Qwest crowd stifles opposition

SEATTLE _ The 12th man is a staple of the Seahawks franchise. Seattle had an even bigger advantage Sunday – the 68,161st man.

Spurred on by a flap earlier in the week about noise levels at Qwest Field, an issue raised by New York after it incurred 11 false-start penalties here last year, Seahawks fans responded with a record crowd, a clever assortment of signs and an unending barrage of ear-splitting volume that left the Giants’ offense struggling to function in the first three quarters.

“The 12th man was fired up,” cornerback Marcus Trufant said. “They stayed with us all the way, loud and crazy, and the same type of things that was happening to the Giants last year – the jumping offside, can’t hear the quarterback – happened again.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever heard it louder.”

Good thing, too, because Seattle eventually spent most of the 42-3 lead it accumulated when the crowd was at full throat with a shaky fourth quarter before claiming a 42-30 win.

“I trust they can keep it up all season, I don’t know how they can but they were remarkable for us,” coach Mike Holmgren said. “Then we got a little sloppy and careless near the end of the game. So you have a really great win but it will also allow us to get after (the players) for our sloppy play near the end.”

To the surprise of absolutely nobody, FOX reported on its pre-game show that Giants’ general manager Ernie Accorsi complained to the league office about the possibility of artificial enhancement contributing to the volume at Qwest. Ask the 68,161 on hand Sunday and they’d probably vote to give Accorsi the game ball.

Fans welcomed the Giants to Qwest with posters such as “Puget Sound = Giant Headache!”, “Hey N.Y., can you hear us now?” and “The Truth Speaks Volumes.”

And when the game started, Seattle gave its faithful every reason to exercise their right to free screech.

“Of course it was a factor,” Giants running back Tiki Barber said. “It’s hard to hear, hard to concentrate.”

Even Matt Hasselbeck throwing an interception on the first play from scrimmage turned into a rallying cry when replays showed Darrell Jackson appeared to have possession when he landed only to lose a wrestling match for the ball with Corey Webster as they rolled on the turf.

Boos cascaded down as the Giants ran their first few plays. On third down, quarterback Eli Manning hurried to try to get the snap before the play clock expired and his throw was delivered late into traffic. Ken Hamlin picked off the pass and Seattle scored two plays later.

That cranked the decibels higher. Then Giants left tackle Luke Petitgout false starts. Loud.

Two plays later, left guard Dave Diehl false starts. Louder.

Darryl Tapp sacks Manning for an 11-yard loss. Bedlam.

“When I was at San Francisco I used to try to work the crowd,” linebacker Julian Peterson said. “I’d be jumping up and down, making myself look like I’m crazy, but here it’s so easy. You just flick you hands one or two times and they’re ready to go.

“Even before the game started they were chanting ‘Seahawks, Seahawks.’ You come out to that and you gotta be ready to play.”

On it went. New addition Deion Branch makes his first reception as a Seahawk and he gets off the turf clapping. Some 60,000 join in.

Jackson catches the first of Hasselbeck’s franchise record-tying five touchdown passes. Pass the ear plugs.

Hamlin picks off another Manning pass that hangs in the air way too long. Sound wave washes over the stadium.

“We were going with a silent count the whole game so it shouldn’t have been a big deal,” Manning said. “We were getting the plays in. We had a few penalties. We were trying something and we didn’t have a great feel for it, just the rhythm and everything. We just have to get on the same page and get a little more disciplined.”

How loud was it? I purchased new ear phones and tuned into the Seahawks radio broadcast. On perhaps 10 downs where the Giants were on offense, I couldn’t hear Steve Raible’s play-by-play over the crowd noise in a window-enclosed press box.

Seattle, which has won 12 straight at Qwest Field, utilized the home-field advantage in the playoffs to earn a Super Bowl berth last season. It’s early, but Seattle, at 3-0, is one of four unbeatens in the NFC. There will be three after tonight’s New Orleans-Atlanta game.

“It’s getting to be a very difficult place for a team to come in and play,” Holmgren said. “The fans are doing their part and now we have to make sure that we do ours.”