Seahawks come up just inches short

Seahawks come up just inches short
San Diego's Floyd goes higher than Seattle's Lowe for winning 2-pointer
By CLARE FARNSWORTH
P-I REPORTER

SAN DIEGO -- In a game of inches, Omare Lowe came up four short.

The Seahawks' backup cornerback was out-jumped by 6-foot-5 Malcolm Floyd on a two-point conversion pass late in the fourth quarter Monday night, a play that supplied the San Diego Chargers' margin of victory in a nationally televised game at Qualcomm Stadium.

The 18-17 loss was the Seahawks' first of the preseason and prevented them from starting 3-0 for only the fourth time in franchise history, and the first time since 1988.

"I'm a tall corner, so that's a play I've got to make," said Lowe, who played at the University of Washington. "Prime-time game. I kind of let my team down."

The margin of error was even closer on a pass-interference penalty against cornerback Kevin Hobbs in the end zone, a play that set up the touchdown that preceded Billy Volek's game-winning pass to Floyd.

"Can I get fined in the preseason?" a frustrated coach Mike Holmgren said. "Holy Toledo. I thought Kevin Hobbs made a great play on that long ball.

"I couldn't ask him to do it any better. I didn't agree with the call, and it's too bad because we needed that."

With the Seahawks leading 17-10, and the Chargers facing a first down at their own 48-yard line with 3 ½ minutes to play, Hobbs reached over Floyd to tip away an end-zone pass with his right hand.

But a replay showed that Hobbs might have had his left hand on Floyd's opposite shoulder pad just before making the deflection. That's what the official saw. That's why the Chargers got the 51-yard penalty and the ball at the 1.

"I think that's what they said, I didn't even try to get an explanation I was so frustrated," Hobbs said.

"That's what made me so mad about it. Not that I would have had this great play, but if I had batted that ball down we would have won the game. That's the big issue."

He didn't. So the Seahawks didn't.

But there's not a lot of time to dwell on this game, and its matter of inches. The Seahawks host the Oakland Raiders in their preseason finale at Qwest Field on Friday night.

Monday also was a game of attrition, as the Seahawks lost Pro Bowl middle linebacker Lofa Tatupu and quarterback Charlie Frye to knee injuries that were not considered serious. They already were playing without Pro Bowl quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, leading receiver Bobby Engram, right tackle Sean Locklear and center Chris Spencer.

The Chargers, meanwhile, had seemingly half a Pro Bowl roster on the sideline -- running back LaDainian Tomlinson, linebacker Shawne Merriman, tight end Antonio Gates, center Nick Hardwick and defensive tackle Jamal Williams.

The Seahawks took an early lead when Frye and Nate Burleson hooked up for a 68-yard touchdown on the third play of the game.

Fullback Leonard Weaver picked up blitzing linebacker Jyles Tucker to give Frye the time he needed to get the pass off, while Burleson shook off a shot from Chargers free safety Eric Weddle at the San Diego 40-yard line but stayed on his feet to score.

Frye mixed passes to Courtney Taylor (his first two receptions of the preseason) and Weaver with runs by Julius Jones (five carries for 31 yards) in moving the Seahawks to the Chargers' 29 on the Seahawks' next possession. But the drive fizzled on an illegal-procedure penalty and two incompletions.

Olindo Mare then slapped a 50-yard field goal attempt wide left.

"Charlie played a good football game tonight," Holmgren said. "He handled things very, very well. Threw some nice balls. He was pretty resourceful.

"It was a much better game."

Before leaving with his sore knee, Frye completed 19 of 29 passes for 219 yards and two touchdowns -- the second one to Jordan Kent. Frye also did not throw an interception, after having three passes picked off against the Chicago Bears in the home opener.

"It was night and day as far as how comfortable I felt out there this week compared to last week," Frye said.

But the Chargers finally got going, scoring on back-to-back possessions in the second quarter to take their 10-7 halftime lead.

The Chargers' game-tying 87-yard drive included two plays the Seahawks can't afford to repeat during the regular season.

