Cutler situation could have big impact on Hawks

This is not an April Fool's Day joke: Pat Bowlen says the Broncos will trade Jay Cutler.

How can this affect the Hawks?

-The Hawks could trade for Cutler directly

-The Lions could trade for Cutler, leaving Matthew Stafford to fall into our laps.

-The Rams or Niners could trade for Cutler. Frankly, both of them should at least TRY to get the guy. In fact, here's the list of teams off the top of my head that SHOULD be trying to get Cutler:

Lions
Vikings
Bears
Redskins
Panthers
Bucs
Niners
Rams
Dolphins
Bills
Jets
Jaguars
Texans
Titans
Browns

That's almost half the league, and a team like the Seahawks could still jump into the Cutler bidding... The next few weeks just got VERY interesting in the NFL, no?

I hate April Fool's Day. There. I said it.

Why?

When I was 12, my friends decided to pull this April Fool's Day prank on me. It was 1987, and when I got to school that day, they told me that Steve Largent had been traded to Green Bay for a second round pick. Being a trusting soul, and not remembering what day it was, I was devastated.

I ended up calling home during lunch and asking my Mom to turn on CNN Headline News and tell me if there was any news about the Largent trade on their sports segment. She said there was nothing about that, but I spent the rest of the day thinking my favorite player had been traded. When school ended, the prank was revealed, and everyone except me thought it was hi-lar-ious. Yeah, it was a regular laff riot.

So no pranks here tomorrow, and y'all should remember to have your bullshit detectors cranked all the way up to 11 tomorrow. Stupid fucking day.

My half-educated guess at the 2009 Seahawks Schedule

I did this last year, and it was fairly fun (I actually called the game at Dallas on Thanksgiving... Crazy, no?). Let's try it again before the official schedule comes out.

We "know" these things:

-Home games: STL, AZ, SF, CHI, DET, JAX, TEN, TB
-Road games: STL, AZ, SF, GB, MN, HOU, IND, DAL
-We won't be playing the Bears, Packers ot Titans in week one, or the Packers or Lions in week 11.
-We won't have home games in weeks 2, 7 and 11, based on the MLS schedule
-Based on our 4-12 record last year and our poor national profile, we'll get an early bye and one national game, probably on MNF early in the season.

OK.. here's how I see our schedule playing out:

1. 9/13 v. JAX (1-0)
2. 9/21 @ AZ (MNF)(1-1)
3. 9/27 v. STL (2-1)
4. 10/4 BYE
5. 10/11 v. DET (3-1)
6. 10/18 @ SF (3-2)
7. 10/25 @ GB (3-3)
8. 11/1 v. TB (4-3)
9. 11/8 @ DAL (4-4)
10. 11/15 v. CHI (5-4)
11. 11/22 @ STL (6-4)
12. 11/29 v. SF (7-4)
13. 12/6 @ MIN (7-5)
14. 12/13 @ HOU (8-5)
15. 12/20 v. TEN (8-6)
16. 12/27 @ IND (8-7)
17. 1/3 v. AZ (9-7)

Ranking the Squads #7: 2006

As usual, you can find the previous installments of the Ranking the Squads project here...

7. 2006
Record: 9-7
Postseason: NFC West Champions, Lost in Divisional Round
Offensive Rank: 14th out of 32 teams
Defensive Rank: 19th out of 32
Turnover Ratio Rank: 27th out of 32
Team MVP: Josh Brown
High Point: Seahawks 21, Cowboys 20
Low Point: Vikings 31, Seahawks 13

The '06ers made their reputation in the postseason, with a dramatic victory over the Cowboys and an OT loss at the heavily favored Bears. Despite an almost completely depleted defensive secondary, the Seahawks recovered from a 1-3 regular season finish to nearly reach the NFC Championship Game.

Before those two redeeming performances, the 2006 Hawks were a mediocre squad repeatedly bailed out by our formerly beloved kicker Josh Brown. Whether it was the capper to a snoozeworthy win at Detroit, both ends of a STL sweep, or the triumphant finish to a SNF win at Mile High, JB was the difference between victory and defeat for a struggling team. Hasselbeck missed four games after a dirty hit from E.J. Henderson and was never 100% after returning, and SA's decline began in earnest despite memorable performances against Green Bay on MNF and versus Chicago in the divisional playoff.

