Seahawks look for first road playoff win since 1983 at Nations Capitol

By Kshell

This playoff match up features the leagues two hottest teams as the Seattle Seahawks(11-5) who have won five games in a row travel to Washington D.C. to take on the Washington Redskins(10-6) who have won seven in a row. Both teams feature a strong rushing attack, older coaches who have re-invented themselves and more importantly electric rookie quarterbacks. The Redskins will be hosting their first playoff game since the Bill Clinton era back in 1999. While the Seahawks will be looking to win their first playoff road game since the Ronald Reagan era back in 1983.

The focus of this game will be on the rookie quarterbacks Russell Wilson of the Seahawks and Robert Griffin III of the Redskins. Griffin was supposed to be all that as the Redskins traded a lot to acquire him. Whereas Wilson was the 6th quarterback taken in the draft. Wilson, many figured would back up Matt Flynn. While Wilson had other plans this year. After a slow start Wilson ended up having an incredible season that has him in contention for rookie of the year.

 He finished the year 252-393(64.1%) passing for 3,118 yards(7.9 YPA) with a rookie record 26 touchdown passes to only 10 interceptions. He has a quarterback rating of 100.0 which is a Seahawks record. He also ran for 489 yards(5.2 YPC) with four touchdowns. Wilson has been red hot in the second half as he is 123-183(67.2%) passing for 1,652 yards(9.03 YPA) with 16 touchdowns to only two interceptions. He has posted an incredible 120.3 quarterback rating during that time. He has also ran for 361 yards(6.2 YPC) with four touchdowns. Wilson might be the NFL's best quarterback during that stretch.

His receivers are Sidney Rice who led the team with 50 receptions for 748 yards(15.0 YPC) with seven touchdowns. Rice has been pretty consistent this year as the #1 threat for this offense. Golden Tate had a very big year. He was most famous for this this catch on Monday Night but he also had a pretty good year. Tate caught a career high 45 passes for 688 yards(15.3 YPC) with 7 touchdowns. He also threw a touchdown this year to Rice. Doug Baldwin has been coming on strong lately has 29 receptions for 366 yards(12.6 YPC) with three touchdowns. Then tight end Zach Miller has 38 receptions for 396 yards(10.4 YPC) with three touchdowns. Anthony McCoy the other tight end has caught 18 passes for 291 yards(16.3 YPC) with three touchdowns. The Seahawks don't have a go to guy but spread the ball well. Which will come in handy on Sunday as the Redskins rank 30th out of 32 teams against the pass allowing 281.9 yards per game with 31 touchdowns to 21 interceptions.

The Redskins are led by what many think will win the rookie of the year. Robert Griffin the third who won the heisman last year and ended another seattle football teams season defeating the Huskies 67-56 in last years Alamo Bowl . I have a feeling this years game won't be as high scoring. Griffin is coming into this game a little banged up though. Griffin had an incredible season passing 258-393(65.6%) for 3,200 yards(8.1 YPA) with 20 touchdowns to only five interceptions. He has a quarterback rating of 102.4. What makes Griffin even more impressive is the fact he has ran for 815 yards(6.8 YPC) with seven touchdowns.

Just like Wilson, Griffin doesn't have a primary go to receiver. This year the Redskins leading receiver is Pierre Garcon who has caught 44 passes for 633 yards(14.4 YPC) with four touchdowns. The Redskins also have Santana Moss who has caught 41 passes for 573 yards(14.0 YPC) with eight touchdowns. Leonard  Hankerson has caught 38 passes for 543 yards(14.3 YPC) with three touchdowns. Josh Morgan caught 48 passes for 510 yards(10.6 YPC) with two touchdowns. The Redskins will probably have a tough time against the Seahawks secondary which features three guys who have played in the pro bowl with another Richard Sherman who was snubbed for political reasons.

Both teams love to run the football. The Seahawks are led by pro bowl running back Marshawn Lynch who is going to his second straight pro bowl. Lynch made a big splash in his very first career playoff game two years ago against the Saints. When he busted a 67 yard touchdown run which many consider the greatest run in NFL history. Lynch after signing a new contract this offseason leads the Seahawks rushing attack which ranks 3rd in the NFL.  Lynch finished third in the NFL in rushing yards rushing for 1,590 yards on 315 carries(5.0 YPC) with 11 touchdowns. He also caught 23 passes for 196 yards(8.5 YPC) with a touchdown. His backup is Robert Turbin who ran for 354 yards on 80 carries(4.4 YPC). He had 19 receptions for 181 yards(9.5 YPC). The Seahawks rushing attack will go up against the Redskins rush defense which ranks 5th in the NFL against the run.

The Redskins lead the NFL in rushing led by another rookie of theirs Alfred Morris. Morris finished the year second in the NFL in rushing yards with 1,613 yards on 335 carries(4.8 YPC) with 13 touchdowns. Morris is another late round find by head coach Mike Shanahan. Morris who was only a 6th round pick out of Florida Atlantic came out of nowhere to lead the Redskins rushing attack. Teams have to focus so much on Griffin the Redskins are able to run Morris. The Seahawks defense ranks 10th against the run has struggled the second half of the season against the run. The Redskins will hope to pound the run and keep their weakness(pass defense) off the field. If the Seahawks are able to shut down Morris look for them to win this game rather easily.

The Seahawks have a big advantage in the special teams department.  Leon Washington is going to the pro bowl for the Seahawks as a kick returner. On kickoff returns he averaged 29.0 yards per return including a 98 yard touchdown.  On punt returns he averaged 8.7 yards per return on 41 returns(356 yards). Kicker Steven Hauschka on the year is 24-27(88.9%) on field goals. Punter Jon Ryan is averaging 45.6 yards per punt on 65 punts and a net average of 40.8 yards per punt. He has 30 inside the 20 and only 3 touchbacks.

The Redskins on the other hand are poor in special teams. Their return average on kickoff returns is 23.5. On punt returns with new punt returner Richard Crawford the Seahawks have to worry as he is averaging 19.5 yards per return on eight returns. Their punter Sav Rocca has a 43.9 yards average on punts but only 37.2 net average. He also has just 22 punts inside the 20 on 68 attempts. Look for the Seahawks to use this field position to get a cheap score.

Pete Carroll has done a wonderful job reshaping this roster. This is a much different team than the group he led to the playoffs two years ago. Two years ago was an aging team on it's last run which Carroll squeezed a playoff win out of. This group is the youngest team in the playoffs and is looking to go on a run. Carroll has a chance to snap that 29 year streak of not winning a road playoff game and hopefully lead this team to the Super Bowl title.

This Seahawks team led the NFC in point differential with a plus 167 trailing only Denver and New England. According to Bill Barnwell's DVOA rankings the Seahawks are the best team in the NFL and 6th best team since 1991. The Seahawks finished 9th in offensive points and 1st in defensive points allowed. The bulk of this roster was either drafted by Carroll and John Schneider or acquired by them. I don't think Carroll receives enough credit for the job he is doing in Seattle.

Prediction: Seahawks 23, Redskins 17

I've learned over the years as a Seattle fan that it is never easy. I expect the game to come down to needing a stop against Griffin which is going to be stressful. Ultimately I feel like the Seahawks will win this game due to Wilson lighting up their weak secondary. The Redskins love to blitz which I feel like Wilson will hit some big plays on that as will Lynch running.

