Nut check time for the Seahawks

This weekend, the Seahawks are heading into the Jersey swamps to take on the defending Super Bowl champs. It's a tall order, no doubt, and I think it will be the defining game of the Seahawks season. A hard-fought win or, at the very least, a respectable showing gives the team some hope for the remainder of the season. If they get dominated, the wheels will come off the wagon very quickly and a 6-10 record could be in the cards.

The Giants are everything the Seahawks are not. They have an identity: aggressive, ball-hawking defense and a powerful offensive line that blows open holes for a variety of different-sized backs. They are tough, smart and nasty.

Yes, the Seahawks wide receiver corps have been decimated by injuries, but the bigger problem existed even before the injuries. This team has absolutely no identity. It was supposed to be the defense, but the vaunted D gave up 34 points to Buffalo in the season opener and a more embarrassing 33 to San Francisco at home. The Seahawks are full of nice guys, but it is painfully obvious that they lack a toughness that all great teams have. As Oscar Pendejo pointed out in July, this team needs some attitude. (As a rule of thumb, guys in jail are tough.)

Some fans may feel a little better about the team, because it whipped up on St. Louis two weeks ago. But the reality is that the Rams wouldn't be able make it to a bowl game if they were playing on Saturdays and talk of an improved running game is predicated on pounding the ball against the porous Rams and 49ers defenses. Against Buffalo's legitimate defense, the team ran for 84 yards.

I really expect this team to fold like a lawn chair against the Giants who will ram the ball down the Seahawks throat (especially with Plaxico Burress suspended). Pure and simple, this game is a nut check for the Hawks. If they don't sack up, the year of discontent for Seattle sports will just extend into the winter.