Seahawks, Giants Search For Answers Struggling Teams Can Run The Ball, At Least Until They Fumble It Away

A minor impediment arises when Dennis Erickson attempts to utter a certain profane word these days.

“Tur…, turn…, turnovers - I hate to even mention the word,” the Seattle Seahawks coach struggled to spit out this week.

His skittishness is understandable, seeing that the Seahawks’ 22 giveaways in eight games qualify the franchise as a non-profit charitable institution.

The commission of these mistakes has been the prime factor in the Seahawks’ 2-6 start; and their omission will be the key to success today in the Kingdome against the New York Giants.

“They’re something that happened and something that has to stop,” Erickson said of the 16 interceptions and six fumbles. “Some of it is carelessness, some of it is misreads and some of it is just unlucky. If we start being careful with the ball, hopefully our luck will change.”

The minus-13 turnover ratio is the worst in the league, far exceeding the minus-8 of the next sloppiest teams - San Diego and Pittsburgh.

Fourteen of those interceptions have been thrown by quarterback Rick Mirer, who will return to the controls of the Seattle offense as John Friesz rests an injured shoulder.

One person on the other side of the field today understands Mirer’s travails - Giants quarterback Dave Brown, who suffered through disappointing days in his 16-interception season last year.

“What (Mirer) has to realize is that this whole thing can’t rest on his shoulders,” advised Brown, who may be slowed slightly after hyperextending his left knee last week. “You have to get some help from some other guys and you have to go back to basics and try to hit the 5-yard receiver when you can.”

The problems are not unique to Mirer, nor Brown.

“Guys like Elway and Marino who have been around a long time understand when they can take their chances (on big plays) and when they can’t,” Brown said. “The young guys like Rick and I and Bledsoe are all going through this. It gets frustrating. You look at the scoreboard and you’re behind or you get a boo or two and you want to make something happen. That’s when it gets worse.”

Brown has not been particularly threatening with just five touchdown passes, but he has shown improved judgment with only six interceptions this season.

“Dave has been in the league a little bit longer,” Giants coach Dan Reeves said. “But both he and Rick have struggled. People have to understand that this doesn’t happen overnight.”

It might happen overnight - or at least this afternoon - for Brown, considering that the Hawks have yielded a league-high 18 touchdown passes.

Mirer’s woes, however, could continue against a defense that had four interceptions and four sacks against Washington Redskins quarterbacks last week.

The parallels between the 3-5 Giants and the Seahawks go beyond Brown and Mirer.

“Looking at them, they seem very much like us,” Reeves said. “We’ve both made some plays but been our own worst enemies a lot of times.

“I think if you look at all teams that are struggling, their problems are pretty similar - inconsistency and turning the ball over. And if you’re minus-13 in turnovers (as are the Seahawks), it’s hard to overcome. The 49ers and Cowboys would have a tough time winning like that.”

This, then, could clearly evolve into a match between two solid rushing attacks. The Hawks rank third in the NFL in rushing, while the Giants feature back Rodney Hampton, who is on track for his fifth consecutive 1,000-yard rushing season.

The slow start for the Giants has caused rumors (one of which was broadcast on NBC) to arise that Reeves either might be short on job security or that he might be considering retiring - despite the fact that his teams have gone 11-5 and 9-7.

“Apparently that was done by Will McDonough and I never talked to him, so I don’t know how he knows so much about me,” Reeves said. “I’m not happy to be 3-5. But I took this job for five years and I certainly don’t have any intention of doing anything different than that.”

The slip from 11-5 two years ago, Reeves said, was at least in part a product of free agency.

“That’s made a big, big difference; we had to make a lot of changes,” he said. “We had to come down from $43 million in salaries to $36 million, and we lost a lot of players. That hurts because the chemistry on most teams is very fragile.”

One constant, though, has been the unrelenting intensity of Reeves.

“He believes in winning and doing whatever it takes to get the job done,” linebacker Michael Brooks said. “And he doesn’t tolerate mistakes.”

Which has made it difficult for Brown.

“He definitely puts on his game face and is as intense as any player on the field,” Brown said. “You kind of have to learn to deal with some of his tirades, and you’ve got to not take it too personal. He is definitely a tough and demanding coach, and if things aren’t going right, he’ll make a change.”

The Hawks may have a few changes themselves this week, probably rotating Ray Roberts in at the left tackle spot more than they have.

Erickson also explained why flashy rookie receiver Joey Galloway has been limited to two catches a game the past three weeks.

“He’s been getting doubled a lot, particularly the last three games,” Erickson said. “He’s getting the doubling that Brian (Blades) had been getting.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: HAWKS VS. GIANTS The game: 1 p.m. Kingdome. Coaches: Seattle - Dennis Erickson, 2-6, first season. New York - Dan Reeves, 133-90-1, 15th season. The records: Seattle 2-6. New York 3-5. The series: New York leads 5-2. Last week: Seven turnovers doomed the Seahawks to a 20-14 overtime loss at Arizona. The Giants intercepted Washington four times in a 24-15 win. The line: Even. On the air Television: Fox with Joe Buck and Tim Green. Radio: KXLY (920 AM) with Steve Thomas and Steve Raible.