I think defensively with Brandon Browner back and Richard Sherman the Seahawks can leave those two corners on an island. Sherman should be up for defensive player of the year. He recorded eight interceptions while also leading the league with 24 pass deflections. He also forced three fumbles and scored two touchdowns this year. With those two on an island and former pro bowl safety Kam Chancellor playing over the top look for the Seahawks to allow pro bowl safety Earl Thomas to roam. This is where Thomas is most dangerous as he is so fast and quick he can read run then quickly recover for the pass. I expect Thomas to make a big play whether that be a key sack on third down, forcing a fumble or simply picking off a pass.

The Seahawks have a great opportunity as a franchise to go on a run this postseason. This will be the franchises seventh trip in the last 10 years but the first trip without Matt Hasselbeck. This is a new era of Seahawks football as Mike Holmgren, Hasselbeck, Walter Jones and Shaun Alexander are no longer around. The only Seahawk who has been here this entire run is Marcus Trufant who had a key interception return for a touchdown to end the Redskins season back in 2007. This team is growing and will only get better. I also know that in the NFL there is no guarantees so for all we know this could be it. I think the Seahawks have what it takes to get it done but it will be a nail biter like all their true road games have been this year.

The end of the Trufant era for the Huskies

By Kshell

This Saturday when the Washington Huskies(5-4,3-3) host the Utah Utes(4-5(2-4) it will be their final home game of the season. Which means we'll be saying goodbye to our seniors for the final time. This years senior class is unique as it is the last class who was ever coached by Tyrone Willingham. One senior in particular though was one of Steve Sarkisian's first recruits in his first recruiting class which is corner back Desmond Trufant. Trufant so far in his Husky career has played in all 47 games in his Husky career starting the final 44. Trufant was only a three star recruit from Wilson High School in Tacoma but is proving everyone he has what it takes to make it to the NFL like his brothers Marcus and Isiah are(coincidentally they'll be playing against each other this Sunday at Century Link). This will be an emotional game as the Huskies will say goodbye to their seniors.

 Trufant started as a true freshman in the fourth week of the season and never lost his spot. With the team being 0-12 the year before he was given a chance to start right away. Trufant had a good year as well playing in all 12 games while making nine starts. He recorded 47 tackles, had two interceptions and recovered a fumble for a 17 yard touchdown at Notre Dame. He earned honorable mention all-Pac-10 corner. As a sophomore Trufant slumped a little but still started all 13 games. That year Trufant recorded 48 tackles, had one interception with a sack. Trufant was starting to make a name for himself as he had already started 22 games his first two years with the program. Although to that point people viewed him as a name only. Which is why he is one of my favorite seniors to ever pass through this program. He got progressively better the next two seasons which is always nice to see.

Trufant started his 2011 season off with a bang. First week of the season he had 11 tackles, forced a fumble and had the game clinching interception in the end zone to preserve the win over Eastern Washington. For his efforts he was named Pac-12 defensive player of the week. The following week he had a key interception against Hawaii then returned a block PAT for a two point conversation. For the season Trufant returned to the all Pac-12 team as he was selected honorable mention. Trufant recorded 64 tackles, had a sack and had two interceptions. Once again Trufant started all 13 games his junior year as he started to become a reliable corner. There was some talks heading into his senior year that he might be an early NFL draft pick mostly cause of his name. Instead heading into his senior year with new defensive coaches Trufant has stepped his game up. Trufant is without a doubt the best corner in the conference.

The one main difference between Desmond and his older brother Marcus is the apple cup. Desmond is 3-0 in apple cups while his brother Marcus went 0-4. This year younger Trufant is having a great senior year making all nine starts he has recorded 29 tackles, 4.5 for loss, one sack and the game clinching interception to upset #8 Stanford at home. Trufant's stats are down simply because teams don't throw towards him. Against USC he went up against future first round pick Marquise Lee and Robert Woods. Both were shut down when facing Trufant. Trufant will be first team all conference this year and could be the highest drafted corner for the Huskies since Dana Hall went first round in the 1992 NFL draft. Trufant will be a big loss for this defense that on paper is expected to return nine starters next year. Trufant has turned out to be everything Husky fans wanted out of him and then some.

Another long-time starter that will be playing his final home is center Drew Schaefer. Schaeffer is a redshirt senior as he redshirt during Tyrone Willingham's final season at Montlake which saw the Huskies go 0-12.

Schaefer as a freshman in 2009 played in all 12 games including starting the final four games at left tackle. As a sophomore in 2010 he started all 13 games, 11 at center and two at right tackle. Last year as a junior Schaeffer started all 13 games at center. Now this year Schaeffer again has started all nine games at center with this Saturday being start #10. Overall Schaefer had played in 47 games making 39 career starts and 33 starts at the center position. He'll be the only senior offensive lineman and due to injuries the Huskies don't even have a junior offensive lineman.

The Huskies have relied on Schaefer heavily this year as he is the only upperclassmen who starts games for them on the offensive line. He along with Micah Hatchie are the only offensive lineman to have started every single game this year. The center position will be a big loss as the Huskies haven't had anyone other than Schaeffer play center since 2009.

The last senior I'll highlight is wide receiver Cody Bruns. Bruns came in as a four-star recruit in the heralded 2008 recruiting class that was ranked 12th in the nation. Bruns is also the only Husky on this roster to have actually played in a game during the 0-12 season. This year Bruns only has six receptions for 28 yards. He also has six punt returns for 72 yards(12.0 YPR). For his career he has been a bust so far only catching 16 passes for 170 yards. He has 22 punt returns for 135 yards. He is also three for four passing for 67 yards. This year the Huskies have desperately needed another receiver to step up and unfortunately Bruns hasn't been that guy. Still for him and the other seniors if the Huskies win this Saturday they'll clinch another bowl trip. Their first year on college campus they didn't win a single game now they could go bowling for the third straight year.

The Huskies this Saturday are saying goodbye to two prominent starters in their program since the Sarkisian era began. The good news for Sarkisian is he is only losing two full-time starters on defense, only two full-time starters on offense and losing no skill position players who start due to graduation. The Huskies will return a lot of talent next year but for this year hopefully the Huskies can send the seniors out right. Sarkisian is 3-0 in the seniors final home games a trend he hopes to continue this Saturday when the Huskies square off with the Utes. It will be bittersweet seeing Trufant and Schaefer playing in their final Husky home game as it will be an end of an era.

Seahawks win home opener vs Cardinals 13-10!

By Kshell


The Seattle Seahawks(1-2) won a very important divisional game at home over the Arizona Cardinals(1-2) 13-10 to keep their hopes of defending their division championship alive. The Seahawks defense didn't allow a single point in the second half as Pete Carroll won his homer opener for his second straight season. The Seahawks also welcome back Sidney Rice who had a big game catching eight passes for 109 yards in his very first game with the Seahawks. He was easily Tarvaris Jackson's favorite target as Jackson was 18-31 passing for 171 yards passing with a rushing touchdown. The Seahawks rushing game wasn't great but was also effective today as Marshawn Lynch ran for 73 yards on 19 carries. The Seahawks were led by their defense though recording three sacks with two interceptions. The Seahawks old friend from 2005 Jay Feely missed two field goals for the Cardinals. For those who don't remember Feely missed three potential game winning kicks against the Seahawks when he played for the Giants in 2005. The Seahawks win was like the weather during the game it wasn't pretty at times but at the end it was more than enough. The Seahawks defense stepped up and the offense did just enough for the Seahawks to earn their first victory of the season and are now just a game back of first place.

