Hawks go 0-2 as defense unravels before home crowd

Hawks go 0-2 as defense unravels before home crowd
By CLARE FARNSWORTH
P-I REPORTER

It was a day when the Seahawks needed their defense more than ever.

The offense limped into Sunday's home opener against the San Francisco 49ers without its top four receivers, the starters at right guard and right tackle and its starting running back -- all injured.

No problem, right?

The defense feeds off -- and feeds -- the frenzy generated by the 12th Man crowd at Qwest Field. It was facing a 49ers team that the Seahawks outscored 47-3 in sweeping last year's home-and-home series, and was being quarterbacked by an NFL journeyman who was making his first road start.

So how do you explain what unraveled before a disbelieving, and disheartened, crowd of 67,951?

After taking a laugher of a 14-0 lead midway through the first quarter, the Seahawks were outscored 33-16 in dropping a 33-30 decision in overtime.

To the 49ers. To a quarterback named J.T. O'Sullivan, whom they sacked eight times but had no turnovers to show for it. At a place where the Seahawks had won 24 of their previous 28 games, and 15 of their past 19 against NFC West opponents.

"We didn't put up much of a fight in giving that one away," said Pro Bowl middle linebacker Lofa Tatupu, one of the defensive co-captains.

"It's embarrassing."

So is being 0-2 for the first time since 2002, and the third time in 10 seasons under coach Mike Holmgren.

Help could be on the way, as the Seahawks next host a St. Louis Rams team that has been outscored 79-16 in dropping its first two games. But that was the same sentiment afforded to Sunday's game against the 49ers.

Like the Seahawks' opening 34-10 loss in Buffalo, this was a setback that will keep on taking.

Split end Logan Payne suffered what is probably a season-ending injury to his right knee on the Seahawks' fourth play of the game. Backup quarterback Seneca Wallace, who was scheduled to play a lot of wide receiver, pulled a calf muscle in pregame warmups -- after it was too late to make him inactive for the game.

Payne was starting and Wallace was going to play wide receiver, of course, because of season-ending injuries to Nate Burleson and Ben Obomanu, and Bobby Engram and Deion Branch are not ready to return from injuries.

This injury epidemic that has engulfed the team's wideouts left the passing game in the hands of flanker Courtney Taylor, whose two receptions matched his total from the opener; Michael Bumpus, the rookie free agent from Washington State who was signed off the practice squad Saturday; and off-the-street free agent Billy McMullen, who was signed Wednesday and not scheduled to play against the 49ers until Payne and Wallace went down.

Not surprisingly, rookie tight end John Carlson led the club with six receptions -- one fewer than the combined total of Taylor, McMullen and Bumpus.

If ever there was a game when the Seahawks needed their defense, this was it. Instead, the defense left them wanting, allowing 27 of the 49ers' 33 points -- including a 12-play, 58-yard drive to a game-tying field goal by Joe Nedney late in the fourth quarter and a 10-play, 57-yard drive to Nedney's game-winner in overtime.

"We gave up too many," said strong safety Deon Grant, the other defensive co-captain. "We had the game won plenty of times, and we let them score.

"We didn't come through today. To give up that many points and that many big plays, it's shocking. Our No. 1 goal was not to give up any big plays. Today, it didn't work out like that."

The 49ers are now featuring the passing offense that first-year offensive coordinator Mike Martz used to torment the Seahawks during his six-year run as coach of the Rams.

It relies on the quarterback throwing to "windows," and Sunday the Seahawks left too many of them open.

For example:

# O'Sullivan opened the drive to the 49ers' first field goal by throwing for 25 yards to Bryant Johnson (against cornerback Kelly Jennings) and 27 yards to Isaac Bruce (against cornerback Marcus Trufant).

# On the drive to the 49ers' first touchdown, a 3-yard pass to Johnson (against Jennings), O'Sullivan and Bruce hooked up on a 63-yard pass play (against Trufant).

