Seahawks News Thread

[savage]

Hasselbeck: 'I'm absolutely hoping to play'

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck confirmed Monday he has a fractured rib suffered in Sunday's loss at San Francisco, but said he's hoping to play Sunday when his team faces the Chicago Bears at Qwest Field.

Hasselbeck said he staggered to the sideline after the hit because he'd gotten his wind knocked out by the blow to the back from 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis.

"I couldn't breathe," said Hasselbeck, who was taken by ambulance to the Stanford hospital when doctors feared he had lung or internal injuries.

But the diagnosis Monday -- after Seahawks team physicians looked at the CT scan -- is a broken rib and an uncertain immediate future.

Coach Jim Mora said he'll evaluate Hasselbeck throughout the week before making a decision on his availability for Sunday.

"He's a tough guy," Mora said. "We'll see where he's at Sunday."

Hasselbeck sounded optimistic and said he had played once earlier in his Seahawks career with a broken rib.

"I'm absolutely hoping to play," he said. "I don't know. That was a question I asked our medical staff and we didn't have a whole lot of information last night. We'll focus on trying to get better as quick as possible and, yeah, I'm hopeful.

"I've definitely felt worse. What I have is a painful injury, but I've definitely woken up on a Monday feeling worse," he said. "That's very encouraging."

I'll update with further Seahawks injury updates shortly.

 

[savage]

Cornerback Josh Wilson and left tackle Sean Locklear both suffered high ankle sprains in Sunday's loss. Though Mora offered no timeline on those injuries, high ankle sprains typically require players to miss 4-6 weeks.

Additionally, fullback Justin Griffith has a sprained medial collateral ligament in his knee.

Middle linebacker Lofa Tatupu's status is uncertain after he tried to play with a sore hamstring, but was sidelined after just one series.

"Hamstrings are tricky," Mora said.

Mora said he's "hopeful" that defensive tackle Brandon Mebane can return this week from a calf injury that kept him out Sunday. He said he believes center Chris Spencer will return to full practice mode on Wednesday after being out the past month with a torn quadricep.

Wide receiver Deion Branch is also expected back Wednesday.

Locklear's injury raises an interesting question concerning the timing of left tackle Walter Jones' return. Jones practiced in a limited fashion last week as he attempts to return from lingering problems with his left knee, but wasn't activated for Sunday's game.

Mora said he won't rush Jones to fill the hole.

"I think that's risky," Mora said. "We'll see where he is at the end of the week. We can't sacrifice Walt's long-term health because of what happened to Sean. They're two separate entities."

 

[Palmer]

I don't know if I can take another losing season due to key guys being injured. Thanks for the updates though Savage.

 

[savage]

On Sept. 6, Brandon Frye was a football player without a team. The Miami Dolphins had just released the third-year offensive linemen, leaving him to ponder: What’s next?

Sunday, on his 14th day as a member of the Seahawks, Frye was thrust into the starting lineup in the second quarter of the team’s game against the San Francisco 49ers when left tackle Sean Locklear went down with the high ankle sprain.

“It was pretty sudden and quick,” Frye said. “I just went in there and did what I could.”

Now, Frye is right back at his ponder point: What’s next?

With Locklear injured and Pro Bowl left tackle Walter Jones just a few practices removed from a prolonged layoff because of knee and back problems, Frye might remain at the most pivotal position on the line for this week’s game against the Chicago Bears at Qwest Field.

“It’s been kind of a cram session of the offense and trying to get everything in,” said Frye, who was claimed off waivers the day after his release by the Dolphins. “The coaches have been doing a good job of preparing me, and that showed a little bit (Sunday). I didn’t do anything terrible.

“I’m trying to get a look at everything that I could possibly get thrown at me and be prepared for it.”

The coaches’ mantra to the backups since training camp has not changed: You’re one play away. Sunday, Jones got into the act.

“It’s funny, because (Sunday) when we were coming out, Walt said, ‘Hey, you guys make sure you’re ready. You’re one play away,’ ” Frye offered. “After the game, he was like, ‘I didn’t know that one play was going to be today.

“You just always have to be ready, and prepare as if you’re going to play every play.”

That preparation carries over to game day, when Frye watches the looks the defense is giving the Seahawks and how the linemen are reacting to them – and tries to visualize how he would react.

