KIRKLAND — Seahawk Nation arose with a yawp on Monday morning, announcing to the world that the local football team was ready to contend for the Super Bowl.
As for the Seattle Seahawks themselves, well, they’d just as soon put any talk of the postseason on hold.
“It’s too early,” coach Mike Holmgren said one day after a convincing 23-3 win over San Francisco put the Seahawks in sole possession of first place in the NFC West. “(When) you’ve been around for a while, you see these seasons go down to the last four games.
“Look at us last year. You think things are in hand (after a 3-0 start), and then all of a sudden it’s excruciating. I’ve been in a lot of seasons like that.”
True, the NFL season is only a month old. Four games down, 12 to go. But it’s hard for some to look at the Seahawks’ big win and not start thinking ahead.
Not only did Seattle manhandle the team that was expected to provide its biggest challenge in the division, but the Seahawks (3-1) are also one of the few contenders from last year that finished the first quarter of the season with a winning record.
The defending NFC champion Chicago Bears are 1-3. So are the Philadelphia Eagles. Carolina and the New York Giants are 2-2. And the 0-3 New Orleans Saints may well be the league’s biggest disappointment thus far.
The Saints, actually, bring another reason for optimism in these parts. Their Oct. 14 game at Seattle isn’t looking nearly as difficult as it did at the beginning of the season, and the same can be said for much of the Seahawks’ remaining schedule.
After this Sunday’s test at Pittsburgh (3-1), Seattle faces 11 consecutive opponents that are at or below .500. Six of those games — New Orleans, St. Louis (twice), Chicago, Philadelphia and Atlanta — feature teams that have won one game or less this season.
Of the six NFC teams that currently have winning records, the Seahawks have beaten opponents with the best combined record (8-7—ADD W/L FOR CINCY) and have the easiest upcoming schedule (an aggregate winning percentage of .340 for the remaining opponents).
Still, Holmgren hasn’t started planning the postseason practice schedule quite yet.
“Our best football’s ahead of us,” he said. “But we’re coming together as a team, and it’s a pretty good start. We’re not perfect. There are things we’ve still got to fix.”
When asked Monday to grade his team’s first quarter of the regular season, he gave a fair mark of B. He mentioned the team’s impressive record — one of those wins came against a Tampa Bay team that has outscored its three opponents by an average of 17 points per game since losing at Seattle in the opener — but also expressed concern over things like an inconsistent running game.
The Seahawks’ rushing attack, despite its moderate ranking of 15th in the NFL, may be the most obvious flaw from the first four games. Seattle averages just 3.5 yards per carry and has struggled to find a rhythm early in games.
“So much of a running back’s ability to gain yardage and do the right thing is based on confidence,” Holmgren said. “If he likes the play and thinks it’s going to work, he’ll make it work. If he starts slowly in the game and gets hit in the mouth a few times, then you go: ‘Oh, no, maybe it’s going to be one of those days.’ If you let those negative things creep in, maybe things don’t work as well.”
On the positive side, Seattle’s passing game is really clicking. Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck ranks fourth in the NFC with a 100.1 passer rating, while wide receiver Deion Branch has emerged as the playmaker that the Seahawks envisioned when they dealt a first-round pick for him in Sept. 2006.
Seattle’s defense overcame shaky outings in back-to-back games to overwhelm the 49ers on Sunday. Holmgren singled out cornerback Marcus Trufant and middle linebacker Lofa Tatupu as individuals having solid seasons on that side of the ball.
As a reward for Sunday’s performance, Holmgren gave his players Monday off. But when they return to the practice field Wednesday to begin preparations for the Pittsburgh game, he’ll be ready to turn the page.
“They’ll come back in feeling pretty good about what happened” in San Francisco, Holmgren said. “But that game is over, and now you’re looking ahead to the next game. We’re playing a really great team in Pittsburgh. This (Seahawks) team, in my opinion, has a great ability to focus and get ready for the next opponent.
“The euphoria of winning (the San Francisco) game, and the fun afterward, that kind of goes away after awhile. And now you’ve got to roll up your sleeves and get ready for the next one.”
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