Ahh, but that win over Dallas... It will forever be remembered as one of the greatest wins in franchise history. Here's what I wrote about it at the time...

As usual, I turned out to be wrong...

Nope, no Seahawks @ Cards matchup on MNF in week one, as I predicted a while back... The Raiders not only get to open the season in Prime-Time again, but they also get a Thanksgiving Day game at Dallas. Why?

Here's the week one national games, plus the Thanksgiving Day line-up:

Thursday Sept. 10 (NBC): Titans @ Steelers
Sunday Sept. 13 (NBC): Bears @ Packers
Monday Sept. 14 (ESPN): Bills @ Patriots
Monday Sept. 14 (ESPN): Chargers @ Raiders
Thursday Nov. 26 (FOX): Packers @ Lions
Thursday Nov. 26 (CBS): Raiders @ Cowboys
Thursday Nov. 26 (NFLN): Giants @ Broncos

Also, John Clayton has a story about the NFL considering changing the scheduling formula so east-coast teams won't have to make so many trips to the west coast... As a fan of the team that annually logs more miles of air travel than anyone else, let me be the first to say: Boo. Fucking. Hoo.

Anyway, as usual the NFC West gets no respect. Big shock, huh? It's not like we've represented the NFC in two of the last four Super Bowls or anything.

Remember: Nobody Knows Anything.

The speculation about the draft is really starting to heat up, and among Seahawks fans, battle lines are being drawn about who Seattle should draft at #4. Stafford! Crabtree! Trade down and get Moreno! Take an offensive tackle!

On draft day, no matter who we pick, there will be a lot of Seahawks fans who HATE that decision. They will go to all corners of the internet and decry how "TIMMAY" has doomed the Seahawks to a decade of Lions-level ineptitude, and call for Paul Allen to sack the entire front office.

I'm here to remind y'all of something: No matter how much research YOU do, no matter how knowledgeable NFL scouts & GMs are, the draft is still a total crapshoot. Sure, some players look like safer bets than others, but NO ONE knows how these players will turn out as pros.

There were prominent scouts and "experts" who believed that Ryan Leaf would be a better NFL QB than Peyton Manning. Tom Brady and Matt Hasselbeck were sixth round picks, etc... I'm embarrassed to say that I wrote this after the Seahawks drafted Lofa Tatupu:

So we trade two fourth round picks to move up nine slots to take: Lofa Tatupu??? We couldn’t get him at 54? We couldn’t have gotten him in the third round? We passed up Matt Roth and Dan Cody??? I know that Mosi Tatupu was a bad ass, but why why why??? Kiper himself says that we could have gotten him in round 5.. FUCK FUCK FUCK! He may very well be a solid player, but not a value pick at all.. Ugh.

So keep this in mind if you're tempted to attack the VMAC with torches and pitchforks after Ruskell "screws up" the draft.. Even if he does, you won't know for a few years anyway. No one will.

The Seahawks Pro Shop is selling this:

Guess T.J. wanted #84 after all, huh? You can buy it here...

My salute to the Edward Jones Dome

Greetings from STL... Suck it, Rams!

Engram signs with Chiefs

Long-time Seahawk Bobby Engram has signed with Kansas City, and he leaves town as the 4th biggest accumulator of receiving yards in Seattle history. Engram's career high point was 2007, where he snagged 94 catches (far more than the great Steve Largent ever pulled down in a single season). The low point, of course, was dropping the game-tying touchdown against the Rams in the 2004 Wild Card playoff.

Engram was also a key contributor on the 2005 NFC Championship team, and as you all know, had a knack for making key 3rd down receptions to keep drives alive. He'll be missed by the fans, but hopefully not on the field, given the acquisition of T.J. and the possible addition of Michael Crabtree in the draft.

The big question: Does Housh swipe #84 now?

Ranking the Squads #8: 1988

As usual, you can find the previous installments of the Ranking the Squads project here...

8. 1988
Record: 9-7
Postseason: AFC West Champions, lost in Divisional Round
Offensive Rank: 12th out of 28 teams
Defensive Rank: 16th out of 28
Turnover Ratio Rank: 7th out of 28
Team MVP: John L. Williams
High Point: Seahawks 43, Raiders 37
Low Point: 49ers 38, Seahawks 7

First of all, if you want to read a great, detailed account of the 1988 season, go buy Fighting Chance by Fred Moody. Used copies are literally 75 cents on amazon...

