Game 4: Hawks at St Loses

[Danny Darko]

VS.


Game 4 finds the Seahawks in a surprising place tied for the early division rights. The Rams can be an ambush team who's 1-2 record could easily be 3-0 having lost to Oakland by 2 pts and to Arizona by 4 pts. At home this could be an embarrassing way to drop to .500.

Injury update:

Seahawks-
*Pitts is cut with continued knee trouble. Leroy Hill (LB) out with a serious achilles injury. Trufant (CB) is a game time decision with an ankle. Curry (LB) probably hamstring. Mebane day-to-day with a calf strain. Locklear, Mike Williams, and Hamilton have all been limited, but are likely.

Lambs
RB Steven Jackson looking doubtful (groin),TE Billy Bajema (knee), LB Chris Chamberlain (toe), TE Mike Hoomanawanui (ankle), and some other chodes with chode sprains.


Things to Watch:

1-Hello offense... 1st downs anyone? Matt's #1 in 3rd down conversion rates this year... but somehow not making first downs.

2-Bradford vs Thomas & Thurmond.... I had been hoping if we saw this much of Thurmond it would be for Jennings, but with a resurgent Trufant gimpy, I'm hoping Earl can force turnovers to compensate and Walter can hang tough and put some licks on the wideouts.

3-Leon "for president" Washington. Can he do it again? or how bout on a run?

4-Blitzes.. The coaching staff promised they learned from Denver and we will be dogging the QB all day long.

5-O-line continuity vs scheduled talent... Troy outperformed expectatations. He'll start but who finishes. Lock is hurt but going to play... unless Polumbus guns down his spot.

6-Stokely in the slot. Pete says he'll play right away, if he looks good can we sit down Broken Branch?

7-Curry vs Jackson... both are injured, so it's iffy, but if it does... personal fouls? huge hits Curry the bully?



Predictions-

21-17 Seattle.

[Sweezo]

1-Hello offense... 1st downs anyone? Matt's #1 in 3rd down conversion rates this year... but somehow not making first downs.

Matt looked desperate against Denver. He needs to use his weapons and not get flustered if the Rams put up some points early.

2-Bradford vs Thomas & Thurmond.... I had been hoping if we saw this much of Thurmond it would be for Jennings, but with a resurgent Trufant gimpy, I'm hoping Earl can force turnovers to compensate and Walter can hang tough and put some licks on the wideouts.

If Tru can't go, I guess that means more reliance on the zone...which terrifies me. Bradford may be a rookie but he can still pick a zone apart.

3-Leon "for president" Washington. Can he do it again? or how bout on a run?

Give me a draw off the right side behind Andrews.

4-Blitzes.. The coaching staff promised they learned from Denver and we will be dogging the QB all day long.

I hope we show some blitzes early just to see how Bradford handles it. He's been prone to turn the ball over so far...we need to capitalize if he does.

5-O-line continuity vs scheduled talent... Troy outperformed expectatations. He'll start but who finishes. Lock is hurt but going to play... unless Polumbus guns down his spot.

I definitely like our OL depth this year compared to last year. If we have an injury on the line, it seems like we have a better chance of surviving it.

It's a shame Pitts can't go, but if he gets better perhaps the team brings him back in. Although...the whole lineman w/ microfracture surgery thing seems like a poor gamble.

6-Stokely in the slot. Pete says he'll play right away, if he looks good can we sit down Broken Branch?

You know, other than that awful fumble I have no complaints with Branch this year. He's had a good attitude and played well. But...if putting Stokely out there convinces Matt to give up on those damn fades to Branch then I am all for it.

7-Curry vs Jackson... both are injured, so it's iffy, but if it does... personal fouls? huge hits Curry the bully?

It was a fun matchup last year...I seem to remember Curry giving Jackson a nice shot in the backfield, and then Curry probably taunting Jackson while on the turf...and tempers flaring a little.


Predictions-

21-17 Seattle.[/quote]

Make it 21-10 Seahawks.

[wiff]

This is a trap game, especially if Steven Jackson can't go for the Rams. Hawks could let there guard down.

I don't like this game at all. Bradford has looked good and without Trufant, yikes.

This is a game I would not put money on.

EDIT: I just want to say that the Hawks are fully capable of giving them a beat down that would rival the LA PD but I just think they will take this game too lightly.

[Danny Darko]

Craig Terril is in and Leroy to IR. Welcome back CT, I hope you practiced more than guitar hero while you were away.

Branch has been pretty good and made a great catch at SF... but it's week four which is like dog years for Branch to stay healthy.

[Danny Darko]

does Cortez want to suit back up?

[wiff]

Not looking good right off the bat. Bradford looks solid.

[wiff]

Williams is nice

[TTown]

Did not care for that fake FG attempt. Cornerback on a punter? Yeah, not liking those odds.

[wiff]

Man, this game is bad. I had a bad feeling about this game, I wish I would have been wrong.

I was not a big fan of the fake field goal either.

A steady diet of those plays and Carol will be gone shortly.

[Sweezo]

I don't mind going for it on 4th downl, but some of the choices have been odd. The QB draw last week with no timeouts, the fake FG today, the fade to Branch on Bailey. They just seem like low percentage plays that, even if executed properly by all 11 Seahawks, are still unlikely to achieve the desired result.

And some time the team just seems undisciplined. Too many offsides calls on the defense, and why is Siavii taking his helmet off to celebrate a play? How in the hell could he think that was OK?

[Sweezo]

So...what to make of this game? W'e're certainly not a team that can go out and beat a team like the Chargers routinely, or a team that will probably lose to the Rams routinely. We have the look of a team that's going to hover around .500, maybe 'eek' into the playoffs [the Rams appears to be only team that has looked better week by week...and Bradford's probably the best QB in the division already], and promptly lose in the first round.

Hass hasn't been stellar even when the pass protection has been good, so go figure...he looked terrible when the pass protection failed him today. I want Whitehurst to get his shot sooner rather than later. I'm not excited about the prospect of going into the offseason thinking Whitehurst is the QB of the future because he never got a chance to play this season. We need to go into the draft knowing exactly what we have on the roster.

[wiff]

I'm sticking with my 7-9 prediction. The Hawks just aren't good offensively or defensively.

But their special teams look to be solid.

[Bulltalk]

Oh hell. I was away for awhile, but caught the game. What a shyt sandwich of a game. By the middle of the 3rd quarter I all but knew it was over. I knew we weren't going to score enough points to win, at least the offense. It would have to be significant turnovers or special teams again.

I actually wanted to see Clipboard Jesus about midway through the 3rd quarter. Why not? Hasselbeck was doing nothing, protection was weak, why not see what our high 2nd round draft pick was capable of. What did we have to lose? I was surprised Carroll didn't give Whitehurst a chance then, some playing time then. I think we're close to seeing Charlie soon.