That's the story of the game the way I see it. We were SO close!! We had every chance in the world to make this a respectable game and to make a HUGE name for ourselves -- the name that we've been talking about all season!! But we fell short.

I don't want to hear those dreadful words, "Same old Seahawks". We are NOT the Seahawks of past years. I'm willing to admit that the pre-season hype may have been a bit overstated but I also think we could kick it up a notch and WIN games like this one today. Our receivers must learn to hold on to the ball, and yes Koren Robinson, I'm talking to you. You weren't the only guilty party but you had more than your fair share.

During the game I was chatting on-line with a good friend who was at odds with my opinion that we should have gone for it on 4th and 4 rather than kick field goals. It is my opinion that when we're struggling as much as we were struggling in the first half, we have nothing to lose by taking the risk of a 4th down conversion. At that point in the game, 3 points weren't really going to help us and a 39-40 yard attempt isn't a gimme anyway.

The first time we went for a field goal it was 4th and 6, we were 17 points down in the second quarter, and it was a 39 yard attempt. History tells us that the field goal was good. Even without knowing that it would have been a good field goal, I suppose in that case the kick was prudent.

The second time it was 4th and 4, we were still 17 points down in the 2nd half, it was a 40 yard field goal attempt. I'd have gone for broke on that one. We hadn't been in scoring range since the last field goal attempt, 17 points were looking like a hundred, we needed a spark -- I'd like to have seen us go for it.

The third time it was 4th and 5, we were 14 points down, the field goal attempt was 28 yards. In ordinary circumstances I'd have gone with the field goal without a second guess but we weren't playing good football! It certainly looked as though our opportunities to score were rare. I'd have made a statement of faith in our offense by letting them go for it. Yeah, it could have backfired but the conservative play-calling didn't win the game for us either.

The kicker, for me anyway, was the fourth time we went for it. It was 4th and a long 8. 3 and a few minutes left in the game. The field goal attempt was almost a sure thing from 31 yards. We were down by 6. A touchdown, had we gone for it and got it, would have given us the lead. A field goal would put us in prime position to come back with yet another to tie the game. Again, under normal circumstances this is a no-brainer. You go for the field goal. BUT if you look at the history of the Seahawks in the Holmgren era, we do not have the best record for time management! It's one of my biggest gripes since Holmgren came to town! Too many times we've squandered precious minutes, and several times Holmgren has second-guessed his calls in the media after a game. The Rams know how to use 3 minutes in a game -- I'm not convinced the Seahawks do.

In any case, we went for the field goal and once again it was good.

With 2 1/2 minutes or so left in the game, we had 4 time-outs (including the 2-minute warning.) I will never understand why Holmgren challenged the outstanding catch by Bethel Johnson. There went a time-out that we desperately needed after the Patriots scored. When we got the ball back, I didn't see the sense of urgency that comes with a team down by 10 points in the final minutes of a game. Sure, we marched downfield and got to the 1 yard line, and even got an extra play after time on the clock had expired due to a defensive penalty, but we didn't make any attempt, as far as I could tell, to go for 10 points and the tie. We seemed content to try for 7 and still walk away with the loss.

It's disappointing to me because I think our momentum in the final quarter would have been good enough to bring us back had we used our time more efficiently. It would have been a big ask, there's no doubt about that, but I believe 2004 Seahawks could have done it. It makes me sad that we didn't.