The Shaun2K Report: Week 12

Although Shaun falls a little behind his usual pace this week, he is still head and shoulders above the league . All the records below are still within reach.

Wk	Opp	Yds	Att	Avg	TD
1	JAC	73	14	5.21	0
2	ATL	144	28	5.14	1
3	ARI	140	22	6.36	4
4	WAS	98	20	4.90	1
5	STL	119	25	4.76	2
6	HOU	141	22	6.41	4
7	DAL	61	21	2.90	0
8	Bye	-	-	-	-
9	ARI	173	23	7.52	2
10	STL	165	33	5.00	3
11	SF	115	24	4.79	2
12	NYG	110	31	3.55	1
13	PHI
14	SF
15	TEN
16	IND
17	GNB
TOTAL		1339	263	5.09	20
CURRENT STATUS:
Games Played:					11
Games Left:					5
Projected Season Yards:					1947.64
Current Average Yards Per Game:					121.73
SHAUN2K GOAL:
Yards to 2,000:					661
Average Needed:					132.20
ERIC DICKERSON'S RUSHING RECORD:
Yards to New NFL Record [2,106]:					766
Average Needed:					153.20
PRIEST HOLMES' TD RECORD:
TD's to New Record [28]:					8
Projected TD's:					29
Average Needed:					1.60
PAUL HORNUNG'S SCORING RECORD:
Total Points:					120
Points to New Record [177]:					56
Projected points:					174.55
Average needed:					11.20

It's Not Luck, It's Skill

Around the world of NFL analysts and sports writers right now, there is a preposterous consensus that deems the 9-2, NFC leading, West division crushing, steamrollering Seahawks as 'lucky'.

At first glance, this would seem to be the case, especially when you consider Sunday's game, in which kicker Jay Feeley missed three straight field goals, any of which would have ended the Seahawks' winning streak and brought them back to the pack of NFC contenders.

But is it really luck that caused Feeley to miss his three chances, while Josh Brown nailed his one and only?

Take this into consideration: In Mike Sando's blog on the Tacoma News Tribune website, he often posts audio clips of his post game interviews and press conferences. Among his collection this week is a low-key interview with Seahawks kicker Josh Brown. In the sound clip, it reveals his un-kicker-like charm, but also sheds some light on the home field advantage Seattle kickers enjoy. They talked about how Feeley is normally a very good kicker, and the probable cause for the missed field goals. I created a partial transcript to help prove my point:

Sando: He kicks high –

Brown: He is a very good kicker, and he’s been stable. I guess tonight just wasn’t his night, and this is not an easy place to kick anyway.

Sando: But no wind today, or anything like that. It looked like it was fairly calm.

Brown: Well, it looks that way, and that’s why the first couple kicks were ground balls on kickoffs, because if you get the ball caught up in the air right there, it’s going to drop just that way. We felt like that today. That’s why you see all those kickoffs on the ground, we’re trying to get them to travel on the ground as far as you can – sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.

Sando: Is it on that one part of the field?

Brown: Yes, the one part of the field – the wind really swirls in there and it stays high. It’s not necessarily right down on the field. We had to contend with it a tiny bit, more so where I kicked it at the end of the game than where he did. Man, I feel bad. I feel real bad, because this could be costly.

Now, any logical person would say that both kickers had to deal with the conditions, and Brown said himself that it was worse on his end. But the difference? Josh Brown knew about the high, swirling wind on an otherwise still day, and he could compensate. Did Feeley? Not likely. How would he?

And that, my friends, is SKILL, PREPARATION, and HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE.

Mix in the team's DETERMINATION, and you have a win.

Is it LUCK? Not on my blue, hairy ass.

The Giants' perspective

Want to hear something hilarious?

KJR put together a montage of the Giants' radio broadcast team as they cover Feely's misses and Josh's game winner. Priceless.



Click here to link to KJR.com and download it.

Click here to link directly to the a quicktime audio file.

Upon Further Review, The Plays Stand!

Word out of the league offices now is that Holmgren misspoke since they are standing behind the ill fated calls.

Click the link above or the picture when I find one!

So to recap, we got screwed by two bad calls, won the game anyway, got temporary vindication, and are now getting screwed again.

Yup, sounds like the typical NFL treatment of the Seahawks!

TWM-REF EDITION

TWM-9

Sorry if I've gotten carried away, but I'm not sure if it's cuz I'm still hyped up over this win, but every picture I looked at from this game seemed to have TWM potential. Let's see if I was right!



Click on the picture to enlarge it and then leave your comments below!

TWM-8

Click on the picture to enlarge it and then leave your comments below!

TWM-7

Click on the picture to enlarge it and then leave your comments below!

TWM-6

Click on the picture to enlarge it and then leave your comments below!

TWM-5

TWM-4

Click on the picture to enlarge it and then leave your comments below!

TWM-3

Click on the picture to enlarge it and then leave your comments below!

TWM-2

Click on the picture to enlarge it and then leave your comments below!

monkey's Banana Peel Award

The award given to the offensive and defensive players who best slip up the opposition.

Let's face it, this game, going into it, meant a lot more to the Giants who are in the heat of an NFC East bloodbath than it did to the Seahawks who are so far ahead in their division that the fat lady stopped singing quite some time ago.
I know that many media people will forget about that, and they will focus only on the three missed field goals, rather than the fact that all of those attempts were from a long ways out, and that our the Seahawks defense held them to those long field goal attempts.
They will also forget, that just like the Giants, the Seahawks had plenty of chances to sew it up and didn't. The game should never have gone into overtime in the first place, considering the fact that, despite the great effort, Amani Toomer did not make that catch and considering the fact that Shockey never had controll of the ball when he got drilled and dropped the catch in the end zone.

Read the rest

The Ghost in Philly

well, here we are about 6 days away and counting until the monday game in Philly. yours truely...Ghost rider (aka Ghost of Knox...user name was not working) will be in the stands 13 rows off the field on the vistors side!

