It Could Be Worse…You Could Be a Pats Fan

A little surprised at all the negativity following the Seahawks utterly expected loss in Chicago. The Hawks looked just like 10 point underdogs to me. They were on the road with no margin for error. Once Babs missed that pick and Morrah had his drop, it was pretty clear that the 10 point underdog was not going to pull off the shocker. It is certainly a disappointing way to end the season but it’s not like you were a home favorite who had the other team trash talk all week then kick your butt on Sunday, like the Patriots.

While there seems to be little doubt that had Babs held on, had Morrah picked up 30-35 yards, the game might have been different. I’m not sure how different. I thought the biggest factors on the day were coaching decisions, some I really favored while other seemed questionable. Not blitzing Jay Cutler and selling out to stop the run was a good strategy. With Brock and Clemons on the edge you could have disguised your defense and confused Jay Cutler. Cutler is no Tom Brady (who was completely baffled by Rex Ryan and the Jets scheme yesterday).

Early on the Hawks were not shutting down the run, even Cutler burned you running. It was time to go back to the blitz and get pressure, but it never happened. At 21-0 this one was over at halftime and they all knew it, because of the questionable decisions that Pete Carroll made with the offense. You decided early you couldn’t run and you were probably right. Beast mode went into invisible mode with four carries and two yards, which is hardly enough touches.

I thought not going for it on fourth-and-1 was a somewhat shocking change of character for Carroll. You are the plucky underdog with swagger, you’ve got nothing to lose – take the shot. They’d been doing it all year. I think it sent the wrong message, a timid message that helped doom the Hawks. It was also clear that some guys (Mike Williams) did not exactly get the up tick in intensity. You don’t look around for calls in the playoffs. You fight, hold and scratch on every play and see what the coaches call. I think that was what Matt Hasselbeck was most disappointed in. But, at the end of the day the team with the losing record could not win on the road, in the snow, and in the second round of the playoffs.

Friends, its not a shock. The Bears were better, their record was better, and the Seahawks did not have another miracle in them. The Bears’ front 7 was awesome and you dared Cutler to beat you and he did. Get ’em next time. The Hawks are a work in progress who overachieved their way into the second round of the playoffs after two pathetic seasons. It’s a great beginning to the Pete Carroll era, though expectations have been ramped up as well.

The team to be embarrassed is the Patriots. Out-coached, out-played and beaten on their home field by their most bitter rival who they had beaten by six TD’s six weeks ago. They’re a 14-2 team that is 16-0 at home the last two years during the regular season, but 0-2 in the post-season. They are supposed to be great, that’s what their record says. Yet with horrible clock management, lousy play-calling and poor adjustments, the Pats looked awful.

Lastly, remember how dropped passes used to be a problem for the Seahawks (and was again yesterday)? Did you see the ex-Seahawk factor over the weekend? T.J. Houshmandzadeh drops a fourth down pass right in his hands and the Ravens lose. Deion Branch drops the fourth quarter pass that ends if for the Pats. Pittsburgh, New York, Chicago and Green Bay move on. It should be quite a finish!