Seahawks’ O-line not at its best
KIRKLAND, Wash. – Watching the film of Sunday’s win over Tampa Bay wasn’t a pleasant experience for every member of the Seattle Seahawks.
The offensive linemen may well have been cringing while watching a performance that saw Matt Hasselbeck get sacked four times and pressured on countless other occasions.
“Guys have a lot of pride in how they play, especially the guys up front,” center Robbie Tobeck said Monday. “… You enjoy the win, but it’s almost like a loss. We know we can be better.”
On the day after Seattle’s 10-6 win over Tampa Bay, head coach Mike Holmgren’s message was that the offensive line will have to play better.
He said there was no excuse for a series of blown protection calls, missed blocking assignments and occasions when offensive linemen just plain got beat.
“We goofed up in a lot of ways,” Holmgren said. “It wasn’t just one thing. We didn’t (pass protect) very well, I didn’t think.”
Tampa Bay’s ability to pressure Hasselbeck forced the Seahawks to be more conservative on offense. That didn’t help move the football, either, although Seattle avoided making any drastic mistakes.
In the end, the Seahawks had just 182 yards of total offense, which marked the lowest total by a Seattle team in nearly two years. The last time the Seahawks were held to fewer yards was on Sept. 22, 2002, when Seattle had just 145 total yards in a 9-6 loss to the New York Giants.
Not so coincidentally, both games saw Holmgren cut back the playbook because he was worried about his quarterback getting pounded.
“They were a very aggressive defense,” Holmgren said of the Buccaneers on Monday. “We had a couple other things in the game plan that I would have liked to have dialed up, but I couldn’t, and that was why I was frustrated.
“It’s a long season, and (Hasselbeck) was taking his lumps in there. You decide to shift gears and go a little different way in your play-calling, and I don’t like doing that. And I don’t want to do that. I want to play our brand of football, and I want to call what I want to call, when I want to call it.”
Hasselbeck, who came out of the game with a clean bill of health, isn’t too worried about his offensive line bouncing back.
“Those guys will be fine,” he said. “We have a really good offensive line, and we played one of the better defensive lines in the league this past week. I have confidence in them, and I’m sure they have confidence in themselves. That’s not going to be a problem.”
In figuring out what went wrong with Seattle’s offensive line Sunday, it’s almost easier to mention what went right. Left tackle Walter Jones did a good job containing Pro Bowl defensive end Simeon Rice.
He may have been the only blocker to play near mistake-free football in Tampa.
Right tackle Chris Terry was flagged for three penalties and gave up a sack. Right guard Chris Gray gave up one sack and was nearby on another.
Fullback Mack Strong whiffed on a blitz pickup. Halfback Maurice Morris, listed at 202 pounds, got run over by 300-pound defensive tackle Anthony McFarland after Steve Hutchinson cleared the way while trying to pick up a blitz.
The list went on and on.
“You can always make improvements,” Gray said. “We should have played better – me, myself, especially.”
All the Seahawks’ linemen were accepting blame after a performance that looked even worse than the 2003 season, when they gave up 43 sacks as a team.
Things looked better in the 2004 opener, when New Orleans failed to get a single sack. Tampa Bay’s blitz of reality has the Seahawks searching for answers.
“It’s a long season,” Gray said. “We can only get better.”
Tough to watch
Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren reiterated Monday how difficult it was for him to watch Tampa’s final drive the previous day.
The Buccaneers drove 62 yards, 39 of which came on a trio of penalties from Seahawks defensive linemen.
“That was a tough last drive, my goodness,” Holmgren said. “I think I fired (defensive line coach) Dwaine Board twice on that last drive.”
Notes
The Seahawks’ defense leads the NFL in points per game allowed (6.5) and ranks eighth in the league in yards allowed per game (276.0)… . The offense, meanwhile, is 26th in the NFL in points (15.5) and 21st in total yards (298.5)… . The Seahawks carry a nine-game home winning streak into Sunday’s game against the San Francisco 49ers… . San Francisco coach Dennis Erickson said Ken Dorsey would probably start at quarterback again, with Tim Rattay serving as No. 2. Rookie Cody Pickett, the former University of Washington Husky, will fill the role of emergency quarterback and would only play if both Dorsey and Rattay go down. Rattay is still recovering from a shoulder injury but could be available to play if needed… . The Seahawks didn’t have any major injuries coming out of Sunday’s win.