On this date
A look at the memorable moments in Seahawks history that occurred on Oct. 15:
2000: Charlie Rogers sets a club record with 198 kickoff-return yards, and has 215 return yards overall, in a 37-24 loss to the Colts at Husky Stadium.
2006: Josh Brown kicks a 54-yard field goal as time expires to beat the Rams 30-28 in St. Louis.
Cyber surfing: Tuesday
Good morning. Here’s what’s “out there” about the Seahawks for today, Oct. 11:
Danny O’Neil of the Seattle Times writes on the topic of the day, pointing out that while there is a question about when Tarvaris Jackson will be able to play again because of a strained pectoral there is no question that he remains the starting QB. Offers O’Neil, and coach Pete Carroll: “The uncertainty surrounds Tarvaris Jackson’s health, not his status as coach Pete Carroll’s starting quarterback. ‘There’s no controversy here in this building,’ Carroll said. ‘You guys can have all the (controversy) you want.’ ”
Dave Boling of the News Tribune highlights a one-time missing ingredient from the team’s previous trips to the East Coast that was apparent in Sunday’s upset of the Giants: Attitude. Says Boling, and Carroll: “They started quickly, finished strong and acted as if they belonged there. ‘The single most important thing was the energy and attitude to play that aggressively throughout the whole game, just like when we play at home,’ coach Pete Carroll said Monday. ‘That’s really an accomplishment in itself that we need to hang onto.’ ”
Scott Johnson of the Everett Herald continues his “The Game of my Life” series with a look at Josh Brown. Brown on his field goal to beat the Cowboys in 2005: “It was one of those kicks where, after 15 yards, you knew it was good. And I lost my helmet again – this time because I threw it in the air in celebration. The helmet goes flying off, game’s over, and there’s this overwhelming energy in the stands. This side of the field is going wild, and the other side just goes deflated. It was just a major triumph for this team because we had made it through such a battle.”
Here at Seahawks.com, we’ve got another look at the “who are these guys?” that helped the Seahawks pull off the upset over the Giants: “With the exception of (Ben) Obomanu, the “stars” of the Seahawks’ upset victory have been added since Carroll and general manager John Schneider were hired in January 2010. Their maneuverings have been a dizzying display of free-agent additions, draft choices, trades, waiver claims and look-what-we-found looks under any and every available football rock on either side of the US/Canadian border.”
There’s also Tony Ventrella’s review of Sunday’s game and a recap of Monday’s activities; as well as the daily Hawkville report and another take on the non-QB controversy: “Yes, Jackson has a strain in his throwing (right) shoulder and won’t practice this week when the team is scheduled to work Tuesday and Wednesday because the Seahawks have their bye this Sunday. Yes, backup Charlie Whitehurst will step in during Jackson’s absence, just as he did in the second half of Sunday’s 36-25 victory over the New York Giants at the Meadowlands. But, no, there is nothing controversial about the situation of having the backup take over because the starter isn’t available. ‘I think it’s controversial to have two really good quarterbacks,’ Carroll cracked when asked the inevitable question. ‘There’s no controversy here in this building.’ ”
Doug Baldwin has been nominated for the Pepsi Rookie of the Week honor and you can vote for the Seahawks’ leading receiver here. Whitehurst, meanwhile, has been nominated for the “never say never” moment of the week, and you can vote for him here.
At FoxSports.com, Mike Pereira, the former head of officiating for the NFL, gives his take on two calls from the Seahawks-Giants game on Sunday that were reviewed: Charlie Whitehurst’s TD pass to Doug Baldwin and the safety by Anthony Hargrove. On the offside call against the Giants’ Osi Umenyiora on the TD play: “On this play, Umenyiora was not close to being parallel to the offensive lineman when the ball was snapped. Therefore, this is strictly a live-ball foul for being offside.” On the safety: “In order for this not to be a safety, the entire ball must get out into the field of play. If any part of the ball is still over the goal line, then it would be a safety. It was very hard to tell in replay whether that happened. There was clearly not enough evidence to overturn the call of a safety.”
On this date
A look at the memorable moments in Seahawks history that occurred on Oct. 5:
1980: Sam McCullum catches two touchdown passes and Efren Herrera kicks four field goals in a 26-7 victory over the Oilers in the Astrodome, in what would be the Seahawks’ last win of the season.
1997: Steve Broussard breaks touchdown runs of 77 and 43 yards, and gains 138 yards on just six carries, as the Seahawks start a three-game winning streak with a 16-13 victory over the Titans at the Kingdome.
2003: Josh Brown kicks a club-record 58-yard field goal in Green Bay, but the Seahawks lose to the Packers 35-13.
2010: Running back Marshawn Lynch is acquired in a trade with the Bills. Lynch leads the team in rushing and turns in one of the most electrifying plays in franchise history when he scores on a 67-yard run in the wild-card playoff win over the defending Super Bowl champion Saints.