This was the first Seahawks team to win a division title, and they had to scratch, bite, claw and gouge their way to the top of the AFC West. The Largent/Harden saga was a great metaphor for the entire '88 campaign... Here's the visuals from youtube:



In an opening day loss at Denver, Harden laid out #80 with a dirty hit that busted Largent's facemask (and luckily not his brainpan). Largent saw the perfect opportunity for revenge during the Kingdome rematch and took it... That was the '88 Hawks: They took a lot of shots, they endured a ton of abuse, and at times looked nowhere near playoff-worthy... But they will be forever remembered fondly by the fans who witnessed their struggles, and by the division championship banner that hangs in Qwest Field.

Seattle needed a victory against the Raiders in L.A. on the season's final Sunday to win the West, and they prevailed in a thrilling 43-37 shootout. The highlight? John L. William's 75-yard touchdown dash that put Seattle up 37-20 (play is at 3:00 mark of this clip)...



In the divisional playoff at Cincinnati, the Hawks fell behind 21-0, and Chuck Knox infamously had Joe Nash repeatedly fake injuries to slow down Sam Wyche's no-huddle offense. Seattle staged a furious 4th quarter rally, which was thwarted by a bobbled snap on a PAT try by holder Steve Largent (?!??).

If you'd like to learn more, consult your local library... or just go buy Moody's book, you cheapskate.

So long, JP

That's what Fox Sports is reporting...

Honestly, I don't know anything about Redding, but Seahawks Addicts has a scouting report on him here... Sounds like a good pick-up, and this makes drafting Wake Forest LB Aaron Curry a real possibility if he is on the board at #4.

I'll miss Peterson, but this looks to be a smart move for the Hawks. I hope JP gets a warm reception from the Qwest Field faithful when the Lions show up for their severe pummeling this fall...

Ranking the Squads #9: 1987

As usual, you can find the previous installments of the Ranking the Squads project here...

9. 1987
Record: 9-6 (7-5 with "regular" players, 2-1 with "replacement" players)
Postseason: AFC Wild Card (5th seed), Lost in Wild Card Round
Offensive Rank: 6th out of 28 teams
Defensive Rank: 14th out of 28
Turnover Ratio Rank: 14th out of 28
Team MVP: Fredd Young
High Point: Seahawks 34, Bears 21
Low Point: Raiders 37, Seahawks 14

The '87s are one of the most memorable teams in Seahawks history. On one hand, they are infamous for the Boz and that awful MNF beatdown administered by Bo Jax and the Raiders. Despite that, the Hawks pulled things together and notched one of the most amazing regular season wins in team history. In Chicago, against the mighty Bears, the Hawks were supposed to be mere foils in the great Walter Payton's final regular season home game... But we spoiled those plans like John McClane at Nakatomi Plaza, y'all, and clinched a playoff berth.

If the Hawks could have just beaten the lowly Chiefs in the season's final game, they would have hosted the Oilers in the AFC Wild Card game instead of traveling to the Astrodome. On top of a 41-20 loss, we lost Pro Bowl RB Curt Warner for the playoffs.

Stupid Gorram Chiefs.

In that Wild Card game, the Hawks were severely outplayed for about 58 minutes. After a missed Houston FG gave the Hawks the ball down by seven in the waning moments, Dave Krieg led an amazing TD drive that included a 4th and 10 conversion, a long bomb to Ray Butler and the tying score on a lazer-beam strike to Largent. This was probably the single greatest performance of #80's career: 7 catches for 132 yards and both Seattle touchdowns. Largent had more impressive statistical performances, but none on a bigger stage, and none with the team's main offensive weapon (Warner) sidelined.

In OT, All-Pro linebacker Fredd Young picked off a deflected Warren Moon pass deep in Oilers territory. Unfortunately, the INT was waved off and declared incomplete despite clear visual evidence that the ball never touched the astroturf.

Little did we know that was the Genesis of two decades of the
Hawks getting royally screwed by NFL officials... Ugh. Dave Krieg would throw a much less controversial pick later in OT, and that was that.

