=== Defense In Sum ===

The Seahawks' offense came out of the locker room apparently hoping that the Rams would hide a Joker-pencil on them.  Turn the ball over Turn the ball over Turn the ball over 1step, 2step, 3step, twirl!

I thought Hasselbeck had gone blind, the way he was trying to hold a first-quarter passing drill against the air.  The Rams' safeties were only too happy to accept his invitations to take his passes the other way.

3-for-3 turnovers to start the game is a great way to get 42-3'ed against, say, the Panthers.  But this time?

The Seahawks' defense dug in grimly throughout the self-immolation and not only kept Seattle in it, but locked the Rams down and held serve point-for-point.   Sol-Lid!

Tatupu predicted 5 shutouts last year.  He'd have done better to ask for five wins, never mind 5 blowout wins.   But maybe he was just being one year early.

I thought the defense was sturdy, as opposed to spectacular.  It looked the kind of "sturdy" that would hold up against better offenses.  Not win, not shut out, not lock down, but hold up.

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=== Front Four ===

The Hawks' problem in the past has been their lack of size.  They've made plays, they've blown through lanes, recovered fumbles, but have sometimes been engulfed by road-grader offensive lines.

Not this time.  Colin Cole's 380-pound keister planted itself right on top of the football and the Seahawks went toe-to-toe at the point of attack.

I didn't think the front four got very good pressure on the QB, and hardly saw Patrick Kerney or Brandon Mebane all day.  But everybody else, notably last year's #1 pick Lawrence Jackson, fought hard and cleared the lanes for the stars wearing the 50-series jerseys.

Left to their own devices, the front four consistently got there on about a 4- or 5-count.  They weren't great, but neither did they get bullied.  Give them a C+ for the rush, A- against the run.

Mora's plan is a 10-, 11-man rotation, and maybe they'll do their job of stripping blockers for the linebackers.  They certainly did Sunday.

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=== Pass Rush ===

The rush was persistent, but ramped-up blitzing schemes were necessary to get to the QB quickly. 

Tatupu and Curry did blow through untouched on the one Tatupu sack, but that was an exception.  Again, sturdy was the result, not scary.

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=== Pass Coverage ===

Dr. D was blown away by the consistently tight coverage downfield.  Time and again, Bulger would drift left or right, get to the 5-, 6-second mark, and still have to throw the ball out of bounds.

He completed a few underneath, but had all kinds of problems finding anything downfield, even with plenty of time.

I wouldn't get carried away, of course -- Bulger did miss on a couple of throws up top, that a Drew Brees would have hit easily.  A better offense would have hit some balls downfield.  But, hey, 0 points is not the minimum acceptable standard.

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=== Key Player:  Aaron Curry ===

Thoroughly enjoyed Mora's quote that the refs had come over to him "at least three times," telling him that he had to get #59 under control.

What happens, of course, is that pro athletes -- other than in baseball -- work themselves into anger and then hatred, and sometimes wind up hysterical out there on the field.  You remember even Michael Jordan, in a basketball context LOL, spending two days imagining slights against him so that he'd be in a proper rage for the game.

L.T. was notorious for working himself into such a rage that he became almost literally insane during the game.

So that's what the ref is talking about, hey, get that #59 guy settled down or he's going to bite somebody or something.   Mora would go over and talk to Curry, who would be completely calm. 

So that's just the way that Curry plays football.   The press afterwards was that Curry's intensity fired up the entire defense.

I'd say that adding a Mike Singletary component to this defense won't hurt us none.

Sea-fense,

Dr D