KIRKLAND – Like anyone trying to walk along paths paved with large footsteps, the 2006 Seattle Seahawks often feel like Ray Handley, Brian Griese or Troy Hambrick.
Following a legend is no easy task.
The 2005 Seahawks were the greatest in franchise history. So despite the fact that this year’s team is still in sole possession of first place in the NFC West, regardless of a favorable remaining schedule or the expected return of several more offensive starters, nothing the 2006 Seahawks do in the regular season will ever measure up.
“We’ve got big shoes to fill,” defensive tackle Chartric Darby said. “But that’s not tough (to try and live up to). You just have to throw it on your shoulder and go out there and fight.”
With Sunday’s loss to San Francisco, the 2006 Seahawks have already lost more regular-season games – four – than their predecessors did. They also lost a division game, which didn’t happen in 2005, and earlier this season saw their 11-game home winning streak come to an end.
It’s clearly not going to be the same magical run that the 2005 regular season was.
“In terms of the regular season, we can’t measure up to last year because we’ve already lost one more game. That’s common sense,” middle linebacker Lofa Tatupu said. “But other than that, we can still make it to the Super Bowl. And that would be the same as last year. Hopefully, we could win it this time.”
Coach Mike Holmgren claims to have turned the page on last season, but he’s not shying away from the inevitable comparisons.
“I do that. I can understand the fan doing it,” he said Monday, one day after a 20-14 loss at San Francisco dropped the Seahawks’ record to 6-4 this season. “But I think it raises a good question.
“I think the expectation levels, they go up for everybody. And when you don’t do the same things, you’re disappointed. And it begs the question: how come?”
The players and coaches are still trying to answer that one, but the bottom line is that this year’s Seahawks haven’t played as well as the 2005 unit.
Injuries are the easiest excuse, but the problems have gone deeper than that. The offensive line misses Steve Hutchinson, while running games on both sides of the ball have been plagued by inconsistency.
Seattle’s run offense, which ranked third in the NFL at 153.6 yards per game in 2005, has fallen to 16th, at 108.5. The run defense is 17th in the league, giving up 117.8 yards, while last year’s team ranked fifth at 94.4.
It’s made a difference on the scoreboard. Seattle has allowed 219 points through 10 games this year after giving up just 271 all of last season.
An optimist might say that the Seahawks’ struggles could help them in the long run in that they’ve had to overcome adversity. But Holmgren wasn’t buying into that theory on Monday.
“That’s kind of a nice deal, when they say, ‘Adversity builds character,’ ” he said, “but I’d rather win the game. I had a lot of character going for me last year. It felt good; the team felt good.
“A little adversity is OK, but not a lot.”
Holmgren was in good spirits during his Monday press conference, but his mood was not so cheery the previous night. He did something he never had to do in 2005, tearing into his team after Sunday’s loss.
By Monday, Holmgren said he felt bad about the post-game tirade.
“I don’t like doing that; I really don’t,” he said. “I said some things I wasn’t too proud of. In essence, I (told the players Monday morning) that I’m not going to do that again. I don’t feel good about it when I go home at night. I just don’t want to do that anymore.”
The players were not offended by the tongue-lashing.
“I think we needed it,” linebacker Julian Peterson told reporters. “The biggest thing, I thought the 49ers played with more intensity than we did.”
Intensity was rarely a problem for the 2005 Seahawks. Then again, that team didn’t have many problems at all.
This year’s team has spent a good deal of the season addressing its shortcomings. But there’s still plenty of time to fix them.
“We’ve just got to respond,” Tatupu said. “It’s a matter of where we want to take it from here.
“We’ve been in this situation on and off this season, with everybody questioning what’s going on. But we’ve got to keep fighting. We’ve still got six to go, and we’re still very much in control of where we’re going to be at the end.”
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