# The drive to the 49ers' second touchdown, a 2-yard run by Frank Gore, started with O'Sullivan passing for 19 and 13 yards to Johnson (against Jennings and zone coverage).

# The drive to the 49ers' tying field goal in the fourth quarter was highlighted by O'Sullivan's 22-yard pass to Bruce (against nickel back Josh Wilson) on third-and-14.

# On the drive to Nedney's 40-yard game-winner in overtime, a pass play from O'Sullivan to Bruce (against Wilson) supplied 33 of the 57 yards.

This from a defense that allowed the fewest touchdown passes (15) in the league last season and a unit that Holmgren labeled the strength of the team this summer -- before the offense was decimated by injuries.

"That's Mike Martz's offense, and O'Sullivan did a great job of throwing to those windows," Jennings said. "With our defense, and with eight sacks, we should be able to make more plays than we did today.

"O'Sullivan did a good job of reading what we were doing and getting the ball out quick."

If misery does indeed love company, then the Seahawks are in equally miserable company because the San Diego Chargers, Jacksonville Jaguars and Minnesota Vikings also are 0-2.

"There's only two things we can do," left guard Mike Wahle said. "We can quit or we can get better. And we're not quitters."

GAME AT A GLANCE

PLAYER OF THE GAME

J.T. O'Sullivan. Isaac Bruce caught four passes for 153 yards. Patrick Willis had a game-high eight tackles and scored on an 86-yard interception return. But O'Sullivan made big play after big play -- despite being sacked eight times -- in his first road start in the NFL. The 49ers' quarterback completed 20 of 32 passes for 321 yards and a touchdown for a 106.4 passer rating. But he was at his best on the 49ers' six scoring drives, completing 16 of 24 for 273 yards -- and on third downs in those possessions, he was 4 of 6 for 72 yards. All of this in the din at Qwest Field that has unnerved far more experienced quarterbacks.

PLAYS OF THE GAME

Offense: A 63-yard pass play from O'Sullivan to Bruce on the 80-yard drive to the 49ers' first touchdown. It came from the shotgun formation and with the 49ers using a no-huddle. It went to Bruce, who did not have a reception in the 49ers' season opener. It came against Marcus Trufant, the Seahawks' Pro Bowl cornerback, who chopped his steps coming out of his break while trying to cover Bruce. Trufant did recover to make the tackle -- at the Seahawks' 9-yard line.

Defense: Willis' interception return. First, he scored, which tied the score at 20. But the play began with cornerback Nate Clements getting his helmet on a Matt Hasselbeck pass that was intended for Billy McMullen at the 49ers' 14-yard line. So Willis picking off the carom and scoring provided a 10-point swing in a game that went into overtime.

Special teams: Joe Nedney's game-winning 40-yard field goal with 10:20 remaining in the overtime period. The 49ers' left-footed kicker got a second chance to get it right after pushing a 41-yard attempt wide right as time expired in regulation. It was Nedney, while playing for the Raiders, who kicked a game-winner in overtime in the season finale against the Chiefs in 1999 that gave the Seahawks the division title in Mike Holmgren's first season as coach.





http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/football/379144_hawk15.html

49ers deliver knockout punch to Seahawks
Seattle's injury troubles were compounded by adventurous punting and pass coverage, plus two momentum-swinging interceptions that resulted in San Francisco touchdowns.
By José Miguel Romero
Seattle Times staff reporter

If ever there was day for the San Francisco 49ers to steal a win at Qwest Field and deliver a roundhouse right to the Seahawks' season, Sunday was that day.

Seahawks backup quarterback Seneca Wallace, who had practiced at receiver, pulled a calf muscle in pregame warmups, denying an option to a team already shorthanded at receiver.

Then, just over three minutes into the game, wide receiver Logan Payne took a shot to his knees from 49ers safety Dashon Goldson and had to leave the game. That left the Seahawks with three healthy receivers.