My only regret is that I hear it will be 28 degrees that night , so the cheerleaders will be bundle up...with only eyeballs sticking out! I will bring my camera and hopefully I can get some good shots of the game. Should be good because they retiring Reggie Whites number.

So as i enter the belly of the beast ( be it a much smaller one now), with shades of White looming everywhere, I will fear no eagles as T.O. is at the beach, McNabb is at his mothers house eating cambells soup, Tra is done and did not get an invite to Mrs. Mcnabbs house and Seahawks win gives us the division!

Chuck Darby

Here is a great read on DT Chuck Darby, one of the many unsung heroes for the 2005
Seahawks.

'Darby has no choice but to rev high on the field, seeing that he’s somewhat shorter than 6 feet and listed at 270 pounds. Sturdy, sure, but hardly meeting the accepted specs for NFL defensive linemen.

So, his game is a matter of leverage and determination. For blockers, facing Darby is like trying to keep a pit bull away from a pot roast.'

TWM-1

One Good Screw Deserves Another!

It's official! (no pun intended) We got our "oops, we messed up" letter from the NFL Head of Officiating.

KIRKLAND, Wash. (AP) - The Seahawks received rare word from the NFL that referee Larry Nemmers erred Sunday on the New York Giants' two touchdowns in Seattle's 24-21 overtime victory.

"I had a conversation with the league, and there were mistakes that were made, which we felt at the time," said Seattle coach Mike Holmgren, one of eight men on the NFL competition committee that oversees rules and game operations.

The NFL said touchdown catches made by Jeremy Shockey and Amani Toomer shouldn't have been ruled completions.

Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you like the play?

Other than that, Mrs. Kennedy, did you enjoy the parade?

Can you imagine how incredibly pissed we would be if (god forbid) Matt or Shaun got hurt in OT of a game that should have been won by us in regulation? What would the Refs do for us then? Hold Eli and Tiki out of the next game?

I've been on record in the forums saying that it's understandable why these plays were initially called TDs when viewed at game speed, but when you look at the replays, even without my Seahawks goggles, it's obvious that Shockey never got the second foot down, and Toomer's first foot slid out before his second foot tapped down.

Click the picture or external link to read the whole story on Sportsline.com

This One's on Check Award (SEA v NYG)

Damn, if handing out this one isn't obvious enough. So I'll just say it, this weeks This One's on Check Award goes to Jay Feely. Now that that's out in the open, what is the point of reading on? Well, cause ya never know if check is going to drop a proverbial metaphor bomb on you, that's why, so read on, if you're willing.

[Keep reading, dude]

Picture Worth a Thousand Words

Or at least worth 3 missed FG attempts! The comments along with it are pure crap, but I liked the picture so much (thanks ADP!) I *had* to post it here!

Congratulations Irish Greg!

Congratulations and bragging rights to the blog belong to Irish Greg, who outlasted all comers and eliminated the final contender, mfan, who unfortunately picked the Raiders to beat the Dolphins.

Nice going, Irish.

Citizen K Likes This Award

	Jeremy Shockey, Eli Manning, Amani Toomer, Tiki Barber, Jay Feely -- so many options! Who will be the proud possesser of the latest Citizen K Likes This Award today? (Or will it be a Seahawk?)
Read more on my awards blog...

Alan's D.O.G vs the New York Giants

I ended up catching the end of this one at a resturaunt. And, as I left the bar to go to the table, I thought to myself, "there's some magic in this team." The Cowboys game, the escape from San Fran, this game. These wins are almost surreal.

So, I have to agree with John Clayton and some guys on this one. I'll be honest. We got lucky in this one. Three missed field goals? Three times where everyone in the stadium thought it was over?

I have to confess it, we got lucky.

BUT...its because we were good.

Luck doesn't just happen in the NFL. You set yourself up for luck by working hard and putting yourself in position to get the lucky bounce. And our luck in winning this one goes back to the forth quarter when we scored and thought we were up for good.

For the Extremely Corny Bronze Racecar and even some ribbons....

[Read Full Story]

Yuengling, Chicken Wings and Home Field Advantage!

First of all, let me say HOLY FREAKING SCHNIKEES BATMAN...WHAT A FREAKING GAME??!!!

Second, let me say I'm really sorry not to be on the gameday chat thingy agonizing along with you guys, but let me set the stage for you. Me and SimpleHawk got together in a dive bar in a small town with an incredibly beautiful bartender named Rachel, the chicken wings were on special, and there was an obnoxious giants fan two stools down from us, who was a woman who went 315lbs if she weighed an ounce.
(GOX, I think you own several naked pictures of her!!!)

[Full Story]

Mic-ould I Get Another Hit Irvin Caught In The Clouds

On a day, im sure this site will get overcrowded with topics, I just thought I would share that our favorite anaylst, Michael Irvin, has been arrested on drug charges.

Obviously this explains why he feels we are horrible, and keeps seeing Seahawks knocking Cowboys off their horses in his sleep...

Former Dallas Cowboys receiver and current ESPN studio analyst Michael Irvin was charged with misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia after police searched his vehicle during a traffic stop, Plano police said Sunday.


Thought I would get another smile after the crazy game that went our way...this night completely wipes out the fact that all the other teams I was hoping to lose, won...so laugh away

GAMEDAY: NY Giants @ Seattle

Join us in LIVE GAMEDAY CHAT by clicking on the #12 jersey below!


The division title is all but wrapped up.

Rams: Vanquished.

Cardinals: Swallowed, digested and poo-ed.

49ers: Beat them on an 'off day'.

Now the time has come to start putting the hurt on some of the contenders of the conference. As Mack Strong put it, "The rest of the way out, the games are going to get bigger and bigger for us."

