Seahawks out to rediscover selves
San Diego debacle wake-up call with Broncos coming to town
RENTON, Wash. – Seahawks defenders say they are eager to get reacquainted with a certain NFL team Sunday. But it’s not the Denver Broncos, who come to CenturyLink Field for a rematch of Super Bowl XLVIII.
Instead, the team the Seahawks really want to see again Sunday is the Seahawks themselves.
That group that got beat 30-21 by the San Diego Chargers last Sunday? That one, they say, is one they didn’t really recognize and hope to never cross paths with again.
“There was a lot of stuff that happened last Sunday you haven’t seen in a long time,” said linebacker K.J. Wright. “A guy catching three touchdowns on us (San Diego tight end Antonio Gates), that’s something you probably won’t see for a very, very long time.”
Or as safety Earl Thomas put it Thursday: “That game was so weird. It was different.”
It looked more curious when Thomas reviewed it on tape.
The game was played in mid-90s heat, with 33 percent humidity, and Thomas was one of three players who left for a time with cramps.
Thomas said the defeat led to something of a revelation as he left San Diego.
“I think I definitely got my championship spirit back after that loss,” he said. “My crave, my hunger and my desire to be unstoppable is back. I didn’t think I lost it, but after that game I was like, ‘Dang, something just hit me,’ and I’ve just been focused ever since and it feels so good just to be feeling like this.”
Certainly, something was missing for Seattle’s defense against the Chargers they need to rediscover.
What the team needs to stop missing, though, is tackles.
Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn said Thursday he counted 12 missed tackles, which he said was as much to blame for the loss as anything.
San Diego’s offense is predicated on a short passing game and making yards after the catch. Seattle’s defense, meanwhile, is designed in a manner in which the Seahawks often concede short passes, counting on being sure tacklers and keeping gains minimal. Sunday, though, the Seahawks didn’t do their part. They would also say they missed too many tackles in the opener against Green Bay.
“For us to have that many was uncomfortable for us, for sure,” Quinn said.
Denver runs a similar offense, so Quinn says limiting yards after the catch “will be a real factor again this week, too.”