THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 2016
SPORTS
Seahawks defense
peaking at right time
Bevell and Cable
share in running
Seattle’s offense
but I really feel like when
there’s no egos involved and
nobody cares who gets the
RENTON, Wash. — The credit, then you’re able to do
titles that go along with the great things.”
The distinctive setup of
roles Darrell Bevell and Tom
Cable hold working for the the Seahawks offense has
Seattle Seahawks would in- gained notoriety this season
dicate a hierarchy.
because of the success Se-
Bevell is the offensive co- attle has had led by quarter-
ordinator. Cable is an assis- back Russell Wilson.
tant head coach in charge of
In a season where there
the offensive line.
were protection and run
What those titles don’t tell JDPH LVVXHV IRU WKH ¿UVW
is the unique partnership be- half, the Seahawks ended
tween the pair, forged when up setting franchise records
WKH\ZHUH¿UVWSDLUHGWRJHWK- for total yards gained, yards
er in 2011 as part of Pete passing as Wilson became
Carroll’s plan for moving Se- WKH ¿UVW 6HDWWOH TXDUWHUEDFN
attle’s offense forward.
to pass for more than 4,000
They are equals, each \DUGVDQG¿QLVKHGLQWKHWRS
ZLWK VSHFL¿F UHVSRQVLELO- ¿YHLQWKHOHDJXHLQWRWDORI-
ities that join into a col- IHQVHIRUWKH¿UVWWLPHVLQFH
laborative effort that this 2005.
season has helped Seattle
It was an unexpected turn-
experience wild swings of around after Seattle slogged
failure and struggle, as well WKURXJKWKH¿UVWHLJKWZHHNV
as record-setting success as before going on a record run
the Seahawks prepare for that had not been seen here in
Sunday’s wild-card game at a decade.
Minnesota.
“I think Tom and Darrell
It’s a decision-making have done an incredible job
VWUXFWXUHWKDWLVQ¶WVSHFL¿FWR again, not just now, again,”
Seattle, but over time has be- Carroll said. “They’ve con-
come a winning formula for tinued to maximize the talent
the Seahawks.
that we have. You’ve seen
“I think it’s unique. For our guys blossom as players.
me, it’s a really cool relation-
“You’ve seen young play-
ship that we have,” Bevell HUV ¿W LQ \RX¶YH VHHQ WKH
said. “We get to collaborate quarterback just continue
all week as we’re preparing to get better throughout the
for the game plan. We com- process, which really encom-
municate during the week, passes all aspects of what
we have to communicate on we’re doing.”
the runs, we have to commu-
The decision to go with
nicate on the protections and that type of structure was
make sure that’s all squared &DUUROO¶V LGHD ¿UVW KDWFKHG
away, and then we do a great when he brought both Cable
job on game day.
and Bevell to the staff after
“It’s easy to say for me, the 2010 season.
By TIM BOOTH
Associated Press
Ready for
Sunday clash
with Vikings
By TIM BOOTH
Associated Press
RENTON, Wash. — The
questions and concerns that
dogged the Seattle Seahawks’
vaunted defense in September
and October were silenced by
the end of the season.
That’s because the Sea-
hawks accomplished some-
thing that hadn’t been done
since the 1950s.
Seattle heads into Sunday’s
wild-card game at Minnesota
on a roll defensively. The pin-
nacle of their late-season suc-
cess was holding Arizona to six
SRLQWVLQWKHUHJXODUVHDVRQ¿-
nale to end up leading the NFL
in scoring defense for the fourth
straight season. According to
67$766HDWWOHLVWKH¿UVWWHDP
since the Cleveland Browns
(1953-57) to lead the league in
scoring defense in four or more
consecutive seasons.
2YHU WKH ¿QDO ¿YH JDPHV
of the season, the Seahawks
allowed only 55 total points.
And two of the touchdowns
scored during that time were
special teams and defensive
scores by their opponents.
However long this postsea-
son run lasts for Seattle, it will
be a new, but somewhat easier
task for the Seahawks defense.
After playing all their NFC
playoff games at home the past
two seasons, the Seahawks
will be exclusively on the road
this time around where it’s far
easier for Seattle to communi-
cate on the defensive side.
“Maybe we focus better on
the road, I don’t know what it
is. I just think we’re a better
road team than we are a home
team this year,” Seattle line-
backer Bruce Irvin said.