Winning the division is huge, but winning the home field advantage through the playoffs is epic.

The last place other teams want to play in January is Seattle (Egypt). The Seahawks are 19-3 at home during the regular season -- How tough will it be for them to steal one in the cold, wet dank Qwest Field in winter?

But this is getting too far ahead. It's time now to knock out the Giants and send them home dreaming of large women.

Enjoy the game. GO SEAHAWKS!!!



See you in chat -- all Seahawks fans are welcome, no membership, no registration.


Where are you coming from? Click the map and let us know!

NFC West Update week 12

Better late than never! Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving.

The Seahawks can wrap up the NFC West with a win over the Giants and a Rams loss to Houston. With the Seahawks playing great football and the Rams imploding I wouldn't be surprised if this happens. Wouldn't bank on it either.

This week's standings were double checked.

Seattle 8-2 (5-0)
St. Louis 4-6 (1-4)
Arizona 3-7 (2-3)
San Fransisco 2-8 (1-2)

St. Louis Rams
Last week: 38-28 loss to Arizona

The skinny: Right now, you're probably thinking, "Where's the threat level?" Time to face it: Seattle's the only team in the division making the playoffs. There is no threat from anyone.

The Rams have simply imploded thanks to front office problems. With how dysfunctional that franchise is, they could be a mediocre team for a few years. You also get the feeling that this team's window is closing. Isaac Bruce is in his 12th season, Torri Holt is in his 7th. The "Greatest Show on Turf" offense might not work for too many more seasons.

That said, there is some youth on the team as well. Bulger is in his 5th season, and Stephen Jackson is only in his 2nd. There will probably be a coaching change in the offseason, and that will probably bring a new offensive philosophy.

Oh, and Bulger is out this week with a bruised shoulder.
This week: at Houston

Arizona Cardinals
Last week: 38-28 win over St. Louis

The skinny: You know what time it is...

Neil rackers is sitll perfect on the season. Another fifty-one yarder for the Illinois product.

OK, but seriously, Kurt Warner and the offense are starting to develop into what the suits thought they might be able too. The defense continues to be the problem in the desert. This team needs an offensive line and a lot of retooling on the other side of the ball.

This week: vs. Jacksonville

San Fransisco 49ers
Last week: 27-25 loss to Seattle.

The skinny: Can you handle a curveball? Because I'm going to use the 49ers to bash the Bears.

There are some who point to Seattle's two point escape over the 49ers as evidence that the Seahawks are not the best team in the NFC. The new leaders? The Bears.

Let's travel back in time to two weeks ago. Take away the freak 108-yard return and Chicago beats San Fran by 1 point.

Instead of saying these were escapes though, why not give the 49ers their due. They aren't great, but they play hard every game. Mike Nolan should get votes for coach of the year (he shouldn't win it, but he should get votes). The 49ers deserve to win a few games before season's end.

This week: at Tennessee

Enjoy the games,

Alan

Happy Thanksgiving

At this time of year, we all pause to overeat, watch bad football teams and give thanks for the things we have in life.

In this vein, I'd like to offer up the things I'm thankful for at this point of the 2005 football season.

* I'm thankful that it's Thanksgiving, and not only do the Seahawks have a shot at the playoffs, but we could be the first team to clinch a spot if things go well on Suday.

* I'm thankful that people are talking about the Seahawks and home field advantage throughout the playoffs, and it's not a punchline to some joke.

* I'm thankful that our team has avoided the rash of injuries they suffered last year (knock wood) and that guys have stepped up huge when key plays have had to miss games.

* I'm thankful that the Seahawks hired Tim Ruskell and that the free agent acquisitions and draft choices we made have paid dividents so quickly.

* I'm thankful that Ray Rhodes and Ken Hamlin seem to be recouperating on schedule, and look forward to having them both back on the team next season.

* I'm REALLY thankful that the Seahawks beat the Rams twice this year, won a game after the bye, and have won a couple of close matches, showing that this is not "your father's brand" of the Seahawks.

* I'm thankful I got to see them play in San Francisco last week, and that I just got a nice Seahakws logo tie from my sister today, as a belated birthday gift.

* And most of all, I'm thankful for this blog, which has really given me a place to feed my Seahawks "jones" and given me a great group to "watch" the games with on Sunday.

Keep up the good work boys, and let's here what you're thankful for.

monkey's rant, are NFL players role models?

I posted this after commenting on a previous thread about Terrell Owens, so he figures prominently into this rant. If you already read it in the comments, sorry, skip it or read it again. Either way I would love some feedback and to hear what you guys have to say, I know this isn't a Seahawk specific thing but it is an NFL and a football thing, and I think it is an important topic in todays society.

ROLE MODEL: A person who serves as a model in a particular behavioral or social role for another person to emulate. A person whose behavior in a particular role is imitated by others. (NOTE: In this definition, there is no mention of intent or good or bad behavior, just behavior which is emulated)

It has long been my contention that to say that athletes aren't role models is simply disingenuous.
Each team in each league in every sport, has gone out of it's way to market their athletes, as just that... role models.
Way back in the day, the media used to actually cover for the star athletes misbehavior, because teams didn't want the images of their athletes tarnished, because they wanted their athletes to be thought of as role models. Why? Because it sells.
Teams market their athletes, not the game itself. They sell jerseys with their star players numbers on it.
During the commercials on T.V. for the NFL they say, watch Michael Vick and the Atlanta Falcons, take on Brian Urlacher and the Chicago Bears.
They don't say watch the strategy unfold as coach Holmgren matches wits with coach Parcells. They don't even say watch the breathtaking catches and bone jarring tackles. They aren't selling the game itself, and they certainly aren't selling the X's and O's of the game, they are selling their heros, their media creations, their role models.

