Wednesday Wanderings: Halloween Four Days Early in St. Louis, Husky Takes Down a Weak Golden Bear, Sounders Fans Sound Off

By Marshall Cherrington

Wednesday Wanderings is a weekly column written by Editor-in Chief and creator of the Sports Soup Network, Marshall Cherrington. He brings you all of his weekly thoughts pertaining to Seattle sports, and anything else for that matter.

Injuries, injuries, injuries. They’re killing the city of Seattle this week. Russell Wilson making a bad read in St. Louis led to him running to Sidney Rice’s side and having would-be-tacklers roll up on Rice’s knee, which caused his torn ACL. And then in the Huskies clobbering of Cal, Keith Price couldn’t get enough testosterone running through his body to throw a deep enough pass for Kasen Williams to run under it. Kasen had to come back for the ball, resulting in a jump-ball situation, resulting in a destroyed Kasen Williams foot. Not good, Keith and Russell. Apologies will be accepted later. And then I’ve got the injury bug (well maybe not the injury part) and can’t seem to sleep for a whole night without waking up. That’s why you’ll be reading a shorter version of Wednesday Wanderings this week.

Despite all of the injuries, every Seattle sports team came out unbeaten this week. Even though the game in St. Louis was ugly, the Seahawks somehow pulled it out. Even though everybody in the world, including every Cal fan out there, knew UW was going to destroy… well they destroyed anyways. Even though every Sounders fan was kicking themselves after tying the Galaxy on Sunday, the men in rave green just pulled out a gutty victory against the Colorado Rapids to make it into the Western Conference Semifinals for the billionth time. Here are my thoughts on the week that was in Seattle sports.

Heading into Monday night football, Seahawks fans were deprived of their team. It had been 10 days since the team had played last and fans thought the players felt the same way: hungry and ready to kill the Rams. But as we all saw, it just wasn’t this way. But I don’t think this was so much of the two skill levels of each team being so similar to one another. I think it’s because Jeff Fisher coaches like a freaking god against the Seahawks. The Rams have consistently been one of the Seahawks’ toughest opponents over the last few years, if not for the entirety of the franchise. Now I haven’t been around that long to know that fir sure, but I would not be surprised if the Rams did play this role.

The subtle smile that haunts the Seahawks every year.

USA Today

Instead of the 10 day lull being a motivator and chance to come out strong for the Seahawks, I think it got the Seahawks off of their routine more than anything else. Add in that the Rams didn’t have their starting quarterback at the helm and you have an opponent that the players think they are going to absolutely murder. Now coaching and everything should be good enough so the Seahawks don’t come into the game with that mindset, but apparently none of that worked.

Also, did the offensive line decide to pull out their smart phones during the game and watch the World Series game that was taking place at the same time a couple of blocks away? Man, technology these days. But really, where were these guys. The blocking was terrible. I get that the Rams defensive line is one of the best in the league, but NFL lineman should be able to at least step in front of at least one of these rushers. Russell Okung, the Seahawks can’t get you back quick enough. Do they have to use some of those crude recruiting tactics your alma mater used to get you back in a Seahawks jersey and on the field? All jokes, but seriously, the Seahawks need you back big time.
After watching the game, there is no doubt in my mind that the Seahawks should spend their first round pick in the upcoming draft on an offensive lineman. They key word in that sentence is should. They’ll probably end up drafting Johnny Manziel or some other random player at a position they already have Pro-Bowlers at. David Yankey out of Stanford seems like an intriguing prospect that Pete Carroll and John Schneider have most likely kept their eyes on over his career.

Regarding the Sidney Rice injury, maybe I called that. In my second Wednesday Wanderings column, I discussed how Rice was expendable and Jermaine Kearse would produce fine in Rice’s position. Well folks, it looks like we have that scenario on our hands now. Kearse might be just as fast, athletic, and definitely smart as Sidney Rice was at the wide out position. Even though I don’t think Kearse has the kind of hands Sidney does, he has improved a ton in that category and he should be able to replicate Sidney’s production. Trust me guys, the loss of Sidney Rice won’t hurt too badly. His statistics for his entire Seahawks career were similar to the statistics of like one of Calvin Johnson’s games (season, but who’s counting anyways).

Seahawks fans hope Kearse won't be a curse as a now starting wide receiver.

