MIXED EMOTIONS ON THE ALEXANDER SIGNING

THE GOOD -- THE CONTRACT
First let’s breakdown the contract. This is a great contract for the Seattle Seahawks. The contract is basically a 3 year 23 million dollar contract. If after 3 years when Alexander is 32 and in the danger zone the Hawks can cut him and he would only be a 2.75 million dollar hit on the cap for 2009. At that point it that will be less then 3% of the cap. Basically the Hawks are banking that Alexander is going to be productive for three more seasons and if he is for a 4th then they have his rights. It is a really good deal for the Hawks.

In addition, Alexander is in his correct place in the pecking order. Matt Hasselbeck and Walter Jones both are making more money, as should be the case.

In regards to re-signing Shaun this was the right move, it let him get his ego trip of being the highest paid back, which is what his ego had to have and it avoided Shaun going on the opening market and getting mad. Shaun ego is unique enough that this could have gotten interesting.

From a Hawks perspective it is the right move, they are rolling, fans are juiced, they are coming off a Super Bowl why rock the boat.

JUST DOESN'T FEEL RIGHT
Let me say this, I don’t have a great feeling about it. Somewhere I really believe the right move was to let Shaun move on. This would have taken the biggest balls and would have defied all logic particularly when the Hawks were able to structure the deal the way they did.

But, it just doesn’t feel right. Alexander was perfect last year. Agreed. A large part of me thinks it was time for the Hawks to say we pushed ever button and we milked everything out of him and now it is someone else’s turn to deal with Shaun.

Call me crazy. And I will admit most of my pragmatic, numbers based historically based arguments of backs aging are eliminated by the structure of the deal. Nonetheless, somehow I think we will look back on this and say that it never worked the way we thought.

HAWKS SIGN ALEXANDER

The Seattle Seahawks have signed Shaun Alexander to an 8 year 62 million dollar contract. More details to follow……. Here is the link to the FoxSports Story.

SIMULBLOG FOR SONICS V. JAZZ

SEATTLE WINS IN DOMINATING PERFORMANCE 113-81

Sonics 91 Jazz 68 at the end of 3 quarters.
Seattle is brilliant tonight.
Brilliant on the defensive end
Brilliant in the opening floor.
Brilliant in the half court
The Jazz are a great match-up for Seattle, but tonight Seattle hit a vibe they haven’t had all season.
AK’s foul trouble was huge he is Utah’s energy.


Sonics 75 Utah 54 with 7:07 left in the 3rd Quarter
AK got his 4th foul at the 9:33 mark of the third Quarter
Seattle is really stymieing the half court game of the Jazz
Some of this is the match-up with Utah but a lot of it is a new energy running through the Sonics that is visibly obvious


Sonics 61 Utah 47 at the half
Sonics lead the fastbreak 21-4. Watson and Ridnour make this team fast, fast, fast
Lewis and Allen have been great
Seattle has had the Jazz on their heels the entire game. Moreover, Utah is not playing their game. Instead of being in the half court slicing and dicing the Sonics the Jazz are playing an up tempo game.
Last time these teams played the Sonics never allowed Utah to get into their sets


Sonics 49 Jazz 35 with 5:08 left in the 2nd Quarter
Seattle has the Jazz number
Nick Collison is out with plantar problem in his left foot and his return is questionable. It happened when he came down after a rebound.
Two great things have happened to Luke Ridnour recently. First the acquisition of Earl Watson has ignited the fire inside of him to keep his job and the National invitation to play for the USA team give him great confidence. These two may lead him into the next sphere for his career.


Sonics 37 Jazz 27 with 8:57 left in the 2nd Quarter
Ray Allen has the range tonight. 5 for 5 from the field and 3 for 3 behind the arch
Wow Seattle looks good. They really play well against this team.
Having Earl Watson on the floor instead of Flip Murray is a remarkable difference.
Chris Wilcox on back to back to plays brought an element this team hasn’t had in sometime. Boozer beat Lewis and when he went for the dunk Wilcox meet him at the apex and effected the shot. Then he ran the floor full blast and Watson hit him with an alley-opp.


Sonics 27 Jazz 20 with :49 seconds left in the 1st Quarter.
Lewis went 1 on 1 at Kirlenko twice in the ball game and both time drew fouls. AK leaves the game at the 4:50 mark with the Sonics up by 10.
Watson and Ridnour are playing together and it brings a lot of energy to the floor.
They really push the ball. Before the game Bob Hill was talking about the team getting used to the speed Watson plays at and how remarkably fast he is with the ball.
If Watson has a weakness it is an in between game, but that has not been evident tonight as he hit a Magic Johnson running hook in the paint.


Sonics 18 Jazz 9 with 6:00 left in the 1st Quarter
Great match-up tonight Rashard v. AK 47 . The Sonics have to keep Rashard moving and occupying AK because he is a dynamite off the ball defender.
Sonics have started fantastically. Hitting 7 of 9 from the field.
The defensive rotation and intensity is terrific
The team held a pre-game meeting on the floor that had a vastly different energy then what I have seen all season. The bad energy has left this team and it is obvious.


Storylines
1) Jazz great offensive rebounding v. Sonics poor defensive rebounding
2) Jazz inability to shoot v. Sonics inability to defend
3) Turnover game. Jazz must have turns to score.

NBA OFFENSIVE STUDS AND DUDS

For those of you who have followed Locked on Sports for a while this will look familiar. For those of you new here is a quick explanation. Stud and Dud is a formula that I use to evaluate offensive players. It takes a players pts per scoring attempt and compares it to the league average. Then it multiplies that by the ability of the player to get his shot off. If the player is above the league average in pts per scoring attempt then his rating goes up (see Rashard), but if he is below then his rating gets worse (see Flip Murray). The league average is zero. Most starters should be between 25 and 75. The best in the game are over 100.

Here are the best in the NBA -- THE STUDS -- and the worst --- THE DUDS.

STUDS
1) Steve Nash 151.1
2) Dirk Nowitzi 133.0
3) Kevin Martin 132.0
4) Paul Pierce 130.9
5) Chauncey Billups 128.6
6) Elton Brand 127.1
7) Richard Jefferson 118.3
8) Rashard Lewis 118.2
9) Chris Bosh 117.5
10) Kevin Garnett 115.7

DUDS (must have played 400 minutes)
1) Kris Humphires -178.6
2) Eddie Griffin -162.3
3) Ryan Bown -157.8
4) Antonio Burks -153.2
5) Jannero Pargo -128.5
6) Kareem Rush -117
7) Jason Hart -116.3
8) Flip Murray -114.5
9) Rafael Aruajo -112.4
10) Emeka Okafor -109.2

Here are the Sonics ratings.

SONICS
1) Rashard Lewis 118.2
2) Ray Allen 112.9
3) Danny Forston 95.1
4) Chris Wilcox 82.2
5) Earl Watson 40.2
6) Nick Collison 23.3
7) Damien Wilkins 15.3 (this is a huge improvement)
8) Robert Swift -6.7
9) Johan Petro -27.7
10) Luke Ridnour -36.1
11) Mikki Moore -90
12) Mike Wilks -172.9

New York Daily News - Gary Myers - Gary Myers: This doesn't make cents

I am back from vacation and catching up on my work. I will be on the air tonight at 5:20 for the Sonics v. the Jazz. However, bigger news as I found this today in the New York Daily News.

New York Daily News - Gary Myers - Gary Myers: This doesn't make cents: "The Seahawks are close to a deal to re-sign free agent Shaun Alexander, the NFL MVP and rushing champion, before he hits the open market, which right now is scheduled to be at 12:01 tonight. He's likely to get between $12 million-$15 million in guaranteed money. Seattle, by previous agreement, could not use its franchise tag on Alexander. He's an irreplaceable part for the Seahawks and they are the best fit for him. The contract could be announced tomorrow."

ON VACATION

I am on vacation until Sunday. For the latest Sonics info during games check out Kevin Pelton's live blog at supersonics.com. Be safe and have fun talk with you on Sunday.

SALARY CAP STUFF METIONED ON SHOW

During Friday night's show I mentioned an article that discussed the impacts of the collective bargaining agreement for the 2006 and 2007 season. It has major implications on Alexander's contract.
Click here for the article
Here is a summary
1) A signing bonus can only be spread over 4 years in 2006. In the past it could be longer
2) You can't increase the contract from 2006 to 2007 more then 30%.

Also, the article explains the real implication of the upcapped year in 2007.

SIMULBLOG FOR SONICS V. MAGIC

Magic 102 Sonics 89 – FINAL SCORE
Sonics may have run out of energy
Poor decisions exasperated the issue
Poor transition defense before fatigue became an issue was the key to the lose
Overall a different energy in this game and the hope is that will be the result of the trades
Rashard was too quiet for a game without Ray


Magic 84 Sonics 78 with 8:18 left in the 4th Quarter
Sometimes this team isn’t very smart. Lewis abused Hill on the opening possession of the quarter drawing two fouls, including Hill’s 4th, and then hit a 3 on the next possession and Seattle was within two. On the next four possessions Lewis didn’t touch and Wilkins did his best Flip Murray impression having three straight possessions end in his hand. Wilkins has a serious turnover issue. He has 6 so far tonight.


Magic 74 Sonics 66 with 1:48 left in the 3rd Quarter
Wilkins showing some real offensive skills
Wilcox continues to play above the rim for the Sonics, He had seven dunks the other night and is on his way again tonight. His quick jumping ability is equaled rarely in this league. Should he start?


Orlando 44 Seattle 39 with 4:39 left in the 2nd Quarter
D-Wilk continues to play well. The question is will he ever be a good enough outside shooter to be a starter rather then just a bench player. If he can start to hit the outside shot with some consistency then the Sonics could consider moving either Allen or Lewis but until then he is a nice compliment.
Sonics are hot offensively in the quarter

Orlando 27 Sonics 17 at the end of 1 Quarter
Very poor first quarter
No offense at all.
I am not sure how much having only 7 players impacted how bad the Sonics were in the first quarter. It is a nice excuse but it really shouldn’t show until the later portion of the game.