Think about it, as a kid, who did you pretend to be when you went out to recess?
Did you pretend to be your teacher, or your dad, or the president, or some other person that we say today should be kids role models?
Nope, you pretended to be Steve Largent or Jim Zorn or Kenny Easley.
Perhaps in a perfect society we would all have our pastor or priest or our teachers or parents or even some brainy N.A.S.A. engineer as role models, but that isn't the way things really are. Perhaps it should be that way...but it isn't.
The truth is, whether these athletes want to be role models or not is a moot point, they are because they are marketed to be, and they are because kids and adults alike want them to be and make them into role models.
Althletes don't have the choice of whether or not to be role models, they are role models like it or not.
What they do have a choice in, is whether they are good or bad role models.
As long as kids emulate them and buy their jerseys and day dream about being them or being like them, they are role models, but whether they are good or bad ones, is up to them.
I have always found it laughable when people say that just because so and so made some bad choices, it doesn't make him a bad person! That's truly hysterical, it's like saying that just because so and so joined the Army and wears an Army uniform, doesn't mean he is a soldier.
What makes a person good or bad is his or her decisions! The truest definition of a bad person, is one who while knowing right from wrong, chooses to do wrong.
In the case of T.O. one can say that what he did isn't evil... true I suppose, but it was wrong, and he knew it.
Everyone knows that it is unsportsmanlike to talk badly about your teammates, no matter what the truth is. Everyone knows that throwing a teammate under the bus the way T.O. did to Jeff Garcia and then Donovan McNabb is outside the code of sportsmanship, if not flat out a$$holish.
So please don't tell me that just because T.O. did a bunch of stupid things, that doesn't make him a bad guy; yes he is, that's exactly what bad guys are. Bad guys are ones who do stupid things and make bad decisions, knowing full well the difference between good and bad. T.O. knew what he was doing, but he is selfish and didn't care. He felt slighted so he wanted to hurt his teammate. And remeber, this isn't the first time, he has a long history of doing these types of things, because he is selfish.
Yes selfish people are bad people, that's exactly what bad people are.
The best definition of evil is self-centeredness, or do what thou wilt. Evil people don't think of themselves as evil usually, they just do what makes them feel good at the time with little or no thought for the concerns of others. They do what they want because they want to; and to hell with the consequences. That is T.O. to a tee.

In a sense we are all role models to someone, and of course we all make bad decisions, but the difference is that professional athletes, choose to become involved in an edeavor were their behavior on and off the field is put under a microscope each and every day. They know this going into it. It comes with the millions of dollars they make, and the fame they wallow in. Being a role model is the cost of being a professional athelte.

If a person doesn't want to be a role model then they should not become a professional athlete. But once they are profesional athletes, and by default, role models; it is up to them to decide what type of role models they will be.
Trent Dilfer is a good role model, T.O. is a bad role model, because T.O. is a selfish person, and selfish people are intrinsically bad people.
You don't have to like it or even agree, but that's just the way things are, that's just the truth.

W11: Moonlight Graham Award

Since several other contributors shunned the opportunity to consider me for their award, give the fact that I was in attendance at the game, being a well documented glory-whore, I'm compelled to submit my own name for this week's Moonlight Graham Award.

Making the cross country trek to the game, representing in the stands with Seahawks gear, and posting great pix of the players and cheerleaders could definitely be considered "stepping up and out of obscurity" for dear old Alba. However, given the fact that the travel was paid for, I worked in a family visit, and I forgot to bring the freaking Pay $haun Now sign to the game, even I can't justify giving the award to me!

[Full Story]

Terrell Owens: A Possible Cure or Possible Disease?

I was recently reading a web article on this year’s top sports turkeys. I was not surprised to find Terrell Owens received the top spot. The article sparked much conversation between Monkey and myself. It was at that time that I remembered back to Monkey’s Seattle P.I. blogging days when he boldly made the prediction that within two years T.O. would destroy the Eagles. Unfortunately, for the Eagle’s my sweet sexy monkey’s prediction has come true. (I knew it would…He is THE monkey) Most of the contributors to the P.I. site at that time were in no hurry to agree to completely agree with Monkey’s prophecy and many thought Owens would benefit the team. I have to say living with the genius of Monkey is a blessing. *sighs dreamily and looks at her sleeping monkey*
So why am I talking about this? Because recently I have been hearing Seahawks fans call in to sports radio shows and say that Owens would be a great addition to the Seahawks if he is released after his 4-game suspension. I have to say it blows my mind that fans who have witnessed his effects on the 49er’s and Eagles would want him on their team.
I will say that his sheer athletic ability and performance on the field would be a great addition to the Hawks. We don’t have a true number one receiver and T.O. would definitely upgrade our already fantastic offense. If Owen didn’t come with his attitude, I think I would cry or pee my pants to see Hasselbeck, D. Jack, Shaun Alexander and Terrell Owens out on the field…on the same team. We would be phenomenal. I think it would push us over the top but at what cost? Could anyone who was a true Seahawks fan cheer for this spoiled brat?
I guess my question to you is, if T.O. were to come to Seattle and the Seahawks won it all this year, would the victory be tainted for the true fans?

Being There!

Much like many newspapers do after a game, I decided to breakdown my my trip to San Francisco and grade each aspect individually. If you get bored with the article, at least click the links for pictures from the game.

Game Action

Sideline Distractions

Young and Restless

TRANSPORTATION - C
As you can see from my trip out, ground transportation started a little rough when I missed my exit in Albany and had a little difficulty getting to the airport. Transportation to the game started with a cab ride from my hotel to my brother's apartment, then a bus ride to the game, which got us there midway through the first quarter, missing the first Seahawk scoring drive. This had more to do with me not being able to leave my board retreat until 11:30am though, which is why the grade is not lower. Actually, being able to get a round trip bus ride for $7 is awesome. Mental Note: next time leave earlier, and bring the damn sign!

