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Good morning. Here’s what’s “out there” about the Seahawks for today, Sept. 12:
Mike Sando at ESPN.com has his rapid reactions to the Seahawks’ 33-17 loss to the 49ers in San Francisco. One is this QB comparison: “The third-down numbers say neither Seattle’s Tarvaris Jackson nor San Francisco’s Alex Smith played particularly well. Jackson did connect with (Doug) Baldwin for that 55-yarder, and he made some other strong throws as well. His lone pick came on a Hail Mary to end the first half. That shouldn’t count against him. Jackson completed 21 of 37 passes for 197 yards and two touchdowns. Smith scrambled for a touchdown and absorbed a big hit in the process. He slid a couple of yards short of the marker on a third-and-9 play, though. It was the smart move, but a conversion there would have helped. Smith wound up completing 15 of 20 passes, a high percentage, and he threw no picks. That was enough on a day when not much offense was needed.”
Steve Kelley at the Seattle Times points the finger for this loss right where it belongs: The special teams, and specifically the coverage units that allowed Ted Ginn Jr. to return a kickoff (102 yards) and punt (55) for TDs in a 59-second span late in the fourth quarter. Say Kelley: “ ‘Blame it on me,’ Leon Washington said, being much too self-critical. ‘It’s on me.’ Washington, the Seahawks’ special teams co-captain and a premier kick returner, was angry at and surprised by the performance of his guys in Sunday’s season-opening 33-17 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. It was his unit that broke down. It was his team that committed penalties and robbed the offense of field position. The special teams were scorched twice by returns from Ted Ginn late in the game when the momentum had profoundly swung toward the Seahawks.”
Danny O’Neil at the Times focuses on the flipside of those returns: Ginn. Offers O’Neil: “If the kickoff return was the dagger that sealed the outcome, Ginn’s 55-yard punt return 59 seconds later just increased the sting. ‘We had two kicks returned for touchdowns,’ Carroll said. ‘That’s a bad day. That loses you a football game.’ Not that Seattle played well enough to win.”
Also from O’Neil, a look at the offense in the opener: “Progress is something that was hard to see before halftime. The only time Seattle crossed midfield was on its opening drive. And quarterback Tarvaris Jackson was subject to an abject beating as he was sacked three times. ‘It’s just unacceptable to do what we did in the first half and expect to win games,’ center Max Unger said.”
Dave Boling at the New Tribune ponders the offense feeding off the defense. Says Boling: “After a 33-17 loss to the 49ers, one of the prime questions about the Seattle Seahawks will regard new quarterback Tarvaris Jackson. I have one overriding feeling for Jackson: sympathy. Behind a line featuring three players getting their first NFL starts, Jackson was sacked five times and clobbered eight times. He lost two fumbles and threw an interception, so his debut was not the stuff of scrapbook memories. He was just a part of the vast offensive concerns, though. The inexperienced line, the 11 penalties, and the horrendous special teams were more culpable. Only the spirited defensive unit comes out of this one looking good, holding the Niners to one third-down conversion in 12 tries and one touchdown on five times inside the red zone.”
Eric Williams of the New Tribune also focuses on the special teams. Says Williams: “It’s hard to have much team chemistry when your kicker and two other players who played meaningful minutes in the season opener land on the roster within the last week. For all the emphasis on roster churn and improving the overall talent level during the past two seasons, Seattle coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider may have sacrificed a key ingredient to winning football – consistency.”
John Boyle at the Everett Herald also has visions of Ginn running through his head – and game story. Says Boyle: “The Seahawks thought they were on their way to a comeback victory Sunday afternoon. Then Ted Ginn Jr. happened. Twice.”
Christian Caple at PI.com offers his observations from the couch, where this one didn’t look any better. Says Caple: “Understand: this was the season opener, and it was played after a very abridged offseason that gave teams limited time to prepare. We know that. It’s been written here before. But I don’t know that anyone expected the Seahawks to be quite this bad, regardless of all the forces working against them.”
Here at Seahawks.com, we’ve got the game covered in words, pictures and video.
Peter King at SI.com has his “Monday Morning Quarterback” recap of the first Sunday of the regular season.
