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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

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All the excitement in Hawks loss was at the end

A GRIP ON SPORTS

Well, at least the final seconds were exciting. In the Seahawks' game, I mean. There was a near-game-winning drive, a couple of key penalties, a mistake by the officials and, finally, a ball that went right through Braylon Edwards' hands. Of all those things, the only one that wasn't a surprise was the final one. Read on.

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• Just to be clear, I've never been a Braylon Edwards (at right) fan. Too often over the years I've seen him make spectacular catches when it didn't matter and drop easy ones when it did. The final play of the Hawks' 20-16 loss to Arizona wasn't an easy catch by no means. It would have been a great one if Edwards had pulled it off. But the ball went through his hands and, as a former NFL receiver told me years ago, "if I touch it, I should catch it." Didn't happen Sunday for the Seahawks. But the loss didn't really come down to that last play, anymore than, if the Hawks had won, the officials' blown timeout call would have been the difference. The game was decided much earlier than that, when Seattle squandered multiple chances to put the ball in the end zone and put the Cardinals away. Any touchdown when they had to settle for second-half field goals would have made a huge difference, but Wilson and the Seattle offense couldn't get it done.

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• Washington State: Not a lot here, as the Cougars did not practice Sunday, though the offensive linemen seemed to have held a workout with the strength coach in an attempt to emphasis the importance of not holding. Christian Caple will get a chance to ask about it today when he attends WSU's media event and then with coach Mike Leach after practice. For today, he has a morning post with a bunch of links and a story on the quarterback situation heading into this short week (WSU plays at UNLV on Friday). ... The weekend showing not only resulted in five Pac-12 teams being ranked, it also muddled the middle of the conference according to Bud Withers.

• Seahawks: As can be expected, the lackluster offensive showing and the late Arizona touchdown drive (led by the Cardinals' backup quarterback) that ultimately won the game are at the center of today's coverage, but there are other elements as well. ... How did Russell Wilson (left) do compared to the other NFL rookie quarterbacks in their first start? ... Russell Okung was injured and left the game. ... This guy is not giving up on Wilson. ... The Times has a two-minute drill about a game in which the Hawks' two-minute drill didn't get them into the endzone. ... Leon Washington showed flashes of his old form.

• Mariners: The homestand ended on a sour note as the A's completed a three-game sweep with a 4-2 win over the suddenly punchless (again) Mariners. Justin Smoak was not one of the problems Sunday, but the lineup did not come through for Seattle.

• Sounders: As the deadline for roster moves nears, the Sounders looked at a couple of veteran European players in a reserve game against Chivas USA. Whether they will sign one or both is up in the air. ... By the way, they won the game 4-2.

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• That's what we have for you this Monday morning. We'll be back here tomorrow. Until then ...



Vince Grippi
Vince Grippi is a freelance local sports blogger for spokesman.com. He also contributes to the SportsLink Blog.

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