WEATHER - A+
Mark Twain is famous for the quote "one of the coldest winters of my life was a summer I spent in San Francisco". Well Samuel Clemons, you should have been there in the Fall, because the weather was OUTSTANDING. We were out in the open so if it rained it would have sucked, but the sun was at our backs (rather than in our eyes) and it was a bright and clear day.

SEATING - B
Our seats were about 20-something rows back from the South end zone, just to the right of the goal post, giving us an unobstructed view of the action. The Cheerleaders that spent most of their time in our end were gorgeous (see later grade and pictures) and they would frequently get up on a platform for their routines, giving us better views of the scenery. The 49er fans in our section were cool, and there were Seahawk faithful peppered throughout. The one fight was close enough to see, but far enough not to be dangerous, and nobody threw beer on me. We were also able to get a good view of Steve Young and Bill Walsh as they came out prior to the halftime award ceremony. The only thing keeping this from getting an A+ was that all the action was in the other end zone. Thank god for binoculars!

FOOD AND BEVERAGE - A
Being pretty well hungover from the Board Retreat dinner outing the night before (too many double-Jacks) I didn't partake of alcoholic beverages, but the hot dog was delicious and the stadium sized Diet Pepsi in my souvenir 49er cup didn't require me to file a financial form. The vendors at the stadium were polite and chatty, and I couldn't finish the $4 back of peanuts, which means it was a bargain!

GAME ACTION - A+
While I would have been happy with a blow out, having a close game made it much more exciting, and gave plenty of opportunity to exchange smack-talk with two of my three other game mates, who were 9er fans. (my brother did not get the football gene in the family, but accompanied us out of courtesy!) The roar of the crowd when they overturned the call giving SF that late game touchdown was deafening, as was the silence that immediately followed the unsuccessful 2-point conversion.

The two best plays that were close to us were the near San Francisco touchdown that was ruled incomplete, which was in the corner of our end zone, and the Rocky Bernard sack where he just blew past the center, which was deep in our end. We also got a good view of that spectacular catch by SF near midfield, as well as D.J. Hackett's near reception that was broken up by the SF linebacker.

While I'm sure the Seahawks will be a little tight in two weeks, having the opportunity to wrap up the division, and the 49ers will be loose, see what I saw yesterday, my prediction for our rematch in the Emerald City is the blowout that this game was supposed to be.

Alan's D.O.G. at San Fransisco

Who isn't happy this week? The Seahawks get the win and the 49ers played a great game. So you know that those two fanbases are happy to some degree. could the win have been better? Sure. Could San Fran have pulled it out? Maybe.

The national media is happy too. They can go back to their second favorite pastime: Hatin' the 'Hawks (second only behind talking about TO). Yes, the boys from Bristol have begun the Bears lovefest. More on this later in the week.

[Read Full Story]

The Shaun2K Report: Week 11

I added some new data to track in this weekly feature. Since Shaun is on pace to break several single season records, why not keep track of them all?

Alexander loses some ground in the unofficial quest for 2,000 yards, but he gains ground in scoring, putting him on the fast track to break Priest Holmes' single season touchdown record, and Paul Hornung's single season scoring record set in 1961.

Wk	Opp	Yds	Att	Avg	TD
1	JAC	73	14	5.21
2	ATL	144	28	5.14	1
3	ARI	140	22	6.36	4
4	WAS	98	20	4.90	1
5	STL	119	25	4.76	2
6	HOU	141	22	6.41	4
7	DAL	61	21	2.90	0
8	Bye	-	-	-	-
9	ARI	173	23	7.52	2
10	STL	165	33	5.00	3
11	SF	115	24	4.79	2
12	NYG
13	PHI
14	SF
15	TEN
16	IND
17	GNB
TOT		1229	232	5.30	19

Games Played:	10
Games Left:	6
Projected Season Yards:	1966.40
Current Average Yards Per Game:	122.90
Yards to 2,000:	771
Average Needed:	128.50
Yards to NFL Record [2,106]:	876
Average Needed:	146.00
TD's to Record [28]:	9
Projected TD's:	30
Average Needed:	1.50
Total Points:	114
Points to Record [177]:	62
Projected Points:	182.4
Average Needed:	10.33

mon-KEYS to the Game

I'm sure we all recognize the importance of this game, it will likely be the only game, (other than the Colts game) left on the Seahawks schedule, where they will be facing an opponent with roughly equivalent talent.
So without going any further into the impact of this game (and because I have a lot to say) I will jump right into my mon-KEYS.

The Giants defense is an above average defense who can give a team fits, if they are unprepared for what they bring. But like any team in today's NFL, they have both strengths and weaknesses which can be exploited. Arguably the Giants greatest defensive strength is on the defensive line, where they have two very good pass rushers on the ends, including Michael Strahan, who is a sure fire can't miss first ballot Hall of Famer, and deserves to be. Strahan is an elite end, who deserves all the accolades he gets, he is flat out scary. On the other side, is Osi Umenyiora, who is no slouch himself though certainly not anywhere near the caliber of Strahan. Osi plays RE and will line across Walter Jones, which means that Osi doesn't even factor into this game at all. He might as well be sitting on sidelines, because he won't be doing anything other than getting pushed around anyway. The same can be said of William Joseph, the RDT for the Giants who will be lined against Steve Hutchinson, he too will not be a factor in this game. Unfortunately Sean Locklear and Chris gray will have their work cut out for them against Strahan and Kendrick Clancy the Giants LDT who is decent but not great. I feel sorry for Chris Gray when the Giants run stunts to get Strahan inside to pass rush, and I get the feeling that Locklear is about to have his biggest test as a pro.
There is one other Giants defender who I should mention here, who is quickly emerging as an elite defensive player, that is MLB Antonio Pierce, who is as sure a tackler as there is in the league. He is good at shedding blocks, and even better at mucking up an opposing teams running game. Those are the real strengths of the Giants defense, but as I said, there are weaknesses as well, and these weaknesses can be exploited with the right game plan.
First of all, the Giants Corners Will Allen and William Peterson, are both very average at best. They are both very, very beatable, though this weakness is usually not exposed, due to the Giants pass rush. Brent Alexander the Giants free safety and Gibral Wilson the strong safety also neatly fit into the category of average at best. Nothing about the Giants secondary is very scary, except that they have the distinct advantage of having a terrific pass rush ahead of them, which mostly covers up their inadequacies. Everyone knows that the best way to slow down a good pass rush, is to run the ball right at the pass rushers. Slow them down by pushing them backwards, tire them out, and get them out of their game, get them thinking run instead of pass, and you have a very good shot at least slowing down considerably the pass rushing effectiveness.