First, Chargers' guard Kris Dielman walled off Tatupu, allowing Darren Sproles to run for 16 yards up the gut. Then, the Seahawks blew a coverage, leaving Vincent Jackson wide open in the middle of the field for a 59-yard gain. Only a tackle by strong safety Deon Grant saved the touchdown -- which came three plays later on a 1-yard run by Sproles, who finished with 102 yards on 13 carries.

The Chargers' go-ahead score -- a 40-yard field goal by Nate Kaeding -- was set up by two of those third-down plays that tormented the Seahawks last season.

On third-and-3, Jackson beat nickel back Jordan Babineaux for an 11-yard gain. Then, on third-and-5, Jackson got the best of nickel back Josh Wilson for a 14-yard completion.

"They gashed us pretty good," Holmgren said of the Chargers' big plays against the Seahawks' No. 1 defense.

The Seahawks tied the score 10-10 in the third quarter on what was more of a trudge than a drive -- 57 yards in 15 plays that consumed almost eight minutes. Mare got the Seahawks even with a 24-yard field goal.

The series-sustaining plays came from Weaver, who was hit at the line but bounced away to get 2 yards on third-and-1; and a 21-yard pass from Frye to Kent, who got open over the middle and then shook an attempted tackle by Matt Wilhelm.

The Seahawks regained the lead when Frye passed 12 yards to Kent for a touchdown with 11:03 left to play. The pass capped a nine-play, 91-yard drive, which included six carries by T.J. Duckett -- three for 12 yards each.

That's when the Seahawks started coming up short in what was a game of inches.

"Bill and Norv (Turner, the Chargers coach) saw a mismatch with a smaller corner on me and he called my number," Floyd said. "We were backed into a corner and we went for that victory."
CHARGERS 18 SEAHAWKS 17
Seattle 7 0 3 7--17
San Diego 0 10 0 8--18

First quarter Sea--Burleson 68 pass from Frye (Mare kick), 13:38.

Second quarter SD--Sproles 1 run (Kaeding kick), 6:29.

SD--FG Kaeding 40, 1:03.

Third quarter Sea--FG Mare 24, 2:42.

Fourth quarter Sea--Kent 12 pass from Frye (Mare kick), 11:03.

SD--Hester 1 run (Floyd pass from Volek), 2:30.

A--52,763.
Sea SD
First downs 23 18
Total Net Yards 392 298
Rushes-yards 32-162 27-130
Passing 230 168
Punt Returns 1-5 3-31
Kickoff Returns 4-74 2-43
Interceptions Ret. 0-0 1-13
Comp-Att-Int 21-33-1 14-30-0
Sacked-Yards Lost 1-4 1-8
Punts 3-52.7 4-45.8
Fumbles-Lost 1-1 1-1
Penalties-Yards 6-86 4-30
Time of Possession 31:32 28:28

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING: Seattle, Duckett 6-46, Morris 5-31, Jones 8-30, Frye 2-22, Weaver 5-18, Forsett 4-9, Kirtman 1-6, Schmitt 1-0. San Diego, Sproles 13-102, Hester 9-21, Tolbert 1-6, Thomas 1-2, Rivers 1-0, Volek 2-(minus 1).

PASSING: Seattle, Frye 19-29-0-219, S.Wallace 2-4-1-15. San Diego, Rivers 11-21-0-143, Volek 3-9-0-33.

RECEIVING: Seattle, Kent 4-47, Putzier 3-27, Taylor 3-24, Carlson 2-19, Weaver 2-8, Burleson 1-68, Heller 1-10, Payne 1-10, Morris 1-8, Forsett 1-7, Obomanu 1-5, Kirtman 1-1. San Diego, Jackson 3-84, Floyd 3-37, Naanee 3-29, Chambers 1-15, Manumaleuna 1-8, Tolbert 1-7, Sproles 1-0, Hester 1-(minus 4).

MISSED FIELD GOAL: Seattle, Mare 50 (WL).





http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/football/376488_hawk26.html

Seahawks starters stand out despite loss to Chargers
The Seahawks began Monday night's exhibition game against the San Diego Chargers the same way they started last year's exhibition game against...
By José Miguel Romero
Seattle Times staff reporter


SAN DIEGO — The Seahawks began Monday night's exhibition game against the San Diego Chargers the same way they started last year's exhibition game against the same team in the same stadium.