Injury troubles were compounded by shoddy punting and pass coverage, plus two momentum-swinging interceptions that resulted in San Francisco touchdowns.

Kicker Joe Nedney provided the final punch, atoning for his 41-yard miss as regulation time expired by booting the life out of the Seahawks with a 40-yard field goal, vaulting the 49ers to a 33-30 overtime win.

The Seahawks find themselves 0-2 for the first time since the start of the 2002 season and face more roster moves this week. Payne has a torn ligament in his knee, an injury that coach Mike Holmgren deemed "significant," and Wallace will miss time.

"We just have to regroup," Holmgren said. "Can't feel sorry for ourselves. Fix the things we can fix, hopefully, and then get ready for the Rams coming in here next week."

That was one piece of positive news. St. Louis shares last place with the Seahawks in the NFC West and got trounced 41-13 by the New York Giants on Sunday. The Rams have been outscored 79-16 in their first two games.

Beyond that, little else positive. The Seahawks were already beset by injuries: starting linebacker Lofa Tatupu and cornerback Marcus Trufant played hurt, running back Maurice Morris and right tackle Sean Locklear were out and cornerback Kelly Jennings injured his ribs in the first quarter but returned.

Jennings said he caught a knee to his rib cage on a pass play and that he needed X-rays.

Despite such misfortune, the Seahawks led 14-0 halfway through the opening quarter. Julius Jones, who got the start at running back, ran 27 yards for a touchdown, and defensive tackle Craig Terrill scooped up a loose ball, emerged from a pile of Seahawks trying to collect it and scored.

Jones' touchdown came after Jordan Babineaux picked up a blocked punt and ran 24 yards for a first down to keep the ball in the Seahawks' hands. Seattle punter Jon Ryan had been signed last week.

Unfamiliar faces pressed into action made mistakes, but also made key plays at critical times. Rookie Michael Bumpus, an undrafted free agent who was running routes for Washington State at this time last year, didn't catch a punt that should have been downed near the Seahawks goal line by the 49ers. But Bumpus came back with a 30-yard return in the fourth quarter that led to an Olindo Mare field goal that gave the Seahawks a 30-27 lead with 7:41 to play.

Another receiver new to the Hawks, Billy McMullen, fumbled away a 31-yard catch in the second quarter, but he caught a 14-yard pass in the fourth. McMullen, who was signed Tuesday, hadn't been expected to play, with Wallace, Payne, Bumpus and Courtney Taylor in line in front of him.

There was more from the new-look Seahawks. Jones rushed for 127 yards, his most since 2005. Rookie tight end John Carlson caught six passes for 78 yards. Running back T.J. Duckett ran for his first touchdown as a Seahawk, a game-tying 1-yard run early in the fourth quarter. Mare made three field goals, one from 51 yards. And rookie Lawrence Jackson had two of the Seahawks' eight sacks on the day.

None of it added up to a victory, as the 49ers' offense woke up after a miserable first quarter. San Francisco (1-1) made too many big plays — two tipped balls for interceptions and five completions of 25 yards or more — and was the beneficiary of five penalties for interference, illegal contact or defensive holding that extended drives.

"You're just wondering to yourself, 'What is going on?' " Taylor said when asked about all the injuries. "It's a tough situation. I've never been a part of anything like it."




http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/seahawks/2008180136_hawk15.html

O’Sullivan latest of Martz’s many QB projects
ERIC D. WILLIAMS; eric.williams@thenewstribune.com
Published: September 14th, 2008 01:08 AM

RENTON – Count J.T. O’Sullivan among the list of little-known quarterbacks San Francisco offensive coordinator Mike Martz has unearthed to direct his complex, pass-oriented offense.

You’ve heard the names before. Kurt Warner. Trent Green. Marc Bulger. None of these quarterbacks was drafted above the sixth round. Warner, a two-time MVP during Martz’s time in St. Louis, was undrafted.

