KIRKLAND – A 24-hour mourning period wasn’t enough for the Seattle Seahawks to get over their latest loss.
After watching film of the 27-22 defeat at St. Louis, a lot of old feelings crept back Monday morning.
“It sucks to have it come down to that,” middle linebacker Orlando Huff said, referring to a myriad of perceived errors by the officials. “But it shows that we never want to put our faith in the refs’ hands, because they’ve screwed around a couple of times. That’s just how it is.”
Particularly frustrating was the play in which wide receiver Bobby Engram tripped over an official on a pass that landed near the end zone with 37 seconds remaining in the game. Back judge Greg Steed stumbled on the play, taking out Engram just before the ball arrived.
“He’s a first-year official,” coach Mike Holmgren said, letting the statement stand on its own.
Holmgren’s frustration was apparent Monday because officials have played a major role in at least two losses this year – at Baltimore and St. Louis.
“Usually it evens out, and you take the good with the bad,” Holmgren said. “But this has been a little over the edge for me.”
Injury update: Holmgren said the players most in danger of missing Sunday’s game are offensive lineman Jerry Wunsch (ankle), safety Reggie Tongue (hamstring) and linebackers Anthony Simmons (neck), Orlando Huff (sprained ankle) and Randall Godfrey (bruised ribs).
Wunsch is the only one from that group who has no chance of playing Sunday.
Tongue took part in running drills Monday, while Huff was walking without much of a limp.
Cornerback Willie Williams was wearing a boot on his left foot Monday, but his status is unknown.
Hasselbeck staggers: After posting a sky-high quarterback rating of 107.4 in November, quarterback Matt Hasselbeck has come back to earth lately.
Hasselbeck has a rating of 61.0 in two December games, during which he has thrown one touchdown and three interceptions.
He hopes to play better over the next two weeks.
“I’m not going to try to do anything differently, but I think that I need to have two of my best games,” Hasselbeck said. “The same could be said for other guys on our team, but I’m looking more at myself. I know if I play well, we’ve got a good chance to win. If I don’t, we’ve got a good chance to lose.”
Hasselbeck was 21 of 37 for 246 yards with a touchdown and an interception Sunday.
“He’s had better ball games,” Holmgren said. “He did some good things, but he’s got a lot of games ahead of him.”
Hawaii-bound? Pro Bowl voting by players and coaches is being held Monday and today, with the results to be announced Thursday on ESPN.
Several Seahawks deserve consideration, including quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, fullback Mack Strong, running back Shaun Alexander and offensive linemen Walter Jones and Steve Hutchinson.
Pro Bowl voting is done by players, coaches and fans. The fan voting, done primarily on NFL.com, ended last week.
Quick slants: There are only 2,500 tickets remaining for Sunday’s game. It will be the final home game for Seattle, which has no chance of hosting a playoff game unless two wild card teams meet in the NFC Championship game. Tickets can be purchased by calling (206) 622-HAWK. … The Seahawks now rank sixth in the NFL in total offense and 20th in total defense. The Arizona Cardinals, who face the Seahawks on Sunday, rank 25th and 26th, respectively. … Seattle’s defense continues to struggle with third-down efficiency. Opposing teams have converted on 43.8 percent of third downs, the second-highest total in the league. The Seahawks’ offense actually has a better conversion rate (46.7) and ranks second in the NFL in that category. … The color commentator for Sunday’s game against the Cardinals will be Oakland Raiders linebacker Bill Romanowski, who is out for the season following multiple concussions. Romanowski and Chris Myers will do the game on Fox (Channel 13 locally).
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