The Seahawks began the game with a nine play drive but were forced to punt. The Cardinals then went on an eight play 37 yard drive which ended with Jay Feely missing the field goal. That is when the Seahawks would go on a seven play 47 yard drive which would result in a field goal. The Seahawks would start off on the Cardinals 41 yard line when Tarvaris Jackson would hit Sidney Rice for a five yard pass. After the Cardinals committed a five yard penalty giving the Seahawks a first down, Marshawn Lynch would rush for five yards. That is when Jackson would finally go deep hitting Rice on the fade pass for a gain of 32 yards to the Cardinals 12 yard line. The Seahawks would complete two more passes that gained three yards total and would settle for a Steve Hauschka 30 yard field goal.

The Cardinals would respond with a 10 play 26 yard drive after a 51 yard kickoff return. This time Jay Feely would make the field goal to tie up the game at 3-3. On the following drive the Cardinals would go on an eight play 78 yard touchdown drive. The Cardinals would begin their drive with Kevin Kolb hitting Larry Fitzgerald for a gain of nine yards then would hit a 15 yard pass. Kolb would hit Fitzgerald again for a gain of 15 yards to the Seahawks 36 yard line. Kolb would hit Todd Heap for a gain of eight yards, then hit an 11 yard pass to the Seahawks 17 yard line. After a five yard run to the Seahawks 12 yard line the Cardinals would make the games first big play. Kolb rolling to his left would throw the ball in the back of the endzone in double coverage only for the Seahawks to see Fitzgerald jump up there to make the touchdown catch. The Cardinals would take a 10-3 lead with that catch as the fans were wondering what hit them.

The Seahawks would respond before halftime with good field position. They would only go eight plays for 16 yards. The Seahawks would receive a 52 yard field goal by Hauschka to cut the lead to 10-6. As the Cardinals were driving when Marcus Trufant intercepted the Kolb pass and ran it back 15 yards. The Seahawks had one last chance but Jackson would throw an interception at halftime. For the third straight week the Seahawks found themselves shut out of the end zone at halftime. The Seahawks were trailing 10-6 at halftime in a must win game.

The Seahawks would begin the second half with a 14 play 72 yard touchdown drive that lasted over six minutes. The drive would begin with Lynch having two carries for eight yards setting up a third and two. Jackson would hit Doug Baldwin for a gain of three for a crucial first down. On second down Jackson would hit Golden Tate for a gain of nine yards setting up a third and one. Lynch would record the first down with a three yard run. On third and 15 on their own 46 yard line Jackson would hit Baldwin for a gain of 20 yards to the Cardinals 34 yard line. Jackson would complete back to back six yard passes to the Cardinals 22 yard line. Jackson after a short run by Lynch would hit Rice for a gain of nine yards to the Cardinals 11 yard line. Jackson on the next play would show off his legs as he made several defenders miss as ran for an 11 yard touchdown to give the Seahawks a 13-10 lead over their divisional rivals.



The Seahawks offense would do nothing the rest of the game. The Cardinals would drive down to the Seahawks 31 yard line before settling on a Feely field goal attempt. Like he did in 2005 Feely missed the 49 yard field goal that would have tied the game up. After a Jon Ryan  punt of nine yards the Cardinals had the ball on the 31 yard line with 2:57 left in the game trying to send the game to overtime or win the game outright. Kolb would hit two passes for 21 yards to the Seattle 48 yard line. On fourth and 1 the Seahawks would be called for a defensive holding penalty which gave the Cardinals a first down at the Seahawks 34 yard line. After a Kolb incomplete pass, he would be sacked by Raheem Brock for a loss of two yards as Kolb fumbled the ball. The Cardinals recovered the ball to set up a third down. On third and long Kolb would throw a costly interception to second year player Kam Chancellor to clinch the victory for the Seahawks. The Seahawks offense would grind out some clock making the Cardinals use their timeouts. The Cardinals had one last shot but would fumble the ball after a 16 yard reception. The Seahawks would win the game 13-10. Like the weather the game started off ugly for the Seahawks but ended beautifully for the Seahawks to earn a much important division win.

For the Seahawks they were led by a defense who recorded three sacks and two interceptions.  On offense the Seahawks saw quarterback Tarvaris Jackson go 18-31(58.1%) passing for 171 yards passing with an interception. Jackson also ran for 20 yards with a touchdown which proved to be the game winner. His favorite weapon was his old teammate in Minnesota Sidney Rice. Rice would finish the game with eight receptions for 109 yards(13.6 YPC) with a long of 32 yards. No other Seahawks receiver would have more than two receptions during the game. The Seahawks running game was also better as Marshawn Lynch ran for 73 yards on 19 carries(3.8 YPC) with a long of 23 yards. Lynch would also add a reception as well. His backup Leon Washington had 29 yards rushing on three carries(9.7 YPC) with a long of 21 yards. The Seahawks offense still was struggling but the defense stepped up when they had to. The Seahawks held the Cardinals to 3.2 YPC on 28 rushing attempts and 5.6 YPA on 39 pass attempts.

All in all, for the Seahawks season to even matter this year they needed this win desperately. The Seahawks offense didn't exactly light up the scoreboard but in the NFL that doesn't matter. What does matter is wins and losses. The Seahawks won the game and the "Suck for Luck" chants will have to be silent for at least a week. The Seahawks under Pete Carroll are trying to defend their division title and surprise everyone like they did last year. The Seahawks have reasons to be optimistic since they were 0-2 without Sidney Rice and with Rice they finally have a go to receiver which they haven't had in a while. The Seahawks won the game when many of their own fans thought they would lose. The Seahawks at least made themselves still matter for at least another week.

Observations:

- Lynch is still running east-west way too much but at least today he actually had some productive runs. Lynch ran for 73 yards on 19 carries good for a 3.8 YPC average. Not great numbers but considering he had 19 carries for 44 yards(2.2 YPC) coming into the game the Seahawks will take that. Lynch isn't running behind a very good offensive line either like he needs to. Lynch did run just enough to help out Jackson so the Cardinals couldn't just blitz every play.

I would like to see Lynch be more a part of the passing game. I look at Chris Polk of the Huskies who was shut down running the ball against California but still had 85 yards receiving and think to myself how Lynch would never do that.  Lynch if he is going to be an effective power back needs to run more north-south as he dances way too much. I'd like to see a game where Lynch can score a TD and average over 4.0 YPC with 20 plus carries. Although he ran decent I still expect better from Lynch or his days in Seattle should be numbered after this season.

- The Seahawks finally saw why they signed Sidney Rice. Without Rice the Seahawks would have had no offense. You can tell he was teammates with Jackson as that was the only receiver Jackson appeared to look at. Rice would finish with eight receptions for 109 yards with a long of 32 yards. The Seahawks a franchise who hasn't had a pro bowl wide receiver since Brian Blades in 1989 are hoping Rice can eventually be that guy. Rice is a tall target who is very fast as we saw on that fade pass he caught from Jackson.

