For Seahawks, this effort was less than zero

Shaun Alexander is tackled by Pittsburgh DE Aaron Smith in the second half. Alexander was held to only 25 yards rushing in the loss to Pittsburgh.

By Jerry Brewer

Seattle Times staff columnist

PITTSBURGH — For an evaluation, just look at the oval-shaped number on the Seahawks' side of the scoreboard. It tells everything about what this team showed Sunday.

Zero.

As in, nothing.

As in, the Seahawks could've left before the game even started and made a stronger impression.

Pittsburgh was missing its two finest defensive players and both starting wide receivers, but the Steelers still forced Seattle to waggle through a 21-zilch defeat. It was a defeat so bad you must question the Seahawks' status as contenders.

Most troubling wasn't that the Seahawks lost. It was how they did so, by continuing to show signs of a mediocre football team and allowing a more physical foe to pulverize them.

"We weren't very good at anything, to be honest," coach Mike Holmgren said.

It started with the offense, which amassed just 144 yards and eight first downs. The only time it reached the red zone, Matt Hasselbeck threw an interception. Shaun Alexander had his worst rushing performance in five years, and two key players — receiver Deion Branch and fullback Mack Strong — left with injuries.

The offense, built to be a juggernaut, played so poorly the defense was on the field for nearly 41 of the 60 minutes.

After all these years of being an offensively driven team, it's apparent a shift is occurring. The offense was substandard last season, but you could blame it on injuries. The slow start to this season, especially in the run game, indicates this unit is trending downward.

This is a team of balance now, but with the biggest names and biggest money still on the offensive side, the Seahawks need the unit to be solid. Sunday, they suffered their first shutout in seven years.

The last shutout, in 2000, came when Holmgren was rebuilding his roster.



Pittsburgh RB Willie Parker appears to get his hand inside the pylon but was ruled out at the one-yard line after a 20-yard gain. Hawks safety Mike Green makes the tackle.

What's this team's excuse?

The Steelers had possession of the ball for more than 19 of the first 21 minutes of the second half. Fault the Seahawks' defense for failing to get off the field, especially during the 10-minute, 17-second touchdown drive to start the third quarter.

During that drive, the Steelers converted on three third-and-long situations. But when the Seattle offense received the ball again, it had a 91-second sequence that went like this: False start, 1-yard Alexander run, incomplete pass, incomplete pass, punt.

Then, with the Seattle defense fatigued, the Steelers went on an eight-minute touchdown drive.

"We were being the bad teammates today," Alexander said of his fellow offensive players. "We put our team in a bad position."

If a depleted Pittsburgh team is three touchdowns better, then what does that say about the Seahawks?

Nothing, they can only hope.

It could've just been an incredibly bad road performance. Even good teams are allowed one or two of those each season. Or it could be the greatest indicator yet that this team has irreparable flaws.

Alexander looks either slow or uncertain, and the offensive line's run blocking has been lacking, too. Hasselbeck played four solid games before this one, but Pittsburgh left him frustrated. And the defense, for all its changes and improvement, still isn't ready to carry this team.

The blemishes added up to this performance.

"There's a little disbelief because there were plays out there to be made," receiver Bobby Engram said. "For whatever reason, we didn't make them."

On one play in the second quarter, the Seahawks looked like a ragtag offense. Leonard Weaver, who played tight end in college, was at fullback. Ben Obomanu, a seventh-round project, was one receiver. Marcus Pollard, a 35-year-old who caught 10 passes last year, was at tight end. And Nate Burleson, the No. 3 receiver in the preseason, was the featured wideout.

It's easy to remember what happened on that play.

Nothing.

There were no big plays to save the Seahawks this time, no well-timed rallies. They had a chance to score at the end of the first half, but questionable clock management (Holmgren chose not to use any of his three timeouts on the drive) made them rush. On the final play of the half, Hasselbeck threw an end-zone interception.

By the final drive of the day, backup Seneca Wallace was in for Hasselbeck as the Seahawks conceded it was just best to go home without any more injuries. It's the worst way to end a game — helpless.

Asked about the garbage time, Hasselbeck sighed and tried a little Seahawk-deprecating humor. He might as well start the process of brushing off such an inexplicable showing.

Said Hasselbeck: "It was probably a fitting ending to a very disappointing day."

Jerry Brewer: 206-464-2277 or jbrewer@seattletimes.com. For more columns and the Extra Points blog, visit seattletimes.com/sports

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