Dave Boling: In loss to Steelers, the only thing the Seahawks wrapped was their season (practically)
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SEATTLE – It’s not quite over. But, really, yeah, it’s over.
And even if it isn’t, it will be soon.
The won-loss calculus may get the Seattle Seahawks into the postseason after next week’s finale. But until the Hawks develop the ability and inclination to tackle opponents, they’re doomed.
For those who have forgotten, given the infrequency of seeing such a thing, the process of tackling involves seizing a ballcarrier and forcing them to the turf against their will.
It’s a fundamental truism. Even in an era of complex, space-age offenses, if you can’t stop the run, you can’t win.
It becomes a matter of whittling away defenders’ self-respect, because rushing yards count more. They wear you down – physically and emotionally.
Defenders got into the NFL by being a bunch of bullies – at least on the field. When opponents line up and drive you off the line, and sometimes run you over, they’re stealing your lunch money, stuffing you in your locker.
The Hawks’ 30-23 loss to Pittsburgh on Sunday proved all this, dropping the Hawks to 8-8 before they travel to Arizona for their last gasp.
The Steelers came in as a team also struggling to stay in contention, but they ground-and-pounded the Hawks with 202 rushing yards in their total of 468 yards of offense.
The Hawks knew what they were going to do and could do nothing to slow them down.
This being the final home game of the season, we may start wondering what the Seahawks will look like when they return in the fall.
Changes need to be made. Hopefully including the hiring of somebody to teach them to tackle.
Even a win next week will mean a 9-8 finish. What a different feel this has to it than last season’s 9-8 record, which came as a surprise for a team that was picked to be among the worst in the NFL. It elevated expectations. Few of which have been met.
Of course they knew they had to improve the defense against the run. They tried and didn’t make it happen. It’s a failure that diminished this season.
A couple guys got hurt, a couple got old, and some apparently haven’t learned what it takes. Sunday, almost every time the Hawks finally gathered a quorum of defenders to slow a running back, the back kept pushing ahead for extra yards.
Coach Pete Carroll acknowledged the issue in his first post-game comments. “We weren’t right on defense in the running game … again,” he said. “The tackling just seemed like it was really off.”
I’m sure that somebody out there is actually counting missed tackles. I’d guess it might have been close to two dozen for the Hawks.
In contrast, how many times did we see a Seahawk defender really nail somebody? You know, unleash a slobber-knocker, or a few decleaters? The kind of thing that makes the crowd gasp? Once, maybe, when rookie cornerback Devon Witherspoon nailed a guy.
And in one brief and glorious moment of nostalgia, linebacker Bobby Wagner scraped and filled the B gap and brought down a Steeler back for a loss. It was the kind of thing he did for a decade for the Seahawks, but now is a painful rarity.
In some ways, it might be a problem expanding across the league. The rules penalize defenders for forceful tackles. Now, if you unload on a back with enough G-force to stop him in his tracks and it might come at the expense of a penalty or fines.
To be fair to defenders, it’s a fine line they have to tip-toe.
Even the players are responsible to some extent, having lobbied for fewer contact practices and a reduced number of preseason games that give them full-speed preparation.
The Seahawks even teach rugby-style tackling. Maybe it’s all good for the health of the players, in the long run. In that case, we’ll learn to live with it.
But in the short run, until they learn how to bring the boom without the flags and fines, it leaves certain defenses getting run over by backfields like the Steelers’.
Seattle had pulled out of a four-game nosedive to earn a tentative post-season spot, but now need a win and help from some other teams to stretch the season for at least another week.
After that, will the Seahawks’ ownership must decide if it’s time to tear everything down to the foundation and start over? It’s risky, but at this point, it’s a fair debate.
If it weren’t for two miraculous last-minute touchdowns the last two games, this team could be on a seven-game losing streak. A fact that could heat up that debate.