Orlando 15 Seattle 13 with 5:27 left in the 1st Quarter
The Sonics have just seven players. Nick Collison has returned to Seattle for the birth of a child. Ray Allen has food poisioning. Roebrt Swift is in Seattle for the nose surgery.
Then all the other guys were traded.
It will be interesting to see Wilcox start. That is probably what he should do.
League rules say a team must have 8 players in uniform so Ray Allen was in uniform for the opening tip on the bench and then went back to the locker-room.
The Sonics transition defense is abysmal. They have allowed Grant Hill to prance down floor on three occasions and meat no resistance. Once he went all the way to the basket the other two times he hit pull-ups

BOTH DEALS DONE

The Sonics completed two deals today; the first was a 4 team 9 player deal in which the Sonics received Earl Watson, Bryon Russell and a 2nd round pick. Denver received Ruben Patterson, Charles Smith and Reggie Evans, Porland recieved Voshon Lenard and Brian Skinner and the Kings get Vitaly Potpenko and Sergei Monia.

The Second deal has Flip Murray going to Cleveland for Mike Wilks.




UPDATE 10:09 AM DEAL NOT DONE--- Hold your horses. There are a lot of moving parts in the Earl Watson to Seattle deal. The players need to give approval which can be read as the agents need to give approval. There are trade kickers involved on Patterson’s contract.
This is still likely to happen, but it is not done and it still needs some items to fall into place.
The Flip Murray situation is a bit more in flux then I had thought. The Sonics are still working a deal for Flip, but none of them are done. The Sonics are looking to receive a 2nd round pick in the deal.


UPDATE 9:15 AM WATSON A SONIC--- As we suspected the deal is a three-way deal with Earl Watson coming to Seattle and Reggie Evans going to Denver with Vitaly Potapenko going to Portland. The Nuggets will also get Rueben Patterson and Voshon Lenard will be moved to Portland.
Seattle will also move Flip Murray before the deadline. His destination is currently unknown.
This is a very good move for the Sonics. They are a better team with a deal. This is basically a free agent signing for the Sonics. This is the replacement to Antonio Daniels that the Sonics didn’t fill in the off-season.



LATEST UPDATE AT 7:36 AM --- The Sonics goal today is to split Reggie Evans and Flip Watson in two different deals. At this moment it seems likely that will get done. The Earl Watson trade is still hot with Reggie Evans and Vitaly Potpaenko going to Denver. This could be part of a multiple team deal with Rueben Patterson moving from Portland to Denver and one of these pieces, likely Evans ending up in Portland.
The Sonics had discussions with the Utah Jazz this morning but that deal is no off and the Sonics have another move percolating that involves Flip Murray.



UPDATE 12:15 AM --- According to my sources the Sonics are willing to pick up the contract on Earl Watson so the Sonics Flip Murray and Vitaly for Watson deal is still a possibility. There are other combinations in that deal that have been discussed. Flip Murray did not play last night which is a clear sign the Sonics plan to move him. The Sonics plan to have more conversations with Utah on Thursday morning about a deal that they have been working on. Details are unclear, but the names Milt Palacio and Matt Harpring have been mentioned around the league. The Sonics also made final checks with Indiana about Anthony Johnson and Toronto about Jose Calderon as of late last night neither was willing to budge.
Elsewhere around the league the Carlos Boozer talk seemed to be heating up and Denver has looking for new trading partners after missing out with New York. Some of these conversations included a deal with Portland


LATEST UPDATE – 3:44 PM-- The Sonics are continuing the talks with the Nuggets amongst other teams. Through my sources I have learned that one of those teams is the Utah Jazz. The Jazz have three guards Deron Williams, Keith McLeod and Milt Palacio. The word is the conversation involves Palacio and Matt Harpring. Both of those players are free agents at the end of the season. It is unclear what the combination of players Seattle would need. Utah continues to work very hard on a Carlos Boozer deal.

11:35 AM UPDATE – The Knicks move with Orlando puts the Sonics back on the Earl Watson map. The conversations with the Nuggets were all but dead and have now recommenced. The Sonics are hoping to do the deal for Watson with by trading either Flip or Reggie with Vitaly and then moving the other piece in a separate deal.

UPDATED AT 11:15 AM --
LATEST NEWS -- According to my sources the Knicks and the Magic have completed a deal. The Knicks will receive Steve Francis and the Magic will get the contract of Penny Hardaway and Trevor Ariza. The big news here is that the particulars from the Knicks are different then anticipated. The Magic turned down Jamal Crawford because they wanted the expiring contract of Hardaway.

This makes things very interesting in regards to what the next domino will be. This eliminates the Kevin Garnett talk. This leaves Portland without the ability to clear their cap with a deal with the Knicks. It also leaves the Nuggets without an avenue to clear the out Kenyon Martin.

So what is the next move? This may put the Sonics back at the forefront of teams able to make moves.

Hee is what teams want to get done by tomorrow.
· The Nuggets want to move both Earl Watson and Kenyon Martin
· The Blazers want to clear cap to be able to sign Joel Przybilla
· The Sonics are interested in a back-up point guard
· Minnesota is looking to make waves
· Atlanta is talking about the
· Cleveland is willing to move Drew Gooden
· Golden State is looking for a big
· Houston is going to move Derek Anderson
· The Jazz are trying to move Carlos Boozer and the Lakers are interested.




Here is the latest of what I am hearing …

SONICS MOVES
· The Denver Nuggets have told the Sonics that they will do the Earl Watson deal to the Sonics for Flip Murray and Reggie Evans and a contract if everything else falls apart. The Sonics would likely have to take Bryon Russell as well. The Nuggets are in the midst of numerous conversations around the league including New York and Orlando most prominently. The Sonics may turn this down by the end of the day. The Sonics are very concerned with the contract that Watson signed, he is badly overpaid, but at the same time they are looking for someone to push Ridnour and Watson could be that guy. That is the internal debate in Sonics land

· The Sonics and the Chicago Bulls have had conversations about Chris Duhon for Reggie Evans. The Bulls are all over the map at this time and there is no deal that is imminent. The Sonics would probably rather do this deal then the Denver deal if Chicago buys in. According, to some sources the Bulls are unwilling to move Duhon.

· The Sonics have also had conversations with the Toronto Raptors for Jose Calderon and the Pacers for Anthony Johnson. The Raptors have no interest in moving Calderon and the Sonics and Pacers are having a hard time getting the numbers to add up.

· According to sources, the Wolves and the Sonics had conversations about Marko Jaric however, the Sonics went cold on the conversation.

· Ideally, the Sonics would like to hold onto Danny Fortson and Vitaly Potapenko because their contracts would be valuable pieces to trade along with their draft pick if the right deal came about.

REST OF THE NBA
· Don’t dismiss the Kevin Garnett talks with New York. KG has lost the fire that he used to play with and Minnesota is open to moving him. However, they are very concerned about taking back bad contracts. Therefore, the realgm.com rumored deal of Penny Hardaway and Channing Frye makes sense because the Wolves would be getting rid of the albatross of Garnett’s deal without taking back too much baggage.

* The Utah Jazz are actively shopping Carlos Boozer. According to most people in the league they believe that Jazz GM Kevin O’Connor is doing the leg work for a deal this summer.

· The Denver Nuggets are trying to move Kenyon Martin. Martin and Karl don’t click and the relationship in not salvageable.

· Numerous reports have the Magic and the Knicks close to culminating a deal for Steve Francis to New York that would include Rainer Beach product Jamal Crawford going to Orlando

· The Blazers deal of Ratliff and Miles to New York for Penny Hardaway is supposedly very close. However, the recent Garnett discussions have this on the back burner.

SIMULBLOG FOR SONICS V. SPURS

Spurs 103 Sonics 78 –FINAL SCORE
Here is my expert analysis
Spurs very good Sonics not very good


Spurs 78 Sonics 64 at the end of 3 Quarters
Notice how many of the Spurs 3’s all come from the corner, they believe that is a higher percentage shot and they build the offense to deliver that shot.
Sonics are without Lewis and Wilcox and Swift was sent home with an injury from shootaround.


Spurs 70 Seattle 56 with 4:04 left in 3rd Quarter
This is a really good team imposing its will on the Sonics.
It has been evident from the beginning that it was only a matter of when not if that this was going to happen.
All season Seattle has wilted under this circumstance and gotten blow out. I would be very pleased with a full night effort
Lewis is going to the locker-room. He has been silent all night.


Spurs 46 Sonics 39 at the half
The Sonics played very well defensively in the first half
Collison has to stay out of foul trouble in the 3rd Quarter
Tony Parker has been unstoppable and the Sonics have to find a way to contain him. Ginobilli doesn’t have a field goal.
Duncan continues to struggle.
Allen can’t get free from Bowen and Lewis is shockingly quiet


Sonics 31 Spurs 31 with 5:36 in the 2nd Quarter
Johan Petro is really playing well. He and Swift are tremendous finds. Huge kudos to the draft staff of the Sonics
Defensively Nick Collison is really helping Seattle a great deal
Wilcox was just ok but he sure is long


Spurs 27 Sonics 20 at the end of 1st Quarter
Rick Brunson makes his first appearance
Seattle got beat by the Spurs on the Spurs offensive glass. This shouldn’t happen the Spurs are a poor offensive rebounding team.
Chris Wilcox played and nothing stood out. He is not very active. He made a really nice pass to Lewis. It is lonely being a Sonics big


Spurs 16 Sonics 13 with 4:10 left in the 1st Quarter
Good start for the Sups
They are doing a nice job in the transition to keep the floor open
Ridnour has made a few nice plays early in the game
Spurs hit Seattle early and they answered back to get back in the game
The only thing that isn’t clear is can the Spurs put their will on the Sonics anytime they want,

CRAZY TRADE THAT MAY NOT BE THAT CRAZY

NOTE -- FROM WHAT I AM HEARING MORE THIS IS PROBABLY EXAGERATED FORM OF ANY REAL CONVERSATION. THEREFORE, I WILL LEAVE IT ON THE BLOG FOR MORE OF A DEBATE PIECE ABOUT WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE THE SONICS GM

Take a moment and sink your teeth into this trade concept….

