This Man Keeps His Poise
Seahawks fans wearing ‘Raider Hater’ T-shirts. Raiders fans wearing face paint and/or French Maid outfits. (I’m not lying, some guy was scantily attired in Aisle 117).
A crazed Kingdome crowd.
Coulda sworn it was 1988 or ‘84, the good ole days of the Seahawks franchise.
You know, back when Warren Moon was in his 50s.
Actually, Moon turns 41 in November, but the secret to his amazing longevity was revealed after he pickled Oakland’s secondary in Seattle’s 45-34 win Sunday.
“He looks like he’s falling asleep on the sidelines,” receiver Mike Pritchard said. “But he’s just keeping himself poised.”
Other than spanking guard Frank Beede on the backside for a boneheaded false start penalty - “Bad lineman, bad” - Moon displayed all the emotion of Al Gore on sedatives.
“I apologized to Frank after the play,” Moon grinned. “I was a little excited there.”
And why not? Sunday was the day Seahawks football was fun again. If it was only for one game, so be it. It was worth it. Sunday was so atypical of Seahawks’ games - win or lose - the last few years, i.e., last Sunday’s 17-9 sleepwalk over St. Louis.
Sunday, it was points, big plays, noise, a rabid defense, thrills by the second. I mean, Seahawks special teams coach Dave Arnold, a grandfatherly Midwesterner, left the field “Raising the Roof,” the trendy arm-waving routine players do these days.
The score probably reminded coach Dennis Erickson of shoot-out wins he registered during his days at Idaho and Washington State. The atmosphere reminded Seahawks fans of the way it used to be around here.
Beyond all that, it came at the perfect time.
“It was great because it was here, it was great because it was the Raiders, but it was even more great because we had a full house,” Erickson said. “That’s something we’ve been working on for 2-1/2 years, since I came back. We struggled sometimes. We took three steps forward, a couple back.
“It was just nice to win that because of the fans and hopefully we can keep them.”
They’d have to drive them away now. This was the first Seahawks’ home game televised in the Seattle area since last September. Suppose 45 points, Moon’s five TDs and safety Darryl Williams’ bone-rattling hit on Rickey Dudley might goose the gate for Seattle’s next home game on Nov. 23?
“We established ourselves as contenders in the AFC West,” safety Bennie Blades said.
It might take a win over Denver to do that, but Seattle’s definitely merged into the playoff race. Now, it must avoid falling apart on a three-game road swing - Denver, San Diego and New Orleans. Two-and-one appears attainable.
Especially if Moon keeps defying his birth certificate.
“Sure you wonder about yourself,” Moon admitted. “I am 40. But I think too much is being made of that. I can still throw the ball, still read defenses, still move around a little.”
Moon’s confidence infects his teammates.
“Age is just a number to him,” running back Chris Warren said.
“You’re out there playing with Warren Moon,” Pritchard shrugged. “That gives you confidence right there.”
Moon is molding the offense to suit his bionic arm. In the third quarter, Moon saw Oakland in press coverage, so he told Joey Galloway to go deep. Then Moon pitched him a TD pass that pulled Seattle within 34-32.
“The thing I liked about today is that nobody panicked,” Moon said. “The input the coaches let me have is really helping me. I’m in the flow right now.”
So are the Seahawks. After an 0-2 start, including the 41-3 Dome debacle against the Jets in the opener, Seattle has crawled back to 5-3. In September, the over-under on Erickson’s coaching life expectancy was five games.
“It shows the kind of character we have on this team,” said Williams, who nearly decapitated Dudley with a third-quarter hit that helped stall an Oakland drive. “We believe we can win.” , DataTimes