It's time Seahawks take it upon themselves to make things happen

Sometimes, when the home team falls in the mud, you want to see the owner face the music.

Only Paul Allen couldn't. He was sick.

So the Seahawks' billionaire boss missed a chance to showcase his guitar skills during the WaMu Theater opening Friday night. Defensive tackle/rock star wannabe Craig Terrill announced his absence. The crowd sighed.

Yeah, it's one of those years. The organization is ill from top to bottom.

It's enough to make you fear the entire season will enter the infirmary. Therefore, this is the appropriate time to lock our poise in a basement and turn up the urgency.

Enough.

Toughen up, Seahawks.

Now.

Don't wait for Shaun Alexander to return. Don't wait for Matt Hasselbeck or Bobby Engram or the defense's sanity. Start the return to normalcy against Oakland on "Monday Night Football."

The Seahawks need more than a victory Monday. They need to send a message. It's odd to be talking about making statements in the eighth game of the season, but this team just played a month of bad football. If they didn't have the grit and pride to rally against St. Louis, they would've been oh-for-October.

You must venture back to Sept. 24 to remember the last time the Seahawks looked dominant. And in that 42-30 victory over the New York Giants, they played three quarters and coasted in the fourth. Even after giving them a break because of the injury bug, you struggle to see the Super Bowl contender in them.

"Health doesn't answer the question of mistakes," coach Mike Holmgren said. "There are guys on the field who have to start doing things correctly."

They are not afflicted with the Curse of Super Bowl Also-Rans or the Madden Curse. They are not victims because, in football, victims don't exist. The game is all about toughness and perseverance. The Seahawks need to rediscover both.

It starts on the offensive and defensive lines. All teams that suddenly start playing erratic tend to have problems there. For Seattle, the offensive line has gone from its biggest strength to its most glaring weakness in one season. And after a good start, the defensive line has faded to irrelevance.

One statistic best explains how the Seahawks have gone from a dominant Super Bowl team to a mediocre 4-3 team searching for its mojo. In 2005, the Seahawks ranked third in the NFL in rushing offense (153.6 yards per game) and fifth in rushing defense (94.4 yards allowed). They ran for nearly 60 more yards per game than the opponent, flashing a physical superiority that could break a team's will.

Through seven games this season, they are 26th in rushing offense (92.6 yards per game) and 14th in rushing defense (106.3 yards allowed per game). The opponent is running for nearly 14 more yards per game. In the past two games, Chester Taylor and Larry Johnson have rushed for 169 and 155 yards, respectively, against Seattle.

Now Seattle faces Oakland, which has an average rushing attack and the worst offense in the NFL. But the Raiders managed to beat reigning champion Pittsburgh last week despite only 98 total yards.

They put the Steelers (2-5) on their death bed. They could send the Seahawks into panic.

During these struggles, the Seahawks have remained calm, unshaken. They have said the right things. They have talked of overcoming challenges and how it could define their resolve to be champions. They seem to be the same united, driven team.

And then they take the field and drift deeper into a trance each week.

It's great to have a team built on character, but you need some edge, too. It's time for the Seahawks to show that trait.

Get mad. Get testy. Don't get crazy like rapper Kanye West and flip out when feeling disrespected, but act like a championship contender that feels upset over being ignored.

For some reason, the perception of disrespect always motivates millionaire athletes.

"We have to make it happen," Holmgren said. "We almost have to will it to happen."

In this game, the Seahawks can. Even without Hasselbeck. Even without Alexander. Even if Sean Locklear and Chris Spencer can't play. If they can't beat the Raiders at home shorthanded, they aren't a playoff team.

Many things about this season have been complex and unfortunate, but this is simple. Overpower a team that began the season 0-5. Finish the first half of your season at 5-3. Re-establish some stability.

Now.

The season rolls on, relentlessly. There is little time to wait.

Jerry Brewer: 206-464-2277 or jbrewer@seattletimes.com