This is being bantered around the league today. Let be very clear – I am not saying this is pending – I have not confirmed that the conversation took place – I give this to you for food for thought

The story is that the Bulls called about Ray Allen and the conversation got to the following point. The Bulls would trade Ben Gordon, Luol Deng, the #1 pick the Bulls have from the Knicks along with cap fillers Thomas and Piatkowski.


The Bulls called back and said we can’t do it unless you include Rashard Lewis but we would be willing to include Chris Duhon.

It sounds totally nutty but …… this is what the Sonics would be left with.
New Line-Up
PG: Ridnour and Duhon
SG: Gordon and Wilkins
SF: Deng
PF: Wilcox and Collison
C: Swift and Petro


With two first round draft picks that are currently #2 pick in all likelihood Adam Morrison and the #6 pick (likely to be better) and the Sonics would also have $10 million in cap room to sign a free agent

Is this really that crazy ?

NBA TRADE DEADLINE LOOMING

Here is the latest of what I am hearing …

SONICS MOVES
· The Denver Nuggets have told the Sonics that they will do the Earl Watson deal to the Sonics for Flip Murray and Reggie Evans and a contract if everything else falls apart. The Sonics would likely have to take Bryon Russell as well. The Nuggets are in the midst of numerous conversations around the league including New York and Orlando most prominently. This is looking more and more unlikely.
· The Sonics and the Chicago Bulls have had conversations about Chris Duhon for Reggie Evans. The Bulls are all over the map at this time and there is no deal that is imminent. The Sonics would probably rather do this deal then the Denver deal if Chicago buys in. According, to some sources the Bulls are unwilling to move Duhon.
· The Sonics have also had conversations with the Toronto Raptors for Jose Calderon and the Pacers for Anthony Johnson.
· According to sources, the Wolves and the Sonics had conversations about Marko Jaric however, the Sonics went cold on the conversation.
· Ideally, the Sonics would like to hold onto Danny Fortson and Vitaly Potapenko because their contracts would be valuable pieces to trade along with their draft pick if the right deal came about.

REST OF THE NBA
· The Utah Jazz are actively shopping Carlos Boozer
· The Denver Nuggets are trying to move Kenyon Martin
· Numerous reports have the Magic and the Knicks close to culminating a deal for Steve Francis to New York that would include Rainer Beach product Jamal Crawford going to Orlando
· The Blazers deal of Ratliff and Miles to New York for Penny Hardaway is supposedly very close.

SIMULBLOG FOR SONICS V. WOLVES

Wolves 102 Sonics 92 – FINAL SCORE
What is left to be said?
The unnerving thing is now the offense is poor – the offense has been below its season efficiency rating for seven straight games
Lewis was totally non-existent


Wolves 86 Sonics 76 with 8:32 left in the 4th Quarter
AGRHHHH this is so ugly
I can’t tell what we are trying to run offensively
The only thing I see is Ray Allen running the Reggie Miller curls but if it doesn’t work I can’t tell what the secondary plays are.
The Sonics couldn’t play worse transition defense if they tried
Rashard Lewis has been absent.


Wolves 80 Sonics 73 at the end of 3 Quarters
Sonics looked like they were on the verge of the nightly wilt and quitting but they fought through and have stayed in the game.
The Wolves have been a terrible close game team and an awful 4th quarter scoring team
All the focus is on Swift and Petro is getting better and better. Both of them make a ton of mistakes and it may be costing us games, but they are getting better. I would like to see him have more of impact on the defensive end of the game.


Wolves 52 Sonics 50 at the half
This game really rolled into a rather non-descript game amongst two not very good teams.
Wilcox hit a nice 16 footer from the left baseline and has 7 points and 3 rebs
Turnovers are silly, Sonics with 8 and the Wolves with 11
Minnesota ranks 29th in the NBA in free throw attempts and the Sonics have put them on the line for 21 free throws in first half


Sonics 37 Wolves 32 with 8:40 left in the 2nd Quarter
Ray Allen has 7 straight points
Wilcox is in with Swift – I want to see this tandem.
Nick is getting beat athletically too many times. It concerns me that he might just be a 3 post off the bench


Sonics 28 Wolves 28 at the end of 1 Quarter
11-4 run to close the Quarter
2-3 zone has been a problem
Sonics were trying so hard to get Wilcox involved they lost the rhythm
Seattle is being sloppy defensively and putting the Wolves on the line


Sonics 18 Wolves 13 with 5:44 left in the 1st Quarter
Swift continues to show athletic signs that he could be terrific. He just slipped a pick got the pass from Lewis and made a really tough catch, collected his body to avoid the charge and went straight up with the shot. This part was amazing for a 7 footer. He missed the shot.
Then on the other side he was out of position on a Carter drive but went up with him and blocked his shot.
The game is very high paced. The Sonics are not doing very well in transition defense
Talking to a scout today he said KG is a shadow of what he once was and it is obvious he has become a jump shooter.


Storylines
1) Chris Wilcox makes his debut
2) Effort and energy
3) Minnesota is poor in three areas, offensive rebouning, getting to the line and forcing turnovers. Keep them that way and you win.

Locked On Sports: Wilcox trade a crafty move

Locked On Sports: Wilcox trade a crafty move: "Three seasons ago, the Sonics' front office pinpointed Wilcox as having potential to be the next O'Neal. Yesterday, they found the package that got the Clippers to agree to move Wilcox."

SIMULBLOG FOR SONICS V. BUCKS

Bucks 106 Sonics 91 -- FINAL SCORE
Another DOG. I guess they really missed Vlady.
Game got out of control when the Sups went to the bench in the 1st Quarter and never got back together.


Bucks 84 Sonics 64 at the end of 3rd Quarter
Can anyone find the re-set button
No field goals for the final seven minutes until Flip lays it in
Final 3:11 3 points


Bucks 72 Sonics 57 with 5:52 left in the 3rd Quarter
Nick Collison has to become a better finisher around the basket. The only question I have is whether or not he is good enough athlete to ever become that finisher. If Wilcox can develop and Nick comes off the bench and plays against predominately back-up players he will be more effective. At some point he needs to be able to beat some top line guys.
Allen was on fire to start the half


Bucks 59 Sonics 44 at the Half
A 59 point half says all you need to know about the defense
Swift is making some really terrific plays and then he mixes in a play that shows you how little he has played. That is to be expected. The really good plays are what matters.
The back up point guard issue is so enormous
Sonics had turnover issues again which is strange under Bob Hill


Bucks 42 Sonics 24 with 7:57 left in the 2nd Quarter
The Sonics have to find a back-up point guard. When Luke is off the floor they are a mess and Luke really hasn’t been that good.
They have been outscored 21 to 9 since Luke left the game,
This is a ass kicking.
The Buck are getting out and running and having fun.


Bucks 27 Sonics19 at the end of 1 Quarter
I love Andrew Bogut. I have said from day 1 he is the next closest thing to Tim Duncan and the more I see him the more I believe it.
Make TJ Ford shoot the ball please
Without Vlady the next thing will be when we don’t have to see Flip on the floor. How pleasant it could be.
Ridnour went out with 2 fouls, on a silly foul, and the score was 21-15 Bucks.
Swift lasted just two minutes and Collison was poor in the 1st Quarter


Quick thoughts on the Trade
I love the Radman for Wilcox deal.
First it is trading a fading asset for a potentially terrific asset.
The goal of any trade like this is to try to find the next Jermaine O’Neal and three years ago the Sonics pinpointed Wilcox as that guy
It makes the Sonics a more traditional basketball team. Collison and Wilcox are a nice combo for 48 minutes of power forward and Swift and Petro are 48 minutes of centers.
If you want to go small you can use any of the 4 as the center and Lewis as the power forward.

SONICS TRADE RADMANOVIC

950, KJR’s Locked on Sports has learned that the Seattle Supersonics has learned that the Seattle Supersonics have traded Vladimir Radmanovic to the Los Angeles Clippers for Chris Wilcox.
Vladimir Radmanovic’s Dave Bauman agent has approved the deal and Radmanovic has left the team hotel and is flying to Los Angeles.
This is a terrific deal for the Sonics. They have wanted to get Wilcox for sometime. Moreover, Radmanovic was finished with Seattle and had become visibly discontent with his situation. In addition, he was a free agent at the end of the season and the Sonics have now acquired a very talented young forward.
Wilcox is a 23-year-old 6’10 power forward who is a power jumper and a quick leaper. He defends the goal well, a good rebounder and is a runner. Two seasons ago he started twenty games when Elton Brand was hurt and averaged 10 points and 6 rebounds a game.
Wilcox was a member of the National Championship at Maryland and left school after his freshman year. He was the pick before Amare Stoudamire in the draft.
His contract is still his rookie deal and the Sonics have the option to extend him one more season.

SIMULBLOG FOR SONICS V. NUGGETS

Nuggets 120 Sonics 112 – FINAL SCORE
Vlady threw the ball away trying to go down low with no chance of finding his man and it went right to the Nuggets and clinched the game.
Ray Allen had no field goal attempts in overtime while the outcome was in doubt.
A very poor finish by the Sonics


Nugs 110 Sonics 106 with 1:24 in overtime
Missed opportunities and poor plays so far in the ot
Vlady Radmanovic got beat back defensively twice by Najera of the Nugs. How does it happen twice, that is amazing
Luke Ridnour pulled up on a early three down 108-104 and if he is going to take that shot he has to make it and he missed. He is not a good enough shooter to take that shot with 18 on the shot clock.
Ray Allen had a chance to grab a rebound that would have given the Sonics the ball down 4 but he didn’t grabbed it securely and it went out of bounds


Sonics 102 Nugs 102 – end of regulation
Damien Wilkins buries a 16 footer with :11 seconds left out of a timeout
The Nugs were switching and doubling Ray every step on the court and forced the Sonics to find another scorer and Wilkins answered
A moment before the Sonics had turned the ball over and Anthony had a steal up two with the shot clock off and he forced the action and turned it over himself rather then letting the clock run out or get fouled
Greg Buckner missed at the buzzer for Denver
Ray Allen is super-human


Sonics 92 Nugs 90 with 4:35 left in the 4th Quarter
Awesome four play sequence.
Luke was in serious trouble on a broken play and he threw the ball to the rim and Petro grabbed it and dunked it.
Allen forces the defense to get Carmelo to switch on him and then he rose over CA to hit a three to put Seattle up 3.
Then Allen took a charge from Anthony
Then Allen ran off a curl pick from Petro, a great pick, and hit the catch and shoot jumper.


