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Danny O'Neil covers the Seahawks for The Seattle Times.
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Surprise: Seahawks shellacked
Posted by Danny O'Neil
Stakes were high Sunday.
About as high as they get in October. Arizona is the team that ended Seattle's four-year run atop the division last year. The Cardinals are coming off the Super Bowl.
There was plenty of significance in this game, just not much suspense. And it was about midway through the third quarter when the disparity displayed on the field was reminiscent of a scene from "The Usual Suspects" and Verbal Kent is reciting the store of how Kaiser Soze showed those men of will what will really was.
Arizona was ruthless as Soze on Sunday when it came to the systematic extermination of Seattle's chances at victory.
The final score was 27-3 and really, it wasn't even that close.
Was it surprising? Yes, a shock that Seattle was entirely uncompetitive in a game that meant so much to its season. Keep reading as we try to quantify just how shocking it was.
SURPRISE INDEX
1: The sun rose in the east.
2: T.J. Houshmandzadeh says more passes should be directed toward him
3: Seattle never wears those neon green jerseys for another game
4: Seattle's defense dragged down the field on 10 minute drive to begin a game
5: ESPN led SportsCenter with Seahawks highlights
6: Seahawks drafted a corner who could be described as big or tall
7: Seattle rebounds from 2-4 start to make the playoffs
8: Seattle plays a game without suffering significant injury
9: Matt Hasselbeck seen using a comb
10: Brush your teeth and tie your shoes, the apocalypse is upon us.
Now, as it turns out Seattle didn't miss all that much because the Seahawks had all the offensive mobility of a pet rock once they did get the ball. But starting out down 14-0 before it ran a snap certainly put Seattle behind the 8-ball.
If you were outraged by Seattle's rushing performance, you haven't been paying attention. People wondered about the running game before training camp opened, during training camp and during the exhibition schedule. Six games into the NFL season and guess what? There are still concerns about the running game. And it's not shocking. Seattle has started three left tackles, three left guards and two centers and we're only six games into the season. Add in the fact that Arizona had the league's top-rated rush defense, and it wasn't too surprising Seattle spent Sunday on a treadmill.
The Cardinals have chosen to go for this totally revolutionary idea of putting young legs in the backfield with Tim Hightower -- 2008 draft pick -- and Beanie Wells, Arizona's first-rounder this year. Seattle has gone in the opposite direction, re-signing Shaun Alexander in 2006, adding veterans Julius Jones and T.J. Duckett in 2008. Seattle has drafted three fullbacks since Tim Ruskell became the team's president and only one running back in that time.
Sure, Fitzgerald caught 13 passes, but coverage was not the problem. In fact it was pretty good. No strike that. Very good. Fitzgerald had to work for those 13 catches. In fact, he had to work very hard, and not one of those receptions gained more than 19 yards.
Now, being in the right place is one thing. Being able to stop Fitzgerald is something else entirely. Now, it's tough to jump all over a team that didn't have either of its top two cornerbacks in the starting lineup. Marcus Trufant is eligible to begin practicing this week, and Ken Lucas played as a reserve after attending the funeral of his father. But it has been very clear Seattle does not have the personnel to match up with Fitzgerald. Not many teams do, but then, not many are in Arizona's division.
If you could win in the NFL with your No. 4 left tackle then the whole salary structure of the league is off base. There's a reason that position is so important. Kyle Williams deserves a lot of credit for playing through a knee injury in Week 5, and he doesn't deserve to be blamed for the fact that Matt Hasselbeck was under siege from the first time he touched the ball. The issue is the succession plan to Walter Jones, who was coming off microfracture knee surgery.
Ryan's no joke of an athlete. You see the way he slammed Steve Breaston on that second-half punt return? And when Seattle dialed up a fake punt he threw a nice little pass to tight end John Carlson, but it was the only time Seattle crossed midfield in the game. Yep. Read that again. It's true. It was the only time Seattle crossed midfield.
Nov 22, 09 - 4:14 PM
Video: Jim Mora, Matt Hasselbeck after Sunday's loss
Nov 22, 09 - 1:58 PM
Post-game quotes: Minnesota 35, Seattle 9
Nov 22, 09 - 10:02 AM
Game thread
Nov 22, 09 - 8:42 AM
Julius Jones, Josh Wilson among inactives
Nov 22, 09 - 8:35 AM
Counting up Jim Mora's grievances


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