Seahawks fall to 1-5 with loss @ Tampa Bay

Did you hear that sound? That loud guttural groan? That was the sound of legions of Seahawk fans acknowledging what is becoming a universally accepted truth…there will be no postseason football in the Emerald City. Starting in 2003, the ‘Hawks have been one of the most consistent teams in the entire NFL. After 5 playoff appearances, 4 division titles, 4 playoff victories (and some gut-punch losses…Al Harris, anyone?), and 1 NFC Title, the sustained run of excellence might officially be coming to an end.

Seattle entered Sunday night’s game at 1-4, with their lone victory coming against the Linehan-Era Rams. However, in the NFC West, 2-4 is “in the race.” But with the Cardinals establishing themselves, the Rams re-inventing themselves, and the 49ers…well, the 49ers own a win over the Seahawks…1-5 would be being the beginning of a funeral march. Unfortunately for the Seahawks and their fans, the ominous tones of Chopin’s Piano Sonata No. 2 (more commonly known as The Undertaker’s theme song) could be heard echoing through Tampa Sunday night.

With Matt Hasselbeck still sidelined with a back injury, the reigns were handed to Seneca Wallace, the third starting quarterback used by the Seahawks this season. As evidenced by their 73 passing yards, they still haven’t found a suitable replacement for Matt. The Seahawks offense could not get anything going, as they only were able to rattle off 176 total yards and 10 points. However, with injuries abound on the offensive side of the ball and an excellent Tampa Bay defense (it seems like I’ve been writing that for 20 years now), any hope of winning this game lay with the defense. And disappoint they most certainly…did. The Bucs dominated the ‘Hawks D, tallying 402 total yards of offense and controlling the ball for an astounding 41 minutes of the game.

Even seemingly good breaks for the Seahawks didn’t quite work out. Early in the 2 nd quarter, Lofa Tatupu and Leroy Hill gangtackled Buc receiver Ike Hilliard, seemingly forcing a fumble. Cornerback Josh Wilson recovered the ball, but the play had been blow dead, negating his 96 yard scamper to the end zone. A Holmgren challenge resulted in the Seahawks gaining possession, however the return could not be counted, as the whistle had blown. The play also resulted in a concussion for superstar linebacker Lofa Tatupu, another blow to the NFL’s very own Jobs.

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Seattle did fight back from down 17-0 at the half, but unfortunately it was for naught, as the Bucs simply outplayed them. We need not look further than the 3 rd down conversion numbers (Tampa 10-18, Seattle 2-10) to see exactly what happened at Raymond James Stadium. When the defense finally buckled down, the offense could get nothing going.

Such is the story of the 2008 Seahawks. The offense can’t stay on the field, tiring the defense out. Its easy to point the finger at the dreaded Injury Bug this season, but as a life-long fan, it is easy for me to see something else missing. The thing the Seahawks are lacking is the fire of old, the “We want the ball and we’re gonna score” (although that didn’t really work out) spunk that defined this team for so long. With their emotional leader on the sidelines, the ‘Hawks have looked listless and flat. I never thought I’d be saying this after only 7 weeks, but it might be time to break out the black suits, Seahawks fans.

By Mike Krenek
ProFootball-fans.com Seattle Seahawks Correspondent