Sonics 83 Nugs 80 with 10:47 left in the 4th
Back to back to back 3's takes the lead – here we go.


Nugs 80 Sonics 74 at the end of 3 Quarters
The Nugs are forcing Luke to shoot and he is 4 of 11.
Needing to give Wilkins a break Bob Hill has gone to Mikki Moore to guard Carmelo. He couldn’t go to Vlady to guard Carmelo
The Nugs have the Sups on their heels.


Nugs 75 Sonics 67 with 2:39 left in the 3rd Quarter
The Sonics are having a really hard time getting the ball into the hands of Ray Allen
The Sonics are doing a very good job of defending Carmelo Anthony
Kenyon Martin would be the most annoying teammate
Seattle can’t score right now without Ray getting the ball. The Sups are shooting just 40%.
Bob Hill called a timeout at the 6:16 mark and then the Sonics went flat and got outscored 9-2.
Points off turnovers 21 to 4 advantage Denver

Nugs 53 Sonics 49 at the Half
Turnovers are the key here. The Sonics have committed 9 turns for 15 Nugs points and the Nugs have committed 3 turns and the Sonics have 0 points off turns
The Sonics defensive rebounding has been vastly improved and is very good again today at nearly 80% for the first half.
The Sonics are scoring in the half court when they need to.
The one stretch with Mateen at the point
Sonics dominated the offensive glass in the 2nd quarter getting 58% of the available rebounds.


Nuggets 41 Sonics 37 with 4:26 left in the Quarter
Mateen Cleaves just did an awful job running the point.
Ray Allen was off the floor and the Sonics didn’t have a chance
Ray Allen has two fouls and is getting a break.
Bob Hill is trying to control the game more then I have seen, by calling a play every possession.
Robert and Nick are back in at the timeout


Denver 25 Sonics 20 at the end of 1 Quarter
Flip is a mess tonight
Robert Swift checks out and is showing consistency that he must to be great in this league. He is really far ahead of where any one thought this year
Without Ray on the floor and no Rashard tonight it is going to be hard to find points
Radmanovic just got a post-up on Earl Boykins and didn’t score.


Sonics 12 Denver 12 with 4:59 left in the 1st Quarter
Robert Swift looks better tonight then any night I have seen. He is active, blocking shots, moving with confidence, and playing really hard.
Denver is one of the tops at forcing turns and they forced turns on the first two possessions.
Can Nick Collison stay out of foul trouble against Kenyon Martin?
Robert Swift has two new tattoos, one on the back of each arm
Anthony two fouls at the 7:07 mark of the 1st Quarter


Storylines
1) Nuggets pressure defense forcing turnovers against the Sonics
2) Sonics ability to keep the Nugs off the free throw line
3) Camby and Martin against the young Sonics bigs

SIMULBLOG FOR SONICS V. HAWKS

Sonics 99 Hawks 91 --- FINAL SCORE
Damien Wilkins scored 11 staright points for the Sonics
He has a career high 26 points and 12 of 13 from the free throw line
Nick Collison was the key to the game and he had a career high 13 rebounds
The Sonics had a lull in the 3rd Quarter but otherwise were very good tonight
The Hawks were unable to find the match-ups that I thought they were going to be able to exploit.
The Hawks isolated Harrington on the wing guarded by Collison and he forced him into a jumper and the Hawks never went to it again.


Sonics 83 Hawks 83 with 6:19 left in the 4th Quarter
Flip Murray was -15 in his last stint
Nick Collison is the reason the Sonics are in the game
Neither team can grab a defensive rebound.

Hawks 78 Sonics 76 at the end of 3 Quarters
7 turnovers by the Sups in the 3rd Quarter
A total and colossal collapse by the Sonics
The Hawks scored on their final 6 possessions of the Quarter to close on a 13-2 run.
That is terrible
I am nervous about this. The Hawks have some half court match-ups that we can’t guard and I am not sure we have the same without Rashard Lewis on the floor.
If they isolate Al Harrington we can’t guard it.
Joe Johnson may be able to penetrate.


Sonics 58 Hawks 56 with 7:04 left in the 3rd Quarter
Sonics are in a lull and it could be dangerous.
I am not sure I understand what Atlanta is doing. Why aren’t they isolating Al Harrington on Nick Collison and trying to draw him into foul trouble. They have done it once and got an easy lay-up.
10-2 Hawks run.


Sonics 52 Hawks 44 at the half
Great second quarter of basketball
The Sonics are playing very well defensively and it is opening up opportunities.
Nick Collison has been a total stud – 15 pts 7 rebs
Strong strong performance
Rashard has not come out to warm up for the second half

Sonics 46 Hawks 44 with 1:54 left in the 2nd Quarter
Nick Collison is playing great tonight. I mean great. His defensive rebounding changes everything. Swift needs Nick on the floor. Nick is always in the right place and it give Robert some freedom.
Lewis has not returned.
This is a really fun game, thus far. Great pace. Great energy. Great action


Sonics 38 Hawks 37 with 5:20 left in the 2nd Quarter
Rashard Lewis is in the locker-room with a thigh contusion
Damien Wilkins is a totally different player under Bob Hill
There is a really good energy in the building tonight
Not sure why Nick has re-entered the game yet after his brilliant first quarter
The Sonics ran their best fast break of the season on a Wilkins/Murray back and forth with the ball never touching the floor and finishing on a Wilkins dunk


Hawks 28 Sonics 26 at the end of 1 Quarter
Josh Childress may have the ugliest shot I have seen in the NBA. I love his game, but then when he shoots it is so terrible looking that it makes you cringe.
Vlady has been aggressive going to the basket thus far coming off the bench
It is a very high tempo game
Nick had a brilliant first quarter 11 pts 4 of 4 shooting and 3 rebounds.
Luke is 0 for 5 but has 3 steals.


Sonics 16 Hawks 14 with 6:15 left in the 1st Quarter
This is going to be a heavy transition game as neither team gets back well.
Nick Collison is very active and getting great slips to the basket from Ray Allen.
The Hawks ran a pick and roll with Johnson and Harrington and the Sonics look like they are going to have a tough time with that play
Great block by Robert Swift helping down low on Joe Johnson
Opposing bigs are just killing the Sonics young kids

Storylines
1) Nick Collison at the power forward matching up on Al Harrington
2) Both teams are great offensive rebounding teams and both are poor defensive rebounding teams. Who wins that battle wins the game
3) Marvin Williams homecoming

SIMULBLOG FOR SONICS V. HORNETS

Hornets 77 Sonics 73 at the end of 3 Quarters
Hornets are shooting 30 of 60 on the game. This is the 28th best shooting team in the NBA playing without both of their point guards
Sonics may need to go Evans and Collison to finish and win this game
Since the Sonics starting playing the young bigs the other teams bigs have been putting up big numbers – West has 16-8 and Brown 13-7


Sonics 69 Hornets 67 with 2:37 left in the 3rd Quarter
Sonics offensively are taking advantage of the overplay on Allen to get easy looks in the paint and finding open cutters
Chris Paul tired to return but was unable to go and Speddy Claxton is still out of the game.
The Hornets can’t run the offense without either of their point guards,
The Sonics should run away here at some point.


Sonics 47 Hornets 47 at the half
The Hornets lost Speedy Claxton early in the first half when he got hit in the eye.
Chris Paul drove aggressively to the basket and fell hard when Collison took a charge.
The Hornets scored 38 points in the first 15 minutes of the game and without both point guards they scored just 9 in the next 9 minutes.


Hornets 38 Sonics 22 8:54 left in the 2nd Quarter
12-2 run and the rout is on.
The Sonics have been down double figures at this point in every game of the road trip.
Petro is a disaster on defense. He isn’t feeling where people are and he is a poor rebounder
The effort is questionable again tonight


Hornets 26 Sonics 20 at the end of 1 Quarter
Flip Murray comes into the game and the first possession he is in the game he catches the ball on the inbound and then proceeds to never pass on the possessions and drive to the basket and misses. That has to do wonders for team chemistry.
Hornets shot 52%
No Vlady again tonight


Hornets 19 Sonics 13 with 5:18 left in the 1st Quarter
I love Chris Paul. He is amazing. He is in total control.
Everyone is talking about comparisons and the most common name is Kevin Johnson which is pretty good, but he reminds me a bit of Kidd with his open floor vision.
His ability to move the defense with a subtle drift to one side which opens up the back side is a veteran move. He is outstanding.
The Sonics are a poor weakside defensive team and Paul is exploiting it.

SIMULBLOG SONICS V. BOBCATS

Bobcats 101 Sonics 87 with 8:10 left in the 4th
Sonic on a 15-4 run
They are playing 4 guards and Lewis
This is the highlight of ever night but it means nothing unless you get to the other side of the mountain.

Bobcats 95 Seattle 71 at the end of 3 Quarter
The Bobcats have surpassed their season average by 7 at the end of 3.
This is really amazing
It reminds us all of the three game losing streak on the first long trips of the year when the Soncis lost three games by 30. This is 22,19 and whatever tonight ends at.
When do we start training camp again?


Bobcats 80 Sonics 60 with 6:45 left in the 3rd Q
The first good news of the night Mateen Cleeves comes in for Flip Murray
Does this prove that Vlady has value?
Wow is this bad
There is no effort. I mean no effort

Bobcats 67 Sonics 54 at the half
The Bobcats average 89 points a game.
This is Washington Wizards game 5 bad
Reggie Evans will start the second half.