The '87s are largely a "what-if" story. What if there hadn't been a players strike that ripped the guts out of the middle of the season? The unpleasant truth is that the Hawks edged Miami out of a playoff spot based on a win in a "scab" game. What if we had won that game at Arrowhead? What if Warner hadn't gotten hurt? What if I hadn't gotten one of those retarded Boz haircuts? and so on...

What are your memories of the 1987 Seahawks?

Fearless Prediction: We Will Open the Season on MNF at Arizona

The 2009 NFL schedule comes out in less than a month, and if previous years are any indication, we'll find out the primetime and national games for kickoff weekend even sooner.

Based on current trends, the Seahawks should open the season at Arizona as the back end of ESPN's MNF doubleheader. Why do I think this?

1. The Super Bowl loser almost always gets a prime-time game on Kickoff weekend (unless you are the Seahawks, of course).

2. The "late" game in the MNF doubleheader has always involved two western division teams.

3. It has alternated between an AFC West or NFC West divisional match-up each year, and the NFC West is "up" in 2009.

So, Arizona is highly likely to open at home in the back end of the ESPN MNF doubleheader. Why will Seattle be the opponent?

Because the other options are the Rams and Niners (also, they put Cards/Niners in this spot in 2007 already), and the Housh signing has given the Hawks at least a LITTLE buzz this offseason.

So pencil it in, y'all: Seahawks at Cardinals, Monday 9/7/09, 7:30 pacific time.

Would you trade the #4 pick for Jay Cutler?

Noted Seahawks backer Captain Caveman delivers again on KSK today, taking the Broncos to task for royally frakking things up with franchise QB Jay Cutler.. The key passage:

My point is, Jesus CHRIST I would LOVE to have this guy taking snaps for my team for the next 7 years. And so would Vikings fans. And Jets fans. And Titans fans. And Raiders fans. And any of the other teams who are living with Trent Edwards. Kyle Orton. Fucking Dan Orlovsky.

This shit blows my mind. Do they not realize how rare and wonderful a real, live, young, GOOD quarterback is? Hell, Ben Roethlisberger’s won two Super Bowls, and Pittsburgh fans are still justifiably terrified when he holds on to the ball for more than three seconds.

And why would the Lions or the Seahawks or anyone else risk drafting Matthew Stafford — a great prospect, but obviously unproven — with their #1 pick when they could trade that pick and some other parts for a rare proven commodity?

Regular readers know that I'm a radical Hasselbeck loyalist, but if Cutler could handle sitting behind Beck for two more years, he'd be ready to take over in 2011 at age 28 with very little wear and tear and a loooong career in front of him. Or, if you want to be cutthroat about it, it would be nice to have Cutler around if Hass suffered a horrible injury or a sudden erosion of his skill set.

Obviously, this has almost zero chance of happening.. but here's the question: If you were running the Hawks, would you trade our #4 pick for Cutler? Why? Why not?

Ranking the Squads: Hitting the top 10

As usual, you can find the previous installments of the Ranking the Squads project here...

11. 1990
Record: 9-7
Offensive Rank: 18th out of 28 teams
Defensive Rank: 11th out of 28
Turnover Ratio Rank: 23rd out of 28
Team MVP: John L. Williams
High Point: Seahawks 17, Chiefs 16
Low Point: Chargers 31, Seahawks 14

I was 15 in the fall of 1990, and part of me wondered if I'd have the same passion for the Seahawks after my idol Steve Largent's retirement. An 0-3 start didn't help me deal with the absence of Largent and Curt Warner, but then the Hawks got it together with an MNF beatdown of the Bengals (punctuated by an INSANE Twin Peaks MNF opening where Agent Cooper and Sheriff Truman have some damn fine coffee and sit down to watch the Hawks.. as a little Twin Peaks nerd, I freaked when Agent Cooper said "Go Seahawks").

Of course, that win in Arrowhead is the most memorable part of the 1990 season, but overall this was a solid team, and the de facto last gasp of the Ground Chuck era.

Here's the totally frakked part of 1990: We ended up in a three-way tie with Houston and Cincinnati for the final playoff berth. Despite beating both teams head-to-head, we missed the playoffs because the Bengals and Oilers both had better conference records. That result was asinine enough to force a change in the NFL's tiebreaking procedures:

2. Head-to-head sweep. (Applicable only if one club has defeated each of the others or if one club has lost to each of the others.)

too late to help the '90s, of course.