“Just trying to stay in the game as if you were actually playing,” Frye said.

So who is this guy that could actually be playing a lot against the Bears?

Football is in his blood. His father, Stan Rome, was a wide receiver for the Kansas City Chiefs from 1979-82, catching 22 passes for 286 yards in 42 games.

Frye, however, quickly outgrew any plans of following those exact footsteps – as evidenced by his now 6-foot-4, 305-pound body. Football remained in the picture, but he became an all-region defensive lineman at Myrtle Beach (S.C.) High School and moved to offense his sophomore season at Virginia Tech.

The Houston Texans selected Frye in the fifth-round of the 2007 NFL draft and he spent the first half of the season on the practice squad before being signed to the active roster in Week 9. Frye was back on the practice squad on 2008, until the Dolphins signed him in November. He played in seven games as a reserve.

So this week is significant in Frye’s young life for multiple reasons.

Coach Jim Mora said Monday that he will not rush Jones back into the lineup just because Locklear is out.

“I think that’s risky,” Mora said. “We’ll see where he is at the end of the week. We’ll see how he works through the week. But we are not going to sacrifice Walter’s long-term health or his ability to contribute for the length of this season—this is a long season—because of what happened to Sean. They’re two totally separate entities in my mind.”

If not Jones or Locklear, there a few other options. Kyle Williams is on the practice squad, but one of the reasons Frye was claimed is that he’s a left tackle, while the coaches consider Williams’ better suited to playing the right side. So it could be Frye, who drew a passing grade after being thrown into the fire against the 49ers.

“He wasn’t perfect,” Mora said. “There were some things that he’s got to do better, but I thought that he went in and he did fine. He wasn’t noticeable. Sometimes, being an offensive lineman, that’s the best thing they can say about you.”

Frye concurred. “I did what I was expected to do – come in and play at a level where I could compete and help give us a chance to win,” he said.

While Frye did nothing that will appear on the team’s highlight video, there were no plays that will end up on the opponent’s reel, either.
-------------------------------------------
Oh great some more shitty O-linemen for the season. Just what we need.

 

[savage]

FOCUS ON

Justin Forsett. Look who came up big in Sunday’s loss to the 49ers in San Francisco – the shortest player on the Seahawks’ roster.

The 5-foot-8 Forsett, who played his college ball across the Bay at Cal, led the team in rushing (35 yards on five carries) and tied tight end John Carlson for the lead in receptions (six for 57 yards). Do the math – that’s an 8.4-yard average every time he touched the ball on offense.


In the first two game games, Forsett has produced eight first downs on his 14 touches.

“He’s a good player. He’s fun to watch,” coach Jim Mora said. “I have a lot of respect for him, and I think our players do too. He’s tough. He’s hard-nosed. He keeps fighting.

“We’ve always had confidence in him. But when you go out and perform like that in a tough game like that, I mean, shoot, you say, ‘Let’s get that guy some touches. He can make some plays.’ ”

TUR NOVER BLUES

The Seahawks defense has gone two games without forcing a turnover – after collecting at least one in 13 of 16 games last season.

“To win games, you’ve got to have turnovers,” cornerback Kelly Jennings said. “Defensively, two games and no turnovers at all. That’s something we’ve just got to continue to work on in practice and continue to stress and I think they will come in the games.”

The Seahawks’ only turnover came on the opening kickoff in the opener, when special teams co-captain Lance Laury forced a fumble that was recovered by fellow linebacker Will Herring.

ON TAP

The players return from their day off to begin practicing Wednesday for Sunday’s game. It’s also a big day for the growing number of players who are injured, or coming off injuries, to see who might be available to return this week.

YOU DON’T SAY

“If my number is called, I’ll be ready. I’ve been there before, so it won’t be a shock for me.” – Jennings, on the likelihood that he will start against the Bears because Josh Wilson got a high ankle sprain against the 49ers

 

[savage]

Turns out quarterback Matt Hasselbeck's rib injury was not as serious as it looked on Sunday.

Medical tests revealed that Hasselbeck suffered a fractured rib in the team's 23-10 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. However, the veteran quarterback who turns 34 on Friday expects to play on Sunday when the Chicago Bears travel to Qwest Field.