The Tacoma News Tribune

I would go in depth on the Huskies, but I’ll save that more for the next edition of Wednesday Wanderings since they have a bye week this weekend. What I can say though, is that the Huskies performance on Saturday was exceptional. They controlled all aspects of the game against a Pac-12 foe and even though the quality of the opponent was minimal, the Dawgs did what they needed to do: win and win big. It was so much fun to watch Sankey gash the Cal defense and even though I question why he goes east and west sometimes rather than north and south, he’s still one of my favorite players to watch in the Pac-12. Another one of those players? Brandin Cooks, wide receiver for Oregon State. Man is that guy electric and boy does he have great hands. I can’t wait to watch him against the Washington defense in the second to last week of the season. Should be a fun one and a must win for the Huskies.

I absolutely love everything about this picture. Beautiful jerseys, beautiful angle, probably a beautiful pass from Mannion and an even more beautiful run after the catch from Cooks.

Sports Illustrated

All has not been well in Sounders land and it seems like injuries on the field have resulted in injuries in the stands, because of all of the angry fans. Yeah, I rhyme about as well as Kendrick Lamar does. Anyways, I think the Sounders are stepping it up as of lately, meaning their past two games against LA and Colorado. The defense has shown improvement and even though Robbie Keane continues to haunt every Sounders’ fans dreams, the team played well against one of their arch rivals. The Sounders barely snuck into the playoffs, but showed why they belonged tonight against Colorado. Eddie Johnson’s nutmeg of the Rapids defender that led to a goal that sealed the game was one of the dirtiest moves I’ve seen since my days on the soccer pitch. In case you were wondering, I dominated rec soccer. Nobody could touch me.

That’s it for this week’s edition of Wednesday Wanderings. Jackson and I are getting together after school tomorrow so I can beat him down in Madden and so we can record a podcast, so make sure to look out for that. I’ll keep you updated on our Madden series as well. In my opinion, I’m the more skilled Madden player, but Jackson is 2-0 against me in Madden 25, with a combined margin of victory of three points. I lost on a last second field goal yesterday. And yes, it was as heartbreaking as it sounds. Until next time Seattle sports nation! Have a fabulous week, and don’t get to crazy tomorrow for Halloween. Best costume wins something TBA. Comment below with your outfits. Appreciate it!

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Takeaways: Seahawks Scrape Out a Win in St. Louis

By Jackson Safon

The Seahawks record is 7-1. The best in the NFC, by a half game, and tied for second best in the NFL. And that is just about all the good news I have. The final score was 14-9 but my goodness was that an ugly win. Pete Carroll said, “I got nothing,” to the ESPN cameras as he was leaving the field, but the good news for you is I have found a way to put that game into words.

1. Offensive line?
What happened? I would like an explanation of what in the world has happened to the Seahawks offensive line in the past two weeks. Just two short weeks ago, I was singing the praises of the line for showing improvement, but then the football gods decided to smite me and the Seahawks line, as they seem to have gone missing. ESPN’s “C’mon man” would not even come close to doing justice to how poorly the offensive line played. They allowed seven sacks. Seven. Without a quarterback as mobile as Russell Wilson, that number could have easily reached the double digits. Tom Cable, Seahawks nation is begging you to fix this.

 

The play at left tackle has been weak ever since Russell Okung was injured.

King 5

2. Ummm…defense?
When it rains it pours. Not only was the Seahawks offensive line terrible but the defensive line allowed huge holes in the Rams running game. The Rams ran the ball down the Hawks throat to the tune of 200 net yards averaging 5.4 yards per carry. That is significantly worse than the Seahawks defensive average and I’m not quite sure why it happened all of a sudden. The Legion of Boom played decent pass defense, but overall I was not all that impressed with the defense. They kept the team in the game with some timely turnovers, so credit has to be given as they essentially won the game for the Hawks, but the unit didn’t play well as a whole.

3. Beastmode?
Marshawn Lynch got only eight carries for 23 yards. Over the course of the entire game. Lynch normally hits those milestones after the first six minutes of the game, but for some reason the offense decided to abandon the run and he finished with his lowest carry and yardage totals this season by far. The team finished with 44 rushing yards and a measly 2.9 average in their worst rushing performance of the season by far. So many issues with the offense yesterday, but abandoning the run didn’t help.

Bruce Irvin was one of the main reasons the Seahawks were able to fend off the Rams last night.

Kevin Casey/Getty Images

4. Bruuuuuuuuuce!
Bruce Irvin everybody. In a game with a comedy of errors, Irvin was one of the only positives and it was a joy to see him play so well. He finished second on the team in tackles, with nine total, as well as an interception and a sack-fumble. He played well throughout most of the game and is making a great transition from defensive end to outside linebacker. He was a weak run defender last year but has taken that challenge head on and is now a plus defender in that area. Furthermore, for a player that is known as a pass rusher, his interception was a great one as he was 25 yards downfield. This shows his always improving coverage skills which will make him exceedingly valuable going forward. But he showed the real reason why the Hawks drafted him with an athletic sack-fumble late in the game. Bruce is a beast and it is great to see him progress.

