Seahawks Notebook | Mixed signals blamed for flub

KIRKLAND — Monday was the day for the Seahawks to move on from the fumbled exchange that cost them a chance to win Sunday at Arizona.

The Seahawks were in position to take a late lead until quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and running back Shaun Alexander botched a handoff after some miscommunication. The fumble was still the topic of the day.

Holmgren broke it down, saying he called running play. Hasselbeck attempted to mislead the Cardinals' defense by signaling a dummy audible with the intention of sticking with the original play and handing the ball off.

"Some of the guys thought it was real, to boil it into a nutshell," Holmgren said. "It wasn't just Shaun. [Fullback] Mack Strong, a couple of our wide receivers. So in that situation we learned a valuable lesson there. In that situation when it's loud and noisy and exciting, we just don't mess around too much. You just run the play."

Four times in his media conference Monday afternoon, Holmgren said such a mistake should not happen again. Holmgren and Hasselbeck put the blame on their shoulders.

"Start with me as being the most accountable," Holmgren said. "You're not going to go to a lot of audibles [at the two-minute warning]. You're going to just keep it straight and simple. And had I given that speech a little more firmly, then I might not have put the players in a tough spot. So start with me. But who gets the blame on this deal — I don't think it's fair to focus in on anybody, any of the players."

With several Seahawks apparently thinking the play was an audible, the blocking failed and allowed Arizona linebacker Gerald Hayes to blow through the line and disrupt the exchange, causing the fumble.

"It's unfortunate because my job as quarterback is to make things easier for everybody else, not more complicated," Hasselbeck said. "It's not my job to confuse anybody. Obviously I did that, and it's tough because I take that one and I put it right on me for not executing the play that was called."

Strong said he saw Hasselbeck make a motion as if to signal an audible, but he thought the run play was still the call because Hasselbeck didn't yell out anything.

Tubbs' surgery

Defensive tackle Marcus Tubbs, out for the season, had anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery on his right knee last week, the team announced. The surgery, conducted at the Seattle Surgery Center by team doctors, was successful, according to a team media release.

Notes

• Holmgren said RB Maurice Morris and LB Leroy Hill have the best chance to play this week against Cincinnati, compared with the other injured Seahawks. WRs Ben Obomanu and D.J. Hackett also missed the last game. Alexander will likely continue to wear the cast over his sprained left wrist, at least in practice this week.

José Miguel Romero: 206-464-2409 or jromero@seattletimes.com