Hawks spinning their wheels

KIRKLAND — Their absence passed as an explanation for Seattle's struggles on offense.

Turns out their presence hasn't been the antidote everyone anticipated.

Shaun Alexander and Matt Hasselbeck have been back for a month now, but the Seahawks still haven't restored the efficiency their offense showed last year when it led the league in scoring.

The Seahawks stand two games from the end of the regular season and are running out of time to gather some momentum after treading so much water.

"We're not playing at the level we're capable of," Hasselbeck said. "And we're just trying to figure out why that is."

Seattle's scoring average has declined more than seven points from last season. Only Carolina experienced a steeper drop-off.

And there has been a lack of progress after the team's two most prominent offensive players returned to the field last month. The Seahawks averaged 20.5 points in the four games Hasselbeck missed and 21.3 in the 10 he played. They averaged 19.5 points in six games without Alexander, 22.3 in eight with him.

They aren't the only reasons for the Seahawks' offensive swoon, but they are two of the highest-paid players on the offense. In the salary-cap era, that means their performances have a disproportionate influence over the direction of the season.

"The fact is, every team counts on a core group of players to play at their best," Seattle coach Mike Holmgren said. "Every team. Not just the Seahawks.

"Now, I'm not going into the reasons as to why it hasn't happened or it doesn't happen. That varies from team to team, year to year, any number of things, not the least of which is injury."

Lining up the differences

Finding the reasons for Seattle's struggles doesn't require a closer look so much as a broader perspective.

It's not just the man lining up under center, but the fellows who line up around the center. It's not just the guy running through the holes at the line, but the players whose job is to open those holes.

The offensive line was the foundation of Seattle's success last season. The starting lineup changed once, and that was the regular-season finale when Walter Jones got a day off. Three of the linemen went to the Pro Bowl, and the line played so well that even when Floyd Womack recovered from a triceps injury, he stayed on the bench behind Sean Locklear.

Steve Hutchinson's offseason departure to Minnesota is frequently cited as the reason for this year's discontinuity, but the difference from last year is more substantial than one left guard.

Three of the five starters in the season opener missed five or more games because of injury. Eight different players started at some point along the line in six different starting configurations.

"Maybe we took for granted how nice that was last year to have that kind of continuity," Hasselbeck said. "To have the same group of guys that not only you played with for a few years, but also all season long.

"It's just something like electricity, you don't realize how good it is until it's gone."

Opposing defenses aren't the only things applying pressure to Hasselbeck. With center Robbie Tobeck out, Holmgren said Hasselbeck assumed calling some of the blocking adjustments made at the line of scrimmage. It's just one more thing on a to-do list that is already plenty full.

Hasselbeck was intercepted nine times last season. He has been picked off 13 times this season, two short of his career high.

"We go kind of how he goes, to be honest," Holmgren said. "That's the nature of our offense. He's been inconsistent."

Running in place

This week was good for Alexander.

So good, in fact, that for the first time since returning to practice he hasn't used a machine to help stimulate the healing of the bone that was broken in his left foot.

"This is the best that I've felt the whole time," Alexander said.

It's not too late. Not yet. A year ago, Alexander ran his way through a season in which his future as a free agent was a constant source of speculation. Now it's the past that is the source of comparison for everything Alexander does.

He gained more than 100 yards in 11 of 16 games last season. He eclipsed that mark only once this season.

He was never stopped on third-and-one last season. It happened twice in the past two games.

"Any running back playing needs guys creating room for him," Holmgren said. "But we are not running the ball like we did last year."

The offense hasn't put together a complete game, let alone a season that compares to the last one.

Was there any point the offense functioned at top speed this season?

"There have been a few drives," Hasselbeck said. "Or maybe the first half of the Giants game."

The Seahawks scored touchdowns on five of their first seven possessions against the Giants nearly three months ago.

"Our chemistry has been shook off of just not starting the same team every game," Alexander said. "That takes awhile, especially the way our team is built. Our team is built on timing."

And now, the biggest issue with time is the lack of it left in the season. The Seahawks aren't quite at full strength and even farther away from being full speed.

"This has been the best week of practice that we've had," Alexander said.

"Hopefully, we'll get to play like that, like we [did] last year."

Danny O'Neil: 206-464-2364 or doneil@seattletimes.com