Even fundamental football can backfire

GLENDALE, Ariz. — How many times over the years have they run this play? In the tedious swelter of Cheney in July. In the dank practice bubble in Kirkland in December?

In how many games, in how many stadiums, indoors and out, summer, autumn and winter, has Matt Hasselbeck taken the snap from center, pivoted and handed the ball to Shaun Alexander?

How many times has fullback Mack Strong provided the escort for Alexander through the hole opened by Walter Jones. Fundamental football.

Next to taking a knee, this is the simplest play in the game. It's armored-car safe. Big Ben-reliable.

Except on this one Sunday afternoon inside the cavernous playpen that is home to the Arizona Cardinals.

Cautiously in this 20-20 game, the Seahawks were positioning themselves for an attempt at the winning field goal. After being down 17-0, they were about to take a road victory from an NFC West rival and start the season 2-0.

Life was getting good again.

But with 1:55 to go, Alexander misunderstood Hasselbeck's play call, went the wrong way, crash-landed into his quarterback, forcing the fumble that landed like a sucker-punch on the Seahawks.

"I can't believe it happened," Hasselbeck said, after Neil Rackers hit a 42-yard field goal for Arizona's 23-20 victory.

It was supposed to be basic X-and-O football — not West Coast, East Coast, Gold Coast, just 3 yards and a pile of players. Old school.

"A bread-and-butter play," Hasselbeck said.

And it blew up like an exploding cigar.

"It was like one of those funny movies," Alexander said, "where the quarterback is running around and tries to hand it off to the referee. I looked back and I thought, 'What are you doing?' "

Hasselbeck turned expecting Alexander to be on his right. Instead, Alexander was right on top of him. Sensing fear, Arizona middle linebacker Gerald Hayes crashed through and forced the ball out of Hasselbeck's hands.

"I was thinking, 'I'm going to go protect Matt,' " Alexander said. "And he was thinking, 'Go score.' It's sad."

The play started at the Cardinals' 36-yard line.

Seahawks kicker Josh Brown already had told the coaches he felt good attempting a field goal anywhere inside of 56 yards. His adrenaline was racing. The Seahawks were in his range. The win was there.

Then, defensive tackle Darnell Dockett recovered the fumble and Brown's adrenaline emptied.

"All you can do is go back and sit down," Brown said.

It was a one-in-a-million mistake, but the kind of mistake that can haunt a team in December when it is calculating all of its complex playoff permutations.

"We weren't on the same page as well as we thought. We all thought it was a running play until I saw the guy [Hayes] coming through. Then I thought maybe I missed, missed a call. So I'm running around to block and Matt's trying to hand it [to me]," Alexander said. "I always pride ourselves on being the smartest team and we just blew it."

Well, to be more specific, Alexander blew it. He missed the call. He started the chaos.

"It was a miscommunication," coach Mike Holmgren said. "Hasn't happened before, probably never happen again."

Such is the agony of this game. Teams take a week to prepare for a game. They cover all the angles in film sessions, team meetings and practices. They allow for every variable, every reaction to their actions.

And then something this small, something coaches don't expect to happen in their lifetime happens.

"It's woeful," Holmgren said. "What I talked to the team about was, 'You can't take anything for granted. You can't take the slightest detail for granted. You have to concentrate all the time. Just when you think you can ease off the pedal, you can't.'

"I've never lost a game that way. But I suppose, if you're at this long enough, you'll see just about everything. Tough way to lose a game."

It was one of those this-can't-be-happening-to-us moments. An inexplicable dream unraveling at full speed and in slow motion at the same time.

"I was confused. I really didn't know what to do," Hasselbeck said. "It was as if a whistle had blown. I really wasn't sure. Then I got caught between giving the ball to Shaun or holding it myself and [Hayes] came through and kind of split us. I can't believe it happened, really.

"I didn't [audible], but I guess I can understand. I don't know. Really, I'm still in shock, to be honest with you. The timing of it is really, really unbelievable. It was a conservative play call and the players do their jobs. We didn't do our jobs."

Out of simplicity, chaos was born. And a game the Seahawks never, ever should have lost was given away.

Steve Kelley: 206-464-2176 or skelley@seattletimes.com.