"I was trying to score a touchdown, trying to get close," Hasselbeck said. "I think we had a minute to go. It's a situation we've worked on. We don't want to leave any time on the clock. The play was designed to go to John (Carlson) or T.J. (Houshmandzadeh), and you know, it just didn't happen. Those guys were covered.

"There was a crease, and I thought maybe I could get in. And Patrick Willis came in from the backside, and had he not touched me I maybe would have scored."

Hasselbeck said he's played with a similar injury before during his time as a Seahawk.

 

[savage]

With 10 projected starters for the 2009 season out with injuries, Mora said the team might look at bringing in some replacements to add depth.

"Every Tuesday, we bring guys in for workouts, just in case," he said. "So we have some guys that we've already worked out, that we've already identified as guys—at every position, not just at corner or offensive line—where if we get ourselves in a pinch, we can get those guys quickly into the fold."

Offensive tackle Brandon Frye had only been with the Seattle Seahawks for two weeks. But after left tackle Sean Locklear went down with an ankle sprain in the first half against San Francisco. Frye, 26, played in seven games for Miami last season.

After Locklear went down, Frye played left tackle the rest of the way, and did a decent job for someone who hasn't had a lot of time to learn the offense.

"You just always have to be ready and prepare as if you're going to play every play," Frye said.
----------------------------------------
Repeat of last season already. I don't see the Seahawks with a winning record this season at all. Not unless the un-injured players we have can step up and make something happen.

 

[savage]

Offensive tackle Sean Locklear and cornerback Josh Wilson both wore protective boots on their legs as they left the locker room on Monday. Coach Jim Mora said the two suffered high ankle sprains against San Francisco, and both likely will be out for an extended period of time.

Mora said Chris Spencer (quad) will be a full participant this week and could play on Sunday. Spencer has been out since injuring his quad in the second preseason game against Denver.

This is some good news for the O line. Tired of Vallos and his high snaps.

Fullback Justin Griffith suffered a sprained MCL in his knee against San Francisco and could miss some practice time this week.

Starting middle linebacker Lofa Tatupu re-aggravated his hamstring early in the game against the 49ers, and might not play against Chicago on Sunday.

This however, is bad news for the D.


Report Card Vs

. 49ERS


Passing Offense:

C-plus - Seattle finished with just 217 yards passing, and only one play of 20-plus yards through the air.


Rushing Offense:

C - The Seahawks abandoned the running game in the second half when they got down by two scores early in the third quarter. Seattle finished with just 66 yards on the ground.


Pass Defense:

B - The team's pass defense continues to be a bright spot for the team, although with the success Frank Gore had on the ground the 49ers didn't need to throw. Seattle held San Francisco to 144 yards in the air, and the team is ranked No. 2 overall in pass defense. Last season the Seahawks ranked last in the league in pass defense.


Rush Defense:

F - Seattle's run defense was awful against the 49ers. The Seahawks gave up 207 yards to Frank Gore, including touchdown runs of 79 and 80 yards.


Special Teams:

B - Punter Jon Ryan finished with seven punts for a 52.1-yard average and a 47.1-yard net. The Seahawks also downed a punt on the 1-yard line.


Coaching:

C - Coach Jim Mora's team got physically outplayed by a tougher San Francisco team on the road, and now will lick its wounds and try to rebound at home against Chicago.

 

[savage]

Another injury update:

LT Sean Locklear: Out, with a high ankle sprain. He’ll be replaced by Walter Jones or Brandon Frye.

CB Josh Wilson: Out, with a high ankle sprain. He’ll be replaced by Kelly Jennings.

QB Matt Hasselbeck: Mora is not ruling out that he could play Sunday against the Bears, even if he can’t practice all week because of a fractured rib.

LT Walter Jones: He will practice today, and share reps with Brandon Frye, who filled in against the 49ers after Locklear went out.

C Chris Spencer: He’ll also practice, and also share reps – with Steve Vallos.

WR Deion Branch: He will practice and, if all goes well, play against the Bears.

WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh: He won’t practice today to rest his sore back, but he is expected to play Sunday.

FB Justin Griffith: He won’t practice today because of his sprained knee, but should be able to play.

LB Leroy Hill: He had surgery Friday on his torn groin and remains on schedule to return Nov. 1.

