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Hawks in the hunt
Battered team remains prominent in wide-open NFC bracket
By CLARE FARNSWORTH
P-I REPORTER
KIRKLAND -- The question before Lofa Tatupu sat there like a 160-pound running back with two sprained ankles:
How is the Seahawks' Pro Bowl middle linebacker handling being the NFC's No. 4 seed in the playoffs, and having the defending conference champions generating so little postseason hyperbole.
"They weren't talking about us when we had the No. 1 seed last year," Tatupu said. "So it doesn't matter to us."
That the Seahawks are in the playoffs -- in this season, in this conference -- does matter, because there is no clear-cut NFC favorite to reach the Super Bowl on Feb. 4 in Miami.
The Chicago Bears? They finished with the best record in the regular season (13-3) and had seven players selected to the Pro Bowl. But have you seen Rex Grossman spray the ball around the field, and into the hands of defenders, lately?
The New Orleans Saints? They are the feel-good story of the NFL season for winning the NFC South and hearts of a Katrina-ravaged region after playing home games in three different venues last season. They also were the consensus choice of scouts polled by the P-I to win the conference title. But the Saints lost two of their final three games.
The Philadelphia Eagles? They are the hottest team entering the postseason, having won their final five regular-season games. But the Washington Commanders had won five in a row to close last season, and then their playoff opener, only to be dispatched by the Seahawks in the second round.
The Dallas Cowboys and Seahawks? The teams that meet Saturday night at Qwest Field entered the postseason through a slightly cracked back door, after losing three of their final four regular season games.
The New York Giants? They entered the playoffs through a basement window, having lost six of their past eight games.
"You wish you were in it this year," said one scout for an NFC team that just missed making the playoffs. "There's a real opportunity there this year because everything is so muddled."
Even for a team like the Seahawks, who continue to be ravaged by injuries and have been tripping over their own inconsistency all season.
"Do I think the Seahawks have a chance? Yeah, I do. I really do," another NFC scout said.
One of the primary reasons is Matt Hasselbeck.
He has struggled with knee and hand injuries this season, as evidenced by his 15 interceptions in only 12 starts (compared to nine in 16 starts last season). He also has been the victim of multiple injuries to an offensive line that has used eight different starting combinations, as evidenced by his 34 sacks (compared with 24 all of last season).
But Hasselbeck has something the other five NFC quarterbacks who are still playing lack: postseason experience.
Hasselbeck has started one fewer postseason game (five) than the other five quarterbacks combined. He also has one more playoff victory (two) than the other five -- and the Eagles' Jeff Garcia supplied that one win in 2003 while playing with the San Francisco 49ers.
It's a different brand of football in the postseason. The pressure is greater. The speed of the game increases. The outcome of every pass is magnified.
"Matt has shown he can win in the playoffs," one NFC scout said. "The others have yet to prove that they can, when everything is on the line."
But the Seahawks still could be playing without leading receiver Darrell Jackson and with a middle of the offensive line that includes rookie Rob Sims at left guard, second-year center Chris Spencer and oft-injured Floyd "Pork Chop" Womack at right guard.
On the other side of the ball, a defense that has generated only seven sacks in the past seven games will be without three of its top four cornerbacks -- forcing the Seahawks to start rookie Kelly Jennings and strong safety/dime back Jordan Babineaux against the Cowboys' Terrell Owens and Terry Glenn, who combined for 155 receptions and 19 touchdowns.
Advancing in the postseason will be a challenge. But it's one the Seahawks feel they're up to -- in this season, in this conference.
"What kind of competitor would I be if I said I didn't feel we had a good chance?" Tatupu said. "I absolutely like our chances."
He is not alone.
Battered team remains prominent in wide-open NFC bracket
By CLARE FARNSWORTH
P-I REPORTER
KIRKLAND -- The question before Lofa Tatupu sat there like a 160-pound running back with two sprained ankles:
How is the Seahawks' Pro Bowl middle linebacker handling being the NFC's No. 4 seed in the playoffs, and having the defending conference champions generating so little postseason hyperbole.
"They weren't talking about us when we had the No. 1 seed last year," Tatupu said. "So it doesn't matter to us."
That the Seahawks are in the playoffs -- in this season, in this conference -- does matter, because there is no clear-cut NFC favorite to reach the Super Bowl on Feb. 4 in Miami.
The Chicago Bears? They finished with the best record in the regular season (13-3) and had seven players selected to the Pro Bowl. But have you seen Rex Grossman spray the ball around the field, and into the hands of defenders, lately?
The New Orleans Saints? They are the feel-good story of the NFL season for winning the NFC South and hearts of a Katrina-ravaged region after playing home games in three different venues last season. They also were the consensus choice of scouts polled by the P-I to win the conference title. But the Saints lost two of their final three games.
The Philadelphia Eagles? They are the hottest team entering the postseason, having won their final five regular-season games. But the Washington Commanders had won five in a row to close last season, and then their playoff opener, only to be dispatched by the Seahawks in the second round.
The Dallas Cowboys and Seahawks? The teams that meet Saturday night at Qwest Field entered the postseason through a slightly cracked back door, after losing three of their final four regular season games.
The New York Giants? They entered the playoffs through a basement window, having lost six of their past eight games.
"You wish you were in it this year," said one scout for an NFC team that just missed making the playoffs. "There's a real opportunity there this year because everything is so muddled."
Even for a team like the Seahawks, who continue to be ravaged by injuries and have been tripping over their own inconsistency all season.
"Do I think the Seahawks have a chance? Yeah, I do. I really do," another NFC scout said.
One of the primary reasons is Matt Hasselbeck.
He has struggled with knee and hand injuries this season, as evidenced by his 15 interceptions in only 12 starts (compared to nine in 16 starts last season). He also has been the victim of multiple injuries to an offensive line that has used eight different starting combinations, as evidenced by his 34 sacks (compared with 24 all of last season).
But Hasselbeck has something the other five NFC quarterbacks who are still playing lack: postseason experience.
Hasselbeck has started one fewer postseason game (five) than the other five quarterbacks combined. He also has one more playoff victory (two) than the other five -- and the Eagles' Jeff Garcia supplied that one win in 2003 while playing with the San Francisco 49ers.
It's a different brand of football in the postseason. The pressure is greater. The speed of the game increases. The outcome of every pass is magnified.
"Matt has shown he can win in the playoffs," one NFC scout said. "The others have yet to prove that they can, when everything is on the line."
But the Seahawks still could be playing without leading receiver Darrell Jackson and with a middle of the offensive line that includes rookie Rob Sims at left guard, second-year center Chris Spencer and oft-injured Floyd "Pork Chop" Womack at right guard.
On the other side of the ball, a defense that has generated only seven sacks in the past seven games will be without three of its top four cornerbacks -- forcing the Seahawks to start rookie Kelly Jennings and strong safety/dime back Jordan Babineaux against the Cowboys' Terrell Owens and Terry Glenn, who combined for 155 receptions and 19 touchdowns.
Advancing in the postseason will be a challenge. But it's one the Seahawks feel they're up to -- in this season, in this conference.
"What kind of competitor would I be if I said I didn't feel we had a good chance?" Tatupu said. "I absolutely like our chances."
He is not alone.
