|
|||||
|
Week 3 - Sunday 25th September 2005 |
|||||
|
A tale of two birds to be precise but I'm talking Hitchcock and I'm talking Cardinals. You'll remember the Hitchcock classic of course, a terrifying flock from nowhere, out to cause mayhem in the West. If you'd listened to some analysts that's what the Cardinals would resemble this season. On Sunday however, the true hunters of the Seahawks put the seed eaters in their place. All the Cardinals resemble now is the great British seaside resort - both of their seasons are over in September. The Cardinals had the opening possession and looked just a little scary as they progressed downfield until the Seahawks held them not far over midfield. It was the same last season against the Cardinals, allow them to get any distance into your territory and Neil Rackers will boot them 3 points and he did from 54 yards. The scouting report on the Cards said run the ball at them and that's what we did for the rest of the day. Before you could say millet Shaun Alexander had trundled into the end zone from 25 yards suffering only from loneliness for 7-3. Into the second quarter and Rackers added a tiddler from 39 yards for 7-6 but then we saw something we haven't seen too much of this season - the Seahawks in good field position. The drive ended when once again Mo Morris was given the ball on 3rd down and not too far. If you can explain this please send a postcard to M Holmgren of Seattle. Anyway Josh Brown knocked over his first field goal of the season. for 10-6 There was still time for Rackers to back heel one over from 50 yards and 10-9 but the damage had been done. I mean the damage to Cards QB Kurt Warner, he'd been sacked by Bryce Fisher and generally hit and hurried. On another scramble he pulled his groin and had to leave the game. The Seahawks have now played 3 games and in all of them the opposing QB has finished with an injury. The Seahawks had failed to score in the second half this season but that was soon put right and how. Starting on the 20 the Hawks had consecutive completions of 12, 16, 15, 8, 15 and 12 yards topped off with a half the distance to the goal penalty for an extra 1. Alexander trotted in from the 1. for 17-9. Warner's replacement Josh McCown had done a reasonable job for the Cards at Seattle in December almost forcing a tie on the last play of the game. Just maybe he was a little more nervous this time when he saw how Warner had been treated. 2nd snap and Michael Boulware levelled him in the backfield forcing a fumble recovered by Rocky Bernard at the 1. Same play, same result as only seconds earlier as Alexander scored with ease for 24-9. There then followed a little punt fest which to be honest we were losing and I just wondered for a while if we were handing over the momentum especially when Rackers pulled it back to 24-12. I needn't have worried as Alexander was the man to dispel all doubts breaking a 45 yard run to the 7. Back on the 1 it was a case of a Seahawk at left tackle is worth 2 Cardinals in the end zone as that's where Walt pushed them shortly followed by that man Alexander again and 31-12. Now in the 4th quarter and with Chuck Knox in the stands, Mike Holmgren did his own personal tribute by grinding up field twice for Brown field goals to make it 37-12 at the end but not before Jordan Babineaux had snaffled the Seahawks first interception of the season on the final play of the game. The tagline for the Hitchcock film promised 'Suspense and shock beyond anything you have seen or imagined' so how would you tag this game? 'Seahawks in comfortable win shock'? I admit it doesn't sound quite as absorbing as Hitchcock's but I'll settle for it every time as far as the Seahawks are concerned. Andrew Robinson (HawksHead)
|
|||||