by John HickeyFiled under: Seahawks, NFC West
SEATTLE -- In the last two weeks the Seattle Seahawks have gone from 4-2 and leading the NFC West to 4-4 and tied for first.That's not the direction the Seahawks want to be heading, and that's not the worst of it.
Last week was a 33-3 loss to Oakland. Sunday was a 41-7 loss to the New York Giants, a game in which the Seahawks were effectively out of it in the first quarter, down 21-0.
"For the second week in a row, we had a miserable performance,'' Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said, summing the situation up in a dozen words. The Gettysburg Address it wasn't, but it was concise and to the point in the manner of one A. Lincoln.
The Seahawks played without quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, left tackle Russell Okung, tackle Tyler Polumbus and defensive lineman Brandon Mebane, among others.
Everybody has to deal with injuries, and Carroll knows that as well as anyone.
What he doesn't know is if his team can turn it around.
"We've seen the upside of our team and we've also seen the downside,'' Carroll said. "At this time, really, what I am seeing is a coach's challenge. We have to figure out how to get ourselves back on track.
"We have to play a game of football that gives us a chance in so many different areas. It's a difficult spot to be in, because we're not sure that we can get this thing cranking the way we want to, and how soon we can, until we get back to work. That's what has to happen next week.''
For the moment, the Seahawks are going on the assumption they will go next week against Arizona with Charlie Whitehurst once again at quarterback in place of Hasselbeck, who is out with a concussion.
But Okung, the first round draft pick, could be back from his ankle injury, and if he is, that will enable Chester Pitts to move from tackle to left guard.
"We have to put things back in order,'' Carroll said. "And (we have to) call on guys to step up in spots and play for us and play like the guys that were there before and keep our level of play where we have a chance.''
When coaches talk in ways that suggest they don't have a chance, things are dire indeed. But being outscored 74-10 in the span of two weeks can do that to you.
Even so, Seattle is still in first place in the West, sharing a tie with the St. Louis Rams. Things could be worse.
"As bad as it is,'' safety Lawyer Milloy said, "we're still 4-4. The last two weeks haven't been the way we would draw it up, but that's the NFL.''
Cornerback Kelly Jennings said that with Sunday's game being the halfway point of the season. Things are starting to get critical.
"We're at the midpoint of the season,'' he said. "I would say it's a critical point. We know that this is not our vision, it's not where we want to be, but it's where we're at.
"So we have to embrace it, get the film and see what we did wrong and see what we can get fixed. We as a team, as coaches and players, just have to make sure we do what we have to do and go out next week and win a football game.''
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