It’s been a crazy week in Seahawksville, but today it will end like every NFL week: with a game.
Or did you forget that Seattle is hosting San Francisco today?
Amidst the Tim Ruskell resignation and Mike Holmgren’s not so subtle appeal for the job on the radio a day later, it’s easy to forget that the Seahawks do still have a game today against the 49ers.
Distractions or not, the game will go on, and the players say they’ll be ready.
“That’s what we get paid to do,” receiver Nate Burleson said. “We get paid to play football, I know the guys that surround me in the locker room feel the same way. We’re going to try to go out and win as many games as we can.”
Seahawks coach Jim Mora has more than Xs and Os on his plate this week. He has had to make sure his team can shut out the emotions of losing the general manager who drafted or signed most of the players on the roster.
“Coach Mora will do his job,” said defensive end Patrick Kerney, who has known Ruskell since he played for Atlanta when Ruskell was in the Falcons’ front office. “He won’t let this be a distraction. You hear about the news but then you move on. We’ve got too big a game Sunday to be distracted by this.”
And the Seahawks had better hope they are focused. Playing without distraction in San Francisco in September, the Seahawks were no match for the 49ers, especially after Matt Hasselbeck went out with two broken ribs in the second quarter.
Hasselbeck’s absence didn’t explain one of the team’s biggest problems that day, which was the inability to contain 49ers running back Frank Gore. Gore, who has made a cottage industry out of putting up big numbers against the Seahawks, scored on runs of 79 and 80 yards on his way to a 16-carry, 207-yard day.
Other than those two runs — and yes, that’s an awfully big “other than” — the Seahawks have been a pretty good team against the run. Despite facing backs like Steven Jackson (twice) Adrian Peterson and Maurice Jones-Drew, Seattle has not allowed a 100-yard rusher other than Gore.
The last time against the 49ers, the Seahawks were also missing two key components of their run defense. Middle linebacker Lofa Tatupu started the game, but lasted only one series because of a hamstring injury, and defensive tackle Brandon Mebane was out with a calf injury. Mebane is back this time, and even though Tatupu is still out, backup David Hawthorne now has six starts under his belt, which is six more than he had when he came into that game.
Ultimately, however, it is up to a lot more than just those two players to stop Gore. A mistake by one or two players can lead to a 10 to 20-yard run, but it takes quite a few breakdowns for a run of 80 yards to happen in the NFL.
“That won’t happen,” safety Deon Grant said. “I’ll go out and say it: it won’t happen. Ain’t no need for me to go in depth and say what we need to do, I’m just going to tell you that won’t happen. If this defense has any kind of pride, we won’t let that happen again.”
Stopping Gore would be a good start for the Seahawks, but it certainly isn’t the only area of concern for Seattle. The 49ers have the league’s No. 5 rush defense, thanks in large part to the play of All-Pro middle linebacker Patrick Willis — you may remember him for such hits as the one that broke Hasselbeck’s ribs.
Offensively the 49ers will look different from the team Seattle faced in September. Former No. 1 draft pick Alex Smith has taken over at quarterback, and the 49ers have been throwing more of late, at times using a spread-type offense. Smith also has rookie receiver Michael Crabtree to throw to — the 49ers’ No. 1 draft choice who had not signed his contract when the Seahawks played San Francisco in Week 2.
The most dangerous weapon Smith has at his disposal, however, is tight end Vernon Davis. In his third season, Davis is enjoying a breakout year with 670 receiving yards, the third most of any tight end in the league. His nine touchdown catches are tied for the most in the NFL. Only Reggie Wayne and Larry Fitzgerald, two of the league’s top wide receivers, have as many.
Davis has come a long way from the player the Seahawks saw last season. In a late-season game against the Seahawks, Davis was sent to the locker room by then interim coach Mike Singletary during the game after he picked up a personal foul penalty.
“Cannot play with him, cannot win with him, cannot coach with him, can’t do it,” Singletary said during a postgame rant that day.
Fast forward to a season later, and Davis is a team captain being praised by Singletary for his leadership.
As upset as he was that day, Davis learned a lot for that early exit.
“When he sent me to the locker room, I was trying to understand it. I was like, ‘This guy’s crazy. Man, I ain’t never met a coach like this.’” Davis said. “But I found out that we just had to get to know each other. He had to get to know me, I had to get to know him, and I learned a lot from him. I’m happy that he’s here, I wouldn’t replace him with anybody… . He’s helped me to excel on the football field, and I’ve also learned that it’s not all about me, it’s about the team.”
Herald Writer John Boyle: jboyle@heraldnet.com. For more Seahawks coverage, check out the Seahawks blog at heraldnet.com/seahawksblog
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
