DEBACLE II: LOST IN THE DESERT

I’m still scratching my head today.
I remember I started out three games and three quarters into this season thinking

SUPERBOWL!

During the Rams game, my mind was racing to where I would get accommodations if my season tickets bore the fruit to a seat in the single biggest game in the world?
I wondered if I could take off work knowing that my supervisor would never shut me out of the once in a lifetime event?

My Seattle Seahawks, the long suffering franchise had finally arrived! I was in Seahawk heaven!
Fast forward to Arizona

Now I’m three games and one quarter removed from that feeling. Like a rock climber who desperately holds onto a buddy while the rope slips slowly through my hands. That’s where I am; just holding on.

Where did that quarterback go? Did they figure out a way to destroy the West Coast Offense? Come on now, how could that be? Hasselbeck’s QB rating of 18.9 is simply abysmal. Many passes I saw were completed to Cardinals like they were the intended receiver.

We knew the receivers were sometime known to be dubious at catching the ball. But always there to rally the troops was steady Hass…well not this Sunday.

Sunday Hasselbeck was frazzled, he made bad decisions and sadly he forced the ball.
It’s not all on him even if he takes the credit. The offensive line was like those swinging doors in an old west saloon. Defenders came through unblocked. The QB was hurried, manhandled and chased. And when left with good protection he occasionally made some good throws.

But it wasn’t enough

Give credit to the Arizona Cardinals, they brought their A game. They made a statement. They played to say, "Nobody’s kicking sand in our face anymore."

Like I stated in my game match up; the Cards have been in every game. If we went in there expecting the 2003 Cards we would be sorely mistaken.

I’m sad to say we were.
Our biggest single problem is execution and fundamentals. It’s not like these guys are not talented. It’s not like we are in the middle of some rebuilding stage and we should expect this. We should be getting the most out of these players and we are not.
Who’s to blame?

Look no matter what you read, nobody has figured a way to beat a precise WCO. But the keyword here is precision; right now we don’t have that.

It’s easy to say, "Fire Holmgren!" He has basically bought the groceries and cooked the meal. But I think it’s more his sense of loyalty and pride that’s killing him.
Loyalty to a staff that by all accounts isn’t producing a polished result, pride for starting players that probably should have seen some time on the bench weeks ago and loyalty to a receiver’s coach who should be shown the door.

So in the end, yeah it’s the head coaches fault. But it isn’t for the reasons you might think.

How do we turn it around?

They need to go out and have fun playing football. Win or lose they need to leave their best game on the field every game. Not just the games they are expected to win. They need to play lights out football, not lights on but no one’s home football.

I believe our best games are in the future. I know that kind of goes without saying, but I believe we are not out of this race. Guys will get experience, guys will get healthy. Four game suspensions will be over.

And hopefully in the end these games will just be a distant memory of how bad we "were" and not how good we became.

Folks, the bar can’t be lowered any further. It’s time to ante up.
I’m still on the wagon, but I’m noticing more legroom that’s for sure.
See you at the Q on Sunday.