No Tatupu, no problem
September 27th, 2009 | by Mark Hooper |About the only thing that could have gone better with the Seahawks David Hawthorne’s first NFL start would been if the SeaChickens could have held onto the lead and win vs. the Bears.
But it’s sure hard to look at the game and fault Hawthorne, seeing as he had 15 solos and an assist in a game in the Seahawks faced jut 28 rushing attempts and 48 total tackle opportunities. He also racked over 50% of the total LB tackles, and 31% of the Seahawks total. He was all over the field, not only chasing down opponents from sideline to sideline and deep on the field, but he collected the only interception.
It’s one thing to see him do it one week, but last week in less than a half he managed a 3-2, tied for the team lead in total tackles among LBs.
Another positive note here is that the Bears had 28 rushing attempts, but just 85 yards (3.04ypc average). They also did not allow a rushing TD, all with Hawthorne in the middle.
So should Tatupu owners be worried? The resounding answer would be no, although you have to wonder what the Seahawks will do if they want to get their best three athletes on the field. Aaron Curry is going to be there, and Tatupu as well, so Leroy Hill may be the eventual loser here.
And it’s just my opinion here, but this would be the opportunity to move Curry to WLB and insert Hawthorne at SLB if the Seahawks were so inclined. I doubt that will happen, as they probably don’t want to affect the learning curve of their franchise rookie. But it does open intriguing possibilities.
