MVN: Most Valuable Network

So I've been writing this blog for a few weeks now, and I have absolutely no idea whether anyone is reading this thing.  There was one comment on my second post, but other than that, nada.  Do me a favor if you're reading this and leave me a comment.  I don't care if you tell me I completely suck -- I just want to know that someone...anyone...is actually checking in from time to time.

Thanks.

Ah, Seattle: one thing you can say about Seattle, the winters are pretty easy to get through.  Just clouds and rain, with the occasional hint of snow.  But, see, we're right next to the Pacific Ocean, which keeps us from getting too cold, and the Cascades protect us from the cold air blowing from the East, so it's just smooth sailing all winter long...Although it does on occasion dump a ton of snow and go into an Arctic deep freeze that leaves everything between the ocean and the mountains under a three-inch sheet of ice.  Imagine a hockey rink with a completely indecent number of hills and you'll have the general idea.  And it's only slated to get worse over the weekend.  This is the weather situation as we head into Mike Holmgren's final home game as head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, and it completely blows for a couple... Read more

The Seattle Seahawks finally notched their third win of the season, defeating the St. Louis Rams for the eighth consecutive time.  As I anticipated in an earlier post, it was a hard-fought, entertaining game between two teams desperate for a win.  The outcome wasn't decided until the final seconds of the game, with Olindo Mare kicking the winning field goal with two seconds left.  The sense of relief on the Seahawks' sideline was palpable.There were a number of positives in this game.  First, Mike Holmgren made a series of fantastic half-time adjustments, something that hasn't always happened this season.  He adjusted the defensive approach to mix up coverages and, most of all, he adjusted to a quick-hit, up-tempo offensive approach to neutralize the blitz and let Seneca hit some passes and get some confidence.  The most important thing I saw in this game, though, was the emotion and intensity with... Read more

I don't usually write entries during the game, but this is too good: Incognito has just had consecutive penalties for a false start and ineligible receive down field.  And he's taunting his home-town crowd for booing him.  What an idiot.  Any St. Louis fans out there want to defend him?On a different note, Seneca is off today, so the Hawks are in major trouble.... Read more

Two 2-11 teams don't typically make for an exciting late-season game, but Sunday's game between the Seattle Seahawks and St. Louis Rams might prove to be an exception to the rule.  With a history of bad blood between the two teams and both squads desperate for a win, this could turn out to be a great game.A few issues that could add intrigue to the game:1.  Richie Incognito.  The St. Louis offensive lineman seems to generate an inordinate amount of controversy.  His teammates and coaches point to an aggressive style of play and commitment to winning, while opponents claim he's a dirty player.  Several Hawks have strongly implied that Incognito will be a particular target this week after making a number of dirty plays in the first meeting this season.  From what I've seen of him, he's a dirty player who looks for opportunities to put opponents out of the... Read more

Once again, the Seattle Seahawks played well enough to win a game against a quality opponent only to give the game away in the final minutes.  The Hawks led the New England Patriots for most of the game, until a long Patriots touchdown drive and ensuing fumble by Seneca Wallace with under two minutes left decided the game.  Still, it was actually one of the better efforts by the Hawks recently, especially considering that half the starting offense was out with assorted injuries.  Four backup linemen and we still ran the ball?  That's pure effort and pride, and it was great to see.I was at the game, and it was one of the more unusual games I've been to this season.  First, the place wasn't full.  Qwest field is always packed to the rafters; today, I was able to move from my nose-bleeds to sit with some friends in their... Read more

Given the way this season has played out, you probably could have seen this coming: Matt Hasselbeck is out for tomorrow's game against the New England Patriot. Seneca Wallace will start in his place.  After being sacked seven times on Thanksgiving, Matt's body just couldn't rebound, and it became clear late in the week that he wouldn't be ready to play on Sunday.  This comes on the heels of Chris Spencer being placed on IR and the announcement that Mike Wahle will miss the game as well.  This makes an already reeling offense even more suspect.There are some major concerns about Seneca starting in Matt's place.  The most obvious is that Matt Hasselbeck is a Pro Bowl caliber quarterback who led his team to the Super Bowl a few seasons back, while Seneca Wallace is at most an adequate back up, with far less experience and game savvy.  With a... Read more

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Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}      As the NFL enters the final quarter of the 2008 season, the future Hall of Fame coach glares at his next challenge of his final year, and wonders how it could have been. How could he have lost so many players to injury during the 1st two weeks of the season, and lose the 2005 league MVP due to a career ending foot injury? How could... Read more

The 2-10 Seattle Seahawks will host the 7-5 New England Patriots at Qwest Field in a 1:15 pm game on Sunday, December 7.  With an impressive array of high-impact players on both sides of the ball, the Patriots present a difficult challenge for the struggling Seahawks.So, how can the Seahawks pull off the upset?  It is possible, but it's going to take a few major adjustments.1.  Re-tool the defensive approach.  John Marshall has consistently called zone coverage at the wrong times, giving opposing quarterbacks way too much time to make their reads and find the open receiver.  The Hawks need to open up the blitz package and bring pressure from every possible angle, as much as possible.  Matt Cassel isn't Tom Brady, so get in his face and keep him off balance.  Or rush four, play a soft zone, and give him time to find Randy Moss.  It should be... Read more

In a Seahawks season filled with frustration, anger and disappointment, there's been plenty of blame to go around.  Under-performing athletes.  A defense that couldn't slow down a junior-high offense.  Injuries to virtually every receiver on the team.  The lion's share of the blame, however, must be placed squarely on head coach Mike Holmgren and defensive coordinator John Marshall.Let's start with Holmgren.  Seattle fans have always had something of a love/hate relationship with him: he brought the team to the elite level of the league, but he's seen as overly loyal to under-performing players and unwilling to open up the playbook enough.  When he announced his pending retirement during the off-season, followed closely by Jim Mora's anointment as the official heir, a lot of fans worried that a)Holmgren wouldn't be able to bring the same fire and intensity as in past years, and b)the situation with Mora would be a distraction... Read more