KIRKLAND – If the Seattle Seahawks are going to exorcise some demons this season, the process could end with a first-ever NFC West title and the postseason victory that has eluded this franchise since 1984.
As for where to begin, well, that would be the road. The Seahawks have vowed to have put last season’s road woes behind them, and they’ll open their season with the opportunity to prove it.
The Seahawks, who went 2-7 in road games last season, will open the 2004 campaign with two away contests – at New Orleans on Sunday, and at Tampa Bay a week later.
“We’ve got a serious tone to change on the road,” defensive end Chike Okeafor said. “We start with two big road games, and we have a chance to stop that (nonsense) – to squash it and continue rolling. There’s no excuse to go undefeated at home, and then play that way on the road. It’s not indicative of the type of team we have.”
Last season, the Seahawks nearly wasted an 8-0 effort at home by struggling whenever they left the friendly confines of the Puget Sound area.
They went through one stretch of six consecutive road losses before a big win at San Francisco in Week 17 to help secure a postseason berth. They played well in the playoff loss at Green Bay, further proving that they had found their comfort level away from home.
But there are still those who wonder whether the Seahawks can take their show on the road.
“Everyone in the media tried to make a big deal out of it, and then everybody in the locker room started talking about it,” receiver Koren Robinson said. “But it was nothing like that. We just didn’t play our best on the road. That’s it. We don’t even think about it now.”
Granted, some of Seattle’s 2003 road losses came with unique circumstances:
* Cincinnati 27, Seahawks 24 on Oct. 26. With Seattle getting in range for a potential score-tying field goal, quarterback Matt Hasselbeck’s pass gets tipped at the line and is intercepted by Jeff Burris.
* Washington 27, Seahawks 20 on Nov. 9. After taking a comfortable 14-3 lead in the first quarter, the Seahawks appeared to be en route to a blowout when Seattle safety Damien Robinson intercepted a pass and had a clear path to the end zone. But Washington’s Laveranues Coles caught Robinson from behind, forcing a fumble at the 2-yard line. The Redskins went on to rally, officially putting Seattle away when Fred Smoot corralled a late interception off the hands of Seahawks receiver Darrell Jackson.
* Baltimore 44, Seahawks 41 (OT) on Nov. 23. The Seahawks again found out that no lead was safe, as Baltimore scored 17 points in the final 6:41 of regulation, then won on a Matt Stover field goal in overtime. The key moment in that game came on Seattle’s final drive of regulation, when an official’s error prevented the Seahawks from running the clock out. The Ravens got the ball back and nailed a tying field goal as time expired.
* St. Louis 27, Seahawks 22 on Dec. 14. Seattle receiver Bobby Engram found a seam in the Rams’ defensive backfield, but tripped over back judge Greg Steed before the ball arrived. The last-minute play all but assured St. Louis the victory, while the Seahawks wondered how a back judge could be caught standing directly in a receiver’s path.
If any one of those games had gone differently, the Seahawks’ road record might not have gotten as much publicity. But a loss is a loss is a loss, especially when they contrast so vividly from the near-perfect performances at home.
“We were working through those growing pains,” Okeafor said. “Playing through that was very valuable for us. Playing on the road is something you have to get used to. It’s not your comfort zone, and it’s not your own backyard. But those are good opportunities.”
The Seahawks have two prime opportunities over the next 11 days, beginning with a trip to the Big Easy. As these guys have shown in the recent past, nothing is easy away from home.
Part of the plan to turn things around on the road involves traveling to some games a day later. The Seahawks won’t go to New Orleans until Saturday, while departing for East Coast games on Fridays.
A more important factor in changing their fortunes on the road is for the Seahawks to leave painful memories behind.
“That was us,” Okeafor said of Seattle’s struggles on the road last season. “It used to be a tendency of ours. But that’s in the past.”
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