They hit on a big play, a deep touchdown pass on the game's opening drive. Last year, it was Matt Hasselbeck to Deion Branch for 31 yards. This time, it was Charlie Frye — starting in place of the injured Hasselbeck — to Nate Burleson for 68 yards.

On the play, Burleson took a hit near the San Diego 40-yard line where he caught the ball but kept going. As good as that start was, however, the ever-so-close ending found the Seahawks on the losing end, 18-17.

It came down to two plays. One was a 51-yard pass-interference penalty against Seattle cornerback Kevin Hobbs, which put the ball on the Seahawks' 1-yard line with 3:20 to play and set up a touchdown for the Chargers. The second was the winning two-point conversion, a jump-ball situation pitting 6-foot-5 wide receiver Malcolm Floyd of the Chargers against 6-1 cornerback Omare Lowe. Floyd won the midair battle for the catch, and Seneca Wallace threw an interception on a tipped pass on the Seahawks' final possession.

"Holy Toledo," Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren said after the game. "I thought Kevin Hobbs made a great play. I couldn't ask him to do it any better. I didn't agree with it [the pass-interference call]. It's too bad."

Hobbs, a third-year player competing for a roster spot, also thought he played the ball well.

"I didn't even try to get an explanation. I was so frustrated at the time," he said. "I wouldn't have done anything different."

The two plays cost the Seahawks a chance to go to 3-0 in exhibition play for the first time since 1988. Of more importance, though, was another good performance from the starters and improvement shown from the reserves and youngsters who are trying to make the final roster.

The Seahawks didn't come away from the game unscathed. Linebacker Lofa Tatupu sustained what was termed a right knee bruise in the second quarter and left the game. Frye also hurt a knee and left early in the fourth quarter after leading a touchdown drive that gave the Seahawks a 17-10 lead with 11 minutes to play. Frye was replaced by Wallace, who had been hobbled by a sore groin last week in practice. Holmgren said he didn't want to use fourth quarterback Dalton Bell.

"He played a good football game tonight. Handled things very, very well, threw some nice balls; we know he's tough," Holmgren said of Frye, who completed 19 of 29 passes for 219 yards and no interceptions, and helped his cause with a couple of good scrambles. "I was hoping to see what I saw."

Tatupu's injury happened after the Seahawks' starting defense had been scored upon twice. It might have been three times if not for a bad snap on a shotgun formation from San Diego center Jeremy Newberry. Defensive tackle Rocky Bernard pounced on the loose ball at the Seahawks' 7-yard line with the Chargers poised to tie the score on their first drive after the Frye-to-Burleson play.

Burleson got a good block from teammate Courtney Taylor and stopped to pose in the end zone, holding one arm up high and cocking the other like an archer.

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"A little Usain Bolt from the Olympics. Just a tribute to him," Burleson said with a grin.

Darren Sproles, starting at running back for LaDainian Tomlinson, gained 102 yards against the Seahawks' No. 1 defense in the first half and one series in the second. He had 24 yards on one carry.

San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers also carved up the Seahawks, mainly in the second quarter. His 59-yard completion to Vincent Jackson — on which safety Deon Grant appeared to turn the wrong way in coverage, leaving a huge space in the middle of the field for Jackson — set up a Sproles touchdown run.

The Chargers led 10-7 at halftime, but the Seahawks tied the score with a 24-yard field goal from Olindo Mare with 2:46 left in the third quarter. Then came a TD pass to Jordan Kent that gave the Seahawks a 17-10 lead.





http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/seahawks/2008138283_hawk26.html

Seahawks lose exhibition game to Chargers, 18-17
Late two-point conversion sinks Seattle
FRANK HUGHES; The News Tribune
Published: August 25th, 2008 08:49 PM | Updated: August 25th, 2008 11:12 PM

SAN DIEGO – The Seattle Seahawks were so close to starting the exhibition season with three consecutive victories for the first time in 20 years and for only the third time in their history.

