Back from a two year hiatus, it's the Alba Dark Angel Award!

For anyone who wasn't around back in the 12 Seahawks Street hey-day, several of the contibutors to that blog would hand out weekly awards after each game, along with a companion blog post, highlighting different aspects of the competition.

Alba's Dark Angel Award recognizes the person who comes out of nowhere to have a dramatic impact on the game. This award was originally called the Moonlight Graham Award, after the Burt Lancaster character in Field of Dreams, who only got one official at-bat in his big league career, but made the most of his opportunity.

Now, on to those who were considered for the Week One Alba's Dark Angel Award!

There have been so many changes to this team and organization since the close of last season, that there are a lot of new names and faces among the coaches and players, which means that almost everyone is eligible for the award this year, from Jim Mora to Cameron Morrah.

If I could, I'd give the entire coaching staff a ADAA this week, for the aggressive, creative, relentless and successful gameplan that was developed and implemented for this opening game against a divisional opponent.

Kudos to Jim Mora for casting off the mantle of his predecessor, along with the 3rd-and-long draw play, and re-energizing a team that has a lot of unfinished business to attend to. God bless new defensive coordinator Gus Bradley, who understands that a lead is not something you fall back and try to protect, but something you use to even more aggressively attack and demoralize your opponent. And congratulations to Greg Knapp for making Seahawks fans fall in love with a former Raider by effectively using ALL the weapons on the field, and masterfully orchestrating the rotation at running back. All great signs for a Seahawks rebirth, however, not enough to draw Alba Iron in Week One.

There were four "runners-up" to this week's award. Like I said, with so many new names and faces, the possibilities were almost endless, but the Alba Dark Angel Award Selection Committee put in tireless hours reviewing the game film, checking the stats, and otherwise effing-off at work to arrive that these finalists.

The Offensive Line - much consternation and hand-wringing was done throughout the pre-season leading up to this game, especially with the abrupt retirement of Mike Wahle, the inevitable shocking injury to Chris Spencer, and the surprisingsurgical procedure to the knee of Mount Jones. However, the re-juggled offensive line of Willis-Unger-Vallos-Sims-Locklear performed admirably in their first official outing together, keeping Hasselbeck's jersey clean, allowing JJ to run for over 100 yards, and providing the necessary protection to unleash the first Seahawks razzle-dazzle play in over 25 years. Next week, Jones and Spencer are slated return, so hopefully the continuity and protection will be even better.

Pardon me, your bust is showing! Of course, I'm talking about the voluptuous display of mounds of aggression, titalating speed and ample power by borderline first round bust Lawrence Jackson. Seemingly, whenever Lo-Jack was on the field, he was in the backfield disrupting the Ram Offense (is that redundant or an oxymoron?) and playing with wild abandon. However, we'll wait until he puts a couple pert red cherries on top of this performace before erecting an Alba Dark Angel in his honor.

Midway through the game, I could swear I heard the following emergency announcement over the Qwest Field PA system, "Will Mr. Herring and Mr. Hawthorne please report to the defensive huddle - STAT!" Trading away Julian Peterson seemed like a good idea when it allowed us to sign Leroy Hill to a long term deal. However, when both Hill and Tatupu had to leave the game, our pro-bowl bound three-headed-monster linebacking crew featured a rookie and two NFL journeymen. Granted, Curry seems like an early leader in the Defensive NFL Rookie of the Year running, but could roster bubble boys Hawthorne and Herring really step in for Tatupu and Hill? Ummm, the aswer is a 12th man decible breaking level "YES!" Both these reserve linebackers came in and played assignment correct football with the same aggressive style that they displayed in preseason. They really came close to drawing Alba Iron in Week One, but just not close enough.

"Having one's identity concealed; to avoid notice or formal attention; a fat slob with anger issues whose boneheaded outbursts consistently help his opponents" Of course, those are the dictionary definitions of the word Incognito, who was the fourth runner-up for this week's award. Fat Richie didn't disappoint in his return trip to Qwest field, racking up false start penalties and throwing in an unsportsmanlike conduct for good measure. Seemingly, he's done more for the Seahawks now 9-game winning streak against the Rams than anyone. But it'll be a cold day in hell when an Alba Dark Angel goes to an opponent, especially one from St. Loser.

