Defense discovers ability to rebound
Two Bears blocked Patrick Kerney on the game’s biggest play.
That figures, because Sunday’s game was a test of Seattle’s ability to overcome numerous obstacles.
The Seahawks spent most of the first half chasing the Chicago Bears, but in the fourth quarter it was Kerney who ran down quarterback Rex Grossman after beating a double team. And when Kerney had the quarterback in his crosshairs, the target changed.
“I was in range for the sack, so that was the layup,” Kerney said.
He held out for the slam dunk.
“I just waited for him to show the ball,” he said.
And when Grossman did, Kerney knocked him down and knocked the ball free. Darryl Tapp recovered and just like that, what could have been the Bears’ game-tying drive turned into Seattle’s clinching field-goal drive.
“That was the game, as it turns out,” Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren said.
That was the story line, too. A day when persistence paid off and resiliency got rewarded. A game in which Kerney worked his way past two Chicago blockers for the first of his three sacks just like the Seahawks stared down a double-digit deficit in the first half.
“To be down early like we were and to kind of claw our way back and refocus,” said safety Brian Russell, “I think that shows the character of this football team.”
This is a defense that fluctuated between great and gruesome the first two months of the season, personality shifts severe enough to be mistaken as schizophrenic. Well, the Seahawks showed a new trait against Chicago. An ability to bounce back.
They allowed their longest touchdown of the season on Chicago’s second play, spotted the Bears a 10-point lead and failed to sack Grossman in the first half. Seattle rebounded. Cedric Benson gained 63 yards on his first two rushes. The Bears gained 44 yards on their next 20. Seattle kept Chicago out the end zone in the second half and sacked Grossman five times.
Three of those came from Kerney, none more important than his first, when he forced the fumble that was Chicago’s only turnover of the game.
This is what the Seahawks had in mind when they signed him as a free agent from Atlanta, agreeing to a six-year contract that will pay him at least $19.5 million. Kerney isn’t just a left end. He’s a prototype. He’s big enough to hold his ground against the strong side of the opponent’s offensive line in the running game, with the speed to rush the passer.
But Kerney had 4 ½ sacks his first nine games with Seattle. Actually, 4 ½ in his first nine games and three quarters, until his fourth-quarter flurry on Sunday.
Kerney plays with an effort and an energy that is often praised, but complimenting those traits over and over is kind of like complimenting a girl’s personality. It’s nice, but it undercuts other attributes.
“I hate when they say that, ‘He’s an effort guy,’ ” linebacker Lofa Tatupu said of Kerney. “He’s a pass rusher. He gets to the quarterback, and sometimes he garners a little more attention than other people.”
Like that play in the fourth quarter when the Bears had a first down just across midfield, trailing Seattle by seven points. Kerney lined up at left end and Chicago designated two players to block him.
“You have to rush like the quarterback is going to hold the ball,” Kerney said. “Our coverage just did an awesome job of making him hold it. He had nowhere to go with it.”
A little bit of time. That’s all Kerney needed on that play. Same was true for his team on Sunday as the Seahawks treated a 10-point deficit just like Kerney treated those two blockers. They were simply obstacles to be overcome.
Danny O’Neil: 206-464-2364 or doneil@seattletimes.com