MLB Lofa Tatupu: Mora isn’t sure that he will play because the team does not want to risk increasing the damage to his strained hamstring.

DT Brandon Mebane: He won’t practice today, but is feeling better after sitting out the 49ers game with a strained calf.

 

[savage]

Chris Spencer. The team’s starting center appears ready to return to action for the first time since tearing a quadriceps muscle on Aug. 22 in the second preseason game.

Whether the former first-round draft choice starts Sunday when the Seahawks host the Chicago Bears at Qwest Field remains to be seen. Spencer split time in practice with Steve Vallos and, coach Jim Mora said, “We’ll probably move a little bit more toward Spencer (on Thursday),” if Spencer comes out of today’s practice in good shape.

“We’d like to decide by tomorrow after practice at the latest, and then go from there,” Mora said.

Vallos started the first two games, and played well. But the move back to Spencer will be made when he’s ready.

“We think Chris is a really good player,” he said. “We’re not going to keep him on the bench if he can help you win.”
POSITION WATCH

Nickel back. With Josh Wilson out because of a high ankle sprain, Kelly Jennings will start at left cornerback against the Bears. But who will be the third corner in the defense used when the opposition goes with three wide receivers?

There are two options for the role Wilson filled on passing downs:

One is using free safety Jordan Babineaux as the nickel back, and then having Lawyer Milloy play free safety in the nickel. That’s what the coaches did after Wilson went out against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.

The other is using Travis Fisher as the nickel back. The veteran corner has been inactive for the first two games because of a strained hamstring.

“We haven’t decided yet,” Mora said. “Tomorrow’s typically our nickel day, so we’ll talk more about that this evening.”

INJURY REPORT

The official report, as issued by the team:

Out

» LB Leroy Hill (groin)
» OT Sean Locklear (ankle)
» CB Josh Wilson (ankle)
Did not practice

» WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh (back)
» FB Justin Griffith (knee)
» DT Brandon Mebane (calf)
» QB Matt Hasselbeck (rib)
» MLB Lofa Tatupu (hamstring)
Limited in practice

» CB Ken Lucas (groin)
Full participation

» WR Deion Branch (hamstring)
» CB Travis Fisher (hamstring)
» OT Walter Jones (knee)
» C Chris Spencer (quadriceps)
In case you lost count, that’s 11 starters. While getting Jones, Spencer, Branch and Fisher back was a step in the right direction, not having Hill, Locklear and Wilson is causing concerns – not to mention more lineup shuffling.

In practice, the coaches used a combination of Jones and Brandon Frye to fill in for Locklear; Owen Schmitt stepped in for Griffith; Craig Terrill lined up in Mebane’s spot, just as he did against the 49ers; David Hawthorne and Will Herring took over for Tatupu and Hill; and Jennings was in for Wilson.

“I don’t know. I don’t even want to guess right now,” Mora said when asked how much longer the team would have to weather this storm of injuries. “Hopefully not much longer. There’s a light at the end of the tunnel with some of these guys.”

Hill, who was injured in the opener, had surgery Friday to repair his torn groin.

“It went very well. They were very encouraged,” Mora said. “When the doctor got in there and looked at it, it didn’t seem to be as severe as they had feared. That doesn’t mean he’ll be back any sooner, because it’s still a significant injury. But he’s back in town. He came back Saturday, and he’s doing really well.”

Hill’s target return date remains the Nov. 1 game against the Cowboys in Dallas.

PRACTICE SQUAD SHUFFLE

Safety Jamar Adams has been re-signed to the practice squad. He was released last week when defensive end Derek Walker was moved to the practice squad to clear a spot on the 53-man roster for linebacker D.D. Lewis.

To make room for Adams, offensive lineman Brian De La Puente was released.

STAT DU JOUR

It’s not so much a stat as a strange situation: The last time wide receivers Nate Burleson and Deion Branch played in a game together was Jan. 12, 2007 – the divisional playoff game against the Packers in Green Bay.

Branch tore the ACL in his left knee in that game and had not completed his rehab by the season opener in 2008, when Burleson was lost for the season after tearing a knee ligament. This season, Branch has been inactive the first two games because of a strained hamstring.

But Branch is practicing this week and scheduled to play against the Bears.