10. 1979
Record: 9-7
Offensive Rank: 4th out of 28 teams
Defensive Rank: 24th out of 28
Turnover Ratio Rank: 16th out of 28
Team MVP: Steve Largent
High Point: Seahawks 28, Broncos 23
Low Point: Rams 24, Seahawks 0

The '79ers started 1-4, but rallied for an 8-3 finish, including a memorable MNF win in Atlanta (and a loss to L.A. where the Hawks accumulated NEGATIVE SEVEN YARDS)... That's about all I got.. I was four years old at the time.

Alright, from here on out, each of the top nine teams will get its own special blog entry.. Stay tuned.

Off Topic: DKSB Reviews Watchmen

(Yes, I know those are the Minutemen.. I just thought it was an awesome pic, so I stole it from a post on io9)

I’ve never read Alan Moore’s Watchmen, and I went out of my way not to read it before seeing the film version Friday night. I wanted to judge Zach Snyder’s film adaptation strictly on its own merits instead of comparing it to the graphic novel, but I probably should have come in armed with more backstory jammed into my mind grapes.

This movie is painstakingly aimed at satisfying the fans of the book, at least in a visual sense. On that level, Watchmen is a beautiful film. For film nerds, this will demand multiple Blue-Ray viewings on giant HDTVs in a few months, just to catch all of the obsessive detail that Snyder crammed into each frame of the movie.

However, even at almost three hours long, most of the characters seem too thin, and even the world Moore/Snyder created seems short of “fully realized.” The source material seems to demand an old-fashioned big-budget TV mini-series treatment (HBO?) to fully flesh out the characters and the world they inhabit.

It’s a solid, entertaining night at the movies, and probably the best any filmmaker could have done with the “unfilmable” source material. I’ll give the rumored four-hour cut another look on DVD in a few months.

Some random observations:

-Woah, maybe I’m becoming an old fuddy-duddy, but did the movie need to be THAT brutally violent? I certainly didn’t see that coming.

-Seriously, why put young women in terrible old age make-up to play old women WHEN YOU COULD HIRE AN OLDER ACTRESS?

-Lots of Dr. Manhattan’s flaccid blue dong. LOTS of it… Not that there’s anything wrong with that…

-The most interesting characters/performances BY FAR? Jackie Earle Haley as Rorschach and Jeffrey Dean Morgan as The Comedian..

Grade: B… What did y’all think?

With the 4th pick in the NLN Mock Draft, DKSB selects...

Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech

I don't really like college football. Any sport that doesn't have a playoff system won't easily win my attention or respect, so I don't follow the game that closely. Under normal circumstances, I'd tell you that blogs like Field Gulls, Seahawk Addicts or Seahawks Draft Blog could give you a better, more informed opinion than I could.

But these are not normal circumstances, and Michael Crabtree is not a typical player. Even after addressing our desperate need at WR by signing T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Seattle will select the best player available: The game-breaking Crabtree.

As an NFC West fan, I get to watch Larry Fitzgerald torch my Seahawks twice a year. In 2008, I got the added bonus of watching Fitz almost carry Arizona to a World Championship. Housh isn't Fitz. Neither is Branch or Burleson... Hell, even Steve Largent wasn't the dominant big-play threat that Fitzgerald is right now.

Even with his foot surgery, and even after being revealed as 6'1" instead of 6'3", drafting Crabtree is the best shot the Seahawks will have over the next few years to get "their Fitzgerald."

Selecting Crabtree isn't just a "build for the future" move, either. With Housh across from him, a (hopefully) healthy Branch in the slot, budding Pro-Bowler John Carlson at TE, and Matt Hasselbeck throwing the ball, Crabtree could make an immediate impact as Seattle's "home run" threat.

The Seahawks aim to return to the top of the NFC West in 2009. Michael Crabtree is the player most likely to help make that happen in this year's draft class.

What do you think, sirs?

For more of the mock draft, visit No Logo Needed...

Reminder: No Logo Needed Mock Draft... DKSB up soon!

As I said before in this space, the Browns blog No Logo Needed is running a mock draft, and I've been tapped to represent the Seahawks. I've added a widget in the margin following the mock, including links to the participating blogs... Give the other sites a peek if you get a chance.

