Tuesday, January 10, 2006
KIRKLAND, Wash., Jan. 9 -- It might appear that the Seattle Seahawks' defensive improvement from 26th to tied for 16th had very little to do with former Washington Redskins defensive coordinator Ray Rhodes. Now Seattle's defensive coordinator, Rhodes wasn't even with the team on many Sundays this season because of health problems.
But according to acting defensive coordinator John Marshall, nothing could be further from the truth.
"This is Ray Rhodes's scheme," Marshall said this season. "He still has his hand on it -- tightly, I might add. And it's the players. The players are out there playing hard and making plays.
"I don't deserve any credit, really. The whole staff and the players, those are the people who deserve the credit."
Rhodes, 55, has attended just seven games since suffering a mild stroke in September and having a reoccurrence of symptoms on Nov. 4. His hours have been severely cut, and he doesn't attend practices.
Yet Rhodes continues to get credit from coaches and players for a defense that has given up an average 34.5 fewer yards per game from the 2004 season.
"Even though it's been in a more limited capacity, Ray has still had his fingerprints on this defense all year long," defensive end Grant Wistrom said. "He's still around the building, and he's still breaking down film and making suggestions.
"I know John's [coordinating], but John would be a fool not to listen to a guy like that."
Rhodes started experiencing health problems after Seattle's preseason finale on Sept. 2 and checked himself into a hospital the following day with dizziness and a lack of energy. Tests revealed he had suffered a mild stroke, and Rhodes did not attend the team's regular season opener at Jacksonville on Sept. 11.
Rhodes returned to practices the next week and fell into a typical schedule -- with the notable exception of game days, when he sat in the booth while Marshall made the calls on the sideline with Rhodes's input -- before entering the hospital again. Rhodes was given a clean bill of health following that incident, but Seahawks Coach Mike Holmgren forced him to cut back his hours and stop attending practices.
Because Saturday's playoff contest is a home game, Rhodes will probably assist Marshall from the coaches booth.
Not K icking HimselfSeahawks place kicker Josh Brown appreciates another opportunity to face the Redskins, but he's not looking at it as a chance to atone.
"I know the answer everybody's looking for, but that's really not the way I'm looking at it," said Brown, whose potential game-winning field goal hit the left upright as regulation time expired in the Redskins' 20-17 overtime win at FedEx Field on Oct. 2. "I'm just glad we're in the playoffs. It's not something I'm going to dwell on or think about. It's irrelevant at this point."
Big Game at LastSaturday's game will mark the first time in more than a month the Seahawks have played a meaningful game for both teams.
Seattle had a bye during the opening week of the playoffs, and the Seahawks rested many of their starters for their regular season finale against Green Bay on Jan. 1 because it meant nothing to their playoff seeding.
Seattle needed a win over Indianapolis on Christmas Eve to clinch home-field advantage, but that game was meaningless to the Colts, who did not bring wide receiver Marvin Harrison to the game and used quarterback Peyton Manning for two series.
Special SeasonRegardless of what happens in the postseason, the 2005 Seahawks have made quite a case for being the best team in franchise history.
Seattle set team records for wins (13), total yards (5,915), rushing yards (2,457), first downs (361), fewest rushing yards allowed (1,550) and fewest turnovers (17). In addition, the Seahawks' 11-game winning streak that ended with a loss to the Packers on Jan. 1 was the longest in franchise history.
Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck's 98.2 passer rating is the highest in franchise history and led the NFC this season.
-- Scott M. Johnson
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