O’Sullivan is cut from the same cloth. He’s been with eight teams while bouncing around the NFL during his six-year career. After a record-setting career at NCAA Division II California Davis, O’Sullivan was drafted in the sixth round in 2002 by the New Orleans Saints. Though he bristles at the moniker, O’Sullivan is an NFL journeyman brought in by the 49ers because of his knowledge of Martz’s offense culled during a Detroit stint as backup to Jon Kitna.

To the surprise of many NFL observers, O’Sullivan emerged as the starting quarterback for San Francisco in a heated, three-way competition, not franchise quarterback Alex Smith. Smith, the No. 1 overall draft pick in the 2005 NFL draft, was put on the injured reserve list by the 49ers this week with a season-ending shoulder injury, and likely has played his last game for San Francisco.

One of the few people not surprised by his starting role is O’Sullivan, who leads the 49ers against the Seahawks today.

“The day I signed here they said it would be a competition,” O’Sullivan said. “That is how I approached it and I never stopped thinking about it. I just took them for their word and they said it would be an open competition. I never read more or less into it.”

The reason O’Sullivan is the starting quarterback probably has more to do with his temperament than his physical skills. Like Warner, O’Sullivan is tough-minded and a grinder who has had to fight for every snap he’s taken in the NFL. Through that struggle, O’Sullivan finally gained a starting job.

“He’s tough,” said San Francisco coach Mike Nolan. “He’s competitive, he’s resilient, he’s got a nice feel for the game.

“I don’t know exactly where he’s at, but I feel the more he plays, the better he’s going to get because the players around him … I think they’ll trust in him more and they’ll be trustworthy as we go forward.”

Another thing O’Sullivan possesses that is paramount for a Martz-led offense is a quick release.

“I think he’s very good,” Kitna, who was coached by Martz in Detroit, told MLive.com. “He’s got the quickest release of any quarterback I’ve seen since Dan Marino.”’

O’Sullivan has ample room for improvement, and may struggle on the road with the intense noise a Qwest Field. In his first career start, San Francisco’s opening-season loss to Arizona, O’Sullivan finished 14-of-20 for 195 yards and an interception. And he was personally responsible for three of San Francisco’s five turnovers.

Still, Martz heaped praise on his starter after the performance, and says another thing that helps him stand out from Martz’s former quarterbacks like Warner and Bulger is O’Sullivan’s mobility.

Despite his attributes, O’Sullivan knows he still needs to prove it on the field. At 33, O’Sullivan finds himself in the odd position of following in the footsteps of 49ers legends Joe Montana and Steve Young. As a kid growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area in nearby Carmichael, Calif., O’Sullivan sought autographs from his hometown heroes. Now he’s signing 49ers’ programs with his picture on the front.

“I’m more aware that those guys were here,” O’Sullivan said. “I don’t really think of myself as trying to move in that direction. The way I have always focused on this job is just to focus on my performance. Put all that other stuff to the side and realize I need to play well consistently to give this team a chance to win.”

Eric D. Williams: 253-597-8437

blogs.thenewstribune.com/seahawks

J.T. O’Sullivan file

Age: 33, born Aug. 25, 1975, in Burbank, Calif.

Ht./Wt.: 6-2/227

College: Univ. of California-Davis

Pro career: Signed by San Francisco as an unrestricted free agent from Detroit in February. O’Sullivan has played for eight teams in his six-year NFL career. Prior to the start of the 2007 season, O’Sullivan was allocated to the Frankfurt Galaxy of NFL Europa, where he was named 2007 Offensive Co-MVP after leading the league with a 103.1 passer rating on 160-of-235 accuracy for 1,997 yards with 15 touchdowns. … In his first career NFL start against Arizona last week, O’Sullivan finished 14-of-20 for 195 yards and an interception.





http://www.thenewstribune.com/sports/seahawks/story/482066.html