Another Tuesday looms
A GRIP ON SPORTS
It's only Tuesday but our eyes turn to the Seahawks, who don't play again until Sunday. But, really, can it ever be too early to talk about a 4-0 team? Read on.
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• The Hawks have never been 4-0 before, so the question has never been asked around here before, at least as it relates to the NFL. Sure, a tough game awaits in Indianapolis against Andrew Luck (pictured) and the Colts this week, but very few would doubt Seattle after its comeback win at Houston last week. In fact, the Seahawks are favored by three points – again, on the road – and the Times' Bob Condotta wonders if they will ever be an underdog this season. It's a long season, so that seems like a tough question to answer. But right now, the Hawks would probably be favored except in a few instances. If they played at New Orleans or New England, probably not. And a game in Denver? The Broncos would be at least a four-point favorite, maybe more. Otherwise, it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility the Hawks would be favored in every other scenario. The one game that would intrigue me is Denver coming to CenturyLink for a game that mattered. What would the line be? The Broncos are everyone's darling right now, so I would expect they would be favored by a point or two, with the teams each would put on the field right now. Denver is missing Von Miller, a key defensive player. But the Hawks don't have Russell Okung and, quite possibly, a couple other offensive line starters, so the injury (or suspension) factor seems to tip toward Denver. It's a moot point, of course. The teams don't meet and won't, unless it is in the Super Bowl. If that happens, let's hope everyone is healthy so we can see a game for the ages. Played in a driving snowstorm in New Jersey in the middle of winter. Oh joy.
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• WSU: I'm not giving anything away anymore by telling you our new Washington State beat writer is Jacob Thorpe. If you are wondering why his name isn't on the top of his morning links post, as mine is atop this one, it's not his fault. To have your name appear, it has to be in the system. It seems Jacob's has yet to be entered. Without it, the space next to "posted by" appears blank. It's just another of those little things that has to be taken care of when a new person comes aboard. ... Jacob also has the weekly first look at California (pictured). ... Jacob has most of the Pac-12 links for you, but I'll pass along Ted Miller's quick look on this week's conference games and the news Colorado has filled in its schedule with an FCS school. ... The Cougar women's soccer team was not happy to earn a draw to open Pac-12 play. That news is part of Jim Allen's college soccer notebook. ... Finally, if you are wondering how this week's game is being perceived in the Bay Area, you better read Jon Wilner's post on Cal's week. It might surprise you to read his prediction: "Unless the Bears implode, they should win a fairly high-scoring game … something like 38-28 (even if Halliday plays)."
• EWU: Jim has all your Eagle and Big Sky links in a quick post today.
• Chiefs: It is no surprise that Mitch Holmberg was named WHL player of the week. He earned it.
• Preps: There is a new No. 1 team in the area, at least in the NWPrepNow power rankings. It's Lind-Ritzville. A 2B school. OK. Yes, Lind-Ritzville is good. The Broncos have won 15 consecutive games. That's impressive. But after having been the Review's prep writer for a while, and having watch about a thousand high school football games over the years, it's hard for me to see a 2B school competing with a solid 4A school on the football field. In basketball, sure. But football is a different animal.
• Mariners: The next M's manager? How about Raul Ibanez? Uh, no. ... The last manager? He's praised here.
• Seahawks: Another tough road trip awaits the Hawks in Indianapolis this week but they do have a few things going for them. Like their swagger. ... Michael Bennett might be back, Bruce Irvin (pictured) will be back but Breno Giacomini won't. He had knee surgery yesterday. The offensive line is still a mess. ... What does a 4-0 start mean to Pete Carroll? Not much. Though Sunday's win was important. ... Richard Sherman's pick was a thing of beauty.
• Sounders: For the first time in a long time, tonight's U.S. Open Cup final won't include the Sounders.
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• That's it for today. Be nice to the new guy. Until later ...