With Rice that appears he will be Jackson's go to receiver which every quarterback needs. Hopefully in the future when teams eventually double up on Jackson other receivers will be open for Jackson to hit for big plays. Rice is only 24 years old as well so signing him wasn't a move for this season as that was a move for the future as well. With Rice the Seahawks have a play maker at the wide receiver position that they haven't had in a very long time. Now the key will be for Jackson to distribute the ball out evenly like you see Keith Price of the Huskies doing so well. At least now the Seahawks finally had a chance to see their very talented wide receiver in Sidney Rice.

- In his home opener replacing Matt Hasselbeck and hearing Charlie Whitehurst chants Tarvaris Jackson came out victorious for the Seahawks in his home debut. Jackson finished the game 18-31(58.1%) passing for 171 yards(5.5 YPA) with an interception. He also finished with 20 yards rushing with a touchdown. Jackson was also sacked four times as the line didn't help out but he also hangs onto the ball way too long. Looking at those numbers I don't think that will silent the Jackson bashers including myself. The Seahawks won the game because of their defense not because of the offense. Jackson had a solid debut in Seattle but he must do a better job if he wants fans to forget about Matt Hasselbeck. His YPA and completion percentage are both terrible and must rise or the Seahawks will need to make a quarterback change down the road.

- For Pete Carroll this was a huge win as going 0-3 in the NFL means NFL draft talk for the next 13 weeks. Carroll who took a ton of heat this offseason for letting popular veterans like Matt Hasselbeck and Lofa Tatupu walk will feel better about this win. Carroll saw his Seahawks win the game like he drew up which was good defense and an offense who moved the chains. An offense who played field position all game long but ultimately didn't do much. For Carroll his franchise quarterback isn't on this roster currently but the Seahawks after winning the division title last year at 7-9 know they are capable of repeating as division champs. The Seahawks will have a big game this week at home against the Atlanta Falcons a team who destroyed the Seahawks last year at home. For Carroll he is now 2-0 in home openers with the Seahawks. Now Carroll has to find a way to keep this season important or the fans will lose interest fast. This was a big victory for the Seahawks as they couldn't afford to be 0-3 and more importantly 0-2 in division.

In conclusion, the Seahawks had to win this game or else their season would be over. Starting off 0-3 in the NFL would be like starting off 0-30 in major league baseball, and 0-15 in the NBA. The Seahawks had to win this game and the defense came through all game long.  The offense still needs to do more if the Seahawks are to be taken seriously for the season. Scoring 10 points per game which is what the offense is currently doing won't get the job done. The Seahawks scored only 13 points today but thankfully the defense bailed them out. The Seahawks behind the 12th man recorded a much important victory. Now we'll find out this week against the Falcons if the Seahawks are ready to repeat as division champs or if the "Suck for Luck" chants will be creeping back up as the Seahawks have a tough next two games. For now it was nice for the Seahawks to record their first victory of the season and third straight win over the Cardinals.

Seattle Seahawks 2011 season preview

By Kshell

The Seattle Seahawks begin year two of the Pete Carroll era much like last season. Last season the Seahawks made plenty of changes and had low expectations. Well despite making several key acquisitions and coming off a season in which they won the division title the Seahawks are picked by many to be one of the worst teams in the NFL. The Seattle Seahawks will begin this for the first time since 2000 without Matt Hasselbeck who was let go. Carroll is reshaping this roster with plenty of activity and remember last season he made a few midseason trades. I don't expect this year to be any different as Carroll inherited a mess and is trying to turn the roster as fast as possible.

Last season the Seahawks became the first team in NFL history to make the playoffs with a 7-9 record as they won the NFC Western Division championship for the fifth time in seven seasons. Then after everyone ragged on the Seahawks all season long they shocked everyone in the playoffs beating the defending super bowl champions New Orleans Saints 41-36. In that upset win the star of the game was departed quarterback Matt Hasselbeck who would throw for a playoff career high four touchdowns. Marshawn Lynch also busted a game clinching touchdown that went 67 yards where he broke eight different tackles. The Seahawks season would ultimately end the following week in a 35-24 loss to the Chicago Bears which nobody knew at the time would be the final game for Matt Hasselbeck in a Seahawks uniform. Hasselbeck would throw seven touchdown passes in two playoff games for the Seahawks.

Now that the Seahawks decided to get rid of Matt Hasselbeck the franchise is in the rebuilding process. The Seahawks did make plenty of offseason moves which shows they are committed to winning this year and beyond. Last year everyone thought the Seahawks were tanking and when they had a chance to tank they won that key game against the St.Louis Rams. By winning that game the Seahawks would have had the 8th pick in the NFL draft but instead had the 25th pick. The Seahawks did win their division and a playoff game which had a great moment for the Seahawks franchise. This season is about turning the page as the Seahawks don't really have a face of the franchise anymore. The Seahawks let go Matt Hasselbeck on offense and Lofa Tatupu on defense which shows there is a changing of the guard. In this following season preview I'll break down each position of the Seahawks team.

Quarterbacks:

Despite being outplayed all preseason by Charlie Whitehurst the Seahawks are sticking with Tarvaris Jackson all preseason as their starting quarterback. If Jackson keeps playing poorly he will be pulled in favor of Whitehurst. Jackson with the Minnesota Vikings is 10-10 as a starting quarterback while completing 58.7% of his passes for 3,984 yards. He has thrown for 24 touchdowns to 22 interceptions in his career. Jackson some feel doesn't receive a fair chance with the whole Brett Favre saga well here in Seattle this is most likely his last chance to be a regular starting quarterback. Jackson is familiar with the offense as his top receiver Sidney Rice and offensive coordinator come from Minnesota. This is a make or break season for Jackson or else Whitehurst will take advantage.

Last season the Seahawks traded quite a bit to acquire Charlie Whitehurst even though he had never thrown a pass. Last season Whitehurst made two starts where he completed 57.6% of his passes for 507 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions. Whitehurst did start the final game of the year where the Seahawks won the NFC West title 16-6 over the St.Louis Rams in which Whitehurst played poised. Whitehurst completed 22 of 36 passes and most importantly didn't turn the ball over. Whitehurst did all that he could do to win the job in preseason and by doing so if Jackson struggles out of the gate look for Whitehurst to take over. You sure can tell Matt Hasselbeck isn't in Seattle anymore as the Seahawks have a quarterback controversy.

Running Backs:

The Seahawks have three running backs that they feel very comfortable with. First I'll start off with Marshawn Lynch who the Seahawks acquired during the season. In 12 games with the Seahawks Lynch led the team in rushing with 573 yards(3.5 YPC) and six touchdowns. Lynch also caught 21 passes for 138 yards. In the playoffs many remember Lynch having that memorable run against the Saints but he was also having his best game as a Seahawk to that point. Lynch would finish that playoff win rushing for 131 yards on 19 carries(6.9 YPC) with a memorable touchdown run. This year with an offensive line still trying to find themselves Lynch's hard rushing style will be crucial for the Seahawks. Whenever you are having problems in the passing game you tend to lean on the run. Lynch will have to receive most of the carries this season as he is the big physical type of back that Carroll wants in his offense.