YOU DON’T SAY

“I love playing at home. So, to our fans: Do whatever you’ve got to do this week to get ready for Sunday. If that means you’ve got to start drinking tea with honey in it right now, or taking throat lozenges, whatever it takes to get up for 1:05 on Sunday, then do that. I know this: We need our fans. We need our fans. We are counting on our fans on Sunday, and we’re going to make sure that they can count on us on Sunday.” – Mora, when asked about the advantage of playing at home this week

 

[savage]

Coach Jim Mora isn’t using the Seahawks’ injury situation as an excuse, and he won’t allow the players to do it, either.

At 7:20 this morning, Jim Mora stood before his players and challenged them.

Yes, the Seahawks have lost tackle Sean Locklear and cornerback Josh Wilson for Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears at Qwest Field because of high ankle sprains. Yes, quarterback Matt Hasselbeck is questionable because of a fractured rib. Yes, also watching practice Wednesday – rather than participating – were middle linebacker Lofa Tatupu, defensive tackle Brandon Mebane, wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh and fullback Justin Griffith. And yes, the team already was playing without cornerback Marcus Trufant and linebacker Leroy Hill.

But Mora refuses to use the maelstrom of injuries to his starting players as an excuse, and he won’t allow his players to go there, either.

“We had a team meeting in here at 7:20 and every player was sitting in here and basically what I told them is this: ‘Hey, I’ll take 45 of you – it doesn’t matter which 45 of you it is, just 45 – and we’ll go play Sunday and we’ll be fine.’ ” Mora said three hours later, during his midweek Q&A session with the media.

Talk about grabbing a troublesome situation by the crutches.

“That’s got to be our attitude,” Mora said. “We can’t worry about anything other than that – just get ourselves ready to play and go play the best we can play regardless of who we’re playing, who’s playing for us, where we’re playing or any other circumstance. That’s the bottom line and that’s going to be our mindset going forward.”

The players didn’t just buy what Mora was selling, they appreciated his candor and the confidence their coach was showing in all of them – from Seneca Wallace, who will start if Hasselbeck can’t; to David Hawthorne, who will start if Tatupu can’t.

“That made us feel good,” Wallace said. “As he said, it doesn’t matter who’s playing, as long as we’re going out there together as a team. Whoever steps on the field, we’ve got to make sure we get it done.”

Offered tight end John Carlson, “It helps us do the same thing. He believes, obviously, and he’s telling us, ‘Don’t worry about injuries. I have confidence in you, and you should have confidence in yourselves.’ I think that’s great that our head coach – our leader – is trying to instill that in us. And I think we all believe that.”

Count Hawthorne among the believers.

“It always makes you feel good when your coach has confidence in you, and I feel like coach Mora has a bunch of confidence in us,” he said. “We’ve got to prove him right, through our preparation and through our play.

“We’re all in this together, and we kind of bought into that philosophy through training camp and minicamps and OTAs.”

The coaches also helped this current situation with the way they treated the backups during those offseason activities – which was, not treating them like backups. All the reserves got reps with the starters, as the coaches mixed and matched their units.

“I felt they gave everybody an opportunity to step up and make plays during training camp,” Hawthorne said. “That’s showing, because already we’ve had guys go down and guys step in. The biggest goal as a backup player is to step in and not have a drop off.”

Mora carried that all-for-one-and-one-for-all approach into the meeting this morning.

As he put it, “I was standing here and they were sitting there, and I said, ‘I look out here, and I don’t see starters, and I don’t see backups. I see football players. OK? So give me 45 football players on Sunday at 1:05, and let’s go.’ ”

Bears coach Lovie Smith even got into the act, in a good-natured way.

Asked during a conference-call interview about the possibility of Hasselbeck playing, Smith laughed as he said, “If I was Matt, I would just take a few weeks off.”

The team’s shorthanded situation is even double-edged, since the injured players will return at some point his season. So the Seahawks can’t even sign other players because it would mean releasing a player, rather than placing him on injured reserve.

“We’re hamstrung because of the injury situation,” Mora said. “There’s really nowhere to go. There are no moves to make.