No, this week's Alba Dark Angel Award goes to one man, who was instrumental in preserving the shutout, and ironically indicative of the changing of the guard at the helm of the Seahawks, ushering in a new era of optomism and hope for our favorite club. Of course, I'm talking about the Booth Official who called for the replay review of the blocked field goal. Mike Holmgren's run-ins and disdain for the officials was well documented and publicized, and his record at attempted challenges had been futile at best. There were many blown leads against the Rams throughout his career, where defeat was snatched from the jaws of victory by a bad call or weird bounce of the ball. And don't even get me started on Super Bowl XL!

However, on this pastoral September day at Qwest, the skies opened and a heavenly ray of sunshine pierced through the glass of whereever it is the Replay Booth Official is located, startling him from his slumber and causing him to accidentally hit the buzzer indicating to the field officials that something was amiss with the previous play. And as has been indicated by many of my fellow contibutors to SeahawkBlue.com, the Seahawks 12th man was introduced to the 12th man on the Rams FG block team, nullifying the touchdown with the penalty resulting in a Seahawks first down, which lead to a 14-0 halftime lead and the rout was on!

In the Holmgren years, that play would have been the first in a series of events that would have lead to Ram victory, and then a sheepishly worded apology from the league offices on Wednesday of the following week. (yes, I'm looking at you Baltimore time keeper!) But these are not your Walrus's Seahawks, and hopefully this is the start of a beautiful new relationship, between Jim Mora and the guys who wear the striped jerseys, including the unnamed booth review official who is the recipient of this week's Alba Dark Angel Award.



[Comments taken in the SeahawkBlue Forum]

Labels: albaNY Hawker, Gus Bradley, Jim Mora Jr, offensive line, Officials, St. Louis Rams

Whose Team is it Now?
by albaNY Hawker

When the schedules were released in April, Mike Holmgren knew that his final regular season game as head coach of the Seahawks would be against the Arizona Cardinals. What he didn't know was that it would be the Week 11 game at Qwest Field.

With a 2-8 record, and all dreams of a late season run finally doused, all focus should now shift to next season as we play our second stringers and younger guys to see what holes need to be filled on the roster.

So the next obvious question is, 'whose team is it now?'

At the risk of slighting the future hall-of-famer, perhaps it's time to pass the baton headset to coach-in-waiting Jim Mora, and give him some sideline-OJT for the rest of the season.

Sure he's coached before, and this is not his staff, but it might make sense to allow him to do the tinkering if players and schemes are to be evaluated for the future.

Besides, there's never enough opportunities to test yourself in game situations, in terms of play calling, clock management and challenges.

Being the man of his word that he is, and since he's often referred to gameday as the best part of the job, Mike Holmgren will most likely continue to call the shots until the last second of the last minute has ticked off on this brutally painful season.

And he's more than earned the right to do so.

However, if the front office wants to get a head start on turning this thing around, maybe the best thing for this team right now is Mora the James, instead of more of the same.



[Comments taken in SeahawkBlue Forums]

Labels: albaNY Hawker, Holmgren, Jim Mora Jr

Labels: albaNY Hawker, NFC West

An Open Letter to Giants Fans
by albaNY Hawker

I live outside of Albany, New York, but I'm a life long Seahawks fan.

Part of the reason a born-and-bred Upstate New Yorker became a Seahawk fan was due to the history and fan base of the New York Giants. I was always impressed how Giants fans lived and died with their team's successes and failures, and how seasons tickets were handed down through generations. When the league expanded in 1976, I decided to pick one of the new teams and follow them with the same loyalty and passion that I admired in the Giants fans that I knew.

Last week, some idiot at SeahawksHuddle.com stepped way over the line. I refuse to grace his words by reading them, so I don't know exactly what was posted, but from what I've read about the incident, it was unacceptable, even if couched as a failed attempt at humor.

