Hawks defense isn't there yet

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Good thing Ryan Grant opened this game performing like a nervous playoff rook. If not for the mercy of inexperience, you cringe to ponder the possible depths of this embarrassment.

Green Bay would've scored 50 points. Or maybe 60. Brett Favre would've been engaging in snowball fights the entire second half instead of during snippets of the fourth quarter. Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren would've sent his defensive players down Holmgren Way, the street here that honors him, to take down his signs.

Rarely should a team lose 42-20 and feel fortunate. But that's an appropriate sentiment considering how inexplicably absent the Seahawks were.

At the end of another season that will go down as unsatisfying, the Seahawks finished with the worst defensive effort in the franchise's postseason history. And it's not like Seattle has the defensive tradition of, say, the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The bar was only ankle high, and the Seahawks stumbled over it with the clumsiness of a clown on skis. They gave up more points than they ever have in a playoff game. More rushing yards, too. They had never allowed more than four touchdowns in a postseason game. They surrendered four in the first half to Green Bay.

"We could not stop them," Holmgren said, more resigned than angry.

This defense, praised all season for its improvement, didn't force a Packers punt until the 52nd minute of the game. By then, the game was over, and Holmgren had so much snow on his coat that you would've thought every fan in Lambeau Field had pelted him.

This defense, blessed with four Pro Bowlers, watched Green Bay score on six consecutive possessions and convert on the first seven of its third downs. Lofa Tatupu? So-so game. Patrick Kerney? Nonfactor. Marcus Trufant? Average. Julian Peterson? Disappeared.

Green Bay did whatever it wanted. The Packers gained 408 yards, but it felt like 608. Favre, prone to playoff blunders, didn't make a mistake and even reverted to yesteryear by avoiding a sack and flipping an underhand pass for a first down. The Seahawks acted like they had never seen a zone-blocking scheme before and sacked Favre just once, on a play in which Favre didn't even lose yardage.

Even worse was Grant's performance. He was a scrub until emerging in late October, but on Saturday, he enjoyed the finest playoff game ever for a Packers running back.

It all began with him fumbling twice in the first 1:09 of the game. He was rattled, on an unfamiliar stage, experiencing unfamiliar pressure. And then he was running, untouched, 26 yards on this play, 15 yards on that play. Forty-three yards. The holes were bigger than Brandon Mebane's trousers.

In all, Grant rushed for 201 yards and three touchdowns. The Seahawks allowed a flustered young back to redeem himself in historic fashion.

"His confidence was at the bottom after that second fumble," said linebacker Leroy Hill, who forced Grant's first fumble. "Then he had some nice runs, and it helped him establish some confidence. We would've liked to have kept him down."

This loss soiled a progressive season for the Seahawks defense. The unit became the team's most intriguing aspect and even won a few games. But it never was consistent enough to be truly formidable, and in its toughest test of the season, the defense was awful.

The hype this defense accumulated over the season turned out to be counterfeit. The Seahawks weren't good enough to compete with a true Super Bowl contender by using a pass-happy offense and a big-play D.

When it mattered most, when the competition was menacing, there weren't enough big plays or sacks or even solid coverage.

"It's a terrible feeling," safety Brian Russell said. "I'm trying to give the Packers credit, but we're a better football team, a better defense, than we showed. It's something we'll use as motivation going into the offseason."

The first-round victory over Washington supposedly signaled this unit's arrival. This defeat proves it must've stopped at the wrong place.

The D isn't there yet.

"Playing well last week didn't do anything for us because we didn't show up today," Russell said.

Added Kerney: "It's such an emotional letdown. Words are hard to find. It's just heartbreaking."

With those words, the runner-up in the defensive player-of-the-year voting straightened his tie, grabbed his luggage and exited for the team bus, head down, gone from the playoffs, left only to believe once again in the promise of next year.

Jerry Brewer: 206-464-2277 or jbrewer@seattletimes.com. For more columns and the Extra Points blog, visit seattletimes.com/sports