Every Great Fighter Picks Himself Up

By now you've all heard of Seahawks GM John Schneider's desire to field a team that "could win a street fight."  Well make no mistake about it, this past Sunday's season opener against the rival Arizona Cardinals was exactly that.  Eyewitnesses in Glendale even said that they saw a street fight, and a football game broke out.  I'm kidding, nobody said that, but they probably should have.  You see, street fights, unlike boxing matches or any type of organized fighting, have an added element of "anything goes" to them.  While the 23 penalties called in this game might say otherwise, quite a few of those were of the dubious "replacement refs" variety.  Regardless, there were a bunch of players that walked away from this game with some pretty severe injuries that I certainly wouldn't want to be carrying around right now and ultimately the Seahawks walked away from this one with a black eye in the shape of an L.

I think that's where most of the overreacting frustration is coming from the fans and people who cover the team.  The areas where the Seahawks faltered this past Sunday were areas where people assumed improvement, but you don't need me to tell you what happens when you assume.  The only assumption we can safely make right about now without making an ass out of you and me is that this season, with it's tough schedule, is going to be loaded with slugfests.  And while the Seahawks lost their first street fight, I consider it a knockdown rather than a defeat when considering the grand scheme of things.

Everybody knows that guy.  Yeah, THAT guy!  You know the one I'm talkin about.  The guy who claims to have never lost a fight.  Well, that same meathead who claims to have never lost a fight is the same meathead that's probably never been in a fight.  I look at it this way.  The Seahawks were the young, brash teenagers who went into this fight a little overconfident and without their A game and still nearly managed to pull it out.  They didn't get knocked out, but at the end of the day they came out the worse for wear.  Unlike the meathead who claims to have never lost a fight, the Seahawks need to look in the mirror and face defeat, then move on to the next challenger.  That challenger?  The Dallas Cowboys!

What makes this game especially interesting is that before last Wednesday most people probably would've assumed the 'Hawks were 1-0 with the Cowboys playing a huge, must-win game on the road at 0-1.  The roles are reversed, however.  And quite frankly, the Seahawks normally thrive in this sort of underdog role.  Remember the Meadowlands last season?  I sure as hell do.  One of the best days of my life!  How 'bout Marshawn breakin Ray Ray's ankles to seal the deal against Baltimore?  Yup, that was pretty friggin awesome!  See what I'm gettin at?  The Seahawks need not put added pressure on themselves by trying to atone for last week's mistakes.  Instead, they need to clear their minds and embrace the opportunity that lies ahead of them.  Get in that classic street fighter mode and play with the reckless abandon and complete and utter disregard for popular perception that made wins against the Giants and Ravens possible.  Make John Schneider proud!

Another interesting wrinkle to this week's game is that the Dallas Cowboys, like the Arizona Cardinals, run a 3-4 defense and Defensive Coordinator Rob Ryan is not afraid of using heavy blitz packages.  We saw the offensive line, especially the interior, struggle with adjustments when it came to picking up the heat.  Russell Wilson did a decent job of not getting killed back there, but his throws were also a bit high for most of the day.  I know we expected more from Russell, but it WAS his first game and I don't feel as if he looked overwhelmed at any point.  It's important that Darrell Bevell put Russell Wilson in a position to succeed this week, and his gameplan should also include a backup plan to keep the Cowboys off-guard in case they are getting constant pressure.  As such, Russell Okung and Paul McQuistan have their work cut out for them with DeMarcus Ware lining up across from them looking to wreak havoc.  Execution is going to be the name of the game this week.  The Cowboys are a talented squad and unforced errors will almost surely mean defeat for the boys clad in College Navy, Action Green, and Wolf Grey.

I think last week stung so bad because the 'Hawks were beaten at their own game.  The Cardinals were more aggressive, executed their gameplan, and bloodied and bruised the Seahawks while doing it.  That tends to sting the ego a bit.  However, the Seahawks have to answer the 10 count, collect their wits, and keep on going.  Oh, and beat the snot out of the Dallas Cowboys!  In the coming days leading up to the game, I'll try and get a little more in-depth on certain areas the Seahawks will need to explot in order to get the job done in front of the 12th Man.

Hey, might not have been the greatest debut post of all-time, but much like Russell Wilson, hopefully I'll scale new heights sooner rather than later.  Thanks for reading.

Go Seahawks!

Read more here: http://www.thenewstribune.com/2012/08/18/v-lite/2260013/seahawks-backfield-to-face-challenge.html#storylink=cpy