The badness: Another team picked by many to win its division instead finished 4-12 on the season. The entire wide receiver corps was decimated by injuries and the defense often was disappointing. An injured Matt Hasselbeck and his replacement Seneca Wallace combined to throw one million interceptions in the final two minutes of close games.
The James angle: Within one week of moving to Seattle in early 2006, the Seahawks lost the Super Bowl, and many fans blamed the referees. During the off-season, the team failed to re-sign Pro Bowl left tackle Steve Hutchinson, who is now opening huge holes for Adrian Peterson in Minnesota.
Before the 2006 season I purchased a Shaun Alexander jersey on eBay; Alexander, the reigning Most Valuable Player of the league and popular with the locals, broke his foot in Week 3 and subsequently turned into a gelatinous running-back-like substance. Soon thereafter he was criticized for lack of toughness and nicknamed "Shauna" by disgruntled fans.
The silver lining: The team's probably will improve somewhat next year, if it can shore up the receiving corps and stay healthy. Their poor record and a sinking economy probably improves my chances of bubbling to the top of the season ticket waiting list that much more quickly.
Meanwhile...
I don't even have the fortitude to talk about the Huskies football team going winless for the first time ever (in over 100 years of history), and the death of local stadium icon Tuba Man. Read this great ESPN article by Jim Caple if you want the gory details on our lost year in sports.
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