While every Giant fan has a right to be outraged about someone desecrating the memory of 9-11 on a sports blog, please remember he does not speak for all Seahawks fans. Hell, every U.S. and international citizen who believes in freedom and democracy should be justifiably outraged, as I am.

And Giants fans should be very unhappy to see Seahawks fans this weekend.

Undoubtedly, there will be a contingent of fans in the Meadowlands decked out in Seahawks gear, there to cheer and support their team, as I have done over the years. Sure there have been good natured taunts, but I have never felt targeted or threatened when wearing "enemy gear" to a Giants or Jets game. On behalf of the respect we have for the traditions of both of our teams, let's keep it that way.

Hate on the Seahawks for owning the Giants the past few years. Hate on the Seahawks for inducing 11 false start penalties at Qwest field, or Jay Feely's three missed potential game winning field goals. Hate on the Seahawks because they're one of 15 other NFC teams trying to keep the Giants from repeating as World Champions.

But please don't hate on the Seahawks for what this "waste of human sperm" (as one fellow Seahawk fan described him) posted.

We both know the Giants fan-base is smarter and better than that.


[Comments taken in SeahawkBlue Forums]

Labels: albaNY Hawker

Not many people realize this, but the Seattle Seahawks have either been directly or significantly involved in several NFL Rule Changes.

Most everyone remembers the Vinny Testaverde "phantom" touchdown against the Seahawks, which ushered in the return of instant replay, and the Excessive Crowd Noise rule, from the old Kingdome days, which is still on the books but rarely called. There's also the "Joe Nash" rule, requiring an "injured" player to sit out for at least one play a 10 second run off for an injury stoppage if you're out of time outs, which came into effect after Tom Flores' Chuck Knox's "brain child" for slowing down the Boomer Esiason Cincinnati Bengals hurry-up offense was to have Nash fake an injury after every other play!

But given the fact that the lackluster Seattle Seahawks seem primed to "win" the worst division in football for the fourth consecutive year, there are rumblings that another NFL Rule change may forthcoming.

Six Teams make the playoffs from each conference, the four divisional winners and the two Wild Card teams with the next best records. If the playoffs started today, the Cowboys (7-1), Packers (7-1), Bucs (5-4) and Seahawks (4-4) would be your division winners, with the Lions (6-2) and Giants (6-2) as the Wild Cards, and the Redskins (5-3) on the outside looking in.

Looking at the AFC, the Patriots (9-0), Colts (7-1), Steelers (5-2) and Chiefs (4-4) would be your division winners, with the Titans (6-2) and Jags (5-3) as Wild Cards, with the Browns (5-3) and Ravens (4-3) getting the green banana!.

That's three teams with better winning percentages than the Seahawks watching the playoffs at home on their TVs.

There are rumbings throughout the league for the NFL to change the playoff format, seeding the teams by their season record, without automatic bids for divisional winners, and possibly even disregarding the Conference balance.

Which means if playoff rosters were comprised of the top 6 teams in each conference, the Redskins would be in and the Seahawks would be the out. Similarly in the AFC, the Browns would be in and the Chiefs would be out.

Taking the top 12 teams in the league, regardless of Conference, wouldn't change the participants, but would change the seeding.

Seeding the playoffs this way would basically render the Divisions and their respective rivalries as useless, but the only thing that may keep this change from getting serious consideration might be the fact that the Chiefs, one of the "good old boy" franchises from the league's infancy, would be screwed out of a playoff berth.

Because Lord knows, if the league could find another way to screw the Seahawks, it would jump at the chance!





[Comments taken in SeahawkBlue Forums]

Labels: albaNY Hawker, NFC West, NFL, Rule Changes

Have you ever noticed that one store location in your local strip mall that never seems to be able to maintain a tenant? One month it's a Builder's Square, the next it's a Circuit City and the following month it's vacant again.

Well, I seem to have the same effect on the SeahawkBlue Adopt-A-Seahawk program!