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Wednesday Wanderings: Percy Returns, Huskies Learn and Sounders are churned

By Marshall Cherrington

Wednesday Wanderings is a weekly column written by Editor-in Chief and creator of the Sports Soup Network, Marshall Cherrington. He brings you all of his weekly thoughts pertaining to Seattle sports, and anything else for that matter.

I never knew a person named Percy could excite me so much. I’ve come to love the name now and I haven’t even seen this person play on the team I want to see him play on. What an amazing phenomenon. Just imagine what he’ll do to all of our minds once we see him play. Yeah, I’m with you there. You just can’t even imagine it!

Enough with the Percy Harvin love fest. It was another rousing week in Seattle sports and even though I don’t have all the time in the world to talk about the week with you guys today, I still have some thoughts to pass along. First, I want to send my condolences to the entire family of Don James. It was tough to learn that the best Husky coach ever had passed away. Even though I wasn’t around during his coaching days, I could just tell how amazing he was from the things I heard about him from an abundance of people. Don James is a name that will, and already has, gone down in eternal history. The man is legend.

There will never again be a Huskies coach like Don James.

USATSI

I think some people are glad the Sounders didn’t play this week so they wouldn’t have to suffer through a period of depression all over again. With the news coming out of the weird distaste between Eddie Johnson and Sigi Schmid, I think it’s good that this team is on a short break. Eddie reminds me of a girl, posting all of these heartfelt quotes on Instagram that are clearly direct shots at the Sounders front office. I’m surprised he hasn’t indirect tweeted yet either. Just play the game man. Let’s go.

What a terrible week for the Montlake Dawgs. First they get hammered at Arizona State (which has happened to people many times before), then the best coach in their history passes away, and finally, a recruit most Husky fans and analysts thought the Huskies would get, Layth Friekh, commits to Arizona. However, I see a change in momentum coming to Montlake this week in the California Bears, a team Washington should beat by at least three touchdowns. You’re supposed to find a momentum changer within your own team, but there’s no need for that with the Bears in town.

But back to my thoughts on the Arizona State game. I think Keith Price might have played his worst game as a Husky. Sure, you can use those excuses that his offensive line was banged up and that he was hurt, but he missed plenty of wide open throws. Kasen Williams didn’t sound too happy about that post game. I was pretty shocked to see Keith playing that bad, and I think he was shocked himself. It’s certainly not what I have come to expect out of him this year. That’s what happens when you start to play well. All expectations rise to a whole other level. Just ask Sark about it.

Speaking of Sark, he will not be fired anytime soon. Nope. All of you fans calling for his job should just rest your voices. The team could easily finish 7-5 in the regular season and if this happens, then I think you can begin to criticize Sark, but for now, even after losing three straight games, I just don’t think a firing is anywhere near the front of AD Scott Woodward’s mind.

With Keith Price being a little banged up, I think Sark should sit him and play Cyler Miles for the next two games, or at least one game. Colorado and Cal are doozies of opponents and I think it’s always good to get the backup some experience. Because we all know, it’s only a matter of time until Keith gets planted on his behind against a team like Oregon State or UCLA. I’m calling that the Huskies go 4-1 the rest of the way, with the lone loss coming against UCLA. But most of you probably won’t take my prediction into much consideration, knowing I was 0-3 on my Saturday picks this past weekend (UCLA, UW and USC all lost). Thanks for letting me know about it Joey Calabro. Appreciate it. Tons.

Now on to those always eventful Seahawks. It was quite a week for the Hawks as they started it off with a win against Arizona and then learned that All-Star WR Percy Harvin would be back practicing with the team on Tuesday. Add in the fact that the team signed a needed veteran leader in Michael Robinson, and you have one of the best weeks of the season right there.

Percy Harvin is already laughing at how good this team will be once he returns.

The Seattle Times

One thing that really impressed me while watching the Arizona game was Russell Wilson’s arm. Up to this point in the season, Russell’s been throwing okay balls to his wide receivers, as some have been overthrown and just a bit off of the line they needed to be on. But on Thursday, Russell was on point. All you needed to watch was the Seahawks’ opening drive and you knew Russell was poised for another one of his big games (that’s what I did). I don’t expect anything different against the lowly Rams this upcoming Monday night. I thought the Rams were just starting to turn the corner too. The NFC West is always better with a good Rams team. However, this Rams team is terrible. Think the Hawks will win it, 38-17.