“So you know what we’re going to do? We’re going to weather the storm with the guys we’ve got. And we’re going to go play hard. And we’re going to fight and compete. And we’re going to get through it. We’re going to start getting guys back and we’re going to get back to full strength. Until we do, we just go to battle with who we’ve got."

 

[savage]

I'm probably way off base with this, but I'm ready for the Justin Forsett Era to start with the Seahawks.

Let's be honest, first-string tailback Julius Jones projects to have an OK season at best. His upside is negligible. If he were truly a great running back, he would not have split so much time with Maurice Morris last year. In the final 12 games of the 2008 season, he rushed for only 386 yards.

Second-string tailback Edgerrin James is a future Hall of Famer who's 31 and can't carry the load anymore.

Forsett? Now we're talking.

Look at the stats after two games -- if you take away his 62-yard touchdown run against the Rams, Jones has rushed 26 times for 66 yards, an average of 2.5 a carry. Last Sunday against the 49ers, he rushed eight times and gained 11 yards. James has 13 carries for 36 yards, a 2.8 average.

Forsett has rushed only eight times in the first two games but produced 52 yards, a 6.5 average. Last Sunday he rushed five times for 35 yards and had six receptions for 57 yards, impressing the Seahawks coaching staff.

"He's tough, he's hard-nosed, he keeps fighting," Seahawks coach Jim Mora said on Monday. "We've always had confidence in him, but when you go out and perform like that in a tough game like that, you say, 'Let's get him some touches. He can make some plays.'

"I wouldn't say (our perception of him) has changed much because we've always felt like that, but it's been reinforced a little bit."

Before the opener, Mora estimated that Jones would get 60 percent of the carries, James 30 percent and Forsett 10 percent. It's time to flip that around. What harm would there be in giving Forsett 60 percent of the carries this Sunday against the Bears? Why not find out what you really have with this guy? Especially now, with a wounded team that needs a wild card like Justin Forsett.

From what I saw on the flat screen last Sunday, every time the ball was in Forsett's hands, something happened. The second-year player from Cal looked faster and quicker than Jones and James.

I presumed it was his lack of size that prevents him from replacing Jones as the Seahawks' No. 1 running back. Or that he doesn't block well on pass plays. Wrong on both accounts.

In his Wednesday news conference, Mora said his size isn't a factor, favorably comparing the 5-foot-8, 198-pound Forsett to the 49ers' 5-9, 217-pound Frank Gore. Mora also called him a good pass-blocker, and that's why Forsett is used so frequently on third downs.

Mora said the knock on Forsett is his apparent lack of speed, which I find hard to believe and the coach does too.

"He's proving that maybe speed in the 40 (yard dash) is not going to stop this kid," Mora said.

Two years ago at the NFL combine in Indianapolis, Forsett said he picked the wrong day to run the slowest 40-yard-dash time of his life. He was clocked in 4.6 and says he could do a 4.5 then and a 4.5 now.

(Asked who would win a 100-yard race involving the Seahawks running backs, Forsett said Jones would, with Forsett finishing second and James third. "But in his prime, Edge could roll," Forsett said. "My thing is acceleration, I can hit a top speed fast.)

That 4.6 time combined with his size made Forsett a seventh-round draft choice -- how else do you explain a player who rushed for 3,220 yards at Cal dropping so far.

Forsett shrugs. It's been this way forever. Even in pick-up games in his youth, they chose other kids over him because he was too small. After rushing for 5,000 yards and 63 TDs in his last two years of high school at Grace Prep Academy in Arlington, Texas, Forsett was still overlooked.

Notre Dame coach Tyrone Willingham offered a scholarship, but just before Forsett was planning to visit South Bend, the Fighting Irish changed their mind. So did Connecticut, his second choice.

No one in Texas offered -- SMU and Baylor thought he was too small, and even little Abilene Christian told him they'd take him only as a walk-on.

You're not big enough and durable enough, they told Forsett. Or we want you to be a cornerback, not a running back.

"I definitely use it as motivation," Forsett said. "I've had a chip on my shoulder since I was little. There's an extra nastiness I bring to the building."

Cal, West Virginia and Boise State came in late, and Forsett became a Golden Bear after taking his official visit to Berkeley. Jeff Tedford's team was ranked 11th in the country at the time, and he was also impressed by the academics at Cal.

