written 8/29/10; posted 9/17/10
Lucky Seattle, they get to start their first preseason under Pete Carroll with a big, fat dose of big fathead Jeff Fisher. We'll see how naïve Carroll is by how far off-guard, or not, they get caught by Fisher's Neanderthal preseason overcompetitiveness. Watch the fake punt!
I'll say this: this is going to be a very tough game to recap if NFL Network doesn't turn on the sound. Though this is the best I've ever heard from Jamie Dukes. OK, the Seattle feed is on. Curt Menefee's doing the game for the Seahawks, with Warren Moon, of course. We just heard another long-time national announcer, Dick Stockton, doing the Miami game. The Patriots had two national announcers.
In St. Louis? We get the sports guy from the local 9:00 news.
Olindo Mare takes only a two-step run-up on the kickoff because of a mild injury and STILL blasts the opening kick inside the 5. Vince Young takes on an exuberantly loud Seattle crowd from the 22. Boy, that's a huge defensive line the Seahawks start, three DTs and one DE, really, with Red Bryant, Colin Cole, Brandon Mebane and Chris Clemons. Who the hell's supposed to rush the passer? On cue, Young drops back and has all day to hit Nate Washington at the 43. 10 more from Young to Washington out of a rock-solid pocket. SWEET call next, with play-action left to Johnson setting up a wide-open field for Ahmad Hall to take a screen pass for 25. Slant pass to Justin Gage nearly gets them the TD. It takes three tries, but Johnson eventually gets in from a foot and a half out over left tackle. Excellent opening drive for the Titans. The Seahawks have sold out against the run and are having all kinds of trouble rushing the passer and stopping the pass. Titans 7, Seahawks 0
Matt Hasselbeck takes the stage for Seattle at the 20. Ryan Mouton breaks up a deep seam pass to Deon Branch. Hasselbeck goes to Branch again, a 4-yard flare. And to Branch again for 10 and a first. Hey, as much as he's been hurt since they acquired him, they might as well get their dollar's worth out of him. Julius Jones starts at RB if you're looking for what to do with your 12th-round FFL pick. Hasselbeck has to ground a 2nd-down screen and can't whine a holding call out of the refs. Good non-call, btw. Steven Tulloch breaks up a 5-yard pass for John Carlson on 3rd down. That was an unexpectedly pass-happy possession by Seattle.
Tennessee at their 18, with Javon Ringer in for Johnson. After starting 5-5-78, Young falls apart. He drops the snap on 2nd-and-short, then rolls right on 3rd down and has his sideline pass jumped by Josh Wilson for a pick.
That sets Seattle up at the Titans 39, but Jason Babin becomes the one-millionth NFL player to whip Sean Locklear for a sack. Loss of 7. Jones then gets nowhere with a DRAW and drops a 3-YARD SLANT PASS. So Pete Carroll has already learned the nuances of running a dynamic preseason offense, then. The idiot Seahawks literally fall all over themselves trying to kill the punt at the 1 and it gets into the end zone instead.
Early leader in this year's Cheerleader Derby, btw, is the Patriots cheerleaders, by a lot, though largely because I haven't seen a Chargers game yet. Chris Simms at bat now for the Titans. Bryant stuffs Ringer on 2nd down, and on 3rd down, Michael Roos whiffs so badly on Clemons that I originally thought he was blocking for a screen pass. Easy sack for Clemons to force the 3-and-out.
Carroll stays with Hasselbeck, with Seattle in great field position again after a short punt. Quick slant to T.J. Houshmandzadeh for 10 to the Titans 38. Seahawks OC Jeremy Bates gets away with a draw to Jones on 3rd down after Jones gets stuffed on the first two downs. Tulloch, having a sweet night, breaks up another pass. Smoke route to Housh for 3 ends the quarter at the Titans 21.
End of first quarter: Titans 7, Seahawks 0.
James Jones swats down Hasselbeck's third-down pass to force a 44-yard FG out of Mare. Titans 7, Seahawks 3
Poor slant pass from Simms to Kenny Britt incomplete. Didn't the Titans keep Kerry Collins? Bryant whips left tackle #77 on 2nd down and Simms barely gets off a short pass. Titans only get off another 2-yarder on 3rd-and-long. This is Seahawks starters vs. Titans backups, btw.