Bobcats 56 Sonics 43 with 2:50 in the 2nd period
Lay-ups,lay-ups, lay-ups anybody want any lay-ups. Giving up lay-ups. Free lay-ups, just come and grab them. Lay-ups lay-ups lay-ups
This is the worst defense of the year. That is a huge statement.

Bobcats 34 Sonics 22 at the end of 1
Rashard has its offense going with 9 points
Sonics trailed by as many as 18
This could be a disastorous ugly loss.

Bobcats 29 Sonics 16 with 2:03 left in the 1st Quarter
This is the worst offensive team in the NBA and they have 29 points already
Melvin ELy, who I like a lot, is dominating the game inside
Swift is out with 2 fouls
Collison has 2 fouls and once again promotes the theory that he can't start because he can't stay on the floor.

STROYLINES
1) worst offense v. worst defense
2) Can the Sonics match the effort
3) No vlady is that good or bad

BREAKDOWN OF THE OFFICALS MISCUES

The talk on this is out of control and 95% of what I said last night was not heard correctly so I thought I would write it all down.

Here is my take on the calls and the officiating which I said last night was awful, was an embarrassment to the league and definitely was influential in the game



D-Jack TD offensive pass interference -- I can somewhat understand why the call was made since it was directly in front of the official and it had all the bearings of offensive pass interference. However, in reality it was a terrible call that cost the Hawks a touchdown.

Big Ben TD – The mechanics of the official were brutal, when he runs in from the side he has his hand up signaling 4th down and then on the second replay you can see when he raises his hand and it is when Michael Boulware walks in front of the officials vantage point the official then sees the ball in the end zone that he raises his arm for a TD. That makes the difference because the head official Leavy has the lowest % of overturned calls in the last 3 years so he was going to keep the call on the field no matter what the call was.

D-Jack TD on the bomb at the end of the 1st half – this is D-Jack fault. He has to get feet in. That is a lack of focus. But what infuriates me on this is that it was close, in fact I think it was a TD, his second foot knicks the pylon before his next foot knocks it over. What is overwhelming is that the Steelers call a TO and the guys upstairs never review the play. How can that be, How can they not review it or take another look at it when there is a timeout on the field.

Locklear Hold negating play to the 1 – Honestly I don’t know enough to understand what is and what isn’t holding. However, I will go with what Madden and others who I know said and they think it was an awful call. There has been a good deal of talk about whether or not the Steelers were offsides on this play and the next. I went frame by frame and didn’t think it was offsides, but it is obvious that they had figured out the snap count the Hawks were using or that Tobeck or Hasselbeck did something right before the snap, because they were moving unnaturally.


SUMMARY
There is no doubt in my mind that the Hawks were responsible for this loss with their own mistakes. The next question is if these calls were all made correctly or mechanically correctly would the Hawks have been able to overcome their own errors?
The officiating had a huge impact on the game, the flow, etc. That is undeniable.

At the same time, the Hawks inability to finish drives. The Hawks inability to make plays and moreover the Stevens and Engram drops were huge. The injury to Manuel put the onus back on Ken Hamlin for his poor decisions in Pioneer Square, the injury to Bernard took away a huge play maker. The Steelers took advantage of that.

The officials were an influence on the game, more so then the NFL should ever allow. Did they determine the outcome of the game, that is up for debate.
Was the officials inadequacies intentional and part of a fix or a conspiracy. No. Get real that is crazy talk.

SUPER BOWL SIMULBLOG

THE COMMENT ZONE IS OPEN TODAY.

STEELERS WIN THE SUPER BOWL 21-10.
A brillant season and the last two weeks were two of the best any sports fan can ever have but the final chapter is very disappointing.

Pittsburg 21 Seattle 10 with 6:46 left in the Super Bowl
The trick play burned Seattle – Randle El to Ward for a 44 yard touchdown.
The killer is that the burned players were Erik Pruitt and Kelly Herndon.
I am not sure why Jordan B isn’t getting some time at the safety
Then the Hawks couldn’t complete another drive.
The Steelers are getting through to Hasselbeck just enough to eliminate drives.
Where has D-Jack gone? No catches since the 1st Quarter



Pittsburg 14 Seattle 10 with 10:46 left in the Super Bowl.
The curse of being a Seahawk fan lives. Just when you felt it really felt it. It gets taken away from you.
The Hawks were at the 1 on a catch by Stevens, that is noteworthy, but it was negated by a phantom penalty holding on Locklear
Then the Steelers keep making plays when Casey Hampton blew up Robbie Tobeck for a sack.
Then the first huge mistake of the game. Matt throws an INT.
If this is going to get done it is going to be in the most dramatic fashion.
That was the game winning drive and it feel short. Is there another one.
The inability to finish drives has killed the Hawks
Then the Hawks got F’d for the third time this game on a brutal officals call and it cost them 15 yards and Pittsburg starts with great field position


Pittsburgh 14 Seattle 10 with 2:41 left in the third
Great work by the defense to force back to back 3 and outs
However, the Hawks still aren’t making plays. Warrick should have never let the punt drop it bounced at the 21 and then rolled to the 1. Tom Rouen has been unable to do this all game.
Jerramy Stevens dropped another ball and has been a total disaster. Joey Porter hasn’t made one play on the field but he may have won the Super Bowl in the week’s pre-game activities.
Hawks start at the 1 – it could be a classic drive. A mistake and the game is over.


Pittsburg 14 Seattle 10 with 6:45 left in the 3rd quarter
How about this change -- Living for another breathe.
Kelly Herndon steps in front of a terrible Big Ben pass and takes it back to the Hawks 20.
Rocky Bernard looked like he got hurt trying to be the lead blocker. I doubt he will return,
Stevens finally holds on to one and catches the 18 yard touchdown pass.
Now the question is without Manuel, Dyson, and Rocky can the Hawks get stops.



Pittsburg 14 Seattle 3 with 11:40 left in the 3rd Quarter
Time to play Jeopardy. The answer is goat. The question is who is Jerramy Stevens?
He has two enormous drops that have changed the game.
The Super Bowl is about making plays and the Hawks are not doing.
The Hawks are without Manuel and Dyson. The Hawks don’t have a stop since Manuel left the game.



Pittsburgh 14 Seattle 3 2 plays into the 2nd half
This is a disaster
Jon Kitna told us that Joey Porter is a much better player when they are ahead then when they are behind. That holds true for the entire Pittsburgh approach offensively and defensively.
Getting Alexander involved in the game is going to be very difficult.
The Ken Hamlin fight is coming back to haunt the Hawks in the Super Bowl of all places.


More Halftime Notes
Seattle had 6 drives
1st – died when they got caught in 2nd and 3rd and long
2nd – Chris Grey holding penalty killed this drive
3rd – Bad Call of Offensive Pass Interference negated TD and ended drive
4th – drop by “Soft” Stevens on 3rd and 2 negated a huge play
5th – Mack Strong comes up an inch short
6th – butchered two minute drive

If they tighten up they should be able to score.
The Steelers had 5 drives and only got first downs on a gimmick reverse and two great playmaking plays by Big Ben.

Steelers lead 7-3 at the Half
Seattle is not making plays that win Super Bowls. D-Jack has to get his feet in bounds. Stevens has to hold onto the ball. The penalties have negated huge plays.
An inch changed the half. When Mack Strong was an inch short on the 3rd down play. He should have got the first down. It changed the field position and let the Steelers start a drive in decent position.
They mismanaged the end of the half when Hasselbeck got caught up in an audible
Seattle dominated 22 minutes of the half and trail at the half. That is disturbing.
Seattle has been using 3 wide receiver sets with great success in the passing game.
The offensive pass interference call was awful and has changed the game
The reverse call to Ward was a game changer as well.
Remember the halftime is significantly longer at the Super Bowl.
Since they have gone to this stupid new ball for souvenir routine the second half has been the scoring half.


Steelers lead 7-3 with 1:55 left in the 2nd Quarter
It is tough to swallow but that was too close to overturn. All you have to do is hit that white line not the end zone blue and Big Ben may have done that.
The difference in this game is the Steelers are making plays and the Hawks have not made the plays they needed to make.
Penalities and not holding onto the ball by Stevens have separated the Hawks from brilliance.
The good sign is that the Steelers had to make two remarkable plays to complete that drive. Ben shoveled a pass to Ward on 3rd down and then on another 3rd down his scramble was amazing.
The other thing of concern is that drive too so long that now you are limiting the amount of drives the Hawks get.


Hawks lead 3-0 with 10:10 left in the 2nd Quarter
Boulware interception just as we predicted and it would be 10-0 like we predicted if Stevens hadn’t been”soft”
Huge drop by Stevens on the last drive
The Hawks are killing themselves with mistakes.
They are dominating this football game and look to be the much better team, but they are uncharacteristically making mistakes that are preventing them from being up 14 or more.
Big Ben is 2 of 8 for 9 yards and a pick. He is not comfortable with all of the coverage.
Time for a classic Seattle drive. The hawks could rip their heart out.


Hawks lead 3-0 at the end of 1
Another 3 and out by the Steelers.
Big Ben is 1 for 5
The Steelers don’t have a first down
The Hawks defense finishes the year allowing only one defensive touchdown in the 1st Quarter.
Great return by Warrick puts the Hawks in Steelers territory. Return is negated by a penalty.
Penalties are killing the Hawks


Hawks lead 3-0 with :22 left in the 1st Quarter
Hawks lead but it should be more. A brutal call negated a TD to Darrell Jackson in the end zone. Jackson pushed off at the last second but it was minimal. Bad Call big time bad call and it will impact the game
Mike Holmgren is getting a feel for this game. He is exploiting things in the Steelers defense.
Big play in the drive was 3 recievers to the left (including the TE) and Jackson isolated on the right. Matt hit D-Jack for big yardage
The Steelers are rushing 3 a lot and not blitzing but Matt seems to be comfortable.