Stay tuned for my pick for the Hawks, y'all.

Ranking the Squads: Not all 9-7 teams are created equal...

As usual, you can find the previous installments of the Ranking the Squads project here...

Now we start getting into playoff teams. Obviously, a team that wins a playoff game or two is going to be higher up the ladder here, but what about when we're comparing 9-7 teams that made the playoffs and lost their first game to 9-7 teams that happened to miss the postseason? As you'll see, I'm not going to penalize a team that wasn't lucky enough for 9-7 to be a tournament-worthy record that particular season.

15. 2004
Record: 9-7
Postseason: Won NFC West, lost in Wild Card round
Offensive Rank: 12th out of 32 teams
Defensive Rank: 22nd out of 32
Turnover Ratio Rank: 9th out of 32
Team MVP: Shaun Alexander
High Point: Seahawks 27, Vikings 23
Low Point: Rams 33, Seahawks 27 (OT)

If I could have justified ranking a team that won a division title lower, I would have. Three losses to STL, including the most painful regular-season loss (that literally brought me to tears) and the ONLY home playoff loss 2nd home playoff loss in team history. STL was 6-9 against the rest of the NFL in 2004, but their 3-0 record against Seattle got them a trip to the NFC Divisional Playoff. Bastards.

This was a talented bunch that managed to blot out the few decent memories from that autumn with spectacular collapses, blown leads, and sleepwalking blow-out losses. Even our dramatic division-clinching victory over ATL was marred by Shaun Alexander's infamous "Stab in the back" post-game comments.

Yuk.

14. 1999
Record: 9-7
Postseason: Won AFC West, lost in Wild Card Round.
Offensive Rank: 12th out of 31 teams
Defensive Rank: 8th out of 31
Turnover Ratio Rank: 12th out of 31
Team MVP: Cortez Kennedy
High Point: Seahawks 27, Packers 7
Low Point: Buccaneers 16, Seahawks 3

This is what the 1999 team did to me: Six weeks after I was trying to figure out how long the drive was from Columbus, Ohio to Atlanta (site of XXXIV), I was forced to root for the RAIDERS so the Hawks could back into the postseason after a brutal 1-5 meltdown in the season's closing weeks.

The Bucs exposed Jon Kitna as an inferior NFL QB by blitzing the bejeezus out of him, and then every other team followed that blueprint. Add in the Joey Galloway controversy that hovered over the entire campaign, and this season is mostly painful memories, despite Seattle's first playoff trip in 11 years.

13. 2001
Record: 9-7
Offensive Rank: 19th out of 31 teams
Defensive Rank: 18th out of 31
Turnover Ratio Rank: 11th out of 31
Team MVP: Shaun Alexander
High Point: Seahawks 34, Raiders 27
Low Point: Eagles 27, Seahawks 3

A late-season flourish led by Trent Dilfer nearly got the '01s in the playoffs, but this campaign is mostly remembered for Matt Hasselbeck's growing pains and the impact the 9/11 attacks had on the NFL.

I went to the opener in Cleveland, where I rocked my brand-new Hasselbeck jersey, endured three hours of verbal abuse, and finally got to celebrate when Rian Lindell nailed a 52-yarder on the final play for the win. On the way out, my future wife and I passed Bernie Kosar signing autographs while wearing our Seahawks gear... I let out a "Woooo! Seahawwwwks!" and Kosar shot us a LETHAL dirty look.

Fun times! Then I flew out west on September 10th, with the intent of seeing my friends, my family and catching the Chiefs game at Husky Stadium the following Sunday. I have to admit that even though I knew it was the right move to postpone that game after the 9/11 attacks, I still really wished that I had a game to go to that Sunday. It would have helped me, at least.

This was also the last year of our old uniforms, and the end of the Husky Stadium era. Thank god.

12. 1978
Record: 9-7
Offensive Rank: 7th out of 28 teams
Defensive Rank: 26th out of 28
Turnover Ratio Rank: 16th out of 28
Team MVP: Steve Largent
High Point: Seahawks 17, Raiders 16
Low Point: Chargers 37, Seahawks 10

Those who are old enough to remember the '78s (not me) spin yarns about how entertaining the Hawks were in the late 70s... Fake field goals! Fake Punts! Excitement galore! The numbers back this up: In 1978 and 1979, the Seahawks had one of the most explosive offensive attacks in the NFL. Unfortunately, they also had a defense about as effective as the Maginot Line.. Even with that suspect defense, Seattle posted a winning record in only its 3rd year in the league. Not too shabby, huh?