On this date
A look at a memorable moment in Seahawks history that occurred on Oct. 2:
2005: The Seahawks lose to the Redskins in overtime, after Josh Brown’s 47-yard field goal attempt hits the left upright as time expired in regulation, to fall to 2-2. It is the last loss before the Seahawks go on a franchise-record 11-game winning streak en route to posting an NFC-best 13-3 record.
Sweet seasons
The most-successful season in franchise history? Easy, it was 2005. The Seahawks won a best-ever 13 games, including a club record 11 in a row; won the only conference championship in the team’s first 35 seasons; and played in the Super Bowl for the first time.
But the best individual season in franchise history? Just as easy? The obvious choice is what Shaun Alexander did in ’05, when he became the only Seahawk ever voted league MVP while scoring a then-NFL record 28 touchdowns and rushing for a league-leading and club-record 1,880 yards.
But was it really the best single-season effort in the team’s first 35 seasons? Here are 10 others to ponder, in chronological order:
Kenny Easley in 1984 – The Pro Bowl and All-Pro strong safety was voted NFL defensive player of the year, as he intercepted an AFC-leading 10 passes and returned two for touchdowns. He also volunteered to return punts and averaged 12.1 yards.
Steve Largent in 1984 – It was difficult to select a single season for the Hall of Fame wide receiver. He did, after all, lead the team in receiving for 12 consecutive seasons (1976-87). But in ’84, when he was voted All-Pro and to the Pro Bowl, Largent had 74 receptions for 1,164 yards and scored 12 touchdowns. He had seasons with more receptions (79 in 1985; 75 in 1981; and 74 in 1984). He had seasons with more yards (a club-record 1,287 in ’85; 1,237 in 1979; and 1,224 in 1981). But the 12 TD catches in ’84 were a career-high, and the reception and yardage totals in the team’s 12-4 season were close enough. Others also had more receptions (94 by Bobby Engram in 2007; 87 by Darrell Jackson in 2004; and 81 and 80 by Brian Blades in 1994 and 1993). But they didn’t have the yardage and TD totals to match Largent’s ’84 season.
Fredd Young in 1985 – This was the crossroads season in his four-year stay with the club, as Young the linebacker led the team in tackles (the first of three seasons in a row) and Young the coverage man was voted to the Pro Bowl as a special teams player (for the second consecutive season).
Cortez Kennedy in 1992 – On a team that went 2-14, Kennedy was the NFL defensive player of the year. In addition to producing a career-high and team-leading 14 sacks, the Pro Bowl and All-Pro defensive tackle also had a career-high 93 tackles – and many of them had to be seen to be believed.
Eugene Robinson in 1993 – The Pro Bowl and All-Pro free safety led the team in tackles (111) and interceptions (nine). He also did it in 1992 (94 and seven), but not with the totals he put up in ’93.
Joey Galloway in 1998 – In his final full season with the Seahawks, Galloway used his speed and explosiveness to lead the team in receptions (65 for a 16.1-yard average and 10 TDs) and also averaged 10.0 yards returning punts with two more scores.
Ricky Watters in 2000 – While he never came close to rushing for the numbers Alexander compiled in 2005, Watters led the team in rushing (1,242 yards) in 2000 and also shared the lead in receptions (63, the fourth-highest total by a running back in club history). Fullback John L. Williams also led the team in rushing (once) and receiving (three times), but never in the same season.
Josh Brown in 2004 – The clutch-kicking Brown was almost perfect in 2004, when he made each of his 40 PATs and 23 of 25 field-goal attempts, including 16 in a row to tie the then-club record. Olindo Mare in 2009, when he was 28-of-28 and 24-of-26 and also began a consecutive field-goal streak that would reach 30 games in 2010? Brown got the nod on points scored, 109-100.
Walter Jones in 2006 — It’s just so diffucult to find stats that describe just how dominant the All-Pro and Pro Bowl left tackle was. But in ’06, The Sportings News ranked Jones not as the best blocker in the NFL but the best player. Period. Here’s what they had to say: “Walter Jones may not be the most exciting player in the NFL — he’s an offensive tackle, for cryin’ out loud — but he is the most efficient. Instead of making big plays, he prevents them. Over and over and over, with the consistency of a fine timepiece. The Seahawks’ left tackle makes domination so routine, he barely is noticed. But we are not taking Jones for granted. On our list of the 101 best players in the NFL, he’s No. 1.”
Matt Hasselbeck in 2007 – It was the last time he started 16 games, and Hasselbeck made the most of it by setting club records for completions (352) and passing yards (3,966) and also throwing a career-high 28 TD passes. Dave Krieg had a club-record 32 TD passes and 3,671 yards in 1984, but he threw 24 interceptions – compared to 12 for Hasselbeck in ’07.
So whose season was the best season? You make the call.
