The Cardinals, who play at CenturyLink Field on Sunday, are ranked No. 29 overall in total defense, giving up 466 yards a contest. And they’ve been shredded by Carolina rookie quarterback Cam Newton (422 yards, two touchdowns) and a journeyman, Washington’s Rex Grossman (291 yards, two touchdowns), in back-to-back weeks.
At 0-2, the Seahawks can use any advantage they can get. Seattle is worst in the league in average total yards per game (191.5) and average rushing yards per game (47.5) and second-worst in scoring (8.5 points per contest).
So what’s the problem? Receiver Ben Obomanu says it’s his team’s inability to get into a rhythm because of a failure to convert on third down and keep drives going. Seattle is 27th in the league in third-down conversions at 24 percent.
Slow starts have also been an issue. Seattle has yet to score in the first half, getting outscored 33-0 in the first half of its two games, at San Francisco and at Pittsburgh.
“When you get down early, you don’t get a chance to get to those plays you’ve been working on all week at practice,” Obomanu said. “You realize that time is of the essence. You’re trying to score, trying to give the defense rest. So we realize that we have to start early so we can set up some plays, recognize some different things and be able to utilize the whole playbook.”
Running back Justin Forsett believes that if his team could create some explosive plays, it could help loosen up opponents’ defenses. The Seahawks have only one passing play of 25 or more yards this year (tied for worst in the league) and two rushing plays of 10 or more yards (tied for second-worst).
“We go back to the sideline and we’re looking at plays, and we could be one block away or one cut away from having that home run we’ve been missing, that explosive play,” Forsett said. “But it’s there, and we’ve just got to keep fighting.”
Seattle head coach Pete Carroll said he plans to try to help the offense break out of the team’s early season funk. One way may be to loosen up the protection schemes and allow tight end Zach Miller to get into more routes. Seattle has had Miller blocking more, to protect rookie offensive lineman James Carpenter and an ailing Russell Okung at left tackle.
“There are reasons why we had to be very protective, as we’ve seen,” Carroll said. “At this point we’re going to continue to progress and we’re going to continue to grow. We’ve got a notebook full of stuff – it’s not a question of that. We just have to cut it loose and have these guys go for it a little bit more, and as we gain more confidence that’s what will happen.”
Forsett also hopes his team receives a jolt of confidence from playing in front of the home crowd for the first time this season.
“It will be good to go back home,” he said. “We’re excited about that. We play a good team, but I mean I’m ready to get back out there and try to get a ‘W.’
“Losing stinks, but I think the kind of guys we’ve got in this room are going to bounce back. We’re going to fight. We’ve been in this situation before, a lot of guys in this locker room. So we’re going to keep fighting.”
Eric D. Williams: 253-597-8437 eric.williams@thenewstribune.com blog.thenewstribune.com/seahawks
SUNDAY
Arizona (1-1) at Seattle (0-2), 1:15 p.m., Ch. 13, 1240-AM, 1030-AM SEAHAWKS’ next OPPONENT
ARIZONA CARDINALS
1:15 p.m. Sunday, CenturyLink Field
Against the Seahawks: This is the 25th meeting between the two teams, with the Cardinals holding a 13-11 advantage. However, Seattle won both contests last year – 22-10 in Seattle and 36-18 at Arizona. The Cardinals have won six of the last nine meetings.
Stats and stuff: QB Kevin Kolb, who came over in a big trade with the Philadelphia Eagles, has exceeded expectations for his new team. In two games, Kolb is 35 of 57 (61.4 percent) for 560 yards, four touchdowns and just one interception. His 110.3 passer rating is fifth overall. The Seahawks were one of a handful of teams interested in Kolb, who signed a six-year, $65 million contract with the Cardinals. … Kolb has done a good job of finding WR Larry Fitzgerald, who has 10 catches for 195 yards and a TD. … Arizona RB Beanie Wells is eighth in the league in rushing, with 183 yards on 32 carries, averaging 91.5 yards a contest. … Former Mount Tahoma and Washington grad Ray Horton is in his first season as Arizona’s defensive coordinator. … A standout on defense has been safety Kerry Rhodes, who has 15 tackles and two sacks.
Quotable: “I just think – I know – there are a lot of mistakes we are making. It’s kind of mind-boggling (to struggle this much).”– Arizona safety Kerry Rhodes, commenting on his team’s problems defensively.
CARDINALS SCHEDULE
Sept. 11Cardinals 28, Panthers 21
Sept. 18 Redskins 22, Cardinals 21
Sept. 25at Seattle
Oct. 2 N.Y. Giants
Oct. 9 at Minnesota
Oct. 16 Bye
Oct. 23 Pittsburgh
Oct. 30 at Baltimore
Nov. 6 St. Louis
Nov. 13 at Philadelphia
Nov. 20 at San Francisco
Nov. 27 at St. Louis
Dec. 4 Dallas
Dec. 11 San Francisco
Dec. 18 Cleveland
Dec. 24 at Cincinnati
Jan. 1 Seattle
Eric D. Williams, staff writer
