After missing a pair of field goals in the Week Three loss to the Bears and being publicly chewed out for a performance Seahawks head coach Jim Mora angrily said was "absolutely not acceptable," the consensus in Seattle was that PK Olindo Mare couldn't have been on a shorter rope. But considering Mare hasn't missed a field goal since Mora's outburst — cranking out a franchise-record 18 consecutive field goals entering Week 14, including the 30-yard game winner with no time remaining against the Niners in Week 13 — we are now hearing it would be a big surprise if Mare, a free agent at the end of the season, isn't locked in as the team's placekicker for the foreseeable future. "What's been more impressive than the field goals have been his booming kickoffs," a daily team observer said of the 36-year-old Mare, who continues to have a cannon for a leg despite his smallish stature. "It's amazing how much power he can generate with that fast-twitch muscle of his."

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