As site historian and perennial alba-agitator ADP will quickly point out, it all started with reserve full back Chris Davis in 2005. Davis was coming off a knee injury and already a long shot to make the team due to some guy named Wiburt Tissue, but he played his college ball at Syracuse so I thought I'd adopt him as my own. Not long after the ink was dry on the birth certificate, Mr. Davis was asked to brush off his SU diploma and begin life after football.

Not to be dissuaded by this Sudden Infant Done syndrome, another running back on the roster caught my eye with his full speed ahead approach and propensity for the vicious hit, so Josh Scobey was welcomed to the family...and quickly fumbled the opening kick off of the 2005 season! But much like his adoptive father's stick-to-it-ness, Josh kept running straight ahead and hitting like a freight train, and picked up one of the first Moonlight Graham awards for his efforts. A little more than a season later, Josh is now playing for the Buffalo Bills, and if things don't work out there, I may find that MGA trophy in a Western New York pawn shop.

Mainly because he was a heavy hitter who shared a birth month with me, and perhaps a subconscious effort to hedge my bets, I also adopted Kelly Herndon in the 2005 season too. As more and more fans called his play into question, like any good parent, I stood up for him and gave him my blind loyalty and support. Today, the Seahawks gave him his walking papers.

So like a black character in a serial killer flick, or the Anthony Edwards character in Top Gun, if you're a young Seahawk player and you see me and my adoption attorney coming your way, you know you're dead meat!

For the good of the organization, I've decided to live the rest of my Seahawk life childless, and just be a good uncle to the other adoptees. You know, the one that always has pockets full of candy and is willing to bounce the kids on his knee for an obscenely long time!


[Comments taken in SeahawkBlue Forums]

Labels: albaNY Hawker

Labels: albaNY Hawker, Renton, training facility

Labels: albaNY Hawker, Front Office

This country has a long and storied history of bigotry, from slave trade to Japanese interment camps, Polish jokes to Blonde Jokes, and Jets v. Sharks to Bloods v Crips.

However, education, political correctness, and bleeding heart liberals like Dr. King, Al Franken and myself have helped put an end to a lot of it!

Which is part of the reason why Americans get so involved with sports.

Sports give you the opportunity to hate a man, based solely on the color of his uniform. Sure, he may be leading the league in six statistical categories, and a sure bet future hall-of-famer, but if he's not wearing Seahawk Blue, then naturally HE SUCKS!

And just like every other form of bigotry, it doesn't have to be rational.

If that same player winds up in playing for your favorite team, sure the initial stages might be as awkward as when Sidney Portier "Came to Dinner", but when the regular season begins, you'll be cheering for him as loudly as you booed him as recently as last season.

To wit, this recent response to a list of potential players to be cut from their current team at positions that may benefit the Seahawks:

"Coakley might make a good waterboy on the Seahawks roster... Timmerman could be Walter Jones' ball washer."

While the original list included six players from five different teams, it's interesting to note that the respondent only took issue with the two associated with the St. Louis Rams.

The other two teams were the Giants and the Vikings.

So in essence, is he saying, I would rather have my daughter marry someone who is arrogant and over-hyped, or someone who is warmly dressed but prone to nautical sexual deviance, than someone whose family tree has several lines going between each family member, including the livestock and household pets?

Yes, with the First Amendment, our forefathers (or in the Rams case, four fathers) gave every American the right - ney, the DUTY - to voice our opinion as loudly and boldly as possible, no matter how illogical, nonfactual or just plain crazy it may be!

Historians and scholars still engage in spirited debate over how the actions of Thomas Jefferson can be directly traced to The Watchdog establishing himself as a regular poster on a Seahawks web forum!

But this right is being taken away in almost every facet of polite society, by those ambulance chasing, money grubbing, poison-pill concocting lawyers - everywhere that is - except for sports.

So I implore every blue-blooded Seahawk fan to get angry, channel that hate and get behind your favorite team - all 53 of them - including the bastard, red-headed step-children like Bryce Fisher and Grant Wistrom!


[Comments taken in SeahawkBlue Forums]

Labels: albaNY Hawker