A Grip on Sports: Seahawks had to learn some scary lessons this season before their defense started collecting wins
A GRIP ON SPORTS • Halloween always brings happy memories. Except that one time.
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• Growing up in Southern California, the weather was warm and nice more often than not. Even on the last day of October.
It was a warm Halloween night that one year we decided to trick-or-treat with a buddy, Jeff Dapper, and our older sisters. They weren’t too thrilled and we quickly learned why. They met up with a couple boys about a block from the house. And told us to stay at least a house ahead of them.
We did, carrying our paper grocery sack that we certainly intended to fill to the brim with candy.
Until, after about an hour, Jeff noticed something. His bag wasn’t all that full. Ours was the same. What the heck? A little more investigating revealed a hole in the bottom of our paper bags. A wet hole. And what obviously was the remnants of an ice cube. Unbeknown to us, our candy had been slipping out the hole for a while.
We rushed back to tell our sisters our tale of woe. They looked sheepish. The boys who were with them laughed and told us that would teach us to carry paper bags. Jeff figured it out. Demanded our candy back. Got a firm no from the older, bigger, boys, who denied involvement, all the while smirking. Our sisters got angry at us. Told us the boys were not to blame. Someone else must have done it. The boys bid them adieu and headed off, still laughing, their cotton pillowcases bulging.
When we got back to the Dappers, we altered our tactics. We wailed. Whined. Complained. Got Mrs. Dapper involved. She found out the truth. And made our sisters give their candy to us.
Talked about ticked. That cost me when we got home. Our parents punished my sister again. And she held it against me until after Christmas. But the candy stayed in our possession.
And we always took a pillow case from then on.
What does that have to do with sports? Not much, other then we learned a lesson that day. Prepare for the unexpected. But even if you are, be ready to pivot. To change tactics. Sometimes it’s the only way to win.
Just ask Pete Carroll. His Seahawks entered the season with a clear defensive plan. Not the same one from years past. A more disciplined one. One that utilized safety Jamal Adams near the line of scrimmage and highlighted the intelligence of the group.
Then Adams got hurt. And the defense played – if you want to call it that – like a bunch of guys who were thinking and not reacting. That was a formula for disaster. Though the Russell Wilson-less offense was humming a lot better than anyone would have imagined prior to the season, the Hawks floundered.
After losing in New Orleans 39-32 and falling to 2-3, Carroll changed tactics. He and defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt relaxed the reins. Gave the players more freedom. Turned them loose. It’s worked.
More pressure. More tackles for loss. More aggression. Oh, they still give up yardage. But not as much and not as often. In the three games since, all wins, the Hawks have yet to give up more than 329 yards in a game.
Three highly regarded quarterbacks, Kyler Murray, Justin Herbert and Daniel Jones, have combined for just 869 passing yards. Most importantly, the opponents have scored 44 points.
With less pressure to match touchdown after touchdown, the Geno Smith-led offense can afford a few mistakes and bounce back. They had a couple Sunday – or should we say Tyler Lockett did – that ultimately didn’t matter.
Carroll is anything if not beholden to the idea his way of football wins. But to get to that “way,” which includes dominant defense and pounding the line of scrimmage, he’s willing to adjust. At least a little.
The ones he and the Hawks have made thus far have been exceptional. And sweet.
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WSU: We may be wrong, but we have the feeling this week’s game, at Stanford, will be the crucial one in the Cougars’ season. Win against the offensively challenged Cardinal and Washington State will head to a bowl. Lose and it’s not going to happen. Colton Clark covers what’s been going on with the Cougs the past few weeks and what’s ahead in this morning’s story. … Colton also has a story on a junior college receiver who committed to Washington State yesterday. … Former WSU linebacker Frankie Luvu had a standout game Sunday for Carolina, which somehow lost to Atlanta. His exploits lead off the S-R’s weekly column on locals in the NFL. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12 and college football, the polls were released yesterday and the conference had five teams in the Associated Press rankings. Only Mississippi, at 11th, broke up a run of four Pac-12 teams, starting with Oregon at eight and ending with Utah at 12. Oregon State, which hasn’t been ranked in a while, jumped in at 24th after a bye. … There was also big news yesterday on the media-rights front, with the Big 12 re-upping with ESPN and Fox. The conference, which is losing Texas and Oklahoma, will make more money, which is a win, but according to John Canzano’s sources, the Pac-12 expects to have a larger per-school payout when it finalizes a new deal. … Jon Wilner has some more thoughts on the past weekend in the Mercury News. … The Ducks, who just don’t give up sacks, are at Colorado this week. The Buffs have a quarterback decision to make. … Utah matches up with Arizona’s stable of outstanding receivers this week. … After handling the Cardinal, UCLA moves on to face Arizona State in Tempe. … USC’s defense is under scrutiny, though it probably won’t get tested by California. … In basketball news, Oregon State’s true freshmen are going to play. … Kerr Kriisa is Arizona’s leader. … Colorado handled Nebraska in an exhibition.
EWU and Idaho: Around the Big Sky, will Montana make the FCS playoffs? If it comes down to the Griz and the Vandals, UI better get the berth. The Vandals did win their matchup. In Missoula. … UC Davis has a MVC, most valuable canine. … In basketball news, Montana State was tested in an exhibition.
Preps: The crossover games for Eastern Washington’s playoff-bound teams are set. Dave Nichols has this schedule.
Seahawks: Dave Boling was at the 27-13 win over the Giants, 6-1 coming in. And he has his thoughts. … Dave mentions a gaffe near the end, when referee Jerome Boger announced a penalty on the Seattle Mariners, but by then everyone could laugh. Mainly because Lockett had bounced back from his two gaffes. … New York brought lots of pressure but Smith stood strong. … Seattle didn’t need to blitz as much. … There are always grades. … And thoughts about where the Hawks stand. … There was some doubt whether DK Metcalf and Lockett were going to play. Without them, the outcome may have been different.
Mariners: The M’s have some roster decisions to make. Nothing major but all will have an impact on next season. … The World Series returns tonight from Philadelphia, where the crowd will try to bother Astros starter Lance McCullers Jr. … Framber Valdez was doing some interesting things with his hands the other night. Why would anyone give a Houston player the benefit of the doubt?
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• A three-game winning streak makes it easy to have fun. The Seahawks under Carroll have never lacked the ability to celebrate success. It’s their super power. We are also guessing we will see quite a few young folks having fun dressed as super heroes tonight. It is Halloween after all. Be safe everyone. Until later …