Mike Williams had 11 catches for 145 yards on Sunday for the Seahawks, and he did it with a broken pinkie finger. If he’s not the NFL Comeback Player of the Year, who is? Seriously, Williams has 46 catches. He was out of the league the last two years, and had eight catches in eight games the year before that and just 44 catches in the three years he played after being the 10th overall pick out of USC. Too bad he can’t play against the Cardinals every week. He’s got 22 catches in two games against Arizona this year.
This big (6-foot-5), strong receiver started the season behind Deion Branch, T.J. Houshmandzadeh and second-round draft choice Golden Tate on the depth chart. Now, he’s become the center of Seattle’s offense. He doesn’t get into the end zone (just one TD so far), but if he has a good game, the Seahawks have a good game.
Does Sunday’s victory over the Cardinals mean we can call them the resurgent Seattle Seahawks? Considering how they were domianted the previous two games, and factoring in they are now in sole possession of first place, I think you can. While Arizona looked inept on offense and puzzled at times on defense, coach Pete Carroll and his staff deserve a pat on the back for getting the Seahawks back on track, or at least out of the ditch and on the road again.
Are you drinking Carroll’s Kool-aide again?
Gray Does It All for Zags
Gonzaga cruised to its second straight blowout win on Sunday with Bainbridge grad Steven Gray leading the way with 17 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and four steals against IUPUI. That follows Gray’s 25-point game against Southern on Friday. The Zags have a bigger test on Tuesday at home against No. 25 San Diego State.
As for Gray, coach mark Few had this to say on Sunday: “He does everything good. He’s our best defender, he’s our best playmaker, he’s our best shooter. He’s just a complete guard.” Read the AP story here.
Quick quiz? What’s IUPUI stand for? If you said Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, you’re right. Can’t they come up with a better name than that?
OK, time for some more links and questions:
Looks like Jake Locker could be a game-day decision this week. The UW quarterback with injured ribs returned to practice on Saturday, but didn’t participate in any contact drills. Washington plays UCLA at 5 p.m. on Thursday at Husky Stadium. What do you think of Locker’s UW career? He’s got three, maybe four games left? Are you disappointed in how he’s played, or are you sympathic because of the players he’s been surrounded with during his career? Just wondering.
Former Husky football coach Rick Neuheisel will be back in town with the Bruins, who, like the Huskies, are trying to become bowl eligible. Here’s a nice L.A. Times piece on Neuheisel’s relationship with a former player he coached at Colorado. Neuheisel still has his share of detractors from his time at the UW, but nobody ever denied that he wasn’t a likeable guy. I’ll never forget the night he climbed on stage with former UCLA teammate Norm Johnson and sang with Joey Dean after the rodeo one night at the Kitsap County Fair.
Many Husky fans still think of Neuheisel as public enemy No. 1. Do you view Neuheisel as a villian, someone who ran the program into the ground, and deserved to be fired? Or should he be held in higher esteem for what he accomplished on the field? His 2001 team won the Rose Bowl and he was 33-16 in four years before he was fired after the controvery surrounding an NCAA betting pool.
Oregon’s making news in basketball, too. The Ducks’ recruiting class for 2011 is ranked No. 19 and Washington comes in at No. 21, according to Rivals.com. Do you hate the Ducks or admire them for what they’ve achieved athletically in recent years? If Oregon plays for the BCS championship this year, will you root for them?
The NBA’s latest dynamic duo, Kevin Durant and Michael Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder, could be playing in front of packed houses in Seattle if the franchise hadn’t been wisked away by Clay Bennett. Just for kicks, here’s an Art Thiel column in 2007 about Durant possibly being the player who could save the franchise in Seattle. How many of you ex-SuperSonics’ fans follow the Thunder? Do you care about the NBA anymore? The guy at the next desk thinks we should stop running NBA box scores in the paper. Any thoughts?
Joe Morgan’s a smart guy, was a great second baseman, and a not-so-great baseball announcer who was let go by ESPN recently, along with his sidekick, Jon Miller, after being the voices on the Sunday Game of the Week for 21 years. Joe Posnanski writes about Morgan in his blog, like only Joe Posnanski can. He also writes about his love-hate affair with Derek Jeter. Check it out here.
Finally, what should the Mariners do to honor Dave Niehaus, who died last week? They hung jersey No. 77 in his broadcast booth during Saturday’s tribute at Safeco Field. Niehaus started calling Seattle games in 1977. Should they retire jersey No. 77? Should they build a statue in his honor? What’s the proper tribute? Any new ideas out there?