Offensive mon-KEY #1: Run the ball down Strahans throat!Strahan is not one of those one dimensional pass rushers who cannot play the run, he can and does, but he is not nearly as good at run stopping as he is pass rushing, not nearly. Strahan also has the tendency to over-pursue, which can open up cutback lanes for Alexander. With Strong lead blocking, the left side of the Giants DLine can be exploited by the running game, it will not be easy, but it can and MUST be done, if the Seahawks want to take Strahan out of his game early, (and believe me they do!). Don't get me wrong, I'm not talking about running at the expense of the pass, not at all, as I said I think the giants weak spot is in their secondary, which means passing will be the best way to hurt them.
I just mean that we need to give Strahan a dose of Alexander, to slow him down.

Offensive mon-KEY #2: On passing downs, give Locklear and Gray help.
This means, don't be afraid to move Stevens over to that side to help block, or to leave Strong in at times. Also there are several things that Hasselbeck can do to help, by getting rid of the ball early. Plays that allow Hasselbeck to waggle, or even roll out to get some separation from Strahan wouldn't hurt either.
The one big advantage the Seahawks have here, is that the west coast offense is supposed to be about quick, short passing; and quick short passes, do not allow Strahan the time he needs to do any real damage.
Having said that, the way that the Giants will likely try to counter the short quick passing game, is by bringing up the corners close and bumping our receivers in that 5 yards bump zone.
Nice thing about that though, is sometimes, while it may disrupt the quick passing game somewhat, it will allow the receiver to beat the Corner deep. Hass really must not be afraid to go deep and take a shot when that happens. Also, bringing the corners up, can allow Stevens to slip into the middle of the zone or get deep and hurt them bad.
I have noticed in nearly every game this season that there are at least one or two plays where Stevens has gotten wide open deep, and Hass has not thrown him the ball. It would be wise, for Hasselbeck to take advantage of Stevens as often as the situation presents itself against the Giants. Which leads me to my next point.

Offensive mon-KEY #3: Take advantage of the height disparity our receivers have on the Giants corners. In saying this of course, I have in mind, especially Stevens and Jurivicius.
There will likely be times when it appears to Hasselbeck that no one is really wide open (partly because of our receivers lack of blazing speed for separation), this simply means he needs to throw it up high and let Stevens and J.J. out jump the Giants defenders for it. Up until now, Matt has not really had to do too much of that, our receivers have generally found ways to get enough separation, especially on crossing patterns, that Hass can lead them. Against the Giants pass rush, there simply may not be enough time to wait for the crossing patterns to develop.
No problem, just throw it up high, and let our trees go get it.
The Giants corners, as I said before are truly a weak spot on the Giants defense, Holmgren should be able to design ways to attack them and take advantage of our size disparity.
Strangely, despite the fact that the Giants daily practice against Shockey, I have noticed a tendency in the Giants defense, that also can and should be exploited, and ties in with an earlier mon-KEY I gave. Teams that have played the Giants have been able to use their TE as a sort of blocking decoy, it appears as if the TE is in as an extra blocker on Strahans side, but then rather than actually blocking, he fakes the block then pops off the line 5-15 yards into the middle of the field wide open. You would not think that the Giants would be caught off guard by this since they have Shockey but it is true I have seen it myself. Hopefully Holmgren and company have also noticed this tendency and have factored Stevens heavily into the game plan, because I believe it will work.

Offensive mon-KEY #4 No more three and outs, like the Seahawks had against the Niners! Ball control will be a HUGE mon-KEY in this game! I know that nearly every week I stress the importance of running the ball, but this week I must stress it even more than usual. In order to keep the Giants offensive weapons off the field and to slow down the pass rush, running the ball this game is a MUST, no matter how much Holmgren hates it! Like I said before short quick passes as a compliment to the run also is a must. I want to see several long time consuming drives in this game, because if the Hawks can Put together several of those types of drives, they WILL WIN. If not, the Hawks defense will be in for a long, long day.
Defensively, the Seahawks really have their work cut out for them. The Giants are one of those teams that are truly balanced, they are equally effective this season running the ball and throwing the ball. With the addition of Plaxico Burress, the Giants passing game has become scary, and Tiki Barber is simply one of the most dangerous weapons in the league. Tiki (along with the Falcons Warrick Dunn) are two of the NFLs running backs who I consider among the leagues most underrated players. Tiki Barber is the kind of back who can single-handedly destroy a defense, not only with his running, which is both fast and shifty, but also with his hands, which are among the best among NFL backs.
As of this posting, I am not sure just how effective that Shockey will be against us, since he was apparently hurt in the chest enough that he was having difficulty lifting his arms enough to dress himself. Whether he plays or not is at this time up in the air, and whether or not he will be 100% for this game is very unlikely. Still Shockey Must be accounted for as he also is a VERY dangerous weapon in the Giants arsenal.