Seattle also led the league
in rush defense at 81.5 yards
per game, giving up the exact
same amount of yards it did a
season ago when the Seahawks
were third-best in the league at
VWRSSLQJ WKH UXQ 7KHLU ¿UVW
task in the playoffs could be
7A
Ross D. Franklin/AP Photo
Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman (25) celebrates a stop against the Ari-
zona Cardinals during the first half of an NFL football game on Jan. 3 in Glendale, Ariz.
WKHLU PRVW GLI¿FXOW WU\LQJ WR
slow down Adrian Peterson,
who led the NFL with 1,485
yards rushing this season.
But Seattle’s already
stopped Peterson once this sea-
son, holding him to 18 yards
on eight carries in Week 13.
“You can’t expect a guy like
that to get eight touches again.
7KH\¶UHJRLQJWR¿QGGLIIHUHQW
ways, whether handing the ball
off, or getting him screens or
checking it down to him,” Se-
attle linebacker Bobby Wagner
VDLG³,GH¿QLWHO\IHHOOLNHKH¶V
going to try to have a bigger
presence in this game.”
Getting the scoring defense
title was particularly import-
ant, but seemed unlikely go-
LQJ LQWR WKH ¿QDO ZHHN :LWK
Cincinnati having allowed 16
WR %DOWLPRUH LQ LWV ¿QDOH HDU-
lier in the day, the Seahawks
could give up only eight points
to Arizona to at least share the
scoring title.
Enter DeShawn Shead with
the Seahawks holding a 36-6
lead in the closing minutes and
Arizona deep in Seattle’s end.
The Seahawks had already
gotten one break when Chan-
GOHU &DWDQ]DUR¶V ¿HOG JRDO
DWWHPSW DW WKH HQG RI WKH ¿UVW
half hit the upright and rico-
FKHWHGEDFNRQWRWKH¿HOG2Q
fourth-and-10 from the Seattle
12 with 5:25 left, the Cardinals
opted to go for it rather than
NLFNDPHDQLQJOHVV¿HOGJRDO
Drew Stanton’s forced pass
was intercepted by Shead, ig-
niting a huge celebration on
the Seahawks sideline.
“I was not aware at all.
I heard them talking on the
sideline in the fourth quarter
about it but I didn’t really pay
no mind to it until I got the in-
terception and I came back to
the sideline and Earl (Thom-
as) and (Richard Sherman)
came up to me and were like,
‘Thank you, you saved the
record,”’ Shead said. “I didn’t
UHDOL]H XQWLO WKHQ KRZ VLJQL¿-
cant the interception was. For
P\¿UVWLQWHUFHSWLRQDWWKHODVW
possible defensive drive in
the regular season it could not
have come at a better time. It’s
a great feeling to know that I
have legitimately been part of
history.”
SCOREBOARD
PREP SCHEDULE
TODAY
Girls Basketball — North Mar-
ion at Astoria, 5:30 p.m.; Seaside
at Newport, 5:30 p.m.; De La Salle
at Warrenton, 6 p.m.; Vernonia at
Knappa, 6 p.m.; Jewell at Country
Christian, 5:30 p.m.; Ilwaco at Ta-
coma Baptist, 7 p.m.
Boys Basketball — North Mar-
ion at Astoria, 7:15 p.m.; Seaside
at Newport, 7:15 p.m.; De La Salle
at Warrenton, 7:45 p.m.; Vernonia
at Knappa, 8 p.m.; Jewell at Coun-
try Christian, 7 p.m.; Ilwaco at Ta-
coma Baptist, 7 p.m.
Wrestling — Seaside Pac Rim,
3:30 p.m.
SATURDAY
Girls Basketball — Stayton at
Astoria, 5:30 p.m.; Warrenton at
Riverdale, 4 p.m.
Boys Basketball — Stayton at
Astoria, 7 p.m.; Warrenton at Riv-
erdale, 5:45 p.m.
Swimming — Seaside at The
Dalles Invite, 10 a.m.
Wrestling — Seaside Pac Rim,
10 a.m.
Tower: Zilli believes new mock-ups from Verizon validate his concerns
Continued from Page 1A
One element
The new monopole at
Shively Park is one element
in a long-sought agreement
between the city and Verizon
to move an outdated commu-
nications tower off Coxcomb
Hill near the Astoria Column.
