By Scott M. Johnson
Herald Writer
KIRKLAND – The frustration was apparent on Mike Holmgren’s face Monday afternoon, as was its reason for being there.
He was tired of answering questions about his conservative play-calling.
He was tired of using youth as an excuse for almost all of his team’s problems this season.
And most of all, he was tired of wondering which Seattle Seahawks team would show up each Sunday.
“It’s an interesting thing,” the Seahawks’ coach/general manager said Monday, one day after a 19-7 loss to Kansas City dropped his team’s record to 5-5. “We’ve got the same team, the same players. One week, that team shows up; the next week, (this) team shows up. That’s a frustration for me. All that stuff about us being young and all that, those are real things. But I’m tired of it now. There’s a lot at stake here. We’ve got six games left.”
Sunday’s loss immediately changed the complexion of Seattle’s season, which one week ago looked as if it might culminate in a playoff berth. The loss to Kansas City exposed a different Seattle team, one that is inconsistent and struggles to come back from early deficits.
“Sometimes we just shoot ourselves in the foot,” Holmgren said. “We’re our own worst enemy. If we could somehow just eliminate that, then maybe we’ll get a little spurt going. We’ve got six games left, and I trust we can make a little run.”
For the Seahawks to make any kind of a run, they’ll have to find a more balanced offense. The Chiefs proved on Sunday that shutting down running back Shaun Alexander can essentially shut down the entire offense.
Holmgren said he will not alter his offensive philosophy in terms of throwing the ball more. He is “concerned” over calling long pass plays because of the team’s pass protection, and is still developing quarterback Matt Hasselbeck.
“Right now, in our stage of development, when we ask (Hasselbeck) to really carry it on his shoulders by himself, it hasn’t worked well for us,” Holmgren said. “Time will tell. I think we’re doing the correct thing with how we’re approaching the games at this point. Now we’ll just have to go from there.”
Since the opener, the Seahawks have thrown more than 30 times in only one game – a blowout loss to Oakland in which all three quarterbacks saw playing time. Even when the opportunity seemed to present itself during the second half Sunday, the Seahawks were unable to throw the ball down the field.
“I’m a little frustrated from missed opportunities,” Holmgren said. “I kind of thought it would be this type of season. Coming in, I thought we might be a little inconsistent because of our experience and so on, but that doesn’t make it any easier. I’m frustrated, yeah.”
Holmgren wasn’t the only one frustrated following the loss. Wide receiver Darrell Jackson was so despondent Sunday that he answered questions in one-syllable groans that didn’t even resemble words. He said Monday that his mood after the game was not a product of the wide receivers not being thrown enough passes.
“It’s just the losing,” Jackson said Monday. “It’s losing games we should have won. It happens like that in football sometimes.”
Seahawks receivers would have reason to be a little peeved following Sunday’s game, as they were only thrown to once during the entire fourth quarter.
“Right now, to say this is a receiver-friendly offense would probably be a little bit of an exaggeration,” Holmgren said. “We have good guys playing receiver, and they desperately want to help us win. There is going to be the natural frustatrion when we don’t throw the ball. We can’t throw the ball 35 times a game. We can’t do it. We will get there eventually.”
Of course, half the teams that played Sunday went into Monday feeling frustrated following a loss, so the Seahawks are no exception.
“It hurts us when we lose,” Alexander said. “Any time it hurts when you lose, that’s good for the team. Last year, I didn’t feel that sense of urgency to get back out and play.”
NOTES: Holmgren said he expects running back Ricky Watters to return to practice next week, but he could be three more weeks away from playing in a game. … Alexander will be signing autographs for free today at the Seahawks’ End Zone Store in downtown Seattle (88 S. King St.).
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