The other two running backs for the Seahawks are smaller quicker backs. First I'll start with Justin Forsett who last season ran for 523 yards(4.4 YPC) and two touchdowns. Forsett also caught 33 passes for 252 yards last season. In 2009 Forsett ran for 619 yards(5.4 YPC) and four touchdowns. He also caught 41 passes for 350 yards with a touchdown. The other back who should help out on third downs is return specialist Leon Washington. Washington last year ran for 100 yards(3.7 YPC) and a touchdown. He also caught nine passes for 79 yards last season. With the new kickoff rules look for Washington to be involved in the offense more. Washington last season was second team all-pro returner behind Devin Hester as he had 1,461 kickoff return yards with three touchdowns and 249 punt return yards including an 84 yard return. The Seahawks will also go with fullback Michael Robinson who last season ran for 77 yards(6.4 YPC), caught eight passes for 43 yards and completed a 28 yard pass. The Seahawks running game hasn't produced a 1,000 yard rusher since 2005 when Shaun Alexander won the NFL MVP award.

Wide Receiver:

Last season Carroll found his former USC standout Mike Williams who had been out of the NFL for two seasons. The former first round bust was huge for the Seahawks. Without Williams last season the Seahawks don't make the playoffs. Last year Williams caught 65 passes for 751 yards with two touchdowns. Last year Williams had three games where he had double digit receptions including two against division rival Arizona Cardinals. Williams combined to catch 22 passes for 232 yards with a touchdown as the Seahawks swept the two-time defending division champions. In the playoffs Williams was on fire against the Saints with five receptions for 68 yards with a touchdown. Against the Bears he caught four passes for 15 yards and two touchdowns. Williams at times last year showed he wasn't ready for the long haul of an NFL season which was to be expected. Williams went from a guy out of the NFL for two seasons hoping to make the roster to the teams #1 receiver. Now this year Williams will have another tall target standing opposite of him. That will help Williams slide over the #2 receiver on the team which should help Williams become more consistent.

This offseason the Seahawks signed former pro bowl wide receiver Sidney Rice of the Vikings as first reported by our very own Insider Steve and later confirmed by Jay Glazer. Rice comes to the Seahawks signing a five year 41 million dollar contract. Rice is only 24 years old and showed in 2009 he can be the #1 receiver the Seahawks are lacking. The Seahawks haven't sent a wide receiver to the pro bowl as a receiver since 1989 with Brian Blades. With Rice the Seahawks land a receiver who has 146 career receptions for 2,129 yards and 18 touchdowns. His pro bowl season of 2009 he had 83 receptions for 1,312 yards with 8 touchdowns. Rice is a big receiver at 6'4" 200 lbs which will make life difficult on opposing defenses in the red zone. With Rice and Mike Williams the Seahawks now have two big targets they can lob the ball up to for a touchdown. The Seahawks are hoping with a new and improved offensive line they can finally put some points on the board.

The other Seahawks receivers will be second year wide receiver Golden Tate. Last year Tate had a dissapointing season with just 21 receptions for 227 yards. Tate also did some returning with 202 punt return yards including a 63 yarder. The Seahawks will have special teams standout Ben Obomanu(just like that has the third most experience on the team) who last year had a breakout season. Obomanu had 30 receptions for 494 yards with four touchdowns. In the two playoff games he had nine receptions for 111 yards. The Seahawks also kept rookie wide receivers Doug Baldwin(5'11" , 190 lbs) from Stanford and Kris Durham(6'5", 209 lbs) from Georgia. The Seahawks will also later in the year gain back Deon Butler who caught 36 passes for 385 yards and four touchdowns. Overall this is probably the strength of the Seahawks team with the two giants in Williams and Rice. Just a matter of finding a quarterback who can get the ball to these guys.

Tight Ends:

The Seahawks this past offseason went out and signed former Oakland Raiders tight end Zach Miller. It was a good thing the Seahawks signed Miller as they lost their own starting tight end for the past three seasons John Carlson for the season. Miller is a pass catching machine who is actually younger than Carlson. In his four year career he has caught 226 passes for 2,712 yards with 12 touchdowns. Last season for the Raiders he caught 60 passes for 685 yards with five touchdowns. In 2009 he caught 66 passes for 805 yards with three touchdowns. Miller is an athletic tight end and for a team who will most likely have some quarterback issues this season having Miller will be much needed. Miller will help the team in the passing game this season and beyond.

The other tight ends on the roster are second year tight end Anthony McCoy who Carroll coached at USC. Last year he was a sixth round pick of the Seahawks but did not play in any games. The other tight end will be Dominique Byrd who was a third round pick back in 2006 who is also out of USC. Like with Mike Williams, Carroll will try and work his magic on Byrd who has just six career receptions for 83 yards with a touchdown in his brief career. Byrd hasn't played in the NFL since 2007 when he played for the St.Louis Rams. The Seahawks tight end situation definitly doesn't look as solid as a few weeks when Carlson factored into the equation. As is the Seahawks still feature Miller who is one of the better tight ends in the NFC which will be nice.

Offensive Line:

When the Seahawks reach their first and only Super Bowl back in 2005 that team featured two first-team all-pro offensive lineman plus a probowl center. The Seahawks that offseason let Steve Hutchinson walk and the offensive line hasn't been the same since. Walter Jones retired after the 2009 season even though he last played a game in the 2008 season. Now the Seahawks offensive line features some talent led by 6th pick overall Russell Okung. The Seahawks are also a young offensive line featuring basically a second year player in Max Unger(missed all of last season), Okung and rookies in James Carpenter and John Moffitt. The only veteran is newcomer Robert Gallery. The Seahawks offensive line is the one unit most hurt by the NFL lockout as they have no continuity playing together.

The Seahawks offensive line will be coached by former Oakland Raiders head coach Tom Cable(went 8-8 last season). Cable will whip his boys in shape but the problem is like I said four of the players haven't played many games. The Seahawks have some veterans in Tyler Polumbus who started some games last year all over the offensive line and brought in Breno Giacomini to compete with the struggling Carpenter. I think this unit in 2012 should be a good unit. Unfortunately this year is 2011 and I think you'll see some growing pains with this offensive line due to the youth.

Defensive Line:

This is probably the strength of the Seahawks defense which features a couple of good run stoppers and two pass rushers. The main guy on the defensive line is Chris Clemons who Carroll traded for last offseason. Clemons was a big surprise for the Seahawks as he led the team with 11 sacks last season. Having Clemons record 11 sacks was huge for the Seahawks last season as their secondary was weak so having a pass rush was pretty signficant. Clemons last year played big in the NFC West championship game over the St. Louis Rams and the Seahawks will need him to continue to bring the pressure on opposing quarterbacks if they have any chance of repeating.

