Hawks coming together like the Niners of old
In case you haven't noticed, Mike Holmgren is having fun again.
You can see it not only in the way the Seahawks offense is playing, but in the way Holmgren is calling the game -- aggressively, with all options operational.
It prompts another hatching of the chicken-and-egg debate, NFL edition.
Is Holmgren letting it rip because the offense is on a tear? Or, is the offense ranked No. 1 in the league because Holmgren has unleashed his laminated play card?
Actually, it's all about trust. The more his players -- and especially quarterback Matt Hasselbeck -- show they can handle, the more Holmgren will hand them.
The combination isn't just clicking, it has unlocked the memory vault.
The numbers the Seahawks have put up in their 7-2 start are reminiscent of the San Francisco 49ers -- before the glory years became the gory years.
The task here was to compare this season's Seahawks to those mid-'90s Niners. But the path led instead to 1988, when the 49ers went 10-6 during the regular season, dominated two opponents in the playoffs by a combined score of 62-12 and then rallied to beat the Cincinnati Bengals 20-16 in the Super Bowl.
Before you think I've overdosed on Seahawks-blue Kool-Aid, check the facts:
The 49ers scored 369 points that season. The Seahawks are on pace to put up 436.
The 49ers compiled 5,900 yards -- 2,523 rushing, 3,377 passing. The Seahawks are on pace for 6,256 -- 2,578 and 3,678.
Roger Craig was the 49ers' do-it-all back, rushing for 1,502 yards, catching 76 passes and scoring 10 touchdowns. At his current pace, it would take Shaun Alexander 4 3/4 seasons to catch 76 passes. But his prodigious production on the ground has him flirting with NFL season records for rushing yards and touchdowns.
Joe Montana -- Joe Montana, for Hall of Fame sakes -- compiled an 87.9 QB rating in '88 by completing 238 of 397 passes for 2,981 yards, with 18 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. But Montana shared time with Steve Young early in the season. Hasselbeck? Well, his QB rating is 88.7 and he's on pace to produce completion (322) and yardage (3,776) totals superior to Montana's and comparable numbers for TD passes (19) and interceptions (12).
Jerry Rice was the 49ers' top wideout that season, with 64 receptions for 1,078 yards and nine touchdowns. The loss of Darrell Jackson to a knee injury after four games interrupted his torrid start this season, a pace that would have produced 116 receptions, 1,504 receiving yards and eight TDs. In Jackson's absence, the Seahawks have substituted a catch-by-committee approach that has helped the offense ascend to and hold its No. 1 ranking.
Pause to digest all those digits, and also ponder the sage advice of two former coaches. Chuck Knox always said you could twist statistics to prove any point, while Dennis Erickson was fond of saying that numbers don't lie.
The suggestion here is not that these Seahawks are those 49ers, but that Holmgren's current offense has finally arrived at the threshold of becoming a force to be feared for seasons to come -- like that '88 49ers team, with Holmgren as its quarterbacks coach, which triggered a run of 13- and 14-win seasons and annual postseason appearances.
The prerequisite, of course, is retaining and reinforcing the players who are allowing the whole to function even better than its impressive parts. That will involve re-signing Alexander and Pro Bowl left guard Steve Hutchinson, who are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents; adding another wide receiver to an already productive mix; and getting Jerramy Stevens to continue his development into the type of defense-stretching tight end that has been the trademark in Holmgren's hybrid of the West Coast offense.
It was supposed to be impossible to maintain, and improve on, the status quo in this era of the salary cap and free agency. But the Seahawks took three positive steps by re-signing All-Pro left tackle Walter Jones, Hasselbeck and Jackson to long-term deals the past two offseasons.
The transformation (Seahawks) and transgression (49ers) has been so complete that it is now the 49ers talking about the Seahawks being the blueprint for West Coast offenses. This from the franchise that gave birth to all the copycat versions of the system Holmgren learned under Bill Walsh.
"What Mike Holmgren has created a great example of up there is the ability to utilize the talent you have," Mike Nolan, the 49ers rookie coach, said this week. "I would like to think that is our model as we go forward."