Forsett tore up the Pac-10, but doubts remained. They seemingly linger. Forsett doesn't get it. Wasn't Emmitt Smith 5-9? Tony Dorsett was 5-11 and 192 pounds. And what about Barry Sanders? With the Lions, he was basically the same size as Forsett at 5-8 and 203 pounds.

His Christian faith helps him, grounds him. Every day on his Twitter page (@JForsett), he cites a scripture from the Bible for his 2,666 followers. Forsett spoke to the Husky football team at chapel the night before their upset of USC.

"They look very ready," Forsett tweeted, and he was right.

You can build a convincing case for him, but Forsett will just say he feels blessed to be here, learning from Jones and James, grateful for the opportunity. It's not hard to be patient because he's been through it before.

"My job is to go in there when my number is called and try to be productive," Forsett said.

It's time for his number to be called more often. Will that happen against the Bears? Not necessarily, Mora said.

"But if you're making plays for the football team, you're gonna get on the field," the coach added.

Forsett won't give up hope. He knows he needs to be more consistent. He envisions a day when he's a starting tailback in the NFL. That's always been his dream, and he should be given the chance to experience it here.

 

[savage]

Seahawks Announce Eastgate Park and Ride Option for Fans

RENTON, WASH. – Starline Luxury Coaches will operate a Seahawks game day shuttle bus service from the Eastgate Park & Ride Lot located at 14200 SE Eastgate Way beginning Sunday, September 27, when the Seahawks host the Chicago Bears. Fares will be $4 each way. The service will operate for the remaining Seahawks home games this season.

Starline will provide a direct route to Qwest Field with the drop-off location at transit bus shelters located along Fifth Avenue between King and Weller Streets.

The Eastgate Park & Ride service will begin two hours prior to the scheduled kickoff of each home game, with buses departing the Eastgate Park & Ride location every 20 minutes. The final in-bound buses will depart approximately 50 minutes prior to kickoff. Buses will return to the Eastgate Park & Ride lot following the conclusion of each game. Starline buses will depart the downtown Seattle location along Fifth Avenue between King and Weller Streets immediately after the game with the final bus departing 45 minutes after the game ends.

Other transportation options for fans include the following: regular Metro service, Sound Transit Express buses, Link Light Rail, Sounder Rail Service, Amtrack Cascades Train Services and Washington State Ferries. ST Express buses offer transportation from areas throughout Pierce, King and Snohomish counties with service every 30 minutes and stops within three blocks of Qwest Field.

The Best NFL Football Field In The League:

 

[savage]

Injury-depleted Seahawks play well enough to win, but still come up short – or wide left, to be exact – in 25-19 loss to Chicago Bears.

After missing two very-makeable field goals in a six-point loss to the Chicago Bears on Sunday, veteran kicker Olindo Mare sought out one teammate in particular.

“I apologized to Seneca (Wallace) for putting him in a spot at the end of the game,” Mare said after the Bears had rallied for a 25-19 victory that left the Seahawks 1-2 heading into next week’s game against the Colts in Indianapolis.

“You’re only supposed to do your job, and I didn’t do it very well.”

Wallace acknowledged the class of Mare’s act, but also shouldered his share of the blame for the Seahawks taking a 13-0 lead only to watch the Bears outscore them 25-6 over the final 42 minutes on a picture postcard of a day and before an amped-up crowd of 67,938 fans at Qwest Field.

“That says a lot about Olindo, but it’s not his fault,” said Wallace, who made his first start of the still-young season because Matt Hasselbeck was watching from the sideline after getting a cracked rib in last week’s loss to the 49ers in San Francisco.

“We’ve got to put the ball in the end zone. If we put the ball in the end zone, we wouldn’t have that problem.”

Speaking of the sideline, that’s also where Pro Bowl left tackle Walter Jones, tackle Sean Locklear, fullback Justin Griffith, linebackers Lofa Tatupu and Leroy Hill and cornerbacks Marcus Trufant and Josh Wilson watched the game. All starters. All injured, or coming off injuries.

This was a game few gave the Seahawks any chance of even being in, let along being a position where they not only could have but probably should have won.

“Absolutely we should have won this game,” defensive Colin Cole said. “A lot of people try to find excuses and reasons why we didn’t get this one done. But it doesn’t matter. Win or lose, in this business, if you don’t win, you don’t have excuses. Nobody cares if you don’t get it done.”