The city and Verizon would
share a new communications
tower off Reservoir Road,
which would help improve
the city’s emergency com-
munications, while the new
monopole at Shively Park and
equipment atop the Astor Ho-
tel building downtown would
ensure Verizon’s wireless
coverage.
Zilli understands the city’s
interest in improving emer-
gency communications, but
believes the city’s decision to
sign off on the monopole at
Shively Park was biased be-
cause of the city’s role in the
agreement. The City Coun-
cil covered about $70,000 in
expenses by the Friends of
the Astoria Column to get a
Portland telecommunications
consultant to work with Ver-
izon on relocating the exist-
ing tower off Coxcomb Hill,
and authorized an addition-
al $20,000 in city money to
help the consultant close the
deal.
Zilli, concerned about the
City Council’s objectivity,
asked the city for a change
of venue for his appeals to an
administrative law judge or
other neutral decision-maker.
But City Attorney Blair
Henningsgaard, in a letter to
Zilli Thursday, said neither
the city manager nor the City
Council could honor the re-
quest. He said the only body
with the authority to make a
¿QDO GHFLVLRQ RQ WKH DSSHDOV
is the City Council.
“The council cannot pass
on this responsibility to oth-
ers,” Henningsgaard wrote.
Michael Connors, a Port-
land attorney representing
Verizon, urged the City Coun-
cil in a letter last week to deny
Zilli’s appeals. Both the com-
pany and the city explored
several alternative sites for
the monopole before agreeing
on Shively Park.
“There is a strong con-
Henry
Spencer
Olson
Born: Dec. 22nd, 2015 (1:48 PM) in Salem, OR
Height: 21.5 inches
Weight: 7 pounds, 2 ounces
Parents: Scott & Kimberly Olson
Sibling: Eleanor Anne Olson
Grandparents: Al & Carol Olson of Astoria;
Joel & Vicki Giusti of Salem
sensus that the proposed site
is the best available site for
the facility and the appellant
(Zilli) has failed to identify a
viable alternative,” Connors
wrote.
Zilli would have the option
of appealing a City Council
decision to the state Land Use
Board of Appeals.
Rosemary Johnson, a spe-
cial projects planner for the
city, said the company hired
by Verizon to do the earlier
photo simulations did a poor
job.
“Verizon did not realize
they were not accurate, and
so when Ron brought that to
everyone’s attention, that’s
when they hired a new com-
pany to go out and do better
photo simulations,” she said.
Now, Johnson said, the
PRFNXS ³GH¿QLWHO\ LV GLI-
ferent. The height has never
changed. It’s just the visual-
izations were incorrect and
we now have correct photo
simulations which truly depict
the 150 feet.
“And, therefore, it is more
visible from various spots
around town.”
Validate his concerns
Zilli believes the new pho-
tographic mock-ups from Ver-
izon validate his concerns.
“These new photos con-
¿UPWKHWRZHUZLOOEHYLVLEOH
from many locations around
the city and will be a dom-
inant feature on the land-
scape,” he said in an email.
“This new information con-
¿UPV P\ DVVHUWLRQ WKDW WKH
Historic Landmarks Com-
mission and Astoria Planning
Commission were unable to
accurately weigh and consid-
er the impacts to this historic
landmark location.
“There is now no doubt
in my mind the proposed cell
WRZHUZLOOFUHDWHDVLJQL¿FDQW
adverse impact to Shively
Park.”
Deadline:
January 8, 2016
Inserts:
January 22, 2016
FR EE
IN TER N
PR ES EN C E E T
A vailab le
on a
fo r an en ti ll 4 w eb sites
re year
IN CLU D IN
G
ELECTR O PA G E-TU R N IN G
N IC VER SI
ON
Inserted into The Daily Astorian and Chinook
Observer plus extra copies available all year long
New this year!
Copies of the
20 16 River & Sea Weddings
will be at the “Shores Style” Wedding Faire
January 23rd at The Loft in Astoria.
Sizes Available:
1x5
$125
2x5
$215
3x5
$285
4x5
$375
5x5
$425
6x5
$490
Full Page: $800 • Back Cover: $975 • I nside Front/Back: $875
Inside
our award-winning guide
expert tips
local vendors
local wedding stories planning essentials
much more
top trends
If you ’re in terested in p articip atin g in this sp ecial b rid al p lan n er an d w ou ld like m ore in form atio n ,
con tact you r ad vertisin g sales rep resen titive at: O regon • 503- 325- 3211 | W ashin gton • 800- 643- 3703