Credible or not, threats are here to stay in sports[size=4]
As uncomfortable as it is to admit, terrorist threats to American sporting events have seemed more a question of “when, where and how” rather than “if.”
Wouldn’t those seeking opportunities to further disrupt our lifestyle target a high-profile athletic event? The Super Bowl, World Series ... or an NFL Sunday?
I’ve avoided writing about the topic because doing so almost felt like an invitation.
Besides, it’s not an issue likely to stimulate much debate: Terrorism ... We’re Against It.
Seattle’s matchup against Minnesota on Sunday has brought former Seahawks guard Steve Hutchinson into the spotlight.
Vikings center Matt Birk jokingly described his famously intense new teammate as “Mr. Friendly” during a conference call with Seattle-area reporters Wednesday.
“He’s been great,” Birk said. “His attitude has been great, and he’s a fun guy to work with. He makes coming to work enjoyable, as I’m sure those guys out there will tell you
During this week of Much about Hutch, we might as well cover it all. So unless you were so distraught you broke your television, radio and computer last March 22 and then shredded the next day's newspaper, you should remember a little signing that coincided with the Seahawks' loss of Steve Hutchinson.
Headline recollection: "Seahawks pass on Hutchinson, land Peterson."
Eight of 13 NFL games last week were decided by three points or fewer. Two of them on the final play. And three more could have changed leads or been tied on a single play in the final minute.
In other words, just another week in the NFL, where nine game-winning field goals already have been made in the final two minutes or overtime this season.
Ladies, forget match.com and those other dating Web sites. The Go 2 Guy's got a live one for you.
This man is often mistaken for Matt Hasselbeck, who was named Seattle's sexiest male athlete in this space last year.
He's got the looks and the smile if not much of a hairline. He's known for being a good quote and sound bite, which can only mean he's a great conversationalist over candlelight dinner.
If the remarkable second-half rebound in St. Louis becomes the pivot point in the Seahawks' 2006 season, coach Mike Holmgren's halftime speech could be compared by historians to the words of Churchill, Lincoln and Patton.
On the other hand, sometimes stuff just happens. When 22 large, sweaty, fast men collide every 30 seconds or so, sometimes even Holmgren can't figure out who did what and why.
"Why you can see two different teams (in the same game), it's a puzzle to me, too," he said Wednesday. "Maybe (my players) were mad at me."
Maurice Morris' "day off" included another session in the training room and a conversation with Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren.
Both events Tuesday stemmed from his efforts in Sunday's 30-28 victory over the Rams in St. Louis. The backup to injured running back Shaun Alexander carried a career-high 23 times for 74 yards, but Morris also lost a fumble at the St. Louis 7-yard line late in the fourth quarter that gave the Rams a chance to win the game.
The Vikings' red zone inefficiency has been a sore topic this season.
Ranked second-to-last in the NFL, the Vikings have scored just three touchdowns in 12 trips inside an opponent's 20-yard line.
"I think when you're looking at it from afar, you're always going to find the chinks of the armor," quarterback Brad Johnson said.
"I really don't like to talk about the red zone," he added later. "I like to talk more about the penalties that we've had in the red zone. That's what's caused more of the problems that we've had more than anything. We work on it, we talk about it, and I think the more you talk about it the worse it becomes. We're moving on as a team."
Their MVP running back is out for two more weeks because of a broken bone in his foot, but weep not for the Seattle Seahawks.
It's not as if their offensive arsenal is empty.
Take it from a Vikings defense that will be charged with stopping that offense Sunday, the Seahawks are a lot more than Shaun Alexander.
"With Alexander out, they're going to put the ball in Matt Hasselbeck's hands and ask him to make plays in the passing game," cornerback Antoine Winfield said Wednesday. "They have the weapons. I think this will be our greatest challenge so far."
Seattle Seahawks news 10/19
Seattle Seahawks news 10/19
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