The Ugly:
1. Living On The Edge – The Seahawks have talent and ability. They don’t have the talent and ability to overcome mistakes, so getting four penalties in the first quarter–two on Stacey Andrews again–really made life difficult and could have changed the results dramatically.
2. Wildcat – Seattle tried one wildcat play, snapping the ball to fullback Michael Robinson. It was beyond ugly and does not need to ever be repeated again.
3. Identity – The Seahawks are good at doing a lot of things, but on offense anyway, they need to be really good at one thing, something they can know is their bread and butter. In 2005, it was either Hasselbeck rolling right and hitting the tight end shallow or Alexander over the left side. The Seahawks don't have a go-to play like that yet. Maybe that is another thing that will develop, but I don't like waiting.
4. Screen pass defense – Chicago ran three screen passes. All three gained yardage and made me wonder if the Seahawks did any prep during the off week on defending the play. The opposition will continue running it until Seattle shows they can stop it consistently.
Overall, there is no way I can bad mouth a road win against a team with a winning record. Not with the way Seattle travels, that’s for sure. Chicago fans may point to a kick return called back on a holding penalty as proof that Seattle didn’t deserve to win, but on this day, Seattle’s offense and defense dominated the Bears and showed that when things are working, they can play with anybody.
That’s good because the NFC West champion Arizona Cardinals make their annual trip to Seattle next Sunday. Seattle and Arizona are tied atop the NFC West with 3-2 records, making this matchup and early season chance to take control in the West. For the first time in a couple of years, I’m actually feeling good about Seattle without feeling like I’m drinking too much of the homer Kool-Aid.
Article comments
1 - charlie doherty
Looks like for one week, both the Patriots and Seahawks did well on the same day and with new guys in old slots (or in New England's case, a familiar face in Branch, who was vital in that huge win over Baltimore yesterday). I didn't like the Moss trade, but am glad to have Branch back. Sorry we took took him from you guys :)
2 - Russ Evenhuis
I'm sorry Branch decided to actually catch the damn ball. :-) I can't hate on him too much though, he was always injured here. He's a good guy and a good receiver.