This has been a difficult week for Jim Mora – an unprecedented one, in fact, for the Seahawks’ first-year head coach.
Mora never has been 2-5 as a head coach. In each of his three seasons in Atlanta, the Falcons started 5-2. Yes, he was with the Seahawks last season, when they started 2-5 and finished 4-12 – but he was the secondary coach and didn’t have to face the media four times a week to answer the same questions over and over.
“You’ve got bounce back,” Mora said Friday after practice. “You have no choice. You bounce back. That’s what you do. It’s just been a week to try to refocus – for myself and this whole team and this whole organization.
“Refocus, and get on track, and get where we need to be.”
The first place this team needs to be is back in the win column, and the Seahawks will get that chance Sunday against the 1-6 Detroit Lions at Qwest Field. That’s where they have not only won their two games this season, but shutout two opponents – 28-0 against the St. Louis Rams in their opener and 41-0 against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 5.
But, with the exception of a six-point loss to the Chicago Bears in Week 3, the Seahawks’ losses have been just as decisive – 23-10 to the San Francisco 49ers; 34-17 to the Indianapolis Colts; 27-3 to the Indianapolis Colts; and 38-17 to the Dallas Cowboys.
It was last week in Dallas that Mora went Popeye on his team. You know, he’d seen all he could stand and he can’t stand no more.
Mora’s post-game speech in the locker room was followed by an edict on accountability to reporters. Monday, Mora underlined his remarks from Sunday, promising that he would hold players accountable for their actions. Tuesday, the club made nine roster moves, including releasing running back Edgerrin James and defensive backs Travis Fisher and C.J. Wallace.
Wednesday, the Seahawks had one of their most energetic practices of the season. While Mora has been an overseer for much of the season in practice, on this day he was hard to overlook. He preached tempo. He demanded precision. He made the defense rerun plays on back-to-back plays.
“There definitely is a different attitude this week in terms of a sense of urgency,” is the way quarterback
“He had said it plain out, ‘We’re going to make some changes; we’re going to do some evaluating,’ and they did it. His words weren’t hollow. They definitely did it. He backed it up.”
And never backed down. The intensity on the practice field was just as palpable Friday as it was on Wednesday; the sense of urgency just as, well, urgent.
“The team has been real locked in,” said defensive end
Even making the defense rerun those plays in practice? Especially making the defense rerun those plays in practice.
“(Defensive coordinator) Gus Bradley made the point last week, ‘Don’t keep pounding a bent nail. Pull it out. Get a straight one. And do it right,’ ” Kerney said. “That’s exactly what coach Mora has done this week on the practice field.”
The Seahawks’ season has been a case of too many bent nails. While they have hammered their weaker opponents (the Rams and Jaguars are a combined 4-11), they’ve been drilled by the Colts, Cardinals and Cowboys (who are a combined 16-5).
That’s also why there hasn’t been a lot of talk of the Lions this week in general, and their 1-6 record specifically.
“I don’t think we think about it,” Hasselbeck said. “We’ve got enough things to think about in terms of ourselves. We’re not thinking about their record; we’re thinking about our record. Right now, our record’s not good enough.”
The players apparently have gotten Mora’s message. But the real proof will come Sunday.
