Of course, you all know by now that Trent Dilfer was injured minutes into the second quarter of the game after a stellar first half. Here it is a day later and I still have a huge pit in my stomach. I've talked to several fans who are feeling despair and I admit that a bit of my spirit has been stolen away by the events but I'm not about to abandon my hopes and dreams for the 2002 Seahawks season! We'll rise above this! It's not a one-man show, it's a team effort. I have faith in the other players on our team, including Matt Hasselbeck and Jeff Kelly! If coaching staff feels we need another QB with experience, we'll get one. I think the important thing is to stand behind our team now more than ever!

There were some positives to take from our first pre-season game despite the injury to Trent Dilfer and the loss on the scoreboard. I only had the audio feed for the first two series of the game but what a first scoring drive! Morris had a nice return (and wasn't it fun to see him run later in the game, too!), Strong had a good run, Alexander ran for a first down, and Robinson made a diving catch for a first down. Can't ask for much more than that! Dilfer was described on the audio call as "slicing and dicing the defense!" Woooo Hoooo! We've gotta get him healthy again!

When it was Indy's turn to take the ball, Lamar King, who received a fair bit of criticism early in the off-season, was described in these words by the broadcasters: "There's the hunger we saw." He was responsible for a coverage sack that earned him the comment! Moments later Chad Brown was putting pressure on Manning which resulted in an incomplete pass. We held them!!

It was during the next series that I was able to find a video feed. The first play I saw was a run by Shaun Alexander for 15 yards, followed by another run by Shaun that resulted in another first down! He found a hole and he RAN! Gotta love it!!

The next play was a fake that got me! Turned out to be a pass for Jackson who came back to the ball and picked up 18 yards!!! At that point in time I was so excited I could hardly stand it!! FOOTBALL WAS BACK and we were looking GOOD!!!!!

After a screen pass to Graham (already inside the 30!) the announcers stated that Dilfer was 7 of 7 for 81 yards! I felt the goosebumps! The next play was a pass to Jerramy Stevens and oh, how the crowd cheered!!! Stevens, who had so much negative press during draft time, was welcomed to the club with a roaring cheer! Can you believe that? Good for you, Seattle fans!!! It is SO nice to hear you cheering BIG TIME on television broadcasts!! I love it!!

This drive ended with an incomplete pass, a run in which Shaun wasn't really able to get his footing, and then a 39 yard field goal attempt by Elling. It wasn't the most beautiful field goal I've ever seen but it went through the uprights and suddenly we were up by 10 points! I was feeling GOOD!!!

The next defensive series was pretty awesome too! Good kick coverage by Bell. Lucas had a good tackle after a reception, Cochran provided good coverage on the next play, and King led a charge in the backfield that resulted in a loss for the Colts. Lucas was in defensive coverage when his hit caused the ball to pop loose, unfortunately it bounced right back into the hands of the Colts. The next play wasn't shown on television coverage (they were still playing commercials!) but the announcers credited Springs with good defensive work. We were clicking!

It was shortly thereafter that Dilfer went down with the injury. Hasselbeck stepped in and we received a holding penalty on the first play. There was a nice pass to Stevens for a 10 yard gain, and then an interception on a pass that looked weak and wobbly. And on top of that, we got flagged for holding. Burst went the bubble.

When Seattle got the ball back, we got a good look at RB Morris. +12 yards, +8 yards, first down ... I was liking what I saw!! Later in the game he did fumble the ball but we can credit that to an excellent defensive play. Overall I was impressed with the speed and craftiness of Morris!

James Williams had a great leaping reception for a 15 yard gain! Gotta love that!

There is apparently a new rule this season about dumping the ball off on a screen play to avoid a sack. Hasselbeck was pressured, threw the ball incomplete and wasn't flagged for intentional grounding. (I hope I got the gist of the new ruling right -- I'm just repeating what I heard the announcers say!)

Near the two minute warning, we saw former Seahawk Brock Huard scramble to keep their drive alive. Huard! Scrambling! And he did it well!!! His hustle allowed the Colts to score with :49 left in the half. Good for Brock!!!

We got the ball back with only a few seconds to make something happen. I liked it that we didn't run out the clock by sitting on the ball. On the second play of the drive Hasselbeck fumbled the ball under pressure and was able to recover it. A couple of complete passes toook us to within near-field goal range. Elling tried a 57 yard attempt and failed. I understand he has the leg for it but this one went wide.

The second half was not Seattle's half. The most fun part to me was getting to see Jeff Kelly's debut, which I thought was terrific. Did he have permission from the Great Dave Krieg to wear #17?!?! (Just kidding!) I had to laugh when the announcers shared the Favre connection. (Kelly went to the same school as Favre.) We just can't escape Green Bay, can we?!?!

In other nonconsequential observances, it was a surprise to see Dungy coaching the Colts. Of course I was aware he was their coach, but it's always a little surprising to see the changes on the sideline the first time each season.

I LOVED the look of the new Seahawks stadium!! I'm so jealous of everyone who got to be there!! I have Travelocity checking airfare to Seattle for me because I REALLY want to go! I've GOT to see it!!! I thought the sideline banners and artwork were nice. Bright, colorful, cheerful. I liked the look.

I had expected to see a larger capacity crowd at the game for the opener even though it was "just" a pre-season game. Come on Seattle, BUY TICKETS!!!

I'm sorry to say that I was a little disappointed with the new uniforms. I expected to see them and love them, and that didn't happen. I thought they came across as a little "dull" on television, although I like the helmets a lot. I miss the bright blue and green colors that separated us from other teams. It will take some time to get used to the new color scheme but I've no doubt I'll come around.

I never really got a good look at the Sea Gals during the game. They were shown from a distance several times but never up close that I saw. I'm sure you guys would like to see more of the Sea Gals, and I find their dancing and cheering entertaining as well. (And besides, I want to see their new uniforms!) More Sea Gals next week please, video crew! :-)

Oh, and for those of you who watched the game in Seattle from the comfort of home, were those GEICO commercials a little scary?!?! hee hee!!

GOOOOOOOOOOOO SEAHAWKS!!!!!!

If you have comments, send them in and I'll get them posted here!!