Respectable?

DKSB is enjoying its highest traffic ever, and I'd like to welcome any and all new readers to our little corner of the internet.

Long-time readers may have noticed a decrease in the amount of salty language around here. It's not really from any conscious decision to class up the joint, and I'm not trying to drive up traffic to make more ad money (frankly, I abandoned the advertising experiment because the amount of money it was generating was profoundly depressing). When cursing is an appropriate response to something, you'll still see it here...

The bottom line: I'm sorta aiming for a PG-13 vibe around here and in my day-to-day life... but even in PG-13 flicks, they get to drop an f-bomb once in awhile (like in this clip from The Aviator.. watch from about 5:00 to the 6:20 mark):



You said it, Arrrec Barrwin!

Qwest Hosting MLS Cup... How does this affect the Seahawks?

Next Season Sports has a story on Seattle being awarded the 2009 MLS Cup, and in addition to being a coup for the Sounders, it's of note to Seahawks fans because of the date: Sunday November 22nd. Unless the Hawks end up with the MNF game that week, cross another fall weekend off the list of potential Seahawks home dates...

Remember that the Sounders have home games on Saturday Sept. 19 and Saturday Oct. 24... For now, I'm working under the assumption that the Seahawks are probably not going to have home games those weekends.

My question is: How does this work? Is MLS just picking the dates they want before the NFL puts out its schedule and forcing the Seahawks to adapt? Is there some co-ordination between the leagues/franchises that share Qwest or not?

DKSB Representin' for the Seahawks in NLN's mock draft...

Oh, I've already planted the flag at Cleveland Browns Stadium...

I've been asked to participate in a mock draft over at No Logo Needed (a Cleveland Browns blog) as Seattle's representative starting Friday, and I'll be giving y'all updates of happenings over there as needed...

Do we have a rivalry with the Vikings now?

At some point in the 2009 season, the Hawks will visit the Metrodome to take on the Vikings, and if the NFL is interested in an "under the radar" rivalry game for MNF or SNF, this would be it. Just look at the recent history:

-In 2001, a Vikings win over the Ravens in the season's final regular season game would have gotten the Seahawks into the playoffs. They started Spurgeon Wynn at QB, with predictable results.

-In 2002, Shaun Alexander humiliated the Vikings on SNF with FIVE first half TDs in a 48-23 win.

-In 2003, the Seahawks took a 34-7 sphincter-reaming at the Metrodome, which also was the last time the Hawks wore the "white jersey/blue pants" combo in the regular season.

-In 2004, the Hawks were big underdogs in a Twin-Cities rematch, but came up with a 27-23 season-saving win when Michael Boulware picked off a bone-headed Randy Moss option pass in the waning moments..

-Then there was 2006.. The Hutchinson fiasco, our retaliation with Burleson, E.J. Henderson's dirty hit that ruined the 2006 season for Seattle, and a blowout loss to the Vikings at Qwest...

The latest chapter is Housh signing with Seattle instead of Minnesota. The Vikings blogs are bitter and pissy, Vikings commenters all over the internet are bemoaning that T.J. chose "money over winning" (pfft.. The Vikes have a nice team, but one NFC North crown doesn't make Minnesota an elite franchise), and finally T.J. dissed Minnesota's talent at QB...

Side Note: Would people PLEASE shut the frak up about replacing Hasselbeck? Not only is the team 100% committed to Beck, but his talent and reputation just helped us land Housh. Yeah, we might take Stafford if he falls in our laps at #4, but barring major injuries and/or a huge drop off in performance, Hass is our starter for the next two seasons AT LEAST.

The bottom line? That game in the big hefty bag is gonna be a good one this fall, y'all...

The Iranian Sensation Comes to Seattle!

Woo! We got him! I look forward to hearing "Hasselbeck to Houshmandzadeh! Touchdown!" quite a bit over the next few years.

There's a bunch of "IFs" here... but IF Deion Branch and Nate Burleson can stay healthy, and IF Hasselbeck is 100%, and IF the offensive line can keep Matthew upright... We might just be a pretty dangerous offensive team in 2009.