Hawks 0 Pitt 0 with 4:34 left in the 1st Quarter
Roethlisberger looks uncomfortable with the Hawks only rushing 4 and dropping 7.
In the past playoff games he was great against the blitz and the Hawks haven’t shown the blitz yet
Great play on run support by Marcus Trufant
The Steelers pressure is hurting the Hawks offense. Hawks have two holding penalties.
Tom Rouen has to do a better job of not kicking into the end zone.
Hawks are winning the field position battle



Hawks 0 Pitt 0 with 9:39 left in the 1st Quarter
Opening Drives are in the books.
Hawks moved the ball and then fell apart when they got into 2nd and 3rd and long
Hawks showed a ton of formations early in Holmgren pre prepared sheet
We saw a 2TE set, a 4 WR, and mostly 3 WR 2 RB.
Hasselbeck missed an open receiver that would have continued the drive
Sean Locklear got beat for a sack.
Pittsburg self destructed


I was waited for Hasselbeck to say "We will take the ball and we are going to score." Maybe that is why they let Wistrom call the coin. Hawks are 1 for 1.

Can you believe it is true -- the Hawks are about to play in the Super Bowl. Enjoy eve

ry second everyone and cheer like hell

SUPER BOWL PREGAME-NOTES AND PREDICTION

The comment zone is open and will be open all night and game. Go Hawks !!!

3:30 can not get here soon enough. Let me give you a few things to chew on between now and then.

When the Seahawks have the ball.

Look for the Hawks to use a lot of 3 wide receiver set. Keep an eye on how the Steelers defend the inside receiver.

Norm Chow, Titans offensive coordinator, told us that the Steelers want to avoid have Troy Polamalu in assigned coverage. How can Mike Holmgren avoid that.

The number 1 key will not be the Joey Porter match-up, but will be whether Robbie Tobeck can handle Pro-Bowler Casey Hampton. Tobeck had a poor game against Dallas and the 3-4 and also had a league leading 10 holding penalties. That must be avoided.

Can the Hawks receivers take advantage of the Steelers corners.

When the Steelers have the ball.

Watch how many players the Hawks have in the box. Where are they aligning the safeties?

I suspect the Hawks will blitz very rarely and the question will be can Roethlisberger find open receivers and make the correct reads.

Rocky Bernard has been brilliant. How will the Steelers block him? Will they double him and leave Wistrom and Fischer in single coverage?

Can the Steelers guards get out onto the Hawks linebackers and dominate them physically?

Overall Game Trends

Tempo early in the game. Watch how fast the Hawks get to the line of scrimmage. A good way to keep an eye on that is if the network is able to get starting line-ups in and if they are able to have long replays. Also watch the play clock.

The Hawks have to score early. They have been brilliant early in games and the Steelers have struggled early in games. The Hawks defense only allowed 1 defensive touchdown all season in the first quarter.

The Steelers are a great passing team. Yes, all the media has talked about is the running game, but the reality is that the Steelers are a outstanding passing team. It is they just don’t do it very often. A big concern has to be the pass coverage of the Hawks linebackers and the overall play of the secondary.

Prediction

The Hawks will score early in this game and take a 10-0 lead. The Steelers will make plays with their passing game in the middle of the field. The game will get closer, but Michael Boulware will get a huge interception that alters the frame of the game and leads to an easy Hawks touchdown.


Boulware will get another turnover on his way to the Super Bowl MVP. The Hawks will prevail 31-17.


Enjoy the day.

SIMULBLOG SONICS V. MAVS

MAVS 110 SONCIS 91 – FINAL SCORE
What is the next move for Bob Hill?
If he doesn’t fix two issues on the defensive end there is no end in sight.
This team is dreadful on the defensive glass. They only got 55% of the defensive boards tonight. The two main culprits are Radmanovic and Petro. The Sonics are the worst defensive rebounding team under Bob Hill since any team since 97-98
Radmanovic was poor again. He lasted just 18 minutes and never made Drik work.
Also the Sonics are not forcing any turnovers at all. They are last in the league in forcing turnovers. You can’t be last in both of those and survive.


Mavs 90 Sonics 74 with 10:00 left in the 4th Quarter
Wham Bham thank you Mham
8-0 run. Ballgame
Erick Dampier is totally dominating the Mavs offensive glass.
The Mavs are really really good.
If anyone sees Rashard Lewis let me know


Mavs 82 Sonics 74 at the end of 3 Quarter
Johan Petro is killing the team with his terrible defensive rebounding. Petro looks like a guy who has played against inferior talent so he never looks for a body to box out and instead he just waits and jumps. What happens is a more athletic or bigger player comes into the paint and gets a better read on the ball and follows it up and in. He cost the Sonics 4 points in the final 3 minutes of the Quarter
Those 4 points are huge.
Rashard is really far off his game tonight.


Mavs 65 Sonics 63 with 6:01 left in the 3rd
Another great bounce back
Collison replaced Vlady and did a really nice job on back to back plays; His offense is a big problem but he is able to do everything else and needs to be on the floor.
Swift is having his best game of the year.


Mavs 63 Sonics 55 with 8:27 left in the 3rd Quarter
This does not have a good feel
How many bounce backs do the Sonics have in them tonight
Vlady is becoming infuriating to watch. His effort has become sporadic play to play. He is being guarded by Nowitski who is not a good defender and he is doing nothing to make him work.


Mavs 54 Sonics 51 at the end of the 1st half
Sonics did a great job of getting the game up tempo in their model
The game has really had very good defense from both sides.
The Sonics offense hasn’t clicked in yet, but they have received great play off the bench.
Within three at the half without a three point shot and without Rashard Lewis scoring a field goal that is a good sign


Mavs 37 Sonics 30 9:22 left in the 3rd Quarter
Nice bounce back by the Sups
They are getting out in the opening court
Wilkins has 8 points in the Q


Mavs 32 Sonics 20 at the end of 1 Quarter
Mavs went on 8-0 and 16-0 runs in the Q
The Sonics offense disappeared again.
They went 10 possessions without a score
Where is Rashard Lewis tonight? He has only one shot attempt and I can’t recall him being a part of any action.



Mavs 22 Sonics 14 with 4:53 left in the 1st Quarter
Last night the Sonics had no bounce back. This is the first shot to bounce back tonight.
The Mavs are so versitile offensively I can't see Seattle finding any way to slow them down.

Sonics 12 Mavs 12 with 7:04 left in the 1st Quarter
Sonics are making a strong effort to push tempo
Vlady has two buckets bouncing back from a miserable night last night
The bench play will be the issue. The Mavs get stronger and Seattle can’t get consistent play




Storylines
1) Can the Sonics bounce back from a miserable game in Houston
2) Stopping the Jason Terry/ Dirk pick and roll
3) Will the Soncis get any consistency from the support players?
4) How good are the Mavs

SIMULBLOG FOR SONICS V.ROCKETS

ROCKETS 100 SONICS 77 -- FINAL SCORE
Bad night for the Sups
Too bad they never got it going offensively because they weren't terrible defensively.
The Sonics got nothing from their supporting cast. Vlady was awful. Flip was Flip. Luke was poor and the bigs were outclassed by Yao Ming

Rockets 98 Sonics 75 with 3:00 left in the 4th quarter
Nothing to be said
A full out blow out.
Sonics didn’t have a match to the Rockets.


Rockets 73 Seattle 57 at the end of 3 quarters
Sonics offense is not rolling tonight.
We have not seen this type of offensive struggle
The lack of offense is hurting the defense and this one is getting away from the Sups in a hurry
McGrady took over and carried this game for the Rockets
Rockets will go to 11-6 with both McGrady and Ming


Rockets 56 Sonics 49 with 6:31 left in the 3rd Quarter
McGrady has 15 straight Rockets points
The Sonics are having major turnover issues tonight
Lewis is really having a hard time getting looks


Rockets 48 Sonics 43 at the Half
Sorry for the late start.
Turnovers are a big surprise tonight,. The Sonics have 9 turnovers in a slow game and the Rockets usually don’t force turnovers. The Sonics have been the best in the NBA with the ball since Hill took over.
The Sonics hit their shots early and then lost their rhythm
Yao Ming changes the game, the Rockets are a much better defensive rebounding team with him.

SIMULBLOG FOR SONICS V. WARRIORS

Sonics 111 Warriors 107 – Final Score
Nothing is ever easy
Sonics were in control but the Warriors did the late game surge that happens every night and made everyone very nervous
Alley opp from Ray to Rashard was the play of the night
Ray Allen had an unreal game
Defensive rebounding of Vlady and Swift was vital to the win
The Sonics offense is amazingly consistent. They are executing at a very high level all night every minute of every night.
The 3rd Quarter was brilliant and carried the night


Sonics 96 Warriors 88 with 5:35 left
Baron Davis is just going to the hoop and the Sups can’t stop him
Rebounding will be the key late
Ray Allen is having one of those special night where he wows you with every shot.


Sonics 93 Warriors 80 with 8:00 left in the 3rd Quarter
Warriors making a run with Flip as the back-up point guard.
No Mateen Cleaves in the second half


Sonics 85 Warriors 71 at the end of 3rd Quarter
That is what we have been looking for.
Perfect is the best word for the 3rd Quarter. Perfect
Warriors go 2 for 21 in the 3rd Quarter
Sonics defensive rating in the 3rd quarter was 35. A far cry from the 165 in the first quarter

Sonics 82 Warriors 67 with 1:40 left in the 3rd Quarter
30-5 run.
WOW !!!! Who are these guys
They are crushing the Warriors in every aspect.
The defense has been strong. The hustle plays are all going one direction.
Rashard’s play at the end of the half may have ignited this
Sonics defense has been strong, the rebounding has been terrific


Sonics 68 Warriors 65 with 6:21 left in the 3rd Quarter
An entirely different Sonics team came out from the locker-room
The defensive rebounding is great
They have a 10-1 rebounding advantage to open the Q
12 to 3 run


Warriors 52 Sonics 47 with 3:00 left in the 2nd Quarter
Nice surge by the Sups. Allen has 13 in the quarter
The Sonics are actually defending a bit, not a lot but more then in the past.
Baron Davis blew up the rhythm of the Warriors
Most importantly the Sonics are rebounding.