How about the NBA season getting started up? Hopefully my Knicks will have another solid year with ball hog #7 at the helm. But probably not. If the Knicks are ever going to win a championship, it will be without Melo. He’s too much of a liability on defense and the ball gets stagnant when he’s in his “takeover” mindset, which happens far too often for my liking. My pick to win it all this year: the Indiana Pacers. Granger, George, Hibbert, Hill, West and Stephenson make up what is the best overall team in the NBA. No weaknesses on that roster.

The NBA better watch out for the Indiana Pacers. LeBron, that means you.

That’s it for this edition of Wednesday Wanderings and I’m sure you all enjoyed the shortest version yet. Nobody commented on the last one, even though I asked them to, so please, for me, just comment below. I’m dying for that notification saying “one comment awaiting verification”. Please me, Seattle sports nation, please me. Can’t wait to come back next week talking about the huge Seahawk and Husky wins. Have a good week everybody.

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Takeaways: Seahawks Win Easy One over the Cardinals

By Jackson Safon

The Cardinals had a chance to make the score close at the end, but this game was never in question for the Hawks. After a dominant touchdown drive for the Hawks that went 83 yards in a mere five plays, they followed it up with an 11 play, 72 yard touchdown drive. Both resulted in sweet TD throws from Wilson, but the first to Sidney Rice was one of the better throws he has ever made. If you haven’t seen it you have to. It was beautiful. The second touchdown throw was to Zach Miller and that put that Hawks up 14-0. The Cardinals fought back, but the Hawks overwhelmed them in the end and earned themselves a sweet division victory on the road. Next up is the Rams on Monday Night Football (where Percy Harvin could be back), but first let’s find out what to take away from Thursday’s win.

1. ZACH IS BACK!
Oh Zach Miller how we have missed you. After missing both the Colts and Titans games, the strong tight end returned with a bang, scoring a touchdown in the second quarter. He had five catches for 40 yards in his return but his presence was felt all over the field. His blocking in the run game was a pretty sizable upgrade from the talented but inconsistent rookie Luke Willson, and his contributions in the passing game were obvious. Russell Wilson and Zach Miller have developed great chemistry and it showed through multiple third down conversions. Miller is a very good all-around player and it is great to have Wilson’s security blanket back.

This is the Zach Miller we all have come to know and like.

NFLRush

2. The dreaded fumbilitis has struck
Marshawn Lynch had one fumble that he recovered himself, but the big story was King/Savior/Wizard Russell Wilson himself who had three (!) fumbles. Not two, not four, but three (Shout out to all you Monty Python watchers). Some blame the offensive line for allowing constant pressure on Wilson, but that does not excuse Wilson from fumbling so much. Wilson lost two of his three fumbles which led to 10 Cardinals points. This was really what made the game even remotely close as it would have been 34-12 without the turnovers. Wilson has already eclipsed his fumble total of his entire rookie season and it is only week 7. Wilson has now lost five fumbles on the season. The Hawks still got the win, but this has to stop.

3. What in the world happened to the O-Line?!
Of course, the week after I go touting the offensive line for improving their previously-shaky play, they drop a stinker. The line played terrible. Simple as that. To make matters worse, James Carpenter had to leave the game with an ankle injury, although he did return. The Cardinals had three sacks but were in the backfield throughout the game, making it very uncomfortable for Wilson. Not sure what the next move is here, perhaps give Alvin Bailey a shot in one of the line spots. Whatever the coaching staff decides to do, I’m sure Russell Wilson hopes it gets fixed sooner rather than later.

Richard Sherman had another great game on the defensive side of the ball.

NFLRush

4. This defense is scary good
Seven sacks, two interceptions, and two forced fumbles. At full strength this defense is absolutely vicious and can potentially stake a claim as the best defense in the NFL, although the Chiefs might have something to say about it. In any case, what makes this defense so good (besides the Legion of Boom being unstoppable) is its depth. So many plays from so many different players. There were seven sacks Thursday, and eight different players were in on at least part of one. Four different players forced turnovers. Oh and Cliff Avril was the only one to have both a sack and a forced turnover. So 11 different players either had a sack or forced turnover. Nuts. Absolutely nuts.

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Game Preview: #20 Washington vs. Arizona State

By Kevin Calderhead

After a dismal loss at Husky Stadium against rival Oregon, Washington hopes to rebound against unranked Arizona State. On the other hand, the Sun Devils look to carry their momentum after a blowout win at home versus Colorado.

