Seattle must handle Bears’ special effects

CHICAGO – As long as inconsistent quarterback Rex Grossman is on the field and injured defensive tackle Tommie Harris is not, the Bears can be beat.

As long as Shaun Alexander and Matt Hasselbeck operate close to their potential, the Seahawks can play with anybody.

Where the competitive algebra breaks down in Seattle’s second-round playoff game against Chicago is in another area that rises to more critical levels in the playoffs: special teams.

The Seahawks wouldn’t be playing today if Dallas could have executed the mundane mechanics of a 19-yard field goal. But holder Tony Romo double-dribbled a snap and when he tried to get off his knees to run for the score he was tracked down by an alert Jordan Babineaux.

It happens in a game or two every postseason. A bad snap, blocked kick or dramatic return trumps all the other offensive and defensive highlights to determine the outcome of a game.

Heading into today’s game against the Bears, the Seahawks are mostly at a disadvantage in special teams’ play. Statistical averages suggest the Hawks will lose a few yards on every exchange of the ball.

That’s small stuff, though. The real difference comes in the form of momentum-changing big plays.

Stopping Chicago’s and constructing a few of their own could earn the Seahawks another week of play.

The Bears have the best in the league in Devin Hester, who scored six touchdowns on returns in his rookie season. He brought back two kickoffs for scores in a game against St. Louis. He had three punt returns for TDs this season.

Against the New York Giants, Hester returned a missed field goal 108 yards for a touchdown.

“Everyone has to know where he is,” Hawks coach Mike Holmgren said of Hester.

Finding him isn’t the issue. Tackling him is.

“He’s a tremendous player, a phenomenal rookie player,” Holmgren said. “They score points on special teams more than anybody in football, so it’s a tremendous challenge for us.”

What compounds Hester’s danger is the number of new players on the Seahawks coverage units. Three Hawks on the field when Dallas returned a kickoff for a score were newcomers, and two others had recently been elevated from the practice squad. That manpower issue definitely played a role in the breakdown on that return, Holmgren said.

Punts can be booted out of bounds to reduce Hester’s touches, but that generally comes at the expense of net yards, too. Kickoffs can be directed into the corners, but that hasn’t always allowed opponents to pinch off Hester.

They may hope that the pressure of his first playoff game will get to Hester, who, despite all his scores, also has had a number of muffed catches and made some rookie mistakes in his decisions of which ball to catch and which to let bounce.

Comparisons at the kicker spot are the same that Pro Bowl voters had to weigh. Bear Robbie Gould was named to the NFC team after having been successful on 32 of 36 field-goal attempts (longest: 49 yards).

But Seattle’s Josh Brown booted through four game-winning field goals this season, with a long of 54 yards, and has to be considered the best clutch kicker in the league.

Punters Brad Maynard of the Bears (37.6 yards net) and Seattle’s Ryan Plackemeier (37.3 net) are comparable. Plackemeier is a rookie and also is the holder for Brown on place-kicks.

The Bears have one of the best snappers in the league in Patrick Mannelly. Seattle’s Derek Rackley was acquired in Week 2 after J.P. Darche was lost with a hip injury.

Rackley had two low snaps on punts last week, an issue the Bears certainly may choose to challenge with block packages today. On both those snaps, though, Plackemeier showed good hands and the quickness to get the punts off.

Chicago is favored by nine points for good reason. They went 13-3 in the regular season. Not only did they hammer Seattle (37-6) on Oct. 1, they also defeated three teams that beat Seattle (Minnesota, Arizona and San Francisco).

Keep in mind, though, the Bears clinched early and haven’t had much to play for in a long time. Sometimes that, along with a first-round bye, can disrupt a team’s rhythm.

Remember, they have had home-field advantage and a bye in their last two playoff appearances, in 2001 and 2005, and lost both games. They haven’t won a home playoff game since 1991.

Of course, Hester isn’t affected by any of that.

The best way the Seahawks have of reducing his influence is by making sure he stays busy returning their kickoffs instead of their punts.