KIRKLAND — Anger.
It’s a sentiment that’s sweeping over the Puget Sound — be it on the airwaves, around the water cooler or while delivering catcalls from the upper deck at Qwest Field.
Fans of the Seattle Seahawks aren’t happy right now, and they’re wearing their emotions on their lime-green-trimmed sleeves.
Consider their venom duly noted.
“We feel your frustration,” quarterback Matt Hasselbeck said on Monday, one day after a 28-17 loss to New Orleans that was even worse than the score indicated.
The once-mighty Seahawks have lost back-to-back games by an aggregate score of 49-17, and they’re somewhat befuddled as to where it all went wrong.
“In both of those games, it was very uncharacteristic of us. We don’t play like that,” guard Rob Sims said Monday, referring to the 21-0 whitewash at Pittsburgh and Sunday’s loss to New Orleans. “We don’t get shut out, and we just don’t lose at home.
“We’re scratching our heads. But we know that the good news is that we can play better. We’re going to go out there and get it done.”
In terms of fixing the broken machine, the Seahawks (3-3) have plenty of areas where the mechanics can start.
Coach Mike Holmgren is most frustrated with Seattle’s run game, which now ranks 22nd in the NFL in yards per game (91.3) and 25th in yards per play (3.6).
But the Seahawks have also struggled in terms of slow starts, a lack of pass rush and an inability to stop opposing offenses on third downs. Seattle went one stretch in which it had allowed 42 unanswered points over almost six quarters of play.
“We haven’t been nearly consistent enough on a play-to-play basis,” Holmgren said. “There is a breakdown or a mistake here, a mistake there, and it’s really killed us.”
Holmgren seemed most perplexed by the mental mistakes, particularly in terms of run blocking. That more than anything, he said, has prevented running back Shaun Alexander from getting into any kind of a rhythm.
“It’s not one person,” Holmgren said. “It’s just not up to our standard. We’ve been able to run the ball pretty well here the last few years.
“If it’s not one thing, it’s another. You have breakdowns. We’re just not in sync right now.”
While some fans are hoping for a change at the running back position, Holmgren said he is not considering replacing Alexander in the starting lineup.
As for the slow starts, Holmgren said that he planned to meet with offensive coordinator Gil Haskell and revamp the scripted first 15 plays that have brought so much success over the years. Seattle has scored just seven first-quarter points this season.
The coach also said that he might simplify things for his offense, getting more out of the small group of plays that seem to be working with any consistency on Sundays. That suggestion prompted Hasselbeck to tell reporters: “I would like that.”
Holmgren also mentioned that there could be other changes on offense, specifically at the wide receiver position. There’s a chance that D.J. Hackett could return from an injury this week, and it would be likely that he would regain his starting split end job after Nate Burleson played there the past five weeks.
Overall, the Seahawks rank 18th in the NFL in yards per game (330.8).
Seattle ranks 20th in total defense, giving up 336.7 yards per game. Opponents have converted 44.8 percent of their third downs, and the Seahawks have been held to a total of three sacks in their three losses this season.
Holmgren addressed the media for 37 minutes on Monday afternoon, and that still wasn’t enough time to mention all of his team’s woes over the past two weeks. While he did appear to be perplexed at times, he spoke with the confidence of a man who still has 10 more games to play.
“I would say: ‘Don’t lose confidence,’” Holmgren said of his message to the fans. “You can get mad at me, you can be upset about stuff, but don’t lose confidence because we’ll be judged on who we are at the end.
“My hope is that we fix the things we can fix, get a little lucky and start winning some games.”
He’s not alone in that hope. And with a piece of first place in the NFC West, and a remaining schedule that includes just two teams with winning records, hope is a realistic sentiment in Seattle.
“Obviously there’s frustration today,” safety Brian Russell said on Monday, “but I think that the team is veteran enough to realize that there are still 10 games in front of us. We want to fix the issues we’ve been having as fast as possible and start winning games.
“It’s a 16-game season, not a six-game season.”
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