Many Seattle fans grew physically ill watching the Seahawks NFL opener
against the Buffalo Bills on the East Coast, and I was one of them. This was no
way to start Mike Holmgren's final season in Seattle. Holmgren deserved
better.
The Bills won 34-10 while controlling both sides of the line, watching
Seattle's running game flounder like a wounded duck, watching the Seahawks'
depleted receiving corps drop pass after pass, and watching Seattle's special
teams unit miss tackles and give up 24 points. It was a study in ineptitude.
John Donne is his Meditation XVII said "no man is an island" but
Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck must have felt like he was on an island
isolated without pass protection as he was knocked down more times than 10 pins
at a bowling alley. There was little pass protection and, when there was,
receivers dropped balls like little leaguers at play.
To add injury to insult, Seattle lost its only healthy, competent wide
receiver as Nate Burleson suffered a torn ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) in
his knee and will be lost for the season. Both veteran starters Bobby Engram and
Deion Branch are injured and have not played yet this season.
It is not the end of the world (for fans who take these losses seriously and
emotionally), but it could be the beginning of the end if the Seahawks do not
snap out of it and get control of their game and future.
The Seattle Seahawks do not have modest aspirations this year, they aim to
win the Super Bowl and send Mike Holmgren away from Seattle as the only coach to
lead two teams to Super Bowl victories. Holmgren won a Super Bowl in Green Bay
and has already led the Seahawks to the Super Bowl in 2005.
Seattle has lost its opening game before and done well. In 2005, the Seahawks
lost to Jacksonville on the road, returned home to beat Atlanta and then won 12
of 13 games to assure home field advantage in the playoffs.
They went on to win the NFC West Division title and the NFC title before
losing to Pittsburgh in the Super Bowl, a game that shall live in infamy as
injuries to the Seahawks' secondary leading up to the Super Bowl cost them the
game.
So how bad was the opening-game loss? Well, the mild mannered Mike Holmgren
canned a player. Punter Ryan Plackemeier lost his job and place on the team as
he was shown the door out of town.
Plackemeier was followed by Jordan Kent (who dropped too many passes) and
Justin Forsett to make room for suspended players Rocky Bernard and Jordan
Babineaux. The Seahawks immediately signed former Green Bay Packer punter John
Ryan to replace Plackemeier.
After Sunday's inept performance, Holmgren could have fired any one of 20
players who underperformed and are overpaid. I'm glad to see Plackemeier hit the
road. It puts the other players on notice that the dinky-dorking around is over;
they need to start earning their salaries and privileged place in America as
professional athletes.
Copyright © 2008 Ed Bagley