The Dawgs will face a high powered Arizona State offense, averaging 342 passing yards per game, led by quarterback Taylor Kelley. This may seem extremely concerning after the Washington secondary allowed 366 yards through the air against Marcus Mariota and the Oregon Ducks, however, Huskies’ safety Sean Parker says otherwise.

“We’re still confident,” said Parker. “We just gotta fix what we do. No matter who we play, it’s all about us and our preparation.”

Sean Parker needs to have a big game for the Huskies if they want to contain Taylor Kelley through the air.

The Seattle Times

Before last week, the Dawgs’ D had only allowed 146 passing yards per game, just two touchdowns and seven interceptions. I would expect this type of performance to resume this Saturday, as Taylor Kelley is no Marcus Mariota.

Despite all the negativity regarding the defense, it is a spot where UW holds a huge advantage this week against ASU. The 19.8 points per game allowed by Washington is 25^th best in the country. Conversely, the Sun Devils are allowing a whopping 27.2 points per game.

Unfortunately, as expected, the numbers don’t tell the whole story. Arizona State has the 2012 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year award winner in DT Will Sutton. Last year, he had 13 sacks, 23.5 tackles for a loss and three forced fumbles. If the Huskies O-line can contain him, the offense averaging nearly 250 yards on the ground and 280 yards passing should be able to run all over the Arizona State defense.

Will Sutton is a beast up front for the Sun Devils.

AZCentral.com

The last time Washington played at Sun Devil Stadium in 2009, Arizona State quarterback Danny Sullivan threw a game winning 50 yard touchdown with five seconds left on the clock. This is only the most recent of the Huskies’ woes in Tempe. The Dawgs haven’t won a game there since 2001, and the Sun Devils have won seven in a row facing Washington.

As discouraging as this is, these are two very different teams from the last time they faced off. The last matchup between the Huskies and Sun Devils was in 2010, which ASU won 24-14. Three seasons later, Arizona State comes in as three point favorites at home. This game is a must win for the Dawgs. They need to bounce back after two tough losses to #5 Stanford and #2 Oregon, both of which could have gone very differently if a couple aspects of the game changed.

A key for the Huskies is to score right out of the gates. The last two games, the Huskies didn’t really start scoring until the second half: 17 points after the break against Oregon and 21 in the last two quarters at Stanford. Both of these offensive explosions proved to be too little, too late. If UW can put up big numbers early in the game, it gives the whole team momentum and takes a whole lot of pressure off the defense to keep it close.

Another key is to limit the momentum changing mistakes. It seemed the Huskies were cruising against Oregon, until Bishop Sankey’s fumble. At Stanford, Ty Montgomery’s 99 yard return on the opening kickoff immediately gave Stanford the momentum.

If the Huskies perform as they are capable, they will win this game easily. My prediction is 31-17, Washington.

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Wednesday Wanderings: Duckade of Dominance, Seahawk Wide Receiver Woes and What's Wrong With the Sounders

By Marshall Cherrington

Wednesday Wanderings is a weekly column written by Editor-in Chief and creator of the Sports Soup Network, Marshall Cherrington. He brings you all of his weekly thoughts pertaining to Seattle sports, and anything else for that matter.

 

When I was thinking about how to begin this second edition of Wednesday Wanderings, I thought to myself, what do the people want? What does Seattle want? What do the true fans want? I came up with the conclusion that they would probably just want me to stop trying to make small talk and get to the point. I like these introductions and it’s my goal to try and make you laugh so you can settle in and loosen up for a journey through the week in Seattle sports. If you like this portion of the column, please comment below. I’m begging you. Out of the 60+ articles posted on this website, not one person has commented on an article. Not one reader. So please be the first. And if you are the first, good things will come to you. Just trust me.

 

Alright, I’ll cut the small talk and get to the main points. It was really an up and down week for Seattle sports, with more downs than ups. The Sounders are struggling mightily, the Huskies got blown out by Oregon, and the Seahawks are still trying to find that groove that has been evading them for the past couple of weeks. But hey, the ‘Hawks still got the win and that’s really all that matters in a true fan’s heart. Let’s dive into some more details on the week that was in Seattle sports.