DID SOMEBODY SAY WATCH THE FAKE PUNT?!?!?!?!?!?!?
Yes, Fisher breaks out the fake punt. I'm laughing so hard at him, and Seattle for getting burned by it for 15 yards, that I may have to call 911. Fisher takes these games so seriously he is truly pathetic. This being said by a guy attempting to blog every NFL preseason game. Punter Brett Kern threw to Ahmad Hall slipping out of the backfield.
You'd think Fisher would have tried to get the ball downfield after being so desperate as to call a fake punt in the 2nd quarter of a preseason game, but it's meek pass, failed draw, meek pass with Craig Terrill coming in untouched on Simms off a stunt, forcing a real punt this time. Menefee and Moon are going nuts about the Seattle pass rush without emphasizing that it's their starters against Tennessee's backups.
From the 18. Charlie Whitehurst, the guy Seattle gave up so much for that you wish Pete Carroll was in your fantasy league, is the new QB. Quinton Ganther burns his old team for 10+ on a circle route. Justin Forsett bounces outside left off a Russell Okung block for 13. Continues to be Seahawk starters vs. Titans subs in the trenches. 3rd-and-1 near midfield, Whitehurst burns a Titan blitz with a pass to Mike Williams, who makes Mouton look absolutely pathetic with a move that wasn't even that special and runs up the sideline for a 51-yard TD. That's Mike Williams the USC draft bust that finally got Matt Millen fired in Detroit. Blitz led to no deep safety help. Yeah, yeah, WHITEHURST RULEZZ. Never mind that it would have been a TD pass for me thanks to Mouton's pathetic play. He so overplayed to Williams' outside shoulder that the big WR's inside move made him look like a total goof. Bad tackling directly caused by a major size mismatch. Seahawks 10, Titans 7
Ringer makes a great cutback and finds a nice seam off LG, with Eugene Amano taking care of the middle linebacker, and dashes through the Seahawk secondary for 48 before Earl Thomas finally catches up to him. Simms wastes that big play a couple of plays later by foot-signaling for the shotgun snap, then starting to wander around like he's Peyton Manning making audibles. The center smacks him right in the chest with the snap and it bounces to Seattle for a turnover. Viva preseason!
On 3rd-and-8, Forsett beats LB#51 out of the backfield for about 30 to the Titans 45. Eric Bakhtiari smokes the RT for a sack the next play, though Whitehurst had a lot of time to unload. Deep slant to Ben Obamanu makes up for that. Good throw and good grab. First down at the 30. Forsett sweeps right for 6. The Whitehurst for NFL MVP Train comes crashing to a halt, though, with an interception directly to Mouton. Not Whitehurst's fault, though; he was expecting Williams to continue his route out to the sideline.
Whitehurst has a strong arm, looks accurate, looks good on his feet and has decent pocket presence. He has such a long, loopy throwing motion, though, it's no surprise he was a late draft pick (I think) and still a significant surprise that anybody would give up the farm to get him.
3:00 till halftime. A short Ringer run gets us to the 2:00 warning. Will Herring blasts Kenny Britt to break up a short pass. Britt beats Kelly Jennings deep up the sideline on 3rd-and-long but Simms overthrows everybody.
1:38 for Whitehurst from his 23 after the punt. A 2-yard pass to Golden Tate eats up 25 seconds and he drops a quick slant the next play while tightly covered. STUPID FUCKING DRAW to Forsett gets nowhere. Practice your 2:00 offense! You're in the last two minutes, morons!
If Seattle's going to run draw plays in that game situation all year, I'll actually be happy to play them twice this year.
0:53 for Simms from his 31. I'll put the over/under on first downs this possession at 1. And bet the under. DRAW TO RINGER for 7. That encourages a 4-wide formation the next play, and Simms hits TE Walter Cook for a couple. Timeout with :24 left. Deep post to Cook is high and incomplete, and I WIN MY BET!!! Punt's out of bounds with :12 left, and Seattle grinds it out from there, though not without a major shoving match between the two teams that threatens to extend the half. Whew, dodged a bullet there.