Source: Seahawks.com
Mike Sando at ESPN.com has his rapid reactions to the Seahawks’ 33-17 loss to the 49ers in San Francisco. One is this QB comparison: “The third-down numbers say neither Seattle’s Tarvaris Jackson nor San Francisco’s Alex Smith played particularly well. Jackson did connect with (Doug) Baldwin for that 55-yarder, and he made some other strong throws as well. His lone pick came on a Hail Mary to end the first half. That shouldn’t count against him. Jackson completed 21 of 37 passes for 197 yards and two touchdowns. Smith scrambled for a touchdown and absorbed a big hit in the process. He slid a couple of yards short of the marker on a third-and-9 play, though. It was the smart move, but a conversion there would have helped. Smith wound up completing 15 of 20 passes, a high percentage, and he threw no picks. That was enough on a day when not much offense was needed.”
Steve Kelley at the Seattle Times points the finger for this loss right where it belongs: The special teams, and specifically the coverage units that allowed Ted Ginn Jr. to return a kickoff (102 yards) and punt (55) for TDs in a 59-second span late in the fourth quarter. Say Kelley: “ ‘Blame it on me,’ Leon Washington said, being much too self-critical. ‘It’s on me.’ Washington, the Seahawks’ special teams co-captain and a premier kick returner, was angry at and surprised by the performance of his guys in Sunday’s season-opening 33-17 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. It was his unit that broke down. It was his team that committed penalties and robbed the offense of field position. The special teams were scorched twice by returns from Ted Ginn late in the game when the momentum had profoundly swung toward the Seahawks.”
Danny O’Neil at the Times focuses on the flipside of those returns: Ginn. Offers O’Neil: “If the kickoff return was the dagger that sealed the outcome, Ginn’s 55-yard punt return 59 seconds later just increased the sting. ‘We had two kicks returned for touchdowns,’ Carroll said. ‘That’s a bad day. That loses you a football game.’ Not that Seattle played well enough to win.”
Also from O’Neil, a look at the offense in the opener: “Progress is something that was hard to see before halftime. The only time Seattle crossed midfield was on its opening drive. And quarterback Tarvaris Jackson was subject to an abject beating as he was sacked three times. ‘It’s just unacceptable to do what we did in the first half and expect to win games,’ center Max Unger said.”
Dave Boling at the New Tribune ponders the offense feeding off the defense. Says Boling: “After a 33-17 loss to the 49ers, one of the prime questions about the Seattle Seahawks will regard new quarterback Tarvaris Jackson. I have one overriding feeling for Jackson: sympathy. Behind a line featuring three players getting their first NFL starts, Jackson was sacked five times and clobbered eight times. He lost two fumbles and threw an interception, so his debut was not the stuff of scrapbook memories. He was just a part of the vast offensive concerns, though. The inexperienced line, the 11 penalties, and the horrendous special teams were more culpable. Only the spirited defensive unit comes out of this one looking good, holding the Niners to one third-down conversion in 12 tries and one touchdown on five times inside the red zone.”
Eric Williams of the New Tribune also focuses on the special teams. Says Williams: “It’s hard to have much team chemistry when your kicker and two other players who played meaningful minutes in the season opener land on the roster within the last week. For all the emphasis on roster churn and improving the overall talent level during the past two seasons, Seattle coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider may have sacrificed a key ingredient to winning football – consistency.”
John Boyle at the Everett Herald also has visions of Ginn running through his head – and game story. Says Boyle: “The Seahawks thought they were on their way to a comeback victory Sunday afternoon. Then Ted Ginn Jr. happened. Twice.”
Christian Caple at PI.com offers his observations from the couch, where this one didn’t look any better. Says Caple: “Understand: this was the season opener, and it was played after a very abridged offseason that gave teams limited time to prepare. We know that. It’s been written here before. But I don’t know that anyone expected the Seahawks to be quite this bad, regardless of all the forces working against them.”
Here at Seahawks.com, we’ve got the game covered in words, pictures and video.
Peter King at SI.com has his “Monday Morning Quarterback” recap of the first Sunday of the regular season.
Source: Seahawks.com
