Keys to the Game - Week Nine
Somehow, I think that I'm not the only one who is getting damn tired of saying "this week is a must-win for the Seahawks." Alas, that is certainly the case today. The Hawks have four games against four last-place teams in the second half of the season -- the Lions, the Bucs, the Rams and the Titans. All four MUST be won, obviously. Then we need to pick up a few others -- the Cardinals and 49ers are especially important. Still, if we lose this game the draft guide gets broken out and hell, I might as well just redirect the site to Rob Staton's Draft Blog.
We won't do that though, because we're gonna crush these joikawfs. Here's how:
- No friggin' injuries. You can't afford any more if you want to try to recoup and compete as a unit, especially on the O-Line. I'm hoping that the Hawks don't rush Locklear back in there unless McIntosh is suffering. Why would you?
- Houshmandzadeh needs yards and receptions when it matters. Anyone else insanely annoyed with him? I know there are. The easiest solution is for him and Matt to get on track, and I'm hoping these next two weeks get them where they need to be. I really do believe there is an outside chance that we can compete if we get going, but they need to lead that effort.
- Defensive Line must deliver on pre-season promises. If you can't do it against the Lions, who are you going to do it against? Look for a D-Line rebuild if these guys can't really start clicking. Mebane has been good, but not Pro-Bowl like I had expected. Cole has been solid, but again, not super duper. Cory Redding needs to show up in a big way. LoJack has been the most pleasant surprise, and Darryl Tapp has been playing like a man possessed. Both of them are probably our defensive MVPs thus far... still, they need to play TOGETHER and play well.
- No injuries. For real.