Halftime score: Seahawks 10, Titans 7.
Whitehurst leads Seattle from their 20 to start the half. Ganther is his new tailback and goes around left end for 6. Okung is still in the game, and could have been credited with TWO pancakes on that play. Ganther cuts back right and rips through the middle to the 40. Great blocking by Seattle there, too, though Okung has limped off the field. Whitehurst gets a nice pocket on third-and-short and throws a nice, tight pass to TE Cameron Morrah on a drag route for a first down. The two connect again at the Tennessee 30 on another third-and-short. Seattle's second-unit line is firmly in control of the line of scrimmage, though they are better-rested. Bad pass behind Williams on a skinny post. They then run their THIRD STRAIGHT DRAW PLAY ON SECOND AND LONG, NONE OF WHICH HAS WORKED. Third-and-11, a slant to Kyle Heckendorf isn't quite where it needed to be, was dropped, and wouldn't have been a first down anyway. Olindo Mare and Josh Brown are sure having outstanding preseasons, though, for kickers who are supposed to be injured. Mare strokes it perfectly from 45. Seahawks 13, Titans 7.
Punter Jon Ryan takes over on kickoffs for Seattle now. Simms to set out from the 26. He needs a timeout after a poor 4-yard flare to the tight end and is just not having a good night. The Dopily-Spelled Telecom Stadium crowd has been an impressive factor. Britt double-clutches a bullet pass at the 39 to keep Tennessee alive. BIG block by fullback #44 lets Stafon Johnson rip around right end for about 15. So, just as the Titan offense appears to be hitting its stride for the first time since the opening possession, HOLDING on Fernando Velasco. About three guys get to Simms on third-and-a-mile. TV gives the sack to Dexter Davis; I give it to Craig Terrill, who got there with a sweet spin move; also, LDE Raheem Brock really bullrushed RT Mike Otto to bottle things up.
Seattle reboots at their 34. Nice slant pass to Obamanu for 13. Deon Butler's third down route is well short, but he makes up for it on 4th-and-2 (Note to Steve Spagnuolo: you're allowed to go for those), burning Mouton AGAIN, deep out of a 4-WR look for 36. One of the officials does NOT penalize Pete Carroll for illegally being on the field during the play, elbowing him back toward his sideline instead. Throw the flag! Whitehurst rolls right and hits Morrah inside the 5. And the Titans leave rookie TE Anthony McCoy wide open right inside the goal line for the TD. Jeff Fisher must be wondering, “What the hell happened? I ran our fake punt and everything.” Seahawks 20, Titans 7.
Someone named Rusty Smith – seriously? - is the new Tennessee QB, and LaGarette Blount, hopefully keeping his helmet on, is the new tailback. But it's Stafon Johnson who Smith throws an eight-yard shovel to out to the 40 as the quarter ends.
End of third quarter: Seahawks 20, Titans 7.
That last play was the play where Johnson's ankle was badly mangled, bringing a sudden and sad ending to one of this season's inspiring comeback stories, Johnson having come back from a weight room injury that nearly killed him at USC. This kid has sacrificed a ton for football and deserves better luck than he's getting. Menefee, Moon and the Seattle broadcast do a terrific job with this situation; so does the Seattle crowd. When Blount replaces Johnson, Moon comes thisclose to saying the feel-good story's being replaced by a feel-bad story. Somebody get Warren Moon a national broadcasting job right now (if he doesn't have one).
Meanwhile, Smith gets extremely lucky and an interception goes through CORD PARKS' hands and into Paul Williams' for a first down at Seattle's 40. Parks gets revenge a couple of plays later; he and Jamar Adams light up Williams on third down to force a 46-yard FG. Seahawks 20, Titans 10.
With about 12:45 left, UFL refugee J.P. Losman gets the call for Seattle at the 20. Raiders refugee Louis Rankin blasts off left tackle for 16. That, though, is where the drive bogs down, with Losman throwing a couple of short routes hard but incomplete.