The Seahawks other pass rusher was veteran Raheem Brock who record nine sacks last season. Brock had 2.5 sacks in the win over the Rams for the NFC West title. In the playoffs Brock recorded a sack against the New Orleans Saints and the Chicago Bears. With Brock and Clemons the Seahawks received 20 sacks.  The Seahawks also return defensive end Red Bryant from injury. Bryant is a run stuffer and when he was on the Seahawks for the first six weeks the Seahawks were 4-2 and second in the entire NFL in rush defense. His impact was missed greatly once he went down. Then at the defensive tackle positions the Seahawks return Brandon Mebane who is 6'1" 311 lbs and has the ability to create a pass rush but is mainly a run stuffer up the middle. He'll be joined with former Arizona Cardinals defensive tackle Alan Branch who is 6'6" 338 lbs who is also a run stuffer. The Seahawks due to this defensive line will be a hard team to run the ball on. The Seahawks will also be tough as they have two defensive ends who can create a pass rush.

Linebackers:

The Seahawks this past offseason released the face of the defense middle linebacker Lofa Tatupu. Now the face should be Aaron Curry but so far in two seasons he hasn't lived up to the 4th pick overall in the 2009 NFL Draft. As a rookie Curry recorded just 61 tackles in 14 games with only two sacks. Last season Curry was a little bit better with 73 tackles in 16 games and only four sacks. He hasn't been the playmaking outside linebacker that the organization was hoping they'd acquire when he was drafted. This past offseason Carroll had Curry restructure his contract so Curry is in a make or break season. If Curry doesn't produce this season look for him to be let go as Carroll has shown anyone who underachieves shall be cut loose. Hopefully Curry can play like he did in the playoffs where he had seven tackles against the Saints including five solo. Then against the Chicago Bears he had his first professional interception which he ran back 23 yards to spark a late Seahawks rally. Curry needs to start producing for this defense to be successful or else it will be another long season for the Seahawks defense.

The Seahawks do gain back Leroy Hill who is one of two players left on the roster from the Super Bowl team in 2005. Hill is probably the Seahawks best linebacker and will finally have a chance to be the "man" after being in Tatupu's shadows and Julian Peterson's. Hill as a rookie had 7.5 sacks then from 2006-2008 he was a tackle machine. In 2006 Hill recorded 92 tackles, in 2007 he recorded 81 and then 84 in just 12 games in 2008. He was a monster in the 2007 playoffs recording 13 tackles and a sack in the win over the Washington Redskins and he followed that up with 11 tackles and a sack in the loss to the Green Bay Packers. The man filling in for Tatupu is David Hawthorne who has been the starting middle linebacker when Tatupu was hurt in 2009 and outside linebacker for the injured Hill. Hawthorne had 117 tackles in 2009 and 106 last season. In 2009 he had four sacks and three interceptions. Hawthorne is more than capable of starting in the NFL as he has proven to be an NFL linebacker despite not being drafted in the 2008 NFL draft out of TCU. The Seahawks linebackers have plenty of potential to be a successful unit just a matter of playing to their potential.

Secondary:

The Seahawks secondary appears to be the weakest part of the team despite featuring the new face of the franchise and another guy with the longest tenure on the roster. First I'll start with second year player Earl Thomas. Last season as a rookie Thomas was named a pro-bowl alternate as he was a playmaking safety. Last season Thomas recorded 75 tackles with five interceptions. Thomas also just turned 22 years old and will only get better. The rookie from Texas last season was a big part of the Seahawks winning the division. Thomas was huge in the win over the San Diego Chargers as he picked off Phillip Rivers twice in that game including the game ending interception as the Chargers were trying to tie the game up. With Thomas the Seahawks have a great building piece on their defense.

The man with the most experience as a Seahawk is Marcus Trufant. Trufant entering his ninth season in Seattle will have to play like he did in 2007 where he had 85 tackles and seven interceptions plus an interception that went for  a touchdown in the playoff win over the Redskins. Since that year though Trufant has had just four interceptions with plenty of pass interference penalty's. Like Curry the Seahawks restructered Trufant's contract so this is most likely his final season in Seattle. Starting opposite of Trufant will be second year Walter Thurmond who was a fourth round pick from the Oregon Ducks last season. Thurmond will be competing with CFL star Brandon Browner who is from the Oregon State Beavers. The other starting safety besides Thomas is second year safety Kam Chancellor from Virginia Tech. Other than Trufant the Seahawks will be starting three second year players which shows the 2010 draft was pretty good but this year could be a long year for the secondary.

Kicking:

The Seahawks kicking game will see a new field goal but return punter Jon Ryan. Ryan has been solid for the Seahawks as he enters his fourth season with the Seahawks. Last season Ryan averaged 41.7 yards per punt with 27 of his 78 punts inside the 20, nine inside the 10, 23 were fair caught and only one was a touchback. His average has decline over his first two years but so has his touchbacks. With Ryan the Seahawks know they have a punter who can down his opponent deep into their own territory which should help the defense out. The Seahawks this offseason let go of Olindo Mare and originally signed Jeff Reed. Due to Reed being unable to kick the ball in the endzone on kickoffs the Seahawks parted ways with him and Brandon Coutu. The Seahawks did sign Steve Hauschka who kicked the game winning kick to defeat the Seahawks in Denver in the third preseason game. Hauschka in his career has made 16-22(72.7%) of his field goals and can kick the ball in the endzone on kickoffs unlike Reed. With the new kickoff rule it's an absolute must to have a kicker who can kick the ball deep in the endzone to make the opponent start off on the 20 yard line. The Seahawks have had good success in the past with field goal kickers hopefully the move to release Reed and ultimately letting Mare walk won't bite the Seahawks in the end.

Coaching:

Before Pete Carroll only two Seahawks coach had ever led the Seahawks to the playoffs. The same coaches also led the Seahawks to the playoffs in their first season. Chuck Knox like Carroll won a playoff game in his first season with the Seahawks. Mike Holmgren like Carroll won the division title in his first season like Carroll did last year. The Seahawks may have only went 7-9 but considering everyone expected them to be terrible that was good coaching. To defeat the New Orleans Saints was great coaching. Carroll won plenty of games at USC and didn't do as poorly as many think with the New England Patriots.

Now this is Carroll's second season with the team as head coach and president. Carroll is putting his stamp on his team. Very few players remain from the Holmgren era or even the one year Mora era. Carroll has blown up this roster and for the most part every player on the roster is a Pete Carroll player. Of the active 53 man roster only 10 players were on the roster in 2009 under Jim Mora. The Seahawks have brought in 43 players since 2009 so there has been a major lift in the Seahawks roster under Carroll. This year might be a trying year for Carroll but I do believe he is a good coach even though he is the second oldest head coach in the NFL.

Outlook:

I see the Seahawks not having history repeat itself this year. I don't see the Seahawks surprising everyone like they did a year ago. The Seahawks early schedule is brutal and with so much turnover on the roster that could be rough. The Seahawks have four road games in the first six games including three back east. The Seahawks also face three 10+ wins in the first six as well. With the quarterback situation being so much up in the air look for the Seahawks to be 5-11 this year if not worse. I was going to say 6-10 but after what I saw in preseason I'm not so optimistic anymore.

I do think the Seahawks will be in pretty good shape next year when they draft that franchise quarterback. Next year in the draft you should have Andrew Luck, Landry Jones and Matt Barkley. The Seahawks have a young talented offensive line that should be pretty good once they have played together. The receivers are both tall and young which should help along with Miller the tight end. The Seahawks have just two players from ages 31-34 so they are in full rebuilding mode right now. In the NFL it doesn't pay to be average so I don't mind that approach. That just means this year is going to be tough to watch at times especially when Jackson is the quarterback.