Defensive mon-KEY #1: Watch the Vikings vs. Giants game film until it is BURNED into every defensive players memories and EMULATE IT! While my wife Monster thinks that it is cruel and unusual punishment to watch the Vikings at all, the Vikings game planned PERFECTLY for the Giants, at least from a defensive perspective.
What the Vikings did, was simply take Plaxiglass and Shockey out of the equation, they did this by doubling up on Plaxiglass nearly the entire game, and by hitting Shockey, and hitting him hard each and every time he came off the line.

Therefore, Defensive mon-KEY #2 Double up on Plaxico Burress, take him out of the game, even at the expense of allowing Amani Toomer making a few catches. Toomer is a decent WR but he is not really anything special, what he can do to the Seahawks defense is not nearly what Plaxico can do to it. Plaxico has both the size and the speed to hurt us bad. Toomer has neither.

Defensive mon-KEY #3 Put a helmet on Shockey every time he comes off the line, (or if he isn't playing then hit the backup). Shockey shouldn't be 100% so I am not as worried about him as I normally would be, but still...one never knows. Hit him, hit him and hit him. Take him our of his routes, disrupt his timing.
If the Seahawks do these two things, Eli Manning has shown that he can and will make STUPID ROOKIE like mistakes. The Vikings defense is certainly no better than ours, and yet they found a way to completely get into Mannings head, by taking away his two primary targets, he looked dazed and confused.

Defensive mon-KEY #4 Tiki Barber is the key to the Giants offense, STOP HIM AT ALL COSTS! It really doesn't matter what it takes to stop him, this guy is flat out dangerous, the largest part of the defensive game plan should revolve around ways of taking out this threat. If he is allowed to get on a roll early, he can hurt us more than anyone else on this team.
Having said that, the Seahawks also have one very big advantage over the Giants here; as a unit, the Giants offensive line is actually pretty darn pathetic. The Seahawks defense SHOULD be able to put more than adequate pressure on Manning even without blitzing, by just bring our front four, we should be able to find ways to get sacks and or at least be disruptive. Although Luke Pettigout is not bad, I would say he is a pretty decent LT, he is really about it for the Giants OLine. I fully expect the Seahawks DT's along with Bryce Fisher to have a big day against this line. I expect Rocky Bernard and Chuck Darby to fully have their way with David Diehl and Chris Snee, the Giants two guards who are nothing to write home about.
Fisher will be lined against McKenzie who is OK but again nothing to write home about, and I look for Fisher to own him the same way that he has owned every RT he has faced so far this season. Even Wistrom has a much easier task this week against Pettigout than he has against most of the LT's he has faced this season.
This should be a very big advantage for the Seahawks this game, in that without bringing extra rushers too often they can still find ways to disrupt.

Bottom line: This is likely to be a very tough game for the Seahawks, there is no doubt that the Giants are a good team with some very dangerous weapons. However, I also believe that we really truly match up very well with this team. The Giants great pass rush has yet to face an offensive line like ours. Even against the monster Strahan, the Seahawks OLine has the advantage IMHO.
Though it will not be easy to run against the Giants, it shouldn't really be that difficult either. To this point in the season, the Giants have not been a very good run stopping team, they do have a darn good MLB who will likely cause some headaches, but overall, this team CAN be run against. And it should if the Hawks want to slow down the pass rush.
I truly believe that as much as the Seahawks defense has their work cut out for them, the Giants defense has it's work cut out for them even more so. Given the Giants weak secondary, and their average at best run stopping, I really see no problems moving the ball against the Giants, and even if it becomes a shootout, outscoring them.
I'm not sure why it is that the Seahawks are not getting very many turnovers, but against the inexperienced, and mistake prone, Eli Manning this should be one of those games where the defense looks for and anticipates getting a few. The defense MUST be aggressive, no more of this soft a$$ crap like we saw against the Niners. That sort of crap will NOT work against the Giants...I repeat, WILL NOT! We cannot afford to allow the Giants to move the ball freely between the 20s like we have thus far in the season, bend don't break will break against this caliber offense, mark my words!

monkey's prediction: The Seahawks win in a shootout squeaker, Seahawks 42 Giants 35

A Fight to the Finish!

In case you haven't been paying attention, the first annual 12 Seahawks Street Knockout Pool is down to the main event, a manno-a-manno battle between IrishGreg and mfan, after Parkhill Seachicken suffered a late round TKO at the hands of the Lambs.

Also, the Under Card pool is down to the Elite Eight.

This One's on Check Award (SEA @ SF)

I have a very difficult time trying to pin this award on a 49er, since face it, those fairies played their hearts out, and not a one of them stood out as having a bad day. I gotta give props out to Dorsey, who played us tough, and unafraid until the very last play. More props to Brandon Lloyd who put up a game against our DB's that we haven't seen since week 1 against Jacksonville.

So if this award is tought to give to a 49er, what about giving it to...

[Full Story]

Citizen K Likes This Award

Due to a heavy end-of semester workload the Citizen K Likes This Award will not be chosen this week. If Citizen K was not too busy to pick a winner, he would have tabbed the rookie linebacker duo of Lofa Tatupu and Leroy Hill. Unfortunately for them, they will not be so honored--at least not this week. Check back here next week for an expanded holiday edition of the Citizen K Likes This Award.

monkey's Banana Peel Award

The award given to the offensive and defensive players who best slip up the opposition.

For those of you who like the idea of the Seahawks flying under the radar, media wise, you should be happy again today; once again the National Media has found someone other than the Seahawks to talk about.
Despite having the best record in the NFC at 8-2, because the win was a squeaker, and because the Bears handed it to the Panthers, the Media is once again off the Seahawks bandwagon and is now hopping onto the Bears. Those who were saying they needed to see more from Seattle are reiterating that opinion, and for those who just don't know much about the Seahawks, (most of the media) they once again have someone else to talk about other than the Seahawks, to their apparent relief.
Be that as it may, a win is a win, and at 8-2 rapidly approaching homefield advantage throughout the playoffs, we cannot avoid media attention much longer.


read the rest of the award

A Picture's Worth a 1,000 Words!