10:23 left, Titans at their 19. Not much urgency for a team down 10 points; line plunge, short pass, short pass, and the last is dropped by Paul Williams on third down. That might be his third drop tonight. The Titans wish Paul Williams the best in his future endeavors. Took this game a while but it has smacked the wall pretty hard.
Seattle at their 14 with 8:49 left. Hey, a Ruvell Martin sighting! He makes a 2-yard catch on 2nd down and was the intended receiver on 3rd down, but Losman really hung a sideline pass behind him and somebody named Alterraun Verner jumps the route and picks it off. I'd have died on the spot if they revealed his name was spelled "Alderaan". Fisher is jumping up and down like he just got picked to Come on down! as the next contestant on The Price is Right. Why so little urgency the last time you had the ball then? Somebody get Fisher his lithium pills.
Since this is obviously such a vital game, Carroll challenges the call. Great work by the TV crew again; they come up with a perfect replay, and there's pretty much nothing for Peter Morelli to overrule, even if Verner didn't catch it, you can't see it. Tennessee ball.
Tennessee's quickly down to the 12 after a 16-yard completion to TE Steven Phelan (sp?) (sp?). Then Smith pulls out too early from center. Viva preseason! 1st-15. Parks manages to drop an interception in the end zone, a pass that Smith threw so softly it had hang time on it. Most people's DOGS could have caught that ball on the fly in their mouths. Certainly Captain Jack the Maniac could have. The Seahawks wish Cord Parks the best in his future endeavors. Obvious pass interference in the end zone on Marcus Brown two plays later sets Tennessee up at the 1, though. You are never going to be inconspicuous as a defensive back on any play wearing jersey number FOUR, Marcus. Change that immediately. Blount needs three tries but finally crosses the goal line with 4:35 to go. Seahawks 20, Titans 16
Fisher receives infinite credit from me next for having the presence of mind to remember to go for two here and guarantee the game won't be a tie. Smith hits Mark Mariani at the goal line for the two-point conversion. Seahawks 20, Titans 18
Parks returns the ensuing kickoff to the 29. Three Ganther carries and a Losman QB sneak grind the clock down to 2:00. On the sneak play, #67 rips Steve Vallos' helmet off his head without a call. And, no, FUCKING FISHER USES HIS LAST TIMEOUT AT 2:03 TO ENSURE THIS GAME WILL TAKE AN ETERNITY TO END.
Seahawks need to convert a 3rd-and-short with 1:59 to stick a fork in this thing. My money's on a punt. I win again. They stupidly hand off to Ganther up the middle and he loses a yard. No rest for the Preseason Challenge, thanks a lot, Carroll.
Good punt return by Mariani sets Tennessee up at their 28 with 1:00 left. FOUR-YARD PASS. There goes 20 seconds. Smith throws the next pass directly to Cam Chancellor. He's a Seattle DB. That throw would have fallen ten feet short of the receiver it was aimed at; it was so bad, I have no idea what Rusty Smith was thinking of when he threw it, other than a hope that the Home Depot is hiring. The Titans wish Rusty Smith the best in his future endeavors.
Final score: Seahawks 20, Titans 18.
Player of the game: Seattle fans are probably going to say Jesus Whitehurst, but my POTG's going to head coach Pete Carroll. The biggest difference in this game was that Seattle's starters stayed in longer. So not only did they reap that advantage, their second-string was fresher than Tennessee's when they came in. Seattle got most of their 20 points off that advantage. So for having the winning player rotation, Carroll goes home with the honors.
What did we learn: Not too damn much. Seattle's offense didn't do anything against Tennessee's starters, especially on the ground. Same for their D. I'll repeat that they're going very big on their d-line this year and selling out against the run. Rams are going to have to pass to set up the run if they're going to end the NFL's most undeserved winning streak by one team over another this season. Britt's an enigmatic guy in Tennessee; pretty illuminating he played so late into the game. Doesn't seem like Jeff Fisher's willing to trust him yet.
Up next: Hold on, I don't know, I have to check. OK, Lions at Steelers. Keep 'em coming!
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