But a controversial pass interference penalty on Kevin Hobbs, a late touchdown run by San Diego’s Jacob Hester and an interception thrown by Seneca Wallace in the final two minutes led to Seattle’s first exhibition loss this year, an 18-17 decision before 52,763 fans at Qualcomm Stadium and a national television audience.

Of more concern than the loss was the status of Pro Bowl middle linebacker Lofa Tatupu, who left in the first half with a bruised knee and didn’t return.

Tatupu did not speak to reporters, but he left the locker room walking stiffly on crutches. He told an assistant coach he didn’t think he would be able to drive once the team flight landed in Seattle.

Though coach Mike Holmgren said team doctors determined there was no ligament damage, Tatupu will receive a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) today to determine the severity of the injury. He almost certainly is out of Friday’s exhibition finale against Oakland.

Charlie Frye, who started at quarterback, also suffered a knee injury, though his did not appear as serious as Tatupu’s. Frye, who was injured early in the fourth quarter, said his knee was sore but he did not appear to be nearly as affected as Tatupu. His status for Friday’s game is unclear.

Frye’s injury came after playing a very good game, redemption for his three interception performance against Chicago last week.

He threw a 68-yard touchdown pass to Nate Burleson on the third play from scrimmage, a 12-yard TD to Jordan Kent early in the fourth quarter, and had the Seahawks in position to try to finish the exhibition season undefeated for the first time.

But that’s when Chargers backup quarterback Billy Volek decided to throw a deep pass into the end zone – and the referees became the focal point of Holmgren’s ire.

On the play, Hobbs had Chargers tight end Scott Chandler blanketed as he crossed into the end zone, though Hobbs did have a hand on top of Chandler’s shoulder pad.

Hobbs jumped to knock the pass away, but the officials’ flag came flying as he celebrated.

“It made me mad because I didn’t even touch the guy,” Hobbs said. “But sometimes in football they call it one way or the other way. It just didn’t go our way today. I didn’t even try to get any information from them because I was so frustrated. I don’t even know what they said I did.”

Before Ed Hochuli informed the stadium about the infraction, the officials conferred in a huddle around the goal line, giving the Seahawks hope that they would wave off the flag. No such luck. They placed the ball on the 1.

“Can I get fined in the preseason?” Holmgren said. “Holy Toledo. I thought Kevin Hobbs made a great play on that long ball. I couldn’t ask him to do it any better. I didn’t agree with those two (officials).”

The Chargers did not convert on first and second downs, but Hester pushed the ball just across the goal line on third down. Instead of risking an overtime – which would have been the second consecutive overtime exhibition for the Seahawks – Chargers coach Norv Turner elected to go for the two-point conversion. Volek threw a lob pass to the 6-foot-5 Malcolm Floyd, who outjumped ex-Washington Husky Omare Lowe for the catch that provided a one-point margin.

“We have one of the tallest receiving corps out there so Coach was just trying to take advantage of that,” Floyd said.

Holmgren had not planned on allowing Wallace to throw any passes because of a sore groin that limited him in practice last week. But with his team down a point with 2ß minutes remaining, he had no choice.

Wallace was sacked on Seattle’s final possession. On the next play, as he was scrambling to his right, Wallace threw a pass intended for Logan Payne that was tipped by Cletis Gordon and intercepted by Brian Bonner, ending Seattle’s chances.

The third exhibition is traditionally the time for teams to give their starters the majority of the work before giving them the final game off in preparation for the regular season opener.

Holmgren was a bit more cautious in this game, leaving Matt Hasselbeck at home to rest a sore back. Running back LaDainian Tomlinson, the 2006 MVP, did not play for San Diego.

Holmgren put Frye in control for the second consecutive game, and this time Frye acquitted himself well, completing 19 of 29 passes for 219 yards and no interceptions. His passer rating went from 38.9 last week to 111.1 against the Chargers.

“He handled things very, very well and he threw some nice balls,” Holmgren said.

He found starting flanker Courtney Taylor three times, though Holmgren said he wished Taylor, who had no prior catches in the exhibition season, had caught even more passes

Kent continues to solidify his position on the 53-man roster, catching four passes for 47 yards, including his second touchdown of the exhibition season.





http://www.thenewstribune.com/sports/seahawks/story/459763.html