Warriors 47 Sonics 40 with 5:55 left in the 2nd Quarter
Ray Allen has all 10 of the Sonics 12 points in the Quarter
Baron Davis got caught in a ball hogging one on one game and it blew up the Warriors flow. You have to be insanely selfish to start going one on one on a defense like the Sonics that has shown no ability to defend the entire shot clock.


Warriors 38 Sonics 28 at the end of the 1st Quarter
Vlady has had some nice moves to the hoop off the dribble so far
The Sonics will be able to score all game. Whether or not they defend at any point will be anyone’s guess
Warriors 38 points in the first quarter is their season high


Warriors 29 Sonics 22 with 1:55 left in the first quarter
Their might be 260 points scored tonight the way this is going.
No one is making any stops
Allen has yet to take a shot and he is out for the quarter
Sonics have only 4 stops in the quarter
Warriors have 4 offensive rebounds on 10 misses.

Warriors 17 Sonics 11 with 7:19 left in the 1st Quarter
Very poor defensive start for the Sonics
The Sonics defensive rebounding has been non-existent. Under Hill they are at 65% if that were to be for an entire season it would be the worst since the Raptors in 1997-98.
Warriors open the game 7 of 11 and have 2 offensive rebounds on their 4 misses.


STORYLINES
1) Pace of the game
2) Interior defense from Seattle
3) Ridnour v. Davis
4) Seattle's defensive rebounding or lack there of

LOOKS LIKE BIG BEN IS LOOSE FOR THE GAME

That may not be the only thing loose in this picture. Nice T-Shirt Ben.

SIMULBLOG FOR SONICS V. BLAZERS

Blazers 116 Sonics 111 – Final Score
Defense has 4 part. Ability to force a turnover, defend the shot, keep people off the foul line and then rebounding the miss
The Sonics failed in the first half to contest shots.
In the second half the Sonics were awful, really really awful on the defensive glass. 20 offensive rebounds by the Blazers in the game.
Offensively, Seattle feel apart in the middle of the 4th Quarter and couldn’t get looks to Ray and Rashard. The rebounding problems forced the Sonics to sit Vlady and play Reggie and Nick and that clogged the floor.
Rashard had a very hard time getting the ball in the 4th Quarter with Rueben Patterson guarding him. Lewis three with :15 left in the game was his first field goal of the 4th quarter.
The Blazers missed a free throw at 106-101 and the Sonics would have had the ball with :45 seconds left and they couldn’t get the rebound.
Losing to the Blazers and the Raptors at home is not good.


Blazers 96 Sonics 89 with 5:41 left in the 4th Quarter
Since Bob Hill took over the Sonics their defensive rebounding % has been 66% worst in the NBA by a good margin. Today they are getting killed.
It is a complicated issue. The young bigs don’t rebound well and if you want to get rebounding then you go to Reggie and then the floor spacing is brutal


Blazers 88 Sonics 84 with 8:41 left in the 4th Quarter
Sonics have Reggie in on Zack. Reggie is pulling out all the tricks. He is pinching, grabbing, snapping, etc. Let’s see how Zack reacts.
He is visibly frustrated but he is still going hard at Reggie.


Blazers 84 Sonics 82 at the end of 3 Quarters
Sonics go on an 8-0 run but are unable to maintain it late.
Can the Sonics defend at all in the final 12 minutes will determine the game
The Sonics are getting crushed on the glass. They have allowed 15 offensive rebounds and have only 19 defensive rebounds.


Blazers 81 Sonics 80 with 2:15 left in the 3rd Qua

rter
I have been saying all night that it will only take 5 minutes of basketball. Falling behind by 7 may mean they need to play 7.
They have just linked 2 minutes of good ball to get back to even.
Nice ball movement lead to a Collison lay-up.


Blazers 77 Sonics 72 with 4:55 left in the 3rd Quarter
If you play more then 10 seconds of offense against the Sonics you will get a very good look at the basket. The Sonics can’t maintain a defensive possession,
Ray Allen is trying very hard to get going, he had just 4 in the first half.
The Sonics who have been very good taking care of the ball are turning it over at a high rate in the 3rd Quarter
The Sonics have no defensive rebounding
Great break by Luke gives Ray a wide open three.


Blazers 58 Sonics 57 at the half
Sonics will win this game. The Blazers are so bad that it will only take 5 minutes of basketball to win,


Blazers 53 Sonics 52 with 2:39 left in the 2nd Quarter
Allen got his first points at the 2:59 mark of the 2nd Quarter
Blazers are still shooting over 60% -- the Sonics are making it easy
There is no defensive rebounding this game.


Blazers 52 Sonics 45 with 4:11 left in the 2nd Quarter
Blazers high points in a half is 61.
This game is really ugly.
The Blazers offense is much improved. They have scored 50 points in 6 of the last 9 first halves.
The Sonics rebounding is so poor that Hill has gone to Reggie Evans.


Blazers 42 Sonics 37 with 7:47 left in the 2nd Quarter
The Blazers open the 2nd quarter on 7-0 run
Seattle defense has to be better. Petro just allowed Jack to drive right at him and never affected the shot.
I am not sure I like Telfair’s game. He is lighting fast but he thinks he can shoot and he can’t.


Sonics 32 Blazers 31 at the end of 1 Quarter
Sonics defensive rotation away from the double teams have been very poor tonight.
Sonics can score at will
Allowing 30 pts to the Blazers is absurd
The Blazers have 14 30 pt Quarters all season. That is 14 out of 179 quarter. 11 of the 14 have come in the first half of games


Blazers 21 Sonics 18 with 5:01 left in the 1st Quarter
The Vlady v. Zach Randolph match-up is interesting. The Sonics are doubling Randolph the minute he gets the ball the Sonics are trying to make Randolph run on the defensive end.
Khryapa can’t guard Rashard Lewis
Bob Hill believes strongly in putting pressure on the defense by constantly attacking and he has the team buying in.
Another Swift tip jam.
There have only been 9 defensive stops in the entire game
Blazers are 10 of 14 from the field

STORYLINES
1) Nate's return
2) Luke's improved play
3) Swifty at center
4) How does Portland score?
5) How does Nate guard the Sonics?

Sorry for not being with you the last few nights. Tech issues killed two of them and a wedding anniversary had me off on Saturday. Let's go tonight.

NO SIMULBLOG FOR SONICS V. JAZZ

Sorry blogger was doing work and had the site shut down.

SIMULBLOG FOR SONICS V. RAPTORS

RAPTORS 121 SONICS 113 --- FINAL SCORE
I am not sure if this lose is so bad that you re-evaluate what the team is trying to do in the game but it is close.
The Sonics blew back to back possessions in the final minutes.
Hill went to Wilkins as a defender and he ended up getting a key shot which is a killer.
Morris Peterson took Ray Allen out of the the scoring.
Allen only had two shot attempts in the entire 4th Quarter
The Raptors 33 of 36 from the line

Raptors 109 Sonics 108 with 2:58 left in the 4th Quarter
Sonics have 1 stop in the last 7 possessions.
The Sonics can't lose this game.

Sonics 104 Raptors 101 with 5:24 left in the 4th Q
Luke enters and makes two great offensive plays
Chris Bosh is 15 of 15 from the free throw line. He has 25-11 -- WOW
Allen is 1 of 1 in the 4th and Lewis is 0 for 1.

Sonics 98 Raptors 95 with 8:48 left in the 4th Quarter
The Sonics have only been stopped once in the Quarter
The Raptors are in the bonus at the 10:00 mark
The Washington Generals play better defense then these two teams
Sonics have Murray, Allen, Lewis, Nick and Reggie on the floor.

Sonics 88 Raptors 88 at the end of 3 quarters
The old phrase is first one to defend will win. In this game it will be the first team to play bad offense will lose. Because I can promise no one will defend. With Reggie and Flip in the game we are vulnerable to be the team.
Luke Ridnour has been very very good tonight.
Reggie Evans is the most selfish player with his quest to rebound. He won’t rotate or help defensively if it ruins his rebounding position. He also won’t leave the post to clear space for an offensive player.


Raptors 77 Sonics 74 with 4:56 in the third Quarter
Reggie Evans comes in for Petro
Hill furiously removed Vlady from the floor after another putrid defensive possession. I will be shocked if he starts the next game.

Raptors 68 Sonics 66 with 9:18 left in the 3rd Quarter
More corner three's. The board in the locker-room says no CORNER THREES
Hill just yelled at Petro. Make him use his right hand. Talking about defending Bosh.


Sonics 63 Raptors 59 at the Half
Allen is 6 of 10 – nice to have him back
We have the defense we anticipated
Both teams will occasionally play defense on the initial defensive assignment but they can’t sustain it at all. There is limited help and limited effort after the first moments.
No team has lead by more then 6.
The Sonics are getting killed on the corner 3


Sonics 63 Raptors 59 at the Half
Allen is 6 of 10 – nice to have him back
We have the defense we anticipated
Both teams will occasionally play defense on the initial defensive assignment but they can’t sustain it at all. There is limited help and limited effort after the first moments.
No team has lead by more then 6.
The Sonics are getting killed on the corner 3


Sonics 48 Raptors 44 with 5:49 left in the 2nd Quarter
Sonics need Nick Collison to be able to score in the post on second string power forwards. Really if he can’t do that he becomes a bit player. He is one of two on Villanueva.
Detlef Schrempf has been hired as a part time assistant coach.
Sonics have gotten out on the break off Raptors misses and Wilkins has been the benefactor.


Sonics 31 Raptors 30 at the end of 1st Quarter
61 points in the first quarter. What you would expect from the two worst defensive teams in the NBA and for that matter two worst teams in years.
Coincidence? After Flip entered the game the Raptors scored on 6 of their next 7 possessions.
Jalen Rose has 11 points. Flip is guarding Rose.