The Seahawks didn’t get it done on this day. Because of the injuries. Because Mare was wide left on field-goal attempts from 43 and 34 yards. Because they had the ball seven times inside the Bears’ 30-yard line and came away with only 12 points to show for it.

The Seahawks had more rushing yards (103-85), more passing yards (243-233), more total yards (346-318), a lot more offensive plays (75-57,) fewer punts (2-4) and a better third-down percentage (.412, 7 of 14; compared to .333, 4 of 12).

Second-year linebacker David Hawthorne, who was subbing for Tatupu, sparked a spirited defensive effort with 16 tackles and an interception. Nate Burleson caught nine passes for 109 yards. Julius Jones ran for 98 yards – 13 more than the Bears were able to muster. Wallace completed 26 of 44 passes for 261 yards. Ben Obomanu had a 45-yard kickoff return. Jon Ryan averaged 54 yards on those two punts. Rookie linebacker Aaron Curry had a fumble-forcing sack.

But the Seahawks still lost.

“Well, that was obviously a disappointing loss for us,” were the first words out of coach Jim Mora’s mouth as he stepped to the podium for his post-game Q&A session. “We know that with the situation we’re in, our margin of error is very small.

“We made some errors at key moments in the game that really hurt us.”

None was more costly than a second-and-7 play with two minutes left to play, and the Seahawks clinging to a 19-17 lead. The Seahawks blitzed, Bears quarterback Jay Cutler went to wide receiver Devin Hester on a slant and Hester went 36 yards for the touchdown that gave the Bears their final margin of victory.

Cornerback Ken Lucas was on the sideline because he had aggravated the groin injury he got last week against the 49ers. Travis Fisher, Lucas’s replacement who was playing his first regular-season game for the Seahawks, had Hester covered for the inside pass. But Hester reached back to take the ball. Fisher’s momentum carried him into strong safety Deon Grant, which left no one with a legitimate shot at catching Hester as he raced to the end zone.

“Honestly, I was hit on the play, so I don’t know how he reached back,” Fisher said. “It’s tough to be in that situation at the end of the game and then they get one play on you and it dictates the game.”

Offered Cutler, “Whenever we get Devin in one-on-one coverage, we think the edge is on our side. I put it a little bit out there and he made a heck of a catch and run. He makes one guy miss and it’s a touchdown, and that’s what he did.”

The play did in the Seahawks, whose final – frantic – possession ended when Wallace’s fourth-down pass was too high for Jones to grab with 26 seconds to play.

It was Jones who staked the Seahawks to an early 7-0 lead, as he took a pass from Wallace and ran up the sideline – and through an attempted tackle by Bears cornerback Charles Tillman – for a 39-yard touchdown.

“It was either run through him, or get tackled,” Jones said. “I decided to run through him. We played really well at the beginning we just didn’t finish them off. We had I don’t know how many chances to score. We had chances to take the momentum and run with it, and we didn’t do that.”

That’s because after Jones’ run, it was all field goals for the Seahawks – the four that Mare made, and the two he didn’t.

“No excuse for those,” Mora said of Mare’s misses. “If you’re a kicker in the National Football League, you should make those kicks. Bottom line. End of story. Period. No excuses. No wind. It doesn’t matter.

“You’ve got to make those kicks, especially in a game like this where we’re kicking and scratching and fighting and playing your tail off. And you miss those kicks. Not acceptable. Absolutely not acceptable.”

Because of those misses, Mare wasn’t the only Seahawk left to kick himself after a disappointing loss that should have been a momentum-building victory.

 

[90'sBayPlayer]

What's worse, knowing your gonna suck or Having hope and optimisim, then sucking?

 

[savage]

Both...

 

[90'sBayPlayer]

Both...

I just wanna beat the 9ers and I'll be ok

 

[savage]

I just want a winning record for them this season, and I'll be ok.

 

[90'sBayPlayer]

With all of your injuries it dosen't look good. I just wanna win a fuccing game!

 

[savage]

^We were without them key players for three games, there are still 13 games left, and we aren't going to be without them starters through out the whole season. Once we get them back, we should be good again, well I hope so anyways lol