Another Week, Another Hawks Rivalry With Broncos In Town, Seattle Must Stop Elway
Surely, it takes a while to learn the ropes in the National Football League.
To understand and absorb some of the more obscure details.
But a month into his first season as coach of the Seattle Seahawks, Dennis Erickson is a little confused about one matter.
Where’d all these rivalry games come from?
“I don’t know about these rivalries,” Erickson said as his team prepared for today’s game with Denver in the Kingdome. “The first week they told me (the rivalry) was Kansas City, then they told me San Diego. This week it’s Denver, next week it will be Oakland.”
Fact is, they’re all right.
Except that rivalries don’t flourish when the games’ outcomes are in little doubt.
And frankly, for the past three seasons, the Seahawks haven’t exactly stoked the competitive fervor of their dreaded AFC West foes.
Erickson’s predecessor, Tom Flores, won just four of 24 games against divisional opponents. And Erickson’s mark stands at 0-2 after losses to the Chiefs and Chargers.
And now, here comes Denver, a team that has swept the past five games from the Seahawks.
“I guess I’m glad I wasn’t here for the last five,” Erickson said when apprised of that fact. “Every game for us is important, but this one being at home against a division rival makes it very important. It’s important to keep the momentum going in the dome because there is a lot of it now (due to the Mariners’ strong close).”
One concern of Erickson’s is that the Hawks are coming off a bye week. Although he kept the team active, this is a club with the worst record in the NFL after byes - going winless in all six games after a week off.
“The thing about coming off a bye, in my opinion, is the adjustment of getting back into football,” Erickson said. “When I’ve had problems coming off a bye, it’s with refocusing back on what is going on.”
When playing Denver, though, the focus remains on stopping No. 7 - quarterback John Elway.
“Obviously, when you play them you’ve got to stop John. That’s the key,” Erickson said. “They’ve got a lot of weapons with their two receivers (Anthony Miller and Mike Pritchard) and (tight end Shannon) Sharpe, but you’ve got to stop John. The other way is to try to keep him off the field.”
Erickson has watched the Elway evolution, from college phenom to veteran pro - and he remains impressed.
“I coached for his father (Jack, at San Jose State) when John was at Stanford,” Erickson said. “He still makes the big plays, he’s still productive, he still runs around and has a big arm.
“I don’t know that there’s anybody better, or has been better, at that position. I think you’re looking at him being as good as he’s ever been, in my opinion.”
Most, though, see Elway as going through a period of adjustment to new coach Mike Shanahan’s “West Coast Offense.”
He’s thrown four touchdowns with only two interceptions in four games, but was unable to lead the Broncos to a TD last week in a 17-6 loss at San Diego.
“I think most teams revolve around their quarterback. They’re usually the ones who take you to the promised land,” Shanahan said of Elway’s influence on the team. “You look at leaders, and what you want from your quarterback, and John is the epitome of what you look for.
“But I think it’s going to take a while to let him feel comfortable with the system. Because it’s not only the quarterback learning the system, but also everybody around him.”
Elway didn’t get much help last week as the effectiveness of Miller, Pritchard and Sharpe was limited by injuries of varying degrees.
“It hurt us a great deal,” Sharpe said of the injuries to the receivers. “We weren’t able to get separation (from defenders). We pride ourselves on beating man-to-man coverage and we couldn’t do that.”
Sharpe said the ankle pain he has felt for two years has not been relieved. Last year, he took cortisone injections each week to allow him to play, but he has rejected that approach this year, and was able to see only limited action against the Chargers.
Injuries, in fact, have plagued the Broncos on both sides of the ball as defensive end Dan Williams and linebacker Elijah Alexander are out, and safety Ronnie Bradford is doubtful, while dominating defensive tackle Michael Dean Perry is coming back after arthroscopic knee surgery.
The Seahawks might have healed a bit during the bye week, though, as tackle Ray Roberts should be available, although he probably will be eased back into the rotation.
Strategically, the Hawks have to do something to improve a pass rush that has accounted for just two sacks in three games - the second-lowest total in the NFL.
Linebacker Duane Bickett has been inserted as the pass-rush right end in nickel situations, and Erickson said he will try the same look with linebacker Terry Wooden.
“He’s not in our first nickel scheme right now, but we will put him in so we can see him operate,” Erickson said. “He’s more of a speed rusher than we’ve had; he’ll take an edge off somebody and come hard off somebody’s shoulder from the outside.”
A sidebar to this game is provided by the new coaches on each sideline.
After the respective firings of Flores in Seattle and Wade Phillips in Denver, both Erickson and Shanahan were coveted commodities.
Erickson, at least briefly, entertained a courtship by Denver owner Pat Bowlen before deciding to return to his hometown.
“This (job) obviously was the one I wanted to have,” Erickson said. “Looking at Mr. Bowlen, I knew his eyes were on Shanahan and he was the guy they targeted.
“I know I’m happy where I am and he’s happy where he’s at. I just hope I’m the one who’s happy on Sunday.”
, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo
MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: Hawks vs. Broncos The game: 1 p.m. the Kingdome. Coaches: Seattle - Dennis Erickson, 1-2, first season. Denver - Mike Shanahan, 10-14, third season. The records: Seattle 1-2. Denver 2-2. The series: Denver leads 22-13. Last week: Seattle had a bye week. Denver fell 17-6 at San Diego. The line: Denver by 3. On the air Television: NBC with Dan Hicks and Randy Cross. Radio: KXLY (920 AM) with Steve Thomas and Steve Raible.