Some Observations From Bill T

Written by William P. Tomisser | 13 October 2009

Wow, what a game Sunday! It was a distinctly different team that played last Sunday against the Jags than the one who has been playing under the Seahawk name as of late. From the offense who displayed that multiple weapon attack we were all talking about at the first of the season to the suffocating defense that Mora held up as his goal, that was a satisfying win with few shortcomings to talk about. Nick Reed finally got on track and proved that he can make things happen when he plays against the big boys, and Nate Burleson continues to show that he's finally arrived as a big time receiver.

It was also a lesson on where the problem was in the last three games before Hasselbeck came back. It wasn't lost on me that as soon as they pulled Hass and inserted Wallace back into the lineup that the Seahawks immediately started moving backwards again, which they hadn't done all afternoon to that point. I think all the debate is over on whether Wallace could run the Seahawks over a full season and win or even if he could be a stopgap measure between Matt and the next quarterback being groomed for the Seahawks.

Last season there was a lot of controversy surrounding coach Holmgren's statements that he would not put in younger players just to give them experience after it was determined that the season was lost. As it turned out, he had no choice but to do just that as player after player was put on injured reserve and he had to play the younger guys. One of those who would have never got in the game last year except for injuries was Kyle Williams. When Brandon Frye was injured, Williams became the last guy standing with any experience at playing left tackle, and he got that experience last season filling in for Walter Jones. Williams played very well for a fourth string left tackle who started the season on the practice squad and he demonstrated the value of giving those younger players valuable reps when either the game is a blowout in either direction or, like last year, when the playoffs are out of reach and you're just preparing for the next season. The one good thing that did come out of last year's injury riddled season was the experience gained by several of our backups who are showing the results of that experience this year. Except for the Colts game, we've been in contention every game this year and that's largely due to how well our backups have played. As I said previously, if we hadn't lost Hasselbeck, we most likely would be looking at being 3 - 2 or even 4 - 1 right now even with many backups playing.

Mike Sando also listed three players whose stock was rising and three more whose stock was falling from the NFC West. All three of the players whose stock was falling came from the 49ers, Singletary included, and two of the three players whose stock was rising were from the Seahawks. Matt Hasselbeck and Aaron Curry were the two Seahawks listed and rightly so. Both had a monster game last Sunday and are the de facto leaders of the offense and defense respectively right now. Curry continues to show that he will be someone special as he continues to improve from game to game. He has really shown that he is a talented pass rusher to go along with everything else he does so well, and that added aspect of his game really vaults him into the elite category of linebackers who can do it all. He's on pace to be in serious consideration for defensive rookie of the year.

The Seahawks are saying that they should have everyone back after the bye with the exception of Walter Jones, whom I fear will never take the field for the Seahawks again. If all those players do recover and we can beat the Cardinals Sunday at Qwest Field, the Seahawks will be poised to make a second half run for the NFC West title. Having Trufant and Wilson available with Lucas will definitely put some teeth in our defensive backfield, and having Sims and Locklear back on the offensive line will be a big help. At that point, we'll have a fairly decent offensive line and, more importantly, experienced backups so one injury doesn't spell doom. Hill coming back to team up with Tatupu and Curry puts that super set of linebackers on the field that we couldn't wait to see at the first of the season as well as giving us a great cast of experienced backups at that position too. All and all, a victory Sunday coupled with getting our team back intact after the bye spells renewed hope for a big run by the Seahawks that could take us all the way. Funny how a 41 - 0 drubbing can turn around both the team and the hopes of all Seahawk fans.

Arizona has been having their share of problems too with a porous pass defense and poor pass rush from their defensive line. That's good news for Hasselbeck, who doesn't need to get hit this Sunday and re-injure any critical body parts. It also bodes well for us to take a high-powered passing attack into Qwest Field against the Cards, who will be hard pressed to stop it. Of course, the same could be said of the Seahawks trying to stop the Cardinals high-powered offense, but with the 12th Man causing his usual havoc, I feel good that our defense will rise to the occasion and make it difficult for Arizona to get on track. I think that, although it will be a more difficult game than the one against the Jags, we will once again show how tough the Seahawks can be at Qwest Field. It could very well turn out to be that those three losses acted as character builders and made the team realize just how hard they have to fight to get anywhere in this league. I know if they play like they did last Sunday, their opponents will have to be playing their best ball to prevail.

I'm hanging around Seattle this week to jam with some of my friends and hang out with relatives, then I'll see the Arizona game before returning to Anchorage. I met our excellent editor for the Seahawk Addicts blog Matthew Heuett last Saturday evening and we had dinner together with his wife. It was a pleasant evening and we talked Seahawks for a couple hours. It was fun to put a face to someone who I've been communicating with for over a year on the blog.

Watch for the Bold Prediction Contest to be posted Friday morning.

Hasta,

Bill T.