One Raider’s Response Is Straight From the Lip : They Stop All the Seahawks on Field, Then Stop One (Millard) in the Tunnel

The final indignity Sunday for the Seattle Seahawks came in the Coliseum tunnel after their 13-3 loss to the Raiders. On their way to the dressing room, a couple of Raiders grabbed Seattle offensive tackle Bryan Millard from behind and Raider linebacker Rod Martin spit in his face.

Martin said later he was evening a score with Millard, something the Raiders already had done with the Seahawks on the field.

Last December, Seattle eliminated the Raiders in the first round of the playoffs with a 13-7 victory. Although the Seahawks lost the next weekend at Miami, they looked like the team of the immediate future, particularly when it was taken into consideration that their star running back, Curt Warner, was returning this season from an injury.

In more than one publication, the Seahawks were predicted before the season to be the AFC’s team in Super Bowl XX.

That’s not going to happen. The Raiders’ defense made sure of that, keeping Seattle out of the end zone Sunday. As a result, the Seahawks, who lost for the seventh time in 15 games, are out of contention for a playoff berth.

What happened to the Seahawks?

Coach Chuck Knox, who has had days like this before in the Coliseum, didn’t want to talk about it.

“I’ll express my thoughts on the season after the season,” said Knox, whose team plays its final game Friday night against Denver.

No one could blame Knox for not wanting to think about the last three months. It was frustrating enough for him to consider what had happened in the last three hours.

A team that is known for wearing down its opponents with its running game, celebrated as Ground Chuck, had only 51 yards and two first downs on the ground against the Raiders.

Warner, who started strong this season but had averaged only 46 yards in his last three games, gained 37 yards in 13 carries.

The Seahawks gained 150 yards through the air, but their average gain per pass play was only 4.1 yards.

Six of their 11 possessions ended with them still needing at least 10 yards for a first down. They faced fourth and 18 once and fourth and 19 once. Two possessions ended in lost fumbles and two others in interceptions.

This didn’t look anything like the Seattle offense that scored almost at will in a 33-3 victory over the Raiders earlier this season.

Neither did it look anything like the same Raider defense.

“Their defense played better than they did the last time,” Seattle quarterback Dave Krieg said. “We needed to do something on offense. Either we didn’t do it or they didn’t let us do it.

“They played the kind of football we wanted to play.”

The Seahawks could say the same thing about this season. The Raiders’ victory Sunday made them the AFC West champions, a distinction the Seahawks felt after last season was due them.

“You can’t get much worse than how I feel now,” Krieg said. “The most disappointing thing about this loss is that it eliminated us from having a chance to go to the playoffs.

“All I know is that we lost a lot of close games. After the season is over, I’m sure I’m going to look back and remember some of the games we played that could have gone either way. I’m not looking forward to that. That’s what losers do.”

The Seahawks felt Sunday’s outcome might have been different if not for an unusual play in the third quarter, when they were trailing, 6-3.

On first down from the Raider 45, third-team running back Rick Parros made a diving catch of a Krieg pass for a five-yard gain.

While Raider linebacker Reggie McKenzie was arguing with the official that Parros trapped the ball, Parros, still untouched, got up and began running. He reached the 13 before safety Stacey Toran caught him from behind and punched the ball out of his hands. Raider linebacker Jeff Barnes recovered, ending the last Seattle threat.

“That could have been a play that really sparked our offense,” Parros said. “As it happened, it just made us more frustrated.”

The frustration was most evident midway through the fourth quarter, after the Raiders had scored the game’s only touchdown for a 13-3 lead, and Krieg threw a pass that was caught by Raider cornerback Mike Haynes.

The official ruled that Haynes came down out of bounds, nullifying the interception. But Martin didn’t see the official’s ruling. He decided it was time to deliver a eulogy for the Seahawks.

“The season is over for you guys,” Martin said he told Millard.

Martin said Millard responded by spitting in his face.

“When he did that, I went crazy,” Martin said. “I didn’t mean to tear off his helmet; I was going for the face mask. But when I pulled on his face mask, the helmet came off. I just wanted to throw some uppercuts.

“He tried to body slam me into the ground. I threw a wrestling hold on him, and we tussled.”

Both were ejected. So was Barnes, who kicked one of the Seahawks.

Still not feeling vindicated, Martin resumed the dispute with Millard as the two teams were entering their dressing rooms after the game.

“I still felt bad,” Martin said. “I should have felt good because we won the division and all that, but I was more concerned with him. I wanted him to see how it felt for someone to spit in his face. It makes you feel real little. Now I feel real good.”

Millard wouldn’t discuss the details.

“Stuff like that’s going to happen,” he said. “I’m sorry it happened to me. It wasn’t very classy on my part to be thrown out of the ballgame. That didn’t help the club any.”

But Gaylord Perry would have loved it.