Raptors 26 Sonics 23 with 1:40 left in the 1st Quarter
Petro was +3 in his first stint
Sonics are -6 in the 3 minutes Ray Allen is off the floor. This team is more dependent on Ray then any team in the NBA is on their star. Statistically, the Sonics with Allen on the bench the Sonics are the worst team in the NBA.


Sonics 17 Raptors 11 with 6:23 left in the 1st Quarter
Raptors are doubling Rashard in the post as the Sonics anticipated
Seattle Seahawks jerseys litter the crowd
Raptors give up a lot of points off turnovers and the Sonics under Hill have not been forcing turns. This will be key. The Sups already have 4 points off turns.
Petro starts on Bosh. This is what the Sonics really need is a big who can guard a 4 or a 5 in the post early in game. James did that last year for the Sups


STORYLINES
1) Which defense is worse?
2) Can the Sonics be + in the +/- in with the young bigs
3) Vlady hello

MIKE HOLMGREN PRESS CONFERENCE RE-CAP

• Locklear will play. Holmgren says he talked with Sean and that he feels comforatbale that Locklear should play. The question that is left unanswered is when the Seahawks talk about the story they know or what they have been told do they go any deeper then Sean Locklear.

• About Carolina = “They don’t have any weaknesses, they are very sound and they have some special players.”

• Rocky Bernard, Darrell Jackson and Bobby Engram did not practice today and are very sore.

• Comparing Smith to Moss – “If there is a difference it is how the teams use both athletes. Moss was going downtown a lot. Smith they use him in more ways, he gets more touches, in a lot of different ways.” Athletically, they are both fast. Smith for his size is very strong and has very strong hands.

• The loss of Foster – “It is not that dramatic. Foster is very expolsive. He has great speed. Goings is a different style, tough guy and he is going to go where the play is designed.”

• Comparing Peppers and Strahan – “They area not similar. They have different body types and different experiences. Peppers is taller and bigger. He presents a different set of problems. The players are quite different. But they are both players that you have to start with when you figure out your plan.

• Holmgren called this the best line he has had in the free agency era

• On Marquand Manuel – “I looked at him as a solid safety. I looked at him as a special teams player who did a lot things, then he is our strong safety and calling all the plays. He has had a phenomenal year.

• On the D-Jack touchdown – “That is an athletic play.”

• Peter Warrick will be the punt returner and Bobby Engram will come in if there are any issues.

• I asked him about Jerry Rice and what teams did to shut him out of a game and he referenced what he did to Rice as the Head Coach of Green Bay.

Locked on Sports: Heroes or goats? Players will decide

Locked on Sports: Heroes or goats? Players will decide: "Sunday, we will be watching history unfold. What happens on Qwest Field will forever be remembered.

How will it be remembered?

Will it be the 'The Block,' after Walter Jones levels a Carolina defender, freeing Alexander?

Or the 'The Rookie,' after Lofa Tatupu dominates from his middle linebacker position?

Could it be 'The Carry,' after Alexander pounds the left side of the line for another short-yardage conversion featuring Seattle's Pro Bowl linemen. Maybe 'The Team,' when the Hawks piece together another performance spotlighting every roster spot."

ALEXANDER THAT IS ENOUGH OF THE COUGH SYRUP

All signs point to that Alexander is going to play. And he better play and he better play well. The only good thing about his concussion is that no one is talking about his game last week. His 6 carries were awful. I mean terrible. Each time he tried to do too much, the spotlight went on and the Alexander reverted back to the old Alexander. I was convinced that when the national spotlight came on his ego would drive him to run like no man has ever run. Instead, he freaked.
Holmgren was polite about it in the press conference, “if he stayed with the play he would have walked in – he is going to kick himself when he sees it.”

This is how he was on every one of his runs. He tried to do too much. He tried to be the hero rather then follow the play.

Here is the scary thing. In 3 playoff games Alexander has not been good, in fact he has been poor. 3 games – 44 carries and just 94 yards. That is awful.
Last time Alexander faced Carolina he crushed them 32 carried for 195 yards.

All year Alexander has proven ever skeptic wrong and he has improved in every area if he is going to get himself to the biggest stage he better play within himself on Sunday.

WILL I EVER SEE JIMMY WILLIAMS AGAIN

Yesterday Holmgren said, “We going to make some changes on that” in regards to punt returning. Good because I don’t want to see Jimmy Williams returning another punt all season. In fact I haven’t wanted him there for the last 7 weeks. It is a big hit to give away the 7 or 8 yards on every drive by deciding all you want to is ball possession and to fair catch each time, but if that is what it takes I am all for it. The risk of Williams is high and the reward is close to minimal. That makes it an easy decision.
If the Hawks don’t go to the Super Bowl because Jimmy Williams muffs a punt I am going to lose it.

CAN CAROLINA GO DALLAS ON THE HAWKS

All the talk is that Carolina is going to go Dallas on the Seahawks. They are going to play bump and run with their corners, who are both great and they are going to bring the safety into the box.
It all sounds good but here is why it won’t work. One is the two deep balls to D-Jack change everything. Now if the Panthers want to bring the safeties in the box to stop the run they have to know that the Hawks have the option of going deep on the sidelines and that is an option they haven’t had all year.
Secondly, the Panthers don’t have a Roy Williams or a Sean Taylor at safety. The defensive position you must have if you are going to stymie the Hawks is a dominating safety that can cover all sorts of ground. He has to be able to support on the run and get sideline to sideline in the pass defense.
That is the one area where Carolina is not special.

QB PLAY WINS IN THE PLYOFFS

Before the playoffs started Mike Holmgren was asked what are the key things to a playoff win. First he said health and the Hawks dodged that bullet. Second he said the play of our your quarterback.
Matt Hasselbeck is in a zone. He is clicking the way Young did when he carried the 49ers the way Farve did when he carried the Packers heck the way Montana did when he carried the 49ers. Hasselebeck is playing at a different level. He is calm, he is collected, he is handling pressure. He never seems flustered.
Heck, on Saturday the offensive game plan was in shambles early – 3 and out after 3 and out and he keep everything together and made special play after special play.

HAWKS WIN !!!!! THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE GREAT

One win to the Super Bowl. This is going to be a crazy week in Seattle.
I am currently in Whistler taking a day or two to engulf the awesome powder snow. I left the mountain early to watch the ball game and here is good, the bad and the great. Just to let you know the Seahawks love has spread to Whistler. People are running around screaming, the bars were packed with Hawks fans and there is some serious partying going on here as well.

The Good

The Hawks were the superior team. Despite all the things we will throw into the bad category and their were a few, the Hawks were in control of the game, because they were superior from player 1 to the last player on the practice squad.

Darrell Jackson had an enormous game. He caught 9 of the 16 completions. The biggest thing is that he caught two deep balls. That was a part of the offense that had been quite for most of the season. Now with D-Jack healthy and a deep ball threat there is nothing left for the offense.

The pro-bowl play was key again today. Run left behind the pro bowl offensive lineman and a pro bowler fullback and the Hawks converted that on many key plays.

Amazing versatility from the Hawks to handle Shaun Alexander’s injury.

Mike Holmgren said this week that the key to the playoffs is to stay healthy and have your quarterback play at the top of his game. Hasselback did exactly that this week. He was very strong.

Defensively the Hawks 1st half was really amazing. The defensive speed was terrific. The week off my have brought back the legs and aggressiveness of the youngsters. LeRoy Hill and Lofa Tatupu continue to make fantastic plays on run defense.

The pass rush was terrific all game. The Hawks rarely brought the blitz and they got to Brunell or flushed Brunell from the pocket a ton with just a 4 man rush. On back to back plays in the 1st half the Hawks flushed Brunell twice with just a 3 man rush and in the end of the game they got to him with a 4 man rush consistently.

Nothing is better then when the right guys make the big plays. Mack Strong’s huge run on 3rd down was the key to solidifying the victory. Chuck Darby who is largely responsible for changing the culture of the defense had a huge sack in the 4th Quarter of the Skins final drive.

There is a side story to the long Mack Strong run. I believe the play is audible for Hassleback. When the opponent shows a blitz that is an overload from one side the Hawks added this season an audible where they run no matter what the down and distance is. This is why it has been so vital to have Alexander as the running back on 3rd down. In past year’s this has not been an option if it was 3rd and long. However, the running game has been so good that the Hawks have put it into the audible package this season. Instead of Alexander it was Strong and it was the play of the game.

To win in the NFL playoffs you need a run defense. The saying defense wins championships is overrated, but you have to be able to stop the run and the Hawks did an amazing job on Clinton Portis

A signature of this team all season long has been the answer drive. That is exactly what they did in the second quarter after the Skins took a 3-0 lead.

The pass to Joe J in the opening part of the third quarter on an audible that got blown up by the cornerback jumping the play and then Hasselback improvises and lobs it out for JJ for a huge pick up on what has a TD drive.

Bryce Fischer was awesome all game.

THE BAD

Holy cow could have the special teams return game been any worse. Two turnovers in the kicking game. That is insane. Jimmy Williams is lucky he is still on the team and someone didn’t cut him at halftime. That is totally inexcusable. Special Teams can’t turn the ball over. Josh Scobey gave the Skins a chance to win the game when he fumbled the kickoff

The defense was great all day with one exception. The drive immediately following the Hawks touchdown drive that put the Hawks up 17-3 and they immediately allowed a 4 play touchdown drive. It was vision of the past.

Alexander’s fumble in the red zone is the type of play that costs you a playoff game.

The passing game was really out of synch in the first half. The Skins’ ripped away the timing of the Hawks offense for most of the first half.

Getting greedy the Hawks had plenty of chances for a knock-out punch and didn’t do it. After taking a 14-3 lead the Hawks had the Skins on 3rd and 17 and they allowed it to be completed to Moss. Then the Skins converted on a 4th and 2.

Moss getting open on the 4th down rollout is another example of the Hawks not being able to close it.

THE GREAT

Ken Hamlin being a part of the game, raising the 12th man flag.

No more mention of 1984

The defense dominated a game.

One win to the Super Bowl