Upon Further Review: Seahawks-Cardinals

By Brady Henderson

I hope you all enjoyed reading these as much as I enjoyed writing them. I originally intended to do one after each Seahawks game. However, issues with recording some of the games (such as forgetting to do so) complicated that plan. I’ll stay on top of it next season.

For now, here’s this season’s final installment of Upon Further Review:

Obomanu, Jackson couldn’t connect: Two deep passes from Tarvaris Jackson to Ben Obomanu in the first quarter likely would have resulted in touchdowns had they been completed, but one went off Obomanu’s fingertips and the other was barely overthrown.

In the second quarter, cornerback Michael Adams was flagged for illegal contact when he grabbed Obomanu, who had blown by him on a double move. The pass in the end zone was slightly underthrown, allowing Adams to recover and break up the pass. Obomanu couldn’t haul in a third-and-eight pass in the fourth quarter, only getting one hand on the ball.

Ricardo Lockette’s juggling catch resulted in a 61-yard score that tied the game in the fourth quarter. (AP)

Lockette looks like more than just a sprinter: We know rookie receiver Ricardo Lockette is fast — he was clocked at 4.27 in the 40-yard dash. But he has two career games under his belt, so aside from that obvious observation it may be a little premature to be making any definitive statements about his game.

That said, he’s made two impressive plays in those games that suggest he’s more than simply a track star in football pads. The latest was a juggling, 61-yard touchdown catch he made in the fourth quarter in which he displayed the impressive hand-eye coordination that coach Pete Carroll has raved about.

Lockette tracked Jackson’s pass in the air while running step-for-step with cornerback Marshay Green deep down the left side of the field. He created separation with a nudge that was subtle enough not to get called, then reached out with one hand and tipped the ball up before pinning it against his pads with the same hand and securing it with the other.

A week earlier, in his NFL debut, Lockette hauled in a 44-yard reception despite tight coverage from Pro Bowl cornerback Carlos Rogers.

The one-man wrecking crew: Brandon Browner doesn’t shy away from contact in pass coverage, and apparently not on special teams, either. In a series of moves that was downright comical, Browner took out three Cardinals during a second-quarter punt return.

First, he got away with a blatant push in the back that forced gunner Michael Adams to the ground. He then undercut another Cardinal, Sean Considine, who had leapt over Adams, sending Considine’s feet flying over his head. Browner’s momentum carried him right into Sam Acho, whom Browner knocked down for good measure as Leon Washington signaled for a fair catch.

No wonder Lynch was ticked off: Carroll said after the game and again Monday that Cardinals defenders were doing some “extra stuff” to Marshawn Lynch in piles. I noticed a few such plays.

One came in the first quarter after Lynch dragged a pile of defenders for several seconds. Darnell Dockett, one of two Cardinals to finally bring Lynch down, put his knee into his facemask while getting up. During the end of a tackle in the second quarter, Adrian Wilson pulled Lynch’s helmet off and pushed it away from the pile. Lynch was visibly miffed while talking with Carroll on the sideline following that play.

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