West
02-06-2006, 06:45 PM
Found this article browsing nfl.com just now. I feel like it really relates to my last post in the other Superbowl thread.
http://www.nfl.com
Letting it slip away
By Chuck Klonke
Special to SuperBowl.com
DETROIT (Feb. 5, 2006) -- The Seattle Seahawks said all the right things after Super Bowl XL.
They gave the Pittsburgh Steelers their due. They credited them for the 21-10 victory. They said that Pittsburgh was the better team on Sunday.
But on the flight back to Seattle, the Seahawks are bound to wonder what might have been.
Super Bowl XL:
Steelers 21, Seahawks 10
What might have been if Darrell Jackson hadn't been called for offensive pass interference after catching a pass in the end zone in the first quarter? It would have been a 16-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead instead of settling for Josh Brown's 47-yard field goal.
"Usually you see a no call in a situation like that," said Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren.
What might have been if tight end Jerramy Stevens hadn't dropped three passes, including two that were deep in Pittsburgh territory?
"I just didn't make the catch," Stevens said. "I wanted to make the plays. I usually make those plays. It's frustrating as hell."
Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck said that he never lost confidence in Stevens, who during the week engaged in a war of words with Pittsburgh linebacker Joey Porter. Hasselbeck also said that he didn't think that had an effect on Stevens' performance Sunday.
"I don't think he faded under pressure," Hasselbeck said. "Everybody has a bad day like that at times. I have confidence in him. I kept throwing him the ball."
Hasselbeck proved that he had confidence in Stevens when he passed to him for Seattle's only touchdown.
What might have been if the Seahawks hadn't been penalized at the most inopportune times?
A holding penalty nullified a 34-yard punt return by Peter Warrick late in the first half. Another holding penalty wiped out a pass from Hasselbeck to Stevens that took Seattle to the Pittsburgh 1-yard line when the score was 14-10 midway through the fourth quarter.
Kelly Herndon's record-breaking interception return set up Seattle's TD.
"It's not characteristic of my team to take that many penalties," Holmgren said.
It was a game of missed opportunities for the Seahawks, who stopped themselves as many times as the Steelers stopped them.
"We had momentum and it seemed like we could pin them back on their heels a few times, but we couldn't finish," said center Robbie Tobeck. "We had opportunities, and when you play a great team like Pittsburgh, you have to make every one of them count."
Hasselbeck said that the Steelers defense caused more than a few problems for him, but at the same time, he caught them on a few occasions, too.
"We picked up a lot of the blitzes, but that's only part of the deal," he said. "Then you have to do something with it. We beat them a few times, but not enough.
"Pittsburgh did a good job of mixing things and they threw in a few things that we hadn't seen before. We just stalled out in the red zone. When you're in the red zone, you have to score touchdowns."
And the Seahawks had only one -- the 16-yard touchdown pass from Hasselbeck to Stevens that was set up by cornerback Kelly Herndon's 76-yard interception return.
So Seattle will head into the offseason wondering what might have been had they capitalized on all their chances.
"I told the players to make sure that they gave Pittsburgh credit," Holmgren said. "But we have played better than we did tonight. Unfortunately, we didn't play our best in the biggest game of the year."
http://www.nfl.com
Letting it slip away
By Chuck Klonke
Special to SuperBowl.com
DETROIT (Feb. 5, 2006) -- The Seattle Seahawks said all the right things after Super Bowl XL.
They gave the Pittsburgh Steelers their due. They credited them for the 21-10 victory. They said that Pittsburgh was the better team on Sunday.
But on the flight back to Seattle, the Seahawks are bound to wonder what might have been.
Super Bowl XL:
Steelers 21, Seahawks 10
What might have been if Darrell Jackson hadn't been called for offensive pass interference after catching a pass in the end zone in the first quarter? It would have been a 16-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead instead of settling for Josh Brown's 47-yard field goal.
"Usually you see a no call in a situation like that," said Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren.
What might have been if tight end Jerramy Stevens hadn't dropped three passes, including two that were deep in Pittsburgh territory?
"I just didn't make the catch," Stevens said. "I wanted to make the plays. I usually make those plays. It's frustrating as hell."
Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck said that he never lost confidence in Stevens, who during the week engaged in a war of words with Pittsburgh linebacker Joey Porter. Hasselbeck also said that he didn't think that had an effect on Stevens' performance Sunday.
"I don't think he faded under pressure," Hasselbeck said. "Everybody has a bad day like that at times. I have confidence in him. I kept throwing him the ball."
Hasselbeck proved that he had confidence in Stevens when he passed to him for Seattle's only touchdown.
What might have been if the Seahawks hadn't been penalized at the most inopportune times?
A holding penalty nullified a 34-yard punt return by Peter Warrick late in the first half. Another holding penalty wiped out a pass from Hasselbeck to Stevens that took Seattle to the Pittsburgh 1-yard line when the score was 14-10 midway through the fourth quarter.
Kelly Herndon's record-breaking interception return set up Seattle's TD.
"It's not characteristic of my team to take that many penalties," Holmgren said.
It was a game of missed opportunities for the Seahawks, who stopped themselves as many times as the Steelers stopped them.
"We had momentum and it seemed like we could pin them back on their heels a few times, but we couldn't finish," said center Robbie Tobeck. "We had opportunities, and when you play a great team like Pittsburgh, you have to make every one of them count."
Hasselbeck said that the Steelers defense caused more than a few problems for him, but at the same time, he caught them on a few occasions, too.
"We picked up a lot of the blitzes, but that's only part of the deal," he said. "Then you have to do something with it. We beat them a few times, but not enough.
"Pittsburgh did a good job of mixing things and they threw in a few things that we hadn't seen before. We just stalled out in the red zone. When you're in the red zone, you have to score touchdowns."
And the Seahawks had only one -- the 16-yard touchdown pass from Hasselbeck to Stevens that was set up by cornerback Kelly Herndon's 76-yard interception return.
So Seattle will head into the offseason wondering what might have been had they capitalized on all their chances.
"I told the players to make sure that they gave Pittsburgh credit," Holmgren said. "But we have played better than we did tonight. Unfortunately, we didn't play our best in the biggest game of the year."