Chancellor’s return seemed to lack something
A GRIP ON SPORTS • Kam Chancellor returned to the Seahawks yesterday, anything but contrite – though there is a discussion to be had if he needed to be. No matter. His return seems to be the biggest since Douglas MacArthur stepped off the landing craft in the Philippines. Read on.
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• If you know your history, you know MacArthur apologized to the men he left behind in World War II, telling them, “I’m a little late, but we finally came back.” The contrition was not forced, it was heartfelt and meant something to the survivors of one of the more horrific experiences of World War II. Now there is no comparison to what transpired yesterday. None. But there are always lessons to be learned and Chancellor could have learned a little something from Mac. Chancellor, who missed training camp, the preseason and the first two games, could have defused some of the fuss by just telling his teammates, publicly, he was sorry they had to shoulder on without him. More than likely he said something similar in the locker room, though we’ll probably never know for sure. But he didn’t seem to express much in the way of remorse publicly. He didn’t have to say he was sorry for what he’d done. There’s a certain segment of Hawk supporters (and, I’m sure, Chancellor’s business managers) who feel there is no need to apologize for that. He was looking out for himself and his family, even if that meant not honoring his contract – a contract no one forced him to accept. But he did leave his teammates hanging and they deserve an “I’m sorry” for that. You could argue, if you are steadfastly in Chancellor’s corner, that, like MacArthur’s, his return was out of his hands, dictated by circumstances such as a faulty contract between the NFLPA and the NFL as well as Chancellor’s own exceptional play. Thanks to the former, the latter seemed to Chancellor, at least, unrewarded. Circumstances change, contracts usually don’t. Yet Chancellor attempted to change his. It didn’t work. But now he’s back. He’s a little late – by two games, the first of which his presence would have made a difference – but he’s back. Now everything will be peaches and cream, right? Well, maybe. The next two contests – home against the Bears and Lions – were already seen as Seahawk locks, so there is an opportunity to work Chancellor in gradually, to allow the strong safety to have something resembling a training camp and preseason. There’s no need to rush, though the Hawks probably will. Chancellor will want to play, to redeem his image and to re-bond with his teammates. And the Hawks will want to get their money’s worth out of him. Understandable. But short-sighted. The long picture here is another Super Bowl win. That won’t be any easier with a couple more losses, sure. But a torn hamstring or some other injury to their prized enforcer won’t help either. Play it smart. You can’t eliminate the element of chance associated with injuries but you can limit it a bit. In Chancellor’s case it’s crucial. Could there be anything worse than getting him back on a Wednesday and losing him again in a 44-3 blowout of the Bears on a Sunday? Talk about a crushing blow. He’s back in the Hawks' secondary. Let’s keep him there.
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• WSU: The Cougars were back on the practice field yesterday, beating on each other a bit in their bye week. Jacob Thorpe was on his perch high above Martin Stadium as well and he had a practice report on the blog last night. In today’s paper he has his Pac-12 picks in the first really crowded week of conference action. ... Jacob also held a live chat yesterday. It got a bit chippy at times but also contained a lot of information. ... Oh, yeah, Jacob also has his morning post with links. ... You like picks? Here are some more. ... Knowing what Vernon Adams can do doesn’t make it any easier to stop him.
• EWU: Jody Sears has been around the Inland Northwest sports scene for a long time, from his days as a Pullman High School star to his years as an assistant football coach at Eastern and WSU. Now he’s the head man in Sacramento. No, not the governor of California. He’s the head coach of the Sacramento State football team, Eastern’s opponent this Saturday. Jim Allen has more in this Big Sky notebook. ... He also has a morning post with links and will hold a live chat at noon today.
• Whitworth: The Pirate volleyball team is 3-0 in NWC play.
• Preps: Is a tie good enough? Greg Lee has an opinion on that in his column this week. ... Greg and Sam Adams also have their weekly football picks. ... And Greg has a feature on Mt. Spokane football player Chase Gyllenhammer (pictured). ... Bill Pierce’s prep almanac returns. ... Jim Allen was out in the sunshine yesterday, covering Ferris’ win over Lewis and Clark in soccer action. ... Greg was also out and about, covering a cross country meet between North Central, Ferris and Central Valley.
• Seahawks: As one could expect, the day was dominated by Chancellor, who, to channel my inner Andy Dufresne, was a bit obtuse in his press conference. And, as we’ve said, there was no apology. There was, however, on Twitter the statement Chancellor is the forgiving sort. Who, exactly, no one is really sure. ... Will Chancellor’s return serve to re-ignite the Hawk defense? ... So what is Jimmy Graham frustrated (or angry) about? There are differing opinions on that. ... The Bears will be without a key starter Sunday.
• Mariners: For the first time this season, Tom Wilhelmsen failed to hold a ninth-inning lead. Of course, it wasn’t the first time for the M’s overall. But Wilhelmsen’s failure was glaring because Seattle had a chance to win two consecutive games against the defending American League champions. Instead, Kansas City rallied for a 4-3 10-inning home win. ... Felix Hernandez will wait an extra day before continuing his quest for a 20-win season.
• Sounders: In a must-win match, the Sounders won. And won handily, 3-0, over Vancouver to move on in Champions League play. Seattle used a mixture of front-line players and reserves to get the victory. ... Portland is holding on for its playoff life.
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• While reviewing Chancellor's press conference yesterday, I kept thinking how Richard Sherman would have handled it. Or Marshawn Lynch. Or Russell Wilson. All of them would have done it differently than Chancellor, which illustrates the tough nature of Pete Carroll’s job. He’s a coach, sure, but it’s more than that. He’s a manager of 53 different individuals, most of them strong willed and confident. He has to get all 53 on the same page every day. That isn’t easy. How they heck is the guy so positive day after day? Until later ...
