http://espn-att.starwave.com/i/columnists/Mortensen_Chris_m.jpg picks http://espn-att.starwave.com/nfl/gamepackage/i/logos/statLogo_det.gif [smilie=beer.gif]

(http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/features/talent)


Line: Seahawks by 6



Seattle at Detroit

Game Info: 1:00 pm EDT Sun Sep 10, 2006
TV: FOX

By CHRIS ANTONACCI, STATS Writer

Emerging with a win at Ford Field won't mean nearly as much this time for the Seattle Seahawks.

Beginning this season where their last one ended, the Seahawks come off an active offseason hoping their Ford Field return starts a run back to the Super Bowl as they face the new-look Detroit Lions on Sunday.

The Seahawks hope reigning MVP Shaun Alexander, who scored an NFL single-season record 28 touchdowns last year, can provide an early return on their investment and help them spoil Rod Marinelli's debut as Lions coach.

Alexander was rewarded with a $62 million, eight-year contract after he carried Seattle to the best record (13-3) and first Super Bowl appearance in the franchise's 30-year history. After receiving the richest contract for a running back in NFL history, Alexander looks to help the Seahawks end a five-year run in which the Super Bowl loser has missed the playoffs the ensuing season.

"You get a bunch of guys together and everybody starts putting these goals down, and you can't help but get better and do bigger things," said Alexander, the NFL's top rusher with 1,880 yards last season after falling one yard short of the 2004 title.

"We are going to shoot for things that have never been done before."

Alexander failed to score a touchdown -- that happened only twice during the 2005 regular season -- in Seattle's 21-10 loss to Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XL at Ford Field.

Seattle seeks a third straight NFC West title and fourth consecutive playoff appearance.

"I think you kind of lose your focus a little bit and you say, 'Well, we got there once we can get there again' and you kind of forget a little bit all it took to get there," said Seattle coach Mike Holmgren, who received a two-year extension through 2008. "The finality of losing the Super Bowl, that kind of hit us straight in the eyes and the guys didn't like the feeling of losing."

Losing right guard Steve Hutchinson to Minnesota might hinder an offense that led the NFL in points (452) and touchdowns (57) while ranking second in total yards (6,089).

Hutchinson and fellow Pro Bowler Walter Jones, Seattle's left tackle, helped Matt Hasselbeck have a Pro Bowl season of his own as he completed 65.5 percent of his passes for 3,459 yards with 24 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Hasselbeck was sacked 24 times, his fewest since becoming Seattle's starter in 2001.

The Seahawks exacted some revenge on the Vikings by landing their wide receiver-kick returner Nate Burleson. The free-agent acquisition might make an immediate impact with receiver Darrell Jackson easing into the offense after offseason knee surgery. Jackson practiced Monday for the first time since the procedure, and it's uncertain if he will take the field for this game.

The Seahawks won't have tight end Jerramy Stevens until October after his surgery last month to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. Itula Mili will fill in.

Seattle formed a formidable linebacker unit by signing San Francisco's Julian Peterson to a $54 million deal over seven years to accompany Lofa Tatupu, a Pro Bowler as a rookie last season.

"You couldn't ask for anything more," Leroy Hill said of his fellow linebackers.

Seattle used the 31st overall pick to draft Miami cornerback Kelly Jennings to help boost a pass defense that allowed 222.4 yards per game, third-most in the NFC.

The Lions selected Marinelli, the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers assistant head coach, over 11 other candidates to direct a team that was 5-11 last year and is an NFL-worst 21-59 since president Matt Millen's reign started in 2001.

It's a new beginning in Detroit, which dismissed disappointing quarterback Joey Harrington and receiver Charles Rogers.

Quarterback Jon Kitna enters as a starter after serving as Carson Palmer's backup over the previous two seasons in Cincinnati. Kitna spent his first four seasons with Seattle and might thrive in offensive coordinator Mike Martz's scheme.

"Finally, after 10 years in the league," Kitna said, "I finally feel like I'm at a place where my strengths are going to be exploited."

Kevin Jones aims to perform as he did in his 2004 rookie season after his production diminished last year. Jones had 664 yards and five scores on 186 carries one season after he totaled 1,133 yards and five touchdowns on 241 attempts.

Kitna still has plenty of options despite the release of Rogers, the second overall pick in the 2003 draft. Roy Williams is expected to be Kitna's top target, having caught eight TD passes in each of his first two NFL seasons despite missing five games due to injury. Detroit hopes fellow former first-round pick Mike Williams (29 catches, 350 yards) can improve on a quiet rookie season, and veteran tight end Marcus Pollard (46 catches, 516 yards) also is in the mix.

The Lions defense looks to improve after allowing averages of 322.4 yards and 21.6 points last season. Detroit will start linebacker Ernie Sims after using the ninth overall pick to select him out of Florida State.

"We've just got to do what we do and understand our opponent," Marinelli said. "The process is getting better. We're kind of cutting the cord and getting going."

Nothing?

I have Seattle by 2 TDs.

