Galaxy yesterday. Now all Seattle has to do is split or better against L.A. over the next two matches and it wins the Supporters' Shield.
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• Let's see. Unless you are a fan of one of the teams left in baseball's playoffs, you really don't have any one to cleanse the bad taste in your mouth until next weekend. Crud. I'm going to try Listerine. Until later ...
