SEATTLE — It might be time to add another level to the pantheon of humor.
There’s comedy. And then there’s high comedy. And then there’s low comedy and dark comedy and slapstick comedy. And like a bolt of innovation from a young Robin Williams, Sunday delivered the breakthrough that is Seahawks-Cardinals comedy.
“This was an interesting game,” Seattle coach Pete Carroll said following his team’s 22-10 victory at Qwest Field. “What an interesting football game.”
Carroll, being a coach, might have failed to see the humor in all of this, unless “interesting” is a new euphemism for “funny.” Arizona’s Ken Whisenhunt, being the losing coach, certainly failed to see the humor.
But trust us, Ken. Someday you’ll look back and laugh.
Because there was Seattle’s Raheem Brock, receiving the slightest of shoves from Arizona quarterback Derek Anderson, flopping as if he had been headbutted by Zinedine Zidane, and being assessed a 15-yard penalty for overacting.
And there was Arizona’s Jason Wright, muffing a kickoff and then having the ball ricochet off his foot for some 30 yards, where it was recovered by the Seahawks.
And there was Seattle, being called for back-to-back holding penalties as Olindo Mare was putting field goals through the uprights. When Mare finally made one that counted, the Seahawks were called for unsportsmanlike conduct after the kick.
Seattle was called for 10 penalties; Arizona committed five turnovers; the Cardinals had a punt that traveled 7 yards. And in a game that was a Three Stooges version of NFL football — nyuck, nyuck, nyuck — the only thing missing was “Yakety Sax” as a theme song.
“It’s great to get the win, and we had a lot of fun in the locker room about it, and there’s a lot of good things that happened,” Carroll said. “But we have so much room for improvement, and that’s really exciting, because we can get better.”
Yes they can, because comedy is in the eye of the beholder. And so, six games into the season, the Seahawks are 4-2 and all alone in first place in the NFC West.
That’s nothing to laugh about, and much of the credit goes to Carroll and general manager John Schneider.
“They had a clear vision of what they wanted this team to be and the type of guys they wanted in this locker room, and you’re starting to see it pay off,” safety Lawyer Milloy said. “The one thing about us is that we’re still learning each other and we’re winning.”
The Seahawks spent the offseason, the preseason, and the early part of the regular season turning over their roster at a humorous rate. And while the results weren’t pretty against Arizona, they have been effective.
With games at Oakland, at home against the New York Giants, at Arizona, and at New Orleans in the next four weeks, Seattle is entering the most crucial part of the schedule. Come out of that without any major damage, and the laughable NFC West will be theirs for the taking.
“I love being in first place, but it doesn’t mean anything right now,” Carroll said. “It doesn’t matter right now, it’s how you finish. It’s nice, but I never mention it.”
Maybe not. But for a coach who returned to the NFL as though he had something to prove, the guess is that he’s thinking about it. To suggest otherwise would be laughable.
Greg Jayne is Sports editor of The Columbian. He can be reached at 360-735-4531, or by e-mail at greg.jayne@columbian.com. To read his blog, go to columbian.com/weblogs/GregJayne
