The first defensive play of Aaron Curry's NFL career ended with a shoving match against Rams running back Steven Jackson. The second play concluded with Curry depositing St. Louis guard Jacob Bell on his keister.
Consider it a strong message from a strong man. Seattle's rookie linebacker is 254 pounds of bad intentions until the whistle blows. "Just letting them know that this defense, we're not going anywhere," he said. "No matter what you do, we're going to be here for 60 minutes."
"We just stayed together," defensive tackle Brandon Mebane said. "We had a lot of adversity on the field and we just stayed together." They stayed aggressive, too, especially Curry.
Leroy Hill suffered a groin injury in the first half and didn't return, Lofa Tatupu's hamstring tightened up in the second half and he left the game though that was more precautionary but Curry stayed on the field, his motor revving as opponents overheated. Jackson was called for a personal foul at the end of the first half because of something he did to Curry.
"He was angry at the world," Curry said. "He was mad at the whole defense." Coach Jim Mora said the referee came over at least three times, telling him to have No. 59 calm down. "But every time I talked to him on the sideline, he was very calm," Mora said of Curry. "He wasn't frenzied. He wasn't out of his mind. He was in control. He just plays with a passion, energy and emotion and speed." Curry played with a purpose Sunday. "We were referred to as being soft," Curry said. "So we've got to change our image."
Curry finished the game with four tackles, but his impact was best measured by the statement he made in his first game as a Seahawk which was physical from the first play to the final whistle.
"We just wanted them to know, no matter how hard you push us, we're going to be here," Curry said.