I'm just hoping that the Lions will at least be more entertaining to watch.

Oh yeah, [smilie=TD Lions]

Is it just me or does this look like a pretty good fucking football team out there so far? What the fuck is going on?? (Knocks on wood......)

Nevermind, my bad.

Good: The defense, especially the line; Mike Furrey
Bad: The offensive line, the costly offensive penalties(Kevin Jones best runs were taken away from him due to stupid penalties, like the Roy Williams false start on the OPPOSITE side of the play), Roy Williams dropping a couple routine passes, special teams.

if bryson knew what play we were running (the wheel play at the end), we probably win the game. instead, we punt it, and watch them make a devastating game ending drive.

typical lions. play well enough to get your hopes up, but ultimately have the same exact result.

while it was nice that we actually moved the ball (the best we've done in the millen era, probably) we still had nothing to show for it. and for our defense, it was the same story last year. good enough to keep us in the game, until it wore down to nothing due to overreliance.

Is it just me or does this look like a pretty good fucking football team out there so far? What the fuck is going on?? (Knocks on wood......)

despite the loss and the low score, i was mildly pleased with what i saw. there were actually some nice receptions and there was a sense of excitement watching. i know it's weird saying a 9-6 game was exciting, but i think it wasn't as bad as the score indicated. the defense came up w/ some huge plays and i like how Kitna seemed composed under pressure.

i'm not a huge NFL fan, so my perspective are probably much more simplistic than the hardcore fans here......but i actually had fun watching them play.

Looking forward to next weeks game.

Looking forward to next weeks game.

Then Millen has already won.

I was really impressed with the defense, depressed by the offense, but most of all I was disappointed by the coaching. Again it was stupid mistakes that seemed to kill us and I put that on the coach. I also would have liked to see us go for it at least once when inside the Seahawks 40 (2 or 3 times during the game). Our D was playing so well it was a risk that we should have taken.

I was also very impressed with the D, and was pleased that the offense wasn't being run by a big pussy.

If they keep playing hard, I'll keep watching. Hell, even if they don't, I'll watch anyways, just like a car wreck.

Watching the games and wanting Millen fired are mutually exclusive, IMO.

I see the Lions being similar to a college team that has to learn how to win.

They held arguably the best RB in the game to 51 yards. They didn't let the defending NFC champions into the end zone even once.

These are very good things, and should be considered "baby steps" IMO.

I don't feel the "same old Lions" feeling about this one.

The same old Lions either wouldn't even have been in the game, or they would have blown a big lead.

Now if Martz can make them an above average offense we may have something.

We're building something good here.

Fire Millen.

D looked good, imo, because the d-line looked good, imo, because seatle's O line looke awful.

our secondary looked bad, imo. im not in love with our linebackers, either.

i think the real lesson is that the lions should have got hutchinson in the offseason, when we had the chance. i honestly think we could be talking playoffs right now if we got hutchinson.

incompetence is more fun to watch than competence.

i think the real lesson is that the lions should have got hutchinson in the offseason, when we had the chance. i honestly think we could be talking playoffs right now if we got hutchinson.




Wow.

our secondary looked bad, imo. im not in love with our linebackers, either.

The scoreboard disagrees with you.

What could they have done better?

I thought Fernando Bryant looked much improved.

The D did a great job plugging the middle and stopped Alexander cold.

They put a bunch of hits on Hasslebeck and all he could do was dump it off.

Your expectations seem to be pretty high (too high?) for this defense.

What did you expect, a shutout of the NFC Champs?

our secondary looked bad, imo. im not in love with our linebackers, either.

The scoreboard disagrees with you.

What could they have done better?

I thought Fernando Bryant looked much improved.

The D did a great job plugging the middle and stopped Alexander cold.

They put a bunch of hits on Hasslebeck and all he could do was dump it off.

Your expectations seem to be pretty high (too high?) for this defense.

What did you expect, a shutout of the NFC Champs?

im telling you, our defense was good last year (before it broke down).

hasselbeck struggled cuz his O line sucked (sucks?). when hasselbeck had time, he was moving the ball, its just he almost never had time.

dont get me wrong, the D did great yesterday. and i think we should have a very good d all year if we dont run it into the ground.

its just sometimes you have to say, its not us, its them. if their O-line stepped up at all, i think they would have had a field day on us.

ps: hermy, do you disagree or did i just go to far?

Too far. I think our offseason was indefensibly awful, but Hutch got paid too much as it is. He's a guard which along with FS is the least coveted position on the field. While it would be nice to have a road grater, its not like Martz's O demands a lot of push at the line. Money would have been better spend at Saftey/LB/WR/one really good QB/or RT IMO.

I too thought Bryant looked much improved, I kind of had trouble believing it was really him out there.

Although our running game as a whole was terrible, I thought Kevin Jones in particular looked really good (except for the fumbles obviously). He was breaking tackles and dragging bodies for extra yards. If the passing game could have opened things up a little more I think he would have broken a few big ones.