Hawks await Gore
Leroy Hill likes playing with enthusiasm and emotion. It’s an easy combination for the Seahawks’ outside linebacker to generate at home, thanks to Seattle’s raucous fans.
On the road? Well, that’s a little tougher, and might be partly why the Seahawks’ defense has struggled to stop opposing running backs playing away from Qwest Field.
“If anyone tells you, ‘I like playing on the road better than playing at home,’ that’s a lie,” Hill said.
“When the crowd is behind you, you’re more emotional, more enthused. But you’ve got to find that on the road, whether it’s your inner self or whatever, you have to find it.”
In five of Seattle’s last six regular-season road games, an opposing running back has rushed for at least 100 yards.
Not surprisingly, Seattle is 2-4 in those games.
Now comes Sunday’s challenge of slowing down San Francisco’s Frank Gore, who exposed the Seahawks’ defense for 212 yards last year in the 49ers’ 20-14 win in San Francisco.
“Run defense is all about assignments,” Hill said. “That’s how guys break long runs. One guy gets out of their gap, they find that gap, boom, guy has got you for 10 or 15 (yards).”
Gore certainly did that to the Seahawks last year, both in San Francisco and in his 144-yard performance in Seattle last December. But he wasn’t alone.
Larry Johnson, Tatum Bell and Edgerrin James – twice – have all rushed for more than 100 yards against Seattle’s defense in its last six road games.
Coach Mike Holmgren believes the problems start with tackling.
“I think anytime you get yards like that, missed tackles are the biggest reason,” Holmgren said. “Most teams can block a little bit, most teams can play defense a little bit, but if you gain that type of yardage somebody did something wrong.”
So far this season, Seattle’s defense has been stout at home, slowing down a pair of talented backs.
The Seahawks held the Bucs’ Carnell Williams to 60 yards in the season opener, then last week flustered Cincinnati’s Rudi Johnson to just 9 yards on 17 carries before the Bengals’ starting back left with a hamstring injury.
“The Seahawks’ offense should be back close to full strength this week as backup running back Maurice Morris (injured hip) and receiver Ben Obomanu (hamstring injury) are expected to play Sunday.
Around the league
Pittsburgh wide receiver Hines Ward has been ruled out of Sunday’s game at Arizona because of a sprained right knee. … Minnesota quarterback Tarvaris Jackson‘s groin is still sore, meaning Kelly Holcomb will get his second straight start when the Vikings play Green Bay on Sunday. … Vernand Morency is eager to make his belated season debut at running back Sunday for Green Bay. A knee injury sidelined him for the preseason and first three regular-season games. … Oakland quarterback Josh McCown will miss Sunday’s game against Miami with a broken toe on his left foot, giving Daunte Culpepper the start against his former team. … Jake Delhomme, who said he hasn’t tried to throw since injuring his right elbow in the third quarter of Carolina’s win Sunday over Atlanta, was listed as doubtful on the team’s injury report for this Sunday’s game against Tampa Bay. … A New York Jets season-ticket holder filed a class-action lawsuit against the New England Patriots and coach Bill Belichick for “deceiving customers.” The lawsuit stems from the Patriots being caught illegally videotaping signals from Jets coaches in New England’s 38-14 season-opening win Sept. 9.