 

I’ll start off with the biggest story. The Oregon Ducks’ decade of dominance against the Washington Huskies. Did you see those shirts Oregon is selling in their team shop? I thought those were pretty cute. “Duckade” instead of decade. Ha. Duck fans always talk about how the Huskies are not one of their rivals and are just “another faceless opponent” yet they go and make those haughty t-shirts making sure to let everyone know that they’ve dominated the decade. But, if Washington dominated Oregon for a decade, I’m sure they would do the exact same thing. Just look at the example from last year. After the Huskies beat Stanford at home, they created a t-shirt just to commemorate one game. Isn’t one of the Huskies’ mottos “expect to win”? Both parties are at fault here.

 

But to get to the real game between the Ducks and Huskies, I think the final score was not very indicative of how close the game really was. The Huskies played the Ducks well for most of the game, but I didn’t even realize they were playing the Ducks THAT close. I guess I’m just used to Oregon dominating these games. I was watching during the second half and after Bishop Sankey darted down the field for a 25-yard touchdown run, I said to myself, “The Huskies are really only down seven?! At the start of the fourth quarter?!” Given, I was a little distracted during the game and that’s why the score came to me as a surprise, but still, I think most Husky fans were glad to be only down seven at that point in the game. Husky fans could feel it. Finally, a legitimate chance to beat the Oregon Ducks. A game that would deny the Ducks of their “Duckade of Dominance.” That was until the fourth quarter came around.

 

The Ducks controlled all facets of the game in the fourth quarter and the Huskies defense just looked tired out there trying to chase Marcus Mariota. I expected him to have a game like he did. A kind of Heisman statement game. Here is my game prediction that was published on Dawgman.com:

Oregon 42, Washington 31
The Washington defense has never faced an offense as talented as Oregon’s is this year. This Duck offense is a better version of last year’s Duck offense, an offense that hung up 52 points against the Huskies. However, the Huskies defense is much improved as well and that’s why I think the Huskies will be in it the entire way. The Husky defense has proven its strength late in games and that was evident just last week as they gave up zero points to Stanford in the fourth quarter. Despite the strength of the defense, Oregon’s offense is just too good. With talented receivers in Bralon Addison, Josh Huff and Keanon Lowe flanking Heisman favorite Marcus Mariota, I find it hard to see how the Husky defense will consistently stop the Ducks. On the other hand, I think the Washington offense will be able to move the ball well coming off their impressive performance last week. I expect Keith Price to have another exceptional game, but I think he could be under the same amount of pressure he was in the Stanford game. With Arik Armstead, Taylor Hart and Tony Washington all applying consistent pressure, Price might not be able to stay together like he did last week. Oregon is the better team right now, and after this loss, I don’t see UW losing another game this year.

I think, for once, I did a pretty spot on job of predicting what was going to happen in the game. However, the game could have gone completely differently than I expected if Bishop Sankey would not have fumbled that ball in the second quarter. What a momentum killer for the Huskies. At the time, they were down just one score and it looked like the Huskies were going to put the ball in the end zone on that drive. But mistakes happen and Husky fans have got to be pleased with the best running back in the nation at this point in the season.

Another point that I mentioned in my pregame prediction was the pressure Keith price was going to face. Price constantly felt pressure during the game and I think the offensive line really got worked. But to give the offensive line credit, they have faced two great front sevens in back to back weeks. Stanford just battered and bruised them, which didn’t help against an underrated Oregon front seven. It doesn’t get any easier for the unit this week when they take on Will Sutton and the Arizona State Sun Devils.

One player who really stood out to me during the game, besides Marcus Mariota, was Ducks wide receiver Bralon Addison. The kid is only a sophomore and I think he has the potential to become an All-Pac-12 first team receiver when it’s all said and done with. He ran great routes, showed some exceptional speed and most of all, displayed very strong hands as he didn’t drop one pass that was thrown his way. He makes Marcus Mariota’s life just a tad bit easier. Mariota should take him out for a nice dinner in the beautiful city of Eugene after he wins the Heisman and after the Oregon Ducks win the National Championship. Yeah I said it. Oregon is the best team in the nation, and I don’t doubt that for a second.

Your 2013 Heisman Trophy Winner, Marcus Mariota. Oh, and those jerseys are sick.

Sports Illustrated

The Huskies will head off to the desert this week as they are set to take on the Arizona State Sun Devils in a mid-afternoon game. Brutal for the Dawgs, right? Mid-afternoon in the desert does not sound nice to me. I’d be living by the Gatorade cooler if I were a Huskies player. The forecast calls for a high of 88 degrees on Saturday and I think that is part of the reason why the Huskies have been practicing in Dempsey Indoor all week.

