Loss yesterday behind Tennessee...
YTD 11-10
Seattle -7
If you think this isn't Ugly, than A) you haven't backed the Hawks as faves lately and B) you haven't seen the Hawks defense give up two double digit leads at home in the 4th quarter this year, not to mention the pummeling they took at the hands of Buffalo, also at home.
Poor John Marshall. I'm sure he's a nice enough guy. Born in 1945 in Arroyo Grande, CA, the Seahawks LB coach has been coaching in some respect since 1967. He could have never envisioned that 37 years later he would be in charge of a unit this sorry; Orlando Huff, Isaiah Kacyvenski, Solomon Bates. It's no wonder every hair on his head is grey. But there is some good news for Marshall and friends this week.
It's the Cardinals, who've won only one road game all year (averaging 14.4 ppg), and that was against Miami by one point, who had won only one home game before whatever the heck it was that happened last Monday night. Zona QB, McCown, hasn't even played in a road game since that Miami game (Week 9), and has eclipsed 200 yards just once on the road this year, vs. really bad San Fran. Even those yards mostly came in an exhaustive comeback effort that fell just short.
Emmitt can't be relied on to carry the load anymore. His high rushing game on the road since Week One is 64 yards, and he's averaged less than 3.0 YPR four times in six road efforts.
But the best news is the fact Seattle has an offense they can rely on, and it will be stronger this week with the return of resident druggie Koren Robinson.
Hasselbeck sucked, frankly, the first time these teams met in Arizona. But in five home games we see Hasselbeck has thrown for 9 TD and 2 Int, vs. 11/12 in eight road games. Darrell Jackson has caught 23 balls the last three weeks, and the addition of Robinson on the other side will be huge, especially considering starting CB Hill will miss the game for the Cards, meaning Duane Starks will be bumped into the starting lineup and Arizona must tend to crafty veterans Rice and Engram with nickel backs and LB's on a unit with limited depth, also having to account for TE Stevens in the red zone. Not a good proposition.
If that weren't bad enough, Shaun Alexander has run for almost 1500 yards with twelve TD's this season. Zona's run defense has allowed an average of 156 YPG on the road, with an average of 5.3 YPR. There are simply too many offensive weapons on the Seattle side of the football for the Cards to worry about.
As always, it will be critical for Seattle to hold onto the football. This is how they were beaten by the Cards earlier this season, and will probably be the only way they lose this one. But, of course, and this is the scary part, the Cards have a very streaky offense, and can get hot in a hurry. Fitzgerald can flat out make plays, and Bryant Johnson is much improved. All I'm saying is, if you look up after the third quarter, and the Hawks are up 31-10, don't start celebrating just yet. John Marshall won't be.
GL,
Space.
YTD 11-10
Seattle -7
If you think this isn't Ugly, than A) you haven't backed the Hawks as faves lately and B) you haven't seen the Hawks defense give up two double digit leads at home in the 4th quarter this year, not to mention the pummeling they took at the hands of Buffalo, also at home.
Poor John Marshall. I'm sure he's a nice enough guy. Born in 1945 in Arroyo Grande, CA, the Seahawks LB coach has been coaching in some respect since 1967. He could have never envisioned that 37 years later he would be in charge of a unit this sorry; Orlando Huff, Isaiah Kacyvenski, Solomon Bates. It's no wonder every hair on his head is grey. But there is some good news for Marshall and friends this week.
It's the Cardinals, who've won only one road game all year (averaging 14.4 ppg), and that was against Miami by one point, who had won only one home game before whatever the heck it was that happened last Monday night. Zona QB, McCown, hasn't even played in a road game since that Miami game (Week 9), and has eclipsed 200 yards just once on the road this year, vs. really bad San Fran. Even those yards mostly came in an exhaustive comeback effort that fell just short.
Emmitt can't be relied on to carry the load anymore. His high rushing game on the road since Week One is 64 yards, and he's averaged less than 3.0 YPR four times in six road efforts.
But the best news is the fact Seattle has an offense they can rely on, and it will be stronger this week with the return of resident druggie Koren Robinson.
Hasselbeck sucked, frankly, the first time these teams met in Arizona. But in five home games we see Hasselbeck has thrown for 9 TD and 2 Int, vs. 11/12 in eight road games. Darrell Jackson has caught 23 balls the last three weeks, and the addition of Robinson on the other side will be huge, especially considering starting CB Hill will miss the game for the Cards, meaning Duane Starks will be bumped into the starting lineup and Arizona must tend to crafty veterans Rice and Engram with nickel backs and LB's on a unit with limited depth, also having to account for TE Stevens in the red zone. Not a good proposition.
If that weren't bad enough, Shaun Alexander has run for almost 1500 yards with twelve TD's this season. Zona's run defense has allowed an average of 156 YPG on the road, with an average of 5.3 YPR. There are simply too many offensive weapons on the Seattle side of the football for the Cards to worry about.
As always, it will be critical for Seattle to hold onto the football. This is how they were beaten by the Cards earlier this season, and will probably be the only way they lose this one. But, of course, and this is the scary part, the Cards have a very streaky offense, and can get hot in a hurry. Fitzgerald can flat out make plays, and Bryant Johnson is much improved. All I'm saying is, if you look up after the third quarter, and the Hawks are up 31-10, don't start celebrating just yet. John Marshall won't be.
GL,
Space.
