Monday in Hawkville

Published on November 7, 2011 by Seahawks.Com News (Feed)     

A recap of the day’s activities at Virginia Mason Athletic Center for Nov. 7:

FOCUS ON

The second half. Not of games – when the Seahawks have outscored their first eight opponents 86-79 – but the season. Like it or not, the Seahawks have reached the halfway point of their second season under coach Pete Carroll at 2-6. It’s the first time they’ve started with that record since 2002.

The good news is that the Seahawks will play four of their next six games at CenturyLink Field, starting with Sunday’s matchup against the 6-2 Baltimore Ravens.

“There’s nothing easy about any of these matchups,” Carroll said of the second-half slate – which also includes home games against the Redskins, Eagles, Rams and NFC West-leading 49ers, as well as road games against the Rams, Bears and Cardinals.

“These games all make it very difficult. Here comes the Ravens. We’re going to have to play really good ball.”

The bad news, of course, is being 2-6 after playing on the road five times already.

“We’ve been struggling through the first half,” Carroll said. “We’ve been working to find a continuity and a level of execution that will get us some more wins. It hasn’t happened like we’d like.

“The things that can hold back a young team are holding us back – making mistakes; the penalty situation has caused us problems, especially the last three weeks; and always is the case when you turn the ball over.”

During their current three-game losing streak the Seahawks have been penalized 28 times for 226 yards and turned the ball over seven times in a three-point loss to the Browns; a 22-point loss to the Bengals, where they trailed 17-12 midway through the fourth quarter; and Sunday’s 10-point loss to the Cowboys.

“We have to clean that up,” Carroll said. “We have to get rid of turnovers and we’ve got to get these penalties where it’s in a manageable number, where it’s not disrupting drives and setting us back.

“Because the margins have been so close that they’ve been factors in games.”

INJURY REPORT

Linebacker and special teams player David Vobora got a concussion in Sunday’s game that “could be an issue” during the week, Carroll said.

Wide receivers Mike Williams and Sidney Rice also could be slowed early in the week with what Carroll labeled “nicks.”

Tarvaris Jackson feels a little better this Monday than he did last week, Carroll said, but the team’s starting quarterback is sore after throwing 30 passes on Sunday with a strained pectoral in his right shoulder.

“Really, we just kind of go day-to-day on how he responds,” Carroll said.

STAT DU JOUR

The Seahawks allowed season highs in rushing yards (163) and per-carry average (5.6) against the Cowboys, but slipped only slightly in the league rankings. They’re No. 13 in rushing defense (down from 11th) and third in per-carry average allowed (down from No. 1, when they were allowing 3.2 yards). Here’s a look at the league leaders in per-carry average allowed:

Team               Avg.

Bengals           3.3

Ravens            3.4

Seahawks            3.4

49ers               3.5

Dolphins         3.8

Vikings            3.8

Broncos          3.9

Cardinals        3.9

via Seahawks.com Blog | Monday in Hawkville «.

Tags: Baltimore Ravens, Bengals, coach pete carroll, Eagles Rams, Game Losing Streak, Halfway Point, Home Games, Manageable Number, Matchup Against, Matchups, Nfc West, Play Four, Ravens, Redskins, Road Games, Seahawks, Second Season, Seven Times, Six Games, Virginia Mason