I think it goes without being said that this is a must win game for both teams, but especially for the Huskies. I mean, every game is a must win game, but this is a must win, must win game for Washington. If they lose, it will mark yet another season where the Huskies have lost three games in a row under Steve Sarkisian. But if they win, it will get the Huskies confidence level back on track after two really tough losses. This team plays much better when they’re confident and you could definitely see that during the Boise State game. They came into that one knowing they should dominate a mid-major team and they completely did. That’s the mindset they have to have in this one and for the rest of the season. A killer mindset of sorts. But Arizona State will be gunning for the Huskies as well. They lost a tough one to Notre Dame two weeks ago before their trouncing of Colorado this week and they still have a bitter taste in their mouth.

The key matchup to watch in this one is Will Sutton against Mike Criste, Dexter Charles/Erik Kohler, and Colin Tanigawa (Charles is questionable to play so that’s why I threw Kohler in there). Those three Washington lineman are all the inside guys on the line and will have to contain the beast that is DT Will Sutton. Even though he could have been a top-15 draft pick last year, Sutton chose to return to school. I don’t know if I agree with that decision, like many other people, but nonetheless, he is a force to be reckoned with. Just watch this matchup during the game. If the Husky lineman can stop him, I think the Huskies will win easily. If they can’t, the Sun Devils could snatch this victory away from the Dawgs. The Huskies are the higher ranked team, but the Sun Devils are favored by three at home. I think this could be the most entertaining game of the year for Husky fans. I think it’ll turnout 31-24 Huskies. And I think Keith Price will have an exceptional day through the air. I think.

So, Will Sutton is kind of a beast.

Getty Images

Man, always so much to talk about with the Huskies. Any college team for that matter. But now let’s move on to the Seahawks. For yet another week, it was a gritty win for the team. Even though it didn’t look like the team was going to pull it out, I think every Seahawks fan knew deep down that the Seahawks would win. Russell Wilson will just not lose at home. It’s just not who he is as a person. Wilson continues to bail his teammates out with his legs and even though it’s fun to watch and all, I just don’t think it’s a good thing for Russell to be doing so often. Not because he’s bad at it, but because I’m afraid he’s just going to wear down and will have barely anything left in him when the playoffs come around. One thing that would help this, is if his receivers were able to get separation on a consistent basis.

Doug Baldwin insists that the Seahawks receivers have been getting all the separation they need in their routes, but I think he’s just talking about himself. Sidney Rice doesn’t seem to be worth the millions of dollars the team is spending on him and if it’s possible, the team should try and trade him before the deadline. That would be yet another stellar move by John Schneider and Co. The reason I think Rice is expendable is because the Seahawks have former Husky Jermaine Kearse. In my opinion, Kearse would be able to step right in and match or even increase the production Sidney Rice was giving the team. Kearse’s hands are clearly not a problem for him anymore and if he worked on his route running just a bit, I think he could be a big contributor in the near future. Kearse, along with Baldwin, can give Wilson the separation Wilson is desiring from his wide receivers.



The future at wide receiver for the Seahawks?

King 5 News

I also think the Seahawks’ front office has a huge decision on their hands this offseason, a decision pertaining to another wide receiver. That decision is whether to re-sign, or to let Golden Tate walk. Tate has been Wilson’s favorite target this season and Wilson always looks for him when he is in a bind. What makes this decision easier for the Seahawks is the play of Kearse, and if Percy Harvin can prove that he can produce like we all think he is going to. This team is already fun to watch, but just imagine how fun it’ll be when Percy Harvin lines up at the wide receiver position for that first time in the 2013-2014 season. Apparently, he’s about a week and a half away and could make his season debut Monday night against the Rams. Wouldn’t that be a storyline for ESPN? Only time will tell in this case, but there is no question the production of the Seahawks’ offense will go up when Harvin returns to the field.

Now to move on to the most disappointing team right now in Seattle sports (only because the Mariners aren’t playing): the Seattle Sounders. What a tumble this team has taken. They went from being favorites for the Supporter’s Shield to losing a combined 10 goals to 2 in their last three games. The defense is in shambles, Clint Dempsey has shoulders popping out, and Eddie Johnson just can’t seem to stop thinking about his contract (although I do agree with him on this issue). Sigi Schmid benched Michael Gspurning for the Portland game this past Sunday and even though Gspurning is an easy scapegoat for the woes of this team, I think Sigi needs to take a look at his defense. They’re just not doing their jobs. Jhon Kennedy Hurtado has been a mainstay in the backline for the entirety of the Sounders’ being in the MLS and even though he has played well in seasons past, I think he’s taken a step back this year. I just don’t see the quickness or strength I saw in him in years past. Don’t get me wrong, I still think he’s one of the Sounders’ best defenders, but the decline in skill level is starting to show. One defender who I think has to go is Leo Gonzalez. I really don’t know how this guy has a job right now. Sure, you need him on the left side of your defense because he is a lefty, but he’s just so slow and clumsy. All he does with the ball is turn it over with his long passes that slowly travel across the field. I mean c’mon man. Granted, I don’t know a whole lot about soccer, but I do know some things. One thing I know for sure, is that this Sounders defense needs to get fixed before fans can start worrying about how many goals Dempsey is scoring for the team or not. Defense wins championships. Am I right, or am I right?

