By Tony Moss Oct 24, 2006, 16:40 GMT
- For a team that has yet to reach the midway point of the 2006 season, the Seattle Seahawks have certainly experienced their share of both lofty heights and disturbing lows.
Mike Holmgren's squad started strong with a 3-0 start, but the enthusiasm gleaned from that performance was tempered by the foot injury suffered by running back Shaun Alexander.
The early addition of receiver Deion Branch had Hawks fans thinking, 'last piece to the puzzle,' but the team's 37-6 dismantling at the hands of the Bears proved that this edition of the reigning NFC champs was still very much a work in progress.
The rollercoaster went up and down throughout the team's pivotal 30-28 win over the Rams in Week 6, with Josh Brown's successful 54-yard field goal at the gun seemingly placing Seattle squarely atop the NFC West hill.
But after Sunday's 31-13 home loss to the Minnesota Vikings, a defeat that saw Pro Bowl quarterback Matt Hasselbeck sidelined with a sprained right knee likely to keep him on the bench for three weeks, the Seahawks' thrill-ride train is plummeting down that hill again.
Does this ride have brakes? We'll see.
Hasselbeck went out on the third play of the second half against Minnesota, falling to the turf after Vikings linebacker E.J. Henderson rolled into him in a play not dissimilar to the one that injured the Bengals' Carson Palmer in last season's playoffs. An MRI on Monday revealed a grade two sprain, one that is expected to keep Hasselbeck out of the lineup for the team's upcoming three-game stretch. More on that later.
Seneca Wallace, playing his first meaningful minutes as a pro, piloted the Seahawks thereafter, and looked a lot like a guy playing his first meaningful minutes as a pro. The fourth-year player completed 14-of-25 passes for 134 yards with two interceptions, two sacks absorbed, and a fumble. The Vikings promptly seized the opportunity to take control of the game after Hasselbeck limped off, outscoring Seattle, 21-3, and capping the scoring when a Wallace fumble was recovered by Kevin Williams in the end zone.
'When you lose your quarterback, that's a fairly substantial thing,' said Holmgren after the defeat, which snapped the Seahawks' 12-game winning streak at Qwest Field. 'We have lost people at other positions and it's not quite as dramatic.'
The blame for Sunday's loss certainly didn't rest solely at the feet of the offense, however.
The Vikings' Chester Taylor rushed for a career-high 169 yards in the game, including a 95-yard touchdown run in the third quarter that was eerily reminiscent of Willie Parker's 75-yard run to glory against Seattle in Super Bowl XL. That Taylor's performance was aided by former Seahawks guard Steve Hutchinson, in town for the first time since the offseason's 'poison pill' episode, didn't ease the sting any.
The Seattle 'D' also gave up big plays in the form of a 40-yard touchdown pass from Brad Johnson to Marcus Robinson, as well as a 15-yard halfback pass from Mewelde Moore to Jermaine Wiggins that put the Vikings up to stay in the third quarter.
'We've just got to finish plays better,' said Seahawks safety Ken Hamlin of the big-hitters. 'It's happened to us before this year and we've talked about it. The coaches have talked about it. We've just got to focus and make the play until the play is over.'
Intense focus will indeed be a requirement for a Seattle team that, with the loss, fell back into a first-place tie with idle St. Louis in the West. Until Hasselbeck and Alexander can return to the backfield, other Seahawks will have to make contributions in order to keep their club's head above the waves, with the mostly untested Wallace at the top of that list.
'This is when you stay together,' said left tackle Walter Jones. 'It's always difficult when you lose your quarterback. But we know Seneca can play.'
ENTER WALLACE
The spotlight now shines brightly on the 26-year-old Wallace, who will become the first quarterback other than Hasselbeck to start a game for Seattle since Dec. 26th, 2004, when Trent Dilfer led the Hawks to a 24-21 win over the Cardinals. Hasselbeck was nursing an elbow injury in that game. The last quarterback other than Hasselbeck or Dilfer to start for Seattle was Jon Kitna, who opened 12 games in 2000.
Wallace, a fourth-round draft choice out of Iowa State in 2003, was promoted to No. 2 on the depth chart prior to last season, when Dilfer was dealt to the Browns. The second-team All-Big XII selection choice (behind Texas Tech's Kliff Kingsbury) appeared in seven regular season games last season, all in mop-up-duty, completing 13-of-25 passes for 173 yards with a touchdown and an interception. His first career TD toss went to Joe Jurevicius in a meaningless Week 17 loss to the Packers. Wallace also appeared at the tail end of the team's loss to the Bears in Week 4, when he completed 1-of-2 pass attempts for six yards.
Prior to his appearance against the Vikings, the 5-foot-11, 196-pound Wallace was probably best known for his 28-yard reception that set up a first-quarter TD in last year's NFC Championship win over Carolina.
ALEXANDER UPDATE
Though there have been persistent whispers that he could return to the field sooner, Holmgren told the media on Monday that Alexander would not be back before the team's Monday night battle with the Raiders on Nov. 6th.
Especially in light of Hasselbeck's injury, that is not terrific news for a Seattle offense that now ranks 20th in NFL rushing offense (99.7 yards per game) after finishing third in that category a year ago.
Maurice Morris has not been wildly effective in Alexander's absence, accruing 158 yards on 51 attempts (3.1 yards per carry) without a touchdown in his three starts.
Should he make it back in time for the Seahawks' eighth game, Alexander will have plenty of ground to make up in his pursuit of a sixth consecutive 1,000- yard season. Alexander (187 yards, 2 TD) would need to average 90.3 yards over his final nine games to reach that plateau.
The three-time Pro Bowler averaged 93.8 yards per game between 2001 and 2005.
COMPARE/CONTRAST
Add Hasselbeck to the list of offensive players that have fallen prey to the injury bug after starting Super Bowl XL for Seattle in February.
Alexander (foot), wide receiver Bobby Engram (thyroid condition) and tight end Jerramy Stevens (knee) are among those that have spent significant time on the shelf this season, and Pork Chop Womack, the team's replacement for guard and free agent defection Steve Hutchinson, has not played since Week 2 with a knee injury. Of that group, only Stevens, who saw limited action against Minnesota, is expected to play against the Chiefs this week.
UP NEXT: HISTORY REPEATING ITSELF?
Is there any good news for the Seahawks as they travel to play Kansas City on Sunday afternoon?
Not unless you're an eternal optimist. The Seahawks have a dismal history at Arrowhead Stadium, where they played once a season as a member of the AFC West from 1978 through 2001. Seattle is 2-18 in Kansas City since 1981, and Holmgren is 1-4 there in his career.
The Chiefs come off a 30-27 victory over the Chargers that evened their record at 3-3.
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