All in all, I hope you liked my season preview of the Seahawks. I know I didn't say what the 12's wanted me to say but I had to be honest with this team. There is way too much turnover for a team who had no offseason to practice together. The Seahawks are one of the teams hurt most by the lockout as they have a brand new offensive line and offense in general. Max Unger only starter on offense from the Tim Ruskell era which was just two seasons ago. Now the Seahawks will be rebuilding and hopefully the fans give Carroll an one season free pass. The Seahawks will be drafting a quarterback in the first round next season as they currently don't have their franchise quarterback on their current roster. The 2011 season looks to be a rough one for the Seahawks but hopefully like last year they prove me wrong.

Hasselbeck leads Seahawks stunning win over defending Super Bowl Champions Saints 41-36

By Kshell

All week long the Seattle Seahawks were being bashed on as the first team in NFL history to not only make the playoffs but host a playoff game with a losing record(7-9). All week long nobody gave the Seattle Seahawks a chance as they were a double digit home underdog to the defending champions New Orleans Saints. These are the same Saints who defeated the Seahawks earlier in the year 34-19 which you can read here. What you'll notice in that first contest is the play of Matt Hasselbeck. Hasselbeck threw for 333 yards that game while today he set playoff career highs in touchdown passes.

The game started off as no surprise to anyone who follows football. The Saints took the opening possession and drove down the field on the Seahawks defense. Drew Brees had torched the Seahawks earlier in the year and he would once again have another big game. The Saints would stall in the red zone eventually and have to settle for a Garrett Hartley 26 yard field goal to take a 3-0 lead. The Seahawks would then throw an interception on their first possession which wasn't Matt Hasselbeck's fault as the ball tipped off of Ben Obomanu's hands. The Saints would once again take advantage of the short field going 35 yards in eight plays ending when Brees would hit former Seahawks fullback Heath Evans on a one yard touchdown pass. The Saints took a 10-0 lead. It was looking like another Seahawks blow out but Hasselbeck had other plans.



The Saints trying to kick away from dangerous return man Leon Washington chose to kick the ball short at first. That meant the Seahawks offense would have great field position at their own 43 yard line. That is when Hasselbeck started to prove why Pete Carroll named him the starter as I discussed yesterday. After a Marshawn Lynch six yard run, Hasselbeck would hit Mike Williams for a gain of 10 yards, then Obomanu for a gain of 10 yards. Lynch would rush for 10 more yards to the Saints 21 yard line. After a short completion to Stokley and a five yard penalty on the Saints the Seahawks had the ball on the Saints 11 yard line. That is when the Seahawks faked the run and hit fantasy football bust tight end John Carlson for an 11 yard touchdown strike from Hasselbeck to pull within 10-7.

In the second quarter the Saints behind Drew Brees would answer right back with a 10 play 78 yard drive. On the drive Brees was four for five passing for 53 yards. The Saints ran the ball five times for 25 yards including the third and four from the Seahawks five yard line draw to former Seahawks running back Julius Jones for a five yard touchdown run to put the Saints back up 17-7. Jones became the first player in playoff history to score a touchdown against a team that he had played for during that season. The Seahawks for the second time would have to try and overcome a 10 point lead.



Thankfully for the Seahawks Hasselbeck brought his "A" game today. Hasselbeck would hit Obomanu for a gain of 12 yards. After a first down and a run of three yards by Lynch the Seahawks faced a second and seven from the Saints 46 yard line. Hasselbeck had a beautiful pump and go to Cameron Morrah for a gain of 39 yards. Hasselbeck led Morrah beautifully on the pass. The very next play Carlson would intentionally fall down as Hasselbeck rolled to his right then threw back to his left for a wide open Carlson for the touchdown. Carlson who had just one touchdown all season long caught his second touchdown of the game to pull the score within 17-14. A few series later the Saints running back Julius Jones would fumble the ball which Marcus Trufant recovered. The Seahawks would have to settle for a 29 yard field goal by Olindo Mare to tie up the score 17-17.



The Seahawks after trading punts would have the ball with five minutes to go in the half with the score tied at 17-17. The goal was to not only score but make sure Brees didn't have enough time to score a touchdown themselves. Facing a third and 11 from their own 23 Hasselbeck hit a quick pass to Ruvell Martin in the slot for a gain of 15 for a first down. Then facing a third and one, Justin Forsett barely got another Seahawks first down. Later in the drive the Seahawks were facing a third and three from the Saints 45 yard line when Hasselbeck dropped back in the pocket had ton of options but decided to go deep. Hasselbeck once again delivered a perfect pass to Brandon Stokley for a 45 yard touchdown to give the Seahawks a 24-17 lead. That would be a playoff career high three touchdown passes for Hasselbeck. The Saints would then march down the field and settle on a 22 yard Hartley field goal to give the Seahawks a 24-20 lead at halftime.



In the second half Hasselbeck continued to be red hot passing. After a Lynch four yard run Hasselbeck would hit Mike Williams for a gain of 11 yards to their own 36 yard line. Hasselbeck would hit Obomanu for a gain of 18 to the right on a beautifully thrown fade route. He would hit Forsett for a gain of nine yards, after a failed fake half back pass attempt the Seahawks were facing a third and two on the Saints 38 yard line. Hasselbeck then threw a perfect pass in double coverage to Williams for a 38 yard touchdown. Williams who had just one touchdown prior to last week has now scored a touchdown in back to back weeks. The Seahawks were up 31-20 at that point in the game. The Seahawks after getting a stop would have to settle for a Mare 39 yard field goal after a key dropped pass on third down. The Seahawks would lead 34-20.



The Seahawks would blow a golden opportunity to put the defending Super Bowl champions away once and for good. Facing a third and three from his own 35 yard line Brees hit Julius Jones out of the backfield for a gain of two and a half yards. Kelly Jennings made a terrific tackle on Jones to stop him short. After the lines judge measured the spot the Saints were one inch short of the first down. Trailing by 14 points but with four minutes to go in the third quarter Sean Payton decided to for it on fourth down. Payton then handed off to Jones who was blown up and stopped short of the first down. The Seahawks up 14 points had the ball on the Saints 37 yard line. Due to a dropped pass and a delay of game the Seahawks got nothing out of that opportunity.

The Saints took advantage of new life driving down the field 87 yards in 12 plays. On the drive Brees was seven for nine passing for 57 yards on the drive. The drive ended on another touchdown run by Julius Jones from four yards out. The Saints would then three and out the Seahawks again and go on an eight play 53 yard drive which was stop short at the Seahawks three yard line. Brees facing a third and three from the Seahawks four yard line hit Devey Henderson on a quick throw but Seahawks rookie safety Earl Thomas came up to disrupt the play which stopped the Saints short. The Saints would have to settle for a 21 yard field goal by Hartley to close the Seahawks lead to 34-30.