That just about does it for another edition of Wednesday Wanderings. I think I’ll take my man Kevin Cacabelos’ advice next time when writing this column. 2000+ words gets to be daunting at times. But I can’t help it. I like to write a lot. Come back next week to find out if I can keep it under 2000 words. But hopefully you come back for other reasons than that.

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Management a Big Issue for the Mariners

By Kevin Calderhead

This Mariners season ended like most others, out of playoff contention, stuck at the bottom of the AL West. It seems us Seattleites have become accustomed to this kind of finish, but a couple of things happened in September this year that were different than usual.

 

On September 19, the Mariners majority owner Hiroshi Yamauchi died. When he bought the team in 1992, he was seen as a hero. The Mariners weren’t a very successful team (surprise!), and were threatened by relocation. His purchase of the team 21 years ago essentially saved baseball in Seattle. However it should be noted that between 1992 and his death this year, he didn’t attend a single Mariners game. Even last season, when the Mariners opened their season in Japan, he said he would rather watch the games on TV.

 

Having a dedicated owner seems to lead to success more often than not. Take the Texas Rangers, for instance. Their owner and CEO, Nolan Ryan comes to almost every one of their games. It shows that organizations that care about the game will typically win more games than those who don’t.

 

A prime example of this is the Detroit Tigers’ signing of Prince Fielder. Their owner, Mike Ilitch, wanted to do anything to win a World Series, and went all out in signing one of the best first basemen in the league. It was his decision, not the general manager’s, to pursue this type of talent.

 

This kind of thing is unheard of in the Mariners organization. Chuck Armstrong and Howard Lincoln don’t seem all that concerned about the success of the team. When was the last time the Mariners signed a big name, All-Star player in free-agency to a multi-year contract in hopes of a championship caliber team? Not for quite a while. If they do sign a player like this, we keep them around for a year at best and use them as trade bait to get more prospects.

 

This is best illustrated with the signing of Cliff Lee a few years back. He was signed on a one year contract and traded mid-season for Justin Smoak, Blake Beavan, Josh Lueke and Matthew Lawson.

 

The front office problem is also causing a serious managerial problem. Since 2002, the Mariners have had three managers quit. That’s right, quit, not fired. What kind of Major League manager quits? They get paid large amounts of money to decide who gets to play, and basically supervise professional athletes.

 

That’s the other part of the end of this Seattle baseball season that once again will not continue into October. Merely games from the end of the season, manager Eric Wedge announced that he will not return for the 2014 season. At first, it seemed like it was because the Mariners wouldn’t give him more than a one year contract extension, but in a recent interview with Wedge he disputed this.

“Let me be clear here: the contract is not the reason I’m not coming back here,” Wedge said in the interview. “If they’d offered me a five-year contract, I wouldn’t have come back here. So, let’s be clear with that.”

If that wasn’t the issue, then what was?

Wedge said that his outlook of the team was different than how Chuck Armstrong, Howard Lincoln and Jack Zduriencik saw it. He talked about how the team only consists of very young players, like Brad Miller, Mike Zunino and Nick Franklin, and very old veterans, Raul Ibanez and Henry Blanco. In Wedge’s opinion, the team needs more four or five year veterans to help the young players over a longer period of time.

This was only the most recent Mariners manager to quit. In 2007, Mike Hargrove walked out in the middle of the season during an eight game winning streak. Lou Piniella also asked to be released by the team in 2002 because he wanted to be closer to home. His father was in ailing condition, so this resignation may not be due to the front office.

Will Jack Zduriencik make the right hire with a new manager? Who knows. Clearly not Zduriencik, as seen above.

Tacoma News Tribune

Once again, the Mariners are on the lookout for another new manager. Will Jack Zduriencik and the rest of the Mariners’ front office get this hire right? Only time will tell. But if they do get it right, the atmosphere around Mariners baseball could change for the good. Let’s all hope Zduriencik makes the right move in this situation.

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