Click the image to enlarge your experience!

GAMEDAY: Seattle @ San Francisco

All I can say about the Seahawks at this point in the season, is "WOW".

Hang on to your foam heads, fellow fans. This one should be a wild ride.

Pretty much everyone on the planet expects the Seahawks to win. The question is: How much? The last line I saw gave the 49ers 12.5 points.

San Francisco may suck, but they put up a good fight. If the Seahawks have any form of letdown this could prove to be a complete embarassment, akin to waking up in the morning, going to your 5th grade class and forgetting to wear pants.

Without a doubt, this team has shown nothing but professionalism, winning the games they are expected to, by a sound margin. But if you are like me, you always worry about games like this. We've been conditioned, like Pavlov's dogs, to expect a letdown now and then.

In any case, this is one of those special seasons where every game, every quarter, every play is one to be cherished. This promising team has been a long time coming. Enjoy the game. See you in chat, and

GO SEAHAWKS!!!


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Is God a Shaun Alexander Fan?

A special thanks goes to maomatt for this one - The NASA Astronomy Pic of the day features nothing else but a clear, glorious number 37 in the sky.

I will summarily throw all earthly logic aside and assume that when Shaun Alexander named his children Trinity and Heaven, he created a divine mojo that has this giant burning gaseous confuence lining up in reciprocal tribute.

Now named 'NGC 2169' or 'The "37" Cluster', it can be found with a Right Ascension of 06 08 24, and a Declination of +13 57 54.

Just kidding. Like you were going to look it up. Bwaaahhaahhaa!

Oh, and did I mention? This truly is the year Shaun Alexander rewrites the record books. Expect Eric Dickerson, Paul Hornung and Priest Holmes to have their grapes crushed by the best rushing offense since the first Alexander the Great developed the phalanx.

This is just too cool.

California Here I Come!

Read about Alba's Trip in His Travel Log:

Friday: Getting There


Reposted so you can look for me! Monster Park has rules against signs, so I'm not sure I can bring my "Alba Sez Pay Shaun Now!" sign. I wanted to title this Alba Does Monster, but I didn't want to get Monkey mad at me!!!

I know the Seahawks at 49ers game isn't for another 48 days, but I just pulled the trigger on some endzone seats on StubHub.com and I'm geeked!

I'll be in San Franscisco that week on business, and I have a brother who lives in town so I got a place to crash after the game.

Let's hope our boys continue on a roll all season, including kicking 49-er ass up and down the field at Monster Park!

Just had to throw this in. Have a great time, Alba!

-Bluefoot

Playoff breakdown

In the NFC West Update, someone asked that instead of listing the "threat to win the division" I shold write "threat to make playoffs."

Then someone else brought up that the number of teams in the West that will be playing past week 17 is kind of low.

And then some one noticed a number error bigger than Enron and it all went to pot.

So...I figured, let's make everyone happy (and maybe get redeemed) by breaking down the NFC Playoff picture.

IF THE PLAYOFFS STARTED TODAY:

Team (how qualified)
Seattle Seahawks (West Champion)
Carolina Panthers (South Champion
New York Giants (East Champion)
Chicago Bears (North Champion)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Wildcard)
Atlanta Falcons (Wildcard)

Lets go division by division to break this down some more...

West: Seattle has it wrapped up for the most part. The Rams have a chance at the wildcard.

South: Carolina has yet to play anybody, but is good regardless. Tampa Bay and Atlanta will challenge for division title though.

East: Giants and Cowboys are tied for first right now. If Eli Manning continues to struggle, the Cowboys will over take the division lead.

North: The Bears have a great defense, but not much else. The Vikings are playing stronger as of late.

So...who gets in? Here's a hint: not whose up there now.

The west, as I said is wrapped up. The Seahawks should wrap the division up in the next few weeks and concentrate on getting a high seed.

Carolina will stay in...but not as the NFC South Champion. They're opening day loss to New Orleans tells me more than their seven wins can. the Panthers still have to play Atlanta twice and Tampa once.

Simply put, the Giants score. I think that alone can take them to the playoffs, especially in the NFC. They play Philly twice and Dalls once more, so they are in no way free from divisional play. If the Giants lose to the Cowboys in week 13, they will have to concentrate on the wild card.

The Bears have done nothing to impress me this season, Their defense is great, but the offense is woeful. With the Bears, if you get one or two big plays in a game, you can beat them. You really only need 17-20 points. The Bears still have to play Green Bay twince and visit Minnesota. To say the Bears have wrapped up the division is a stretch, and I don't think they make the playoffs. (More on this later)

Atlanta and Tampa Bay play twice, in games that could decide the NFC South race. I like tampa's defense to prevail and win the division, with Carolina getting in on the wild card.

I've filled up three spots so far (Seahawks, Tampa Bay, Carolina) Here's who I think will make it in.

NFC east champion: Dallas Cowboys. A solid football team, good defensively. Maybe they needed luck against the Eagles, but still good. Parcelss and Bledsoe have made for a good combination so far. A somewhat difficult schedule (Giants, Broncos, and Panthers) but a doable one.

NFC North champion: Minnasota Vikings. People made the mistake of writting off the love-boat Vikings early in the season. This team has come together and played much better. They've won three of their past four games, including an OT win over New York. You want to talk about championship caliber wins? That has to be up there. The Vikings have been given every reason to fold and they haven't. That makes them scary as we roll into December.

The other wildcard: New York Giants. They can put up points and have a defense to match. They lost to the Vikings, but not because of their defense. If NY gives Tiki Barber the ball more, this team can make the post season.

So we've got

Seattle (west champion)
Tampa Bay (South Champion)
Dallas (East champion)
Minnesota (North champion)
Carolina (wild card)
New York (wild card)

Let the debating begin,

Alan