A Grip on Sports: What happened to the Seahawk team we used to know?

A GRIP ON SPORTS • The idea, it seems, would be to be as healthy as possible as the NFL season winds down. That would, it seems, allow for a big-time playoff run. The Seahawks, it seems, are doing the exact opposite of that. They are coming apart at the seams.

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• By the end of Sunday’s embarrassing home loss to woeful Arizona, the Seahawks, by my count, were down 10 starters from a few weeks ago. That would be 10 of 22, though I might have missed one somewhere and they were at exactly 50 percent.

From Chris Carson to Quandre Diggs, the team the Hawks had on the CenturyLink turf looked nothing like the one we have been watching all season. You know that one, right? The one that figured how to make key stops and win close games?

That team doesn’t seem to exist right now. And probably won’t again.

Which means Seattle may just end the season on a three-game losing streak.

It’s true the Hawks have been lucky often this season. It’s also true that luck has a tendency to run out. And it is. Quickly.

Carson, Duane Brown, Josh Gordon, Mike Iupati (yes, he played some but if you watched he isn’t healthy), Jadeveon Clowney, Al Woods, Shaquil Griffin, Diggs. Add in Will Dissly, Justin Britt and a couple of often-used defensive backs and the 2019 Seahawks’ depth is gone.

The worst part? The offensive line, even when healthy, isn’t built to pass protect as its No. 1 assignment. Run blocking, that’s the ticket. Guys like D.J. Fluker, Iupati and Germain Ifedi are snowplows in cleats.

Without Carson (or Rashaad Penny or even C.J. Prosise) there isn’t anyone available who can be productive running the ball 15 to 25 times. And trying to find someone in the last week of the regular season is a fool’s errand.

Actually, John Schneider’s. But it would be foolish to think he’ll be successful either.

Think the San Francisco 49ers defensive line isn’t thinking Christmas came early this year? Russell Wilson, who some are speculating is as injured as, say, Iupati, isn’t the Russell Wilson we fell in love with. He’s not nearly as fast or as elusive as he was five years ago. He’s going to be like one of those stuffed rabbits in the Interstate Fair’s shooting galleries, though he may not bounce back up as quickly.

The near-future looks bleak. Watching Sunday night – the game was moved into prime time – has all the earmarks of a seven-car pileup on the 405 during rush hour. As we slowly come upon it, we’ll be compelled, in a morbid way, to look. And then be horrified by what we see.

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WSU: Don’t be surprised if Air Force runs the ball 50 times against the Cougars on Friday night. And moves the ball from here to Colfax. That’s what the Falcons do. (Ironic, isn’t it?) Theo Lawson delves into the Academy’s offensive philosophy and the plan Washington State is implementing to slow it down. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12, Washington coach Jimmy Lake is already moving to revamp the coaching staff. He also received some advice. … Zach Moss is leaving a legacy at Utah. … In basketball news, Washington won in Hawaii. … Oregon has better depth this season. … Colorado’s potential was on display against Dayton. … Arizona really lost to St. John’s in the first half, not down the stretch. … Stanford’s women, ranked No. 1, lost to Texas yesterday.

Gonzaga: Looking back on the easy win over Eastern Washington, Jim Meehan asks why teams are still sagging off the Zag’s best (by percentage) 3-point shooter. Ryan Woolridge is wondering the same thing. … Will BYU reach its potential this season?

Seahawks: Don’t think I am making excuses for the Hawks’ shortcomings yesterday. As bad as the injuries were, their offensive game plan hamstrung them just as much. The quick-passing game disappeared. They threw less than a handful of slants all day, and almost everyone was successful. Hard to understand. … And some of the other coaching decisions? As no one says anymore, OMG.

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• Things I need to do before Christmas: Finish stockpiling items for stockings; clean the house; and mow the lawn. Just joking about the last one, though it’s possible. It’s been un-seasonally warm the past week. It’s going to continue, though highs in the 50s won’t be back until March. I’m happy in one way but sad in another to say there won’t be a white Christmas this year. Until later …