The Seahawks offense would be stopped again but due to a great 52 yard punt by Jon Ryan and a Saints penalty they had to start from their own six yard line. Brees would immediately pick up 11 yards on a pass to Reggie Bush. Then the 12th man would strike as the Saints would have their third false start penalty of the game. Facing a second and 15 from their own 12 yard line Brees dumped it off to Heath Evans for a gain of seven. With four minutes and change left in the game Brees would throw an incomplete pass. The Saints would be forced to punt the ball to the Seahawks with four minutes to go. The Seahawks who couldn't run all year had to try and find a way to milk the clock out to extend their season. Instead the Seahawks would only last 58 seconds but that wasn't a bad thing either.



The Seahawks would turn to Marshawn Lynch who went "beast mode" on the Saints. After getting stuff up the middle for no gain facing a second and 10 from their own 33 yard line the Seahawks decided to run Lynch again. This time Lynch would bust the longest run of his career, longest run in Seahawks postseason history and possibly the greatest playoff run given the importance of the run in playoff history. Lynch would make eight Saints miss tackles on his 67 yard touchdown run which began as a simple run up the middle which went from a gain of four to the fans being excited about him getting a first down, then he would stiff arm a defender and keep running and make another defender miss. Just for good measure Lynch would make one last Saint defender miss a tackle at around the two yard line. Lynch's touchdown run put him over 100 yards for the first time this year and would give the Seahawks a commanding 41-30 lead with three minutes to play in the game.

The Saints were not ready to give up just so easily they would march down the field 70 yards in nine plays. Brees would hit Devery Henderson for a six yard touchdown pass to pull within 41-36. The Saints would then go for two and hand the ball off to DeShawn Wynn who was stuffed on the two point try. With 1:30 left in the game and only having one timeout the Saints were forced to onside kick it. The man who caught the first two touchdowns of the game John Carlson made the easy catch on the kick which was kicked right to him. The Seahawks after two running plays took a knee and pulled off the shocking upset 41-36 over the Saints.



The Seahawks the team that everyone scoffed at making the playoffs will advance to see another week. A team who had won just nine games the prior two seasons has now won a division title, won a playoff game and knocked off the defending Super Bowl champions. Pete Carroll said he took this Seahawks job because he didn't want to rebuild with a new quarterback. Hasselbeck suffered through a year below his standards but ended todays game completing 22 of 35 passes for 272 yards with four touchdown passes and just the one interception which wasn't his fault. Hasselbeck would enjoy a quarterback rating of 113.0. Not bad for a guy whose own fans were chanting his backup just three weeks ago. As for his counterpart well Drew Brees certainly isn't to be blamed completing 39 of 60 passes for 404 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.

When it came down to it the Seahawks had a running game while the Saints didn't. Marshawn Lynch finished with 19 carries for 131 yards(6.9 YPC) with a touchdown while the Seahawks previous starting running back Julius Jones ran for 59 yards on 15 carries(3.9 YPC) with two touchdowns but a costly fumble. The Seahawks had great production from their three receivers, two of whom were picked up in the offseason off the scrap heap. Mike Williams playing in his first playoff game finished with five receptions for 68 yards a touchdown, Brandon Stokley finished with four receptions for 73 yards and a touchdown while Ben Obomanu had five receptions for 43 yards.

All in all the Seahawks live to see another week. After the city of Seattle suffering through so much losing over the past couple of years this has been a nice change of pace. This is by no means a great Seahawks team but this team will be remembered with fond memories. The Seattle Supersonics in the 1986-87 season became the first NBA team in playoff history to win a playoff series with a losing record. That team went to the Western Conference Finals before losing to eventual World Champions Los Angeles Lakers. Now that wasn't a great team but that team is remembered with good memories. These Seahawks have created some memories fans of the Northwest will never forget. Most importantly Matt Hasselbeck proved he was the right choice for Pete Carroll and they both have another week of football.

Observations:


- Matt Hasselbeck has played plenty of great games as Seattle Seahawk in his career. Perhaps he might play a few more great games going forward. I doubt Hasselbeck ever has or ever will play a game like this given the circumstances. The circumstances was the Seahawks were in the playoffs and Hasselbeck threw for four touchdowns. The other circumstance was 35 points meant a loss so it was important to score 41 points.

Hasselbeck tied Walter Jones franchise record today with his 10th career playoff start which he'll break next week. Hasselbeck also has five career playoff wins including five consecutive playoff wins at Qwest Field. Hasselbeck today by throwing a touchdown pass has thrown a touchdown pass in nine consecutive playoff games. He trails only Brett Favre(20) and Tom Brady(14) who are both first ballot Hall of Famers, not even Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, and Donavan McNabb have longer streaks than Hasselbeck. The only game Hasselbeck didn't throw a touchdown he threw for over 300 yards and Shaun Alexander scored on three one yard touchdown runs. Hasselbeck is a proven playoff warrior now.

Hasselbeck had to be on his "A" game today because Drew Brees was as well. Ultimately it was Hasselbeck who won this great scoring battle that will remind fans of the classic Chargers-Dolphins game of 1981(played in January of 1982). Hasselbeck won the battle against a former Super Bowl MVP and in doing so maybe he finally quieted his critics. He deserves his fair share of blame for throwing picks but chanting "Charlie!" or suggesting he is a bum is a disgrace. Hasselbeck is the greatest Seahawks quarterback this franchise has ever had. We should be thankful Brett Favre's unprofessional attitude didn't rub off on Hasselbeck.

Hasselbeck was huge this game and I couldn't think of a better Seahawk than him to be the hero. I know he isn't a hall of famer and most outside the Northwest never thought he was good but when he retires his #8 should be hanging in the rafters. When Hasselbeck is on like he was today he is still an elite quarterback. This is why Carroll started Hasselbeck over Whitehurst.



- All week people were debating who should raise the 12th man flag. Once I learned Walter Jones had not raised the 12th man flag I was thinking this was a no brainer decision. Glad to see our future hall of famer raise the 12th man flag. I noticed in warm ups he was on the field by Hasselbeck. Maybe just his presence brought the good mojo to Hasselbeck and the running game I don't know.

Jones with the Seahawks made the Pro Bowl a franchise record nine times(1999,2001-08) while also being named first team all-pro four times(2001,2004,2005,2007). Big Walt is only the second player in franchise history(our first and to date only Hall of Famer Steve Largent is the other) to have his number retired. It was a great site to see big Walter Jones raise the 12th man flag. Like I said maybe that inspired the offensive line who allowed just one sack all game and opened up good running lanes for Marshawn Lynch.



- Every championship team has a few players who are talented but underachievers before they arrived to their team. The good teams get the most out of that talented player. Pete Carroll and the Seahawks have done exactly that with wide receiver Mike Williams. Williams who ate himself out of the league didn't play in 2008 and 2009 was coming off a seven catch season in 2007. Williams the former 10th pick of the Detroit Lions in 2005 back when they took a receiver every year in the first round looked like he blew his chance.

Reunited with his old college coach Pete Carroll, Williams has had a huge comeback season. For the year Williams caught 65 passes for 751 yards and two touchdowns in 14 games. Williams also caught 40 first downs as he quickly developed to be Matt Hasselbecks favorite wide receiver. Williams earlier this week was rewarded with a three year contract extension. Williams playing in his first playoff game today had a great game with 68 yards receiving with five receptions and a touchdown. Williams has been a great bargain pