Published: Sunday, December 13, 2009
Seahawks, Texans going in different directions?
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Elaine Thompson / Associated Press
Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck (8) throws a pass under pressure by the 49ers’ Takeo Spikes during last Sunday’s game.
RENTON — T.J. Houshmandzadeh was down for the count Friday, literally rolling with laughter on the floor of the Seahawks locker room.
A day earlier, Matt Hasselbeck was running routes after practice while his receivers laughed at the quarterback while he returned the barbs as throws bounced at his feet.
“When you’re winning, obviously you’re going to feel different about yourself than when you’re losing,” Houshmandzadeh said. “I would say there’s a little more energy in here.”
In Houston, meanwhile, there is talk of head coach Gary Kubiak’s job being in jeopardy and the team struggling to shake off the effects of a four-game losing streak when they returned to practice Wednesday.
“Obviously nobody’s real upbeat right now, when you go through what we’ve gone through the last month,” Kubiak said.
The Texans and Seahawks meet today with identical 5-7 records, but they look like two teams heading in different directions. The Seahawks have won two straight, including their first road win of the season, while Houston has lost four straight, all in heart-breaking fashion.
“It’s just a matter of rallying the troops and circling the wagons and getting back after things,” Texans quarterback Matt Schaub told Houston reporters. “And just understanding that we have to put that behind us. We can’t dwell on those things. We have to move forward and we have to get ready for a tough football game and we’re not going to go out there and get a win by preparing the way we started practice (Wednesday). We have to understand that as a unit and as a team and so we had to restart things and get them going in the right direction.”
And let’s not get carried away. The Seahawks two-game winning streak (does two wins constitute a winning streak?) is hardly a sign that all is well for Seattle. That first road win came against the one-win Rams, and the second win was at home against San Francisco, another 5-7 team. Nor do back-to-back wins mean a third straight will come easily. The Texans are favored by a touchdown for good reason. Those four losses have all been winnable games, including two to Indianapolis, which embarrassed the Seahawks earlier this season. The Seahawks, meanwhile, have not won a road game outside of the division since 2007.
“We haven’t done nothing but win a couple of games,” safety Deon Grant said. “We beat a team on the road that we blew out the first game. So a win is always good, but at the end of the day we’re still below .500, so we’ve just got to stay hungry and keep preparing like a team that’s trying to reach for something.”
The Seahawks are also very familiar with Houston’s current struggles to break out of a funk. While the Seahawks are feeling good and see this as a winnable game, the Texans probably view a home game against Seattle as a good chance to end their skid.
“You lose four in a row, we’ve been there, it’s a bad feeling,” defensive end Patrick Kerney said. “You’ll do anything to break a losing streak, and if you’re a quality team, which they certainly are, you pull together and do whatever you can to get that bad feeling out of your gut.”
But even if the Seahawks successes are modest, it’s better than what they’ve know for most of the season. As Houshmandzadeh points out, the Seahawks have always had a loose locker room this season, but a couple of wins seems to have lightened the mood even more as the Seahawks enter the final quarter of the season.
“Obviously when you’re not winning there’s a little more negative energy in the building,” receiver Nate Burleson said. “You still have the same hunger, but guys are a little more relaxed, they’re not pushing as much. So when you get a couple of wins under your belt, you get a win on the road after losing so many, the easy part is out of the way. I think everyone just has that confidence now to go out and play football.”
Herald Writer John Boyle: jboyle@heraldnet.com. For more Seahawks coverage, check out the Seahawks blog at heraldnet.com/seahawksblog
A day earlier, Matt Hasselbeck was running routes after practice while his receivers laughed at the quarterback while he returned the barbs as throws bounced at his feet.
“When you’re winning, obviously you’re going to feel different about yourself than when you’re losing,” Houshmandzadeh said. “I would say there’s a little more energy in here.”
In Houston, meanwhile, there is talk of head coach Gary Kubiak’s job being in jeopardy and the team struggling to shake off the effects of a four-game losing streak when they returned to practice Wednesday.
“Obviously nobody’s real upbeat right now, when you go through what we’ve gone through the last month,” Kubiak said.
The Texans and Seahawks meet today with identical 5-7 records, but they look like two teams heading in different directions. The Seahawks have won two straight, including their first road win of the season, while Houston has lost four straight, all in heart-breaking fashion.
“It’s just a matter of rallying the troops and circling the wagons and getting back after things,” Texans quarterback Matt Schaub told Houston reporters. “And just understanding that we have to put that behind us. We can’t dwell on those things. We have to move forward and we have to get ready for a tough football game and we’re not going to go out there and get a win by preparing the way we started practice (Wednesday). We have to understand that as a unit and as a team and so we had to restart things and get them going in the right direction.”
And let’s not get carried away. The Seahawks two-game winning streak (does two wins constitute a winning streak?) is hardly a sign that all is well for Seattle. That first road win came against the one-win Rams, and the second win was at home against San Francisco, another 5-7 team. Nor do back-to-back wins mean a third straight will come easily. The Texans are favored by a touchdown for good reason. Those four losses have all been winnable games, including two to Indianapolis, which embarrassed the Seahawks earlier this season. The Seahawks, meanwhile, have not won a road game outside of the division since 2007.
“We haven’t done nothing but win a couple of games,” safety Deon Grant said. “We beat a team on the road that we blew out the first game. So a win is always good, but at the end of the day we’re still below .500, so we’ve just got to stay hungry and keep preparing like a team that’s trying to reach for something.”
The Seahawks are also very familiar with Houston’s current struggles to break out of a funk. While the Seahawks are feeling good and see this as a winnable game, the Texans probably view a home game against Seattle as a good chance to end their skid.
“You lose four in a row, we’ve been there, it’s a bad feeling,” defensive end Patrick Kerney said. “You’ll do anything to break a losing streak, and if you’re a quality team, which they certainly are, you pull together and do whatever you can to get that bad feeling out of your gut.”
But even if the Seahawks successes are modest, it’s better than what they’ve know for most of the season. As Houshmandzadeh points out, the Seahawks have always had a loose locker room this season, but a couple of wins seems to have lightened the mood even more as the Seahawks enter the final quarter of the season.
“Obviously when you’re not winning there’s a little more negative energy in the building,” receiver Nate Burleson said. “You still have the same hunger, but guys are a little more relaxed, they’re not pushing as much. So when you get a couple of wins under your belt, you get a win on the road after losing so many, the easy part is out of the way. I think everyone just has that confidence now to go out and play football.”
Herald Writer John Boyle: jboyle@heraldnet.com. For more Seahawks coverage, check out the Seahawks blog at heraldnet.com/seahawksblog
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