Even if it does prompt some looking back.P-I reporter Clare Farnsworth can be reached at 206-448-8016 or clarefarnsworth@seattlepi.com.
source : seattlepi.nwsource.com
You can see it not only in the way the Seahawks offense is playing, but in the way Holmgren is calling the game -- aggressively, with all options operational.
It prompts another hatching of the chicken-and-egg debate, NFL edition.
Is Holmgren letting it rip because the offense is on a tear? Or, is the offense ranked No. 1 in the league because Holmgren has unleashed his laminated play card?
Actually, it's all about trust. The more his players -- and especially quarterback Matt Hasselbeck -- show they can handle, the more Holmgren will hand them.
The combination isn't just clicking, it has unlocked the memory vault.
The numbers the Seahawks have put up in their 7-2 start are reminiscent of the San Francisco 49ers -- before the glory years became the gory years.
The task here was to compare this season's Seahawks to those mid-'90s Niners. But the path led instead to 1988, when the 49ers went 10-6 during the regular season, dominated two opponents in the playoffs by a combined score of 62-12 and then rallied to beat the Cincinnati Bengals 20-16 in the Super Bowl.
Before you think I've overdosed on Seahawks-blue Kool-Aid, check the facts:
The 49ers scored 369 points that season. The Seahawks are on pace to put up 436.
The 49ers compiled 5,900 yards -- 2,523 rushing, 3,377 passing. The Seahawks are on pace for 6,256 -- 2,578 and 3,678.
Roger Craig was the 49ers' do-it-all back, rushing for 1,502 yards, catching 76 passes and scoring 10 touchdowns. At his current pace, it would take Shaun Alexander 4 3/4 seasons to catch 76 passes. But his prodigious production on the ground has him flirting with NFL season records for rushing yards and touchdowns.
Joe Montana -- Joe Montana, for Hall of Fame sakes -- compiled an 87.9 QB rating in '88 by completing 238 of 397 passes for 2,981 yards, with 18 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. But Montana shared time with Steve Young early in the season. Hasselbeck? Well, his QB rating is 88.7 and he's on pace to produce completion (322) and yardage (3,776) totals superior to Montana's and comparable numbers for TD passes (19) and interceptions (12).
Jerry Rice was the 49ers' top wideout that season, with 64 receptions for 1,078 yards and nine touchdowns. The loss of Darrell Jackson to a knee injury after four games interrupted his torrid start this season, a pace that would have produced 116 receptions, 1,504 receiving yards and eight TDs. In Jackson's absence, the Seahawks have substituted a catch-by-committee approach that has helped the offense ascend to and hold its No. 1 ranking.
Pause to digest all those digits, and also ponder the sage advice of two former coaches. Chuck Knox always said you could twist statistics to prove any point, while Dennis Erickson was fond of saying that numbers don't lie.
The suggestion here is not that these Seahawks are those 49ers, but that Holmgren's current offense has finally arrived at the threshold of becoming a force to be feared for seasons to come -- like that '88 49ers team, with Holmgren as its quarterbacks coach, which triggered a run of 13- and 14-win seasons and annual postseason appearances.
The prerequisite, of course, is retaining and reinforcing the players who are allowing the whole to function even better than its impressive parts. That will involve re-signing Alexander and Pro Bowl left guard Steve Hutchinson, who are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents; adding another wide receiver to an already productive mix; and getting Jerramy Stevens to continue his development into the type of defense-stretching tight end that has been the trademark in Holmgren's hybrid of the West Coast offense.
It was supposed to be impossible to maintain, and improve on, the status quo in this era of the salary cap and free agency. But the Seahawks took three positive steps by re-signing All-Pro left tackle Walter Jones, Hasselbeck and Jackson to long-term deals the past two offseasons.
The transformation (Seahawks) and transgression (49ers) has been so complete that it is now the 49ers talking about the Seahawks being the blueprint for West Coast offenses. This from the franchise that gave birth to all the copycat versions of the system Holmgren learned under Bill Walsh.
"What Mike Holmgren has created a great example of up there is the ability to utilize the talent you have," Mike Nolan, the 49ers rookie coach, said this week. "I would like to think that is our model as we go forward."
Even if it does prompt some looking back.P-I reporter Clare Farnsworth can be reached at 206-448-8016 or clarefarnsworth@seattlepi.com.
source : seattlepi.nwsource.com
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