Q.  What is the D-O-V crunch on Schmitt's hari-kiri act?  Was it kind of stupid, or does it prove that Schmitt is wired up, or what?  

A.  For those who just joined us, Schmitt bashed himself in the face with his helmet during the Jacksonville pregame.  This left him looking like a Jason Voorhees customer. 

About four rivers of blood were meandering down the Appalachians of his craggy face.  The cut men stitched him up, and then the game was ready to start.

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Q.  That was just a stupid thing to do, or he's a legit Captain Insano?

A.  One year, Schmitt was named ESPN.com's "Top College Workout Freak."  That covers a lot of territory, kiddies.

Schmitt, never a heralded prospect, immediately worked himself past more gifted backs into Jim Mora's lineup. 

Schmitt looks like the Real Deal to me, in terms of the dog-biscuits-for-treats type of football player.

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Q.  What does it prove, to smash your own face open with a football helmet?

A.  It doesn't gain any yards, but...

Hey.  If you were to put on pads and get on the offensive line, you would be very surprised at what you would find there.  You know what the first thing you would notice is?  Would be that it's not a skill game in there.

Baseball, emotion doesn't help you much.  Football interior play, emotion is a difference-maker.

............

You strap on pads, the first thing you'd notice is that the other guy is very WIIIIIDE.  It's not like you can put on a swim move, a rip move, pirouette and fake the guy out.  The running back is in the end zone by then.

And you can't run around a good player in pads.  Not easily.  He takes two steps to your four and just pads up.

You can't run over him.  He's as big as you, he benches 350 also, he gets low too.  You're not stronger, heavier, you're not more leveraged than he is.  You just crash and hold your ground.

I mean, I'm simplifying it, but in the trenches it's mostly just a smashmouth pushing contest.  You'd be surprised how simple the game is, interior.

.............

And that means, if one man can intimidate the other, break his spirit, it's going to be a long day for the loser.

A lot of football interior play comes down to who's meanest and craziest.  It's why Steve Hutchison was so great.  It's why NFL coaches crave the insane (dirty) offensive guards.   A lot of it just comes down to craziness.

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The Seahawks, this year, aren't fast-but-soft.  They're mean and nasty and have cast iron jaws, Mick.   Schmitt is part of that. 

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Q.  Emotion can change a game?  It's contagious?

A.  Chuck Knox was as methodical a coach as ever lived.  He used to say, "emotion can overcome skill in the short term."  He watched frenzied teams beat better teams for 30 years.

San Francisco played with attitude for four weeks.  Singletary installed the Captain Insano.  We'll see what happens after the 45-10 beatdown now.  Singletary's emotion worked short term.  Now they've got zero passing game to live with.

........

Houshmandzadeh laughed about Schmitt's face-pulping.  "You don't want to let a teammate like that down," T.J. said.

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Q.  Can Schmitt run the ball?

A.   In college he did great. 

T.J. praised Schmitt's athleticism as well as toughness.  Schmitt's NFL teammates watch him move around and go, "Whoa."  Don't sell Owen short.

Schmitt is 6'2", reportedly 260 lbs., so he's the size of an NFL guard, the size they used to be in the 1970's.  Schmitt hasn't run the ball a single time for Mora -- he's in there as an extra offensive lineman.

But:  why not run him six or eight quick-hitters up the middle?  I'd be very interested to see what he could do.  Like a Steve Largent type, Schmitt has been proving people wrong at every level.  He walked on at West Virginia and became one of the best fullbacks in the nation.

He's a walkon with the Seahawks, so to speak, and he's busting heads already.  :- )

He's one of my faves.  Hope he gets a chance to carry the rock a little bit.

Cheers,

Dr D