Woooooooooooooooo!

Holy Crap! Someone Posted the 1990 Win at Arrowhead on YouTube!

Some Good Samaritan named MaverickBradMPX has posted the ENTIRE 17-16 Seahawks win at Arrowhead from 1990 on YouTube... Here's the amazing climax, which includes what may still be the greatest play in Seahawks history.. Enjoy it before the NFL gets it taken down!

Ranking the Squads: 8-8 and not that great...

As usual, you can find the previous installments of the Ranking the Squads project here...

19. 1995
Record: 8-8
Offensive Rank: 10th out of 30 teams
Defensive Rank: 23rd out of 30
Turnover Ratio Rank: 25th out of 30
Team MVP: Chris Warren
High Point: Seahawks 31, Broncos 27
Low Point: Jets 16, Seahawks 10

'95 was the classic "Seahawks Will be Great Next Year!" tease: Start out like crap, then start playing like the goddamn '84 Niners once eliminated from playoff contention. A pathetic 2-6 start became a 6-2 second-half rally, highlighted by that insane comeback win at Mile High Stadium in December. I should have been diligently studying for finals that Sunday, but instead I watched the Hawks smack around Mr. Ed and erase a 20-0 deficit to get a rare win in Denver. I have no idea how I did on my finals that quarter, but I remember every detail of that game...

18. 1997
Record: 8-8
Offensive Rank: 9th out of 30 teams
Defensive Rank: 22nd out of 30
Turnover Ratio Rank: 19th out of 30
Team MVP: Warren Moon
High Point: Seahawks 45, Raiders 34
Low Point: Jets 41, Seahawks 3

The '97s have a special place in my heart, because this was my first year as a season ticket holder. Those above a certain age may remember that new owner Paul Allen made a huge swath of the Kingdome's 300 level seats $10 for the 1997 season. $200 for a pair of season tickets? Even my broke grad school ass could swing that...

Unfortunately, my first game as a season ticket holder was that 41-3 beating Seattle absorbed from the NYJ. As I said to my buddy Ed at the time: "What a weekend... Princess Di gets killed, and so do the Seahawks!"

The season improved slowly after that, mainly thanks to a late-career Pro Bowl effort from back-up QB Warren Moon (yup.. John Friez was supposed to be our starting QB that season). That shootout win over Oakland is still one of the most entertaining games I've ever been to. That was the day Darryl Williams laid out Rickey Dudley with one of the most brutal hits EVAR (start of clip below):



17. 1985
Record: 8-8
Offensive Rank: 13th out of 28 teams
Defensive Rank: 8th out 28
Turnover Ratio Rank: 10th out of 28
Team MVP: Steve Largent
High Point: Seahawks 49, Chargers 35
Low Point: Chiefs 28, Seahawks 7

The '84s went 12-4 without Curt Warner, so with his return for the 1985 campaign expectations were sky-high. We were even picked to win the Super Bowl by.. Playboy Magazine? Yup.

This instead was the maddening "win 2, lose 2" season for the Hawks, and in a tough AFC where the 11-5 Broncos missed the postseason, we were out of playoff contention by Thanksgiving. On paper this was a strong team, but they had a knack for dropping heartbreakers (back-to-back road losses to the Broncos and Jets in October spring to mind) and losing to teams they should have walloped.

Way to waste Steve Largent's best season, '85s.

16. 1998
Record: 8-8
Offensive Rank: 10th out of 30 teams
Defensive Rank: 10th out of 30
Turnover Ratio Rank: 7th out of 30
Team MVP: Chad Brown
High Point: Seahawks 38, Eagles 0
Low Point: Jets 32, Seahawks 31

Yeah, this was the year of Vinny Testaverde's Phantom Touchdown (sounds like the name of some shitty prog-rock band)... A call so bad that it got the NFL to bring back instant replay for the 1999 season, but still kept the Hawks out of the playoffs. I was still in Bellingham at the time, and I went so insane with rage that my roommate and his girlfriend had to flee the apartment. In my ensuing hulking-out, I broke the poor guy's laundry hamper.. It was worth having to buy him a new one to vent that rage, though.

The Jets seem to take special pride in tormenting us, huh? Maybe that's why that win at Qwest last December was so spectacularly satisfying..