Seeing Is Believing

In case you hadn’t noticed, the Seattle Seahawks are changing before our eyes.

Gone are the Seahawks who used to panic in the types of tense situations that arose in Sunday’s 24-14 win over Washington. In their place is a veteran team that doesn’t have to play its best to win.

Gone is the all-or-nothing passing offense, replaced by a power running game that grates on defenses like a toothache and keeps quarterback Warren Moon upright. And way, way gone are the unsavory special teams that plagued the 1997 Seahawks. The ‘98 special teams have become, dare we say, a strength.

These Seahawks win games they’re supposed to win. They win them by comfortable margins. When’s the last time Seattle could say that? The old Seahawks invented ways to lose games like Sunday’s.

At 3-0, the Seahawks don’t have to offer apologies for their somewhat sluggish performance against the Redskins.

“The excitement is overwhelming,” said Steve Broussard, who generated his own excitement with a 90-yard return on the opening kickoff.

The Seahawks made the plays to win Sunday’s game. More impressive was the manner in which they handled the plays that went wrong.

Receiver James McKnight dropped two passes in the first half, both on third downs. The first person to greet him on the sideline was veteran Brian Blades, who offered words of encouragement. Next in the McKnight support line was Sam Adams, who was criticized several years ago for not playing hard. McKnight bungled another pass on Seattle’s next series. Again, Blades sidled over to console the young receiver who has taken much of Blades’ playing time. Then veteran running back Ricky Watters slapped McKnight on the shoulder pads. McKnight eventually caught two passes and played extensively when Joey Galloway was injured.

Contrast that with Washington. Wide receiver Michael Westbrook, who was taken ahead of Galloway in the ‘94 draft, didn’t start because he missed a couple of practices with a sore knee and the flu. At least that was the official explanation from coach Norv Turner.

Media covering the Redskins have speculated that Westbrook was benched because of a penalty that cost Washington a touchdown last week.

Westbrook was on the sideline when his replacement, James Thrash, dropped a perfectly thrown deep pass in the first quarter. Thrash went to the bench and barely saw action the rest of the game. Westbrook entered and had seven receptions, but he butchered a couple of catchable passes.

The point is, Seattle is dealing with its adversity rather than causing it.

“We’re not going to come in and blow everybody out,” said safety Jay Bellamy, “so we have to win the hard ones.”

Take Broussard, who was a key figure in the running game last year, but is relegated to third team this season behind Watters and rookie Ahman Green. In addition to his TD return, Broussard often was the first Seahawk downfield on punt coverage.

“I’m not running the ball as I would like, but I’ve got to be a team player,” Broussard said. “Whatever I can do to help, I have to do it.”

So, it’s time for far more serious tests. Seattle has defeated Philadelphia, Arizona and Washington. Those three NFC East weaklings aren’t reliable barometers to determine where the Seahawks stand in the NFL. That trio plays a brand of imitation football.

The next three weeks bring Pittsburgh and Kansas City on the road, and Denver in the Dome. Seattle’s character and chemistry will be challenged.

In that regard, Washington was a worthy pop quiz.

“The most important thing is that we fought,” Watters said. “We had adversity and we kept on fighting, kept on pushing and doing what we had to do.”

“We know what we can do,” offensive tackle Walter Jones said. “And there’s more confidence because of the fact that we’re going out and doing it.”

Quite a change from yesteryear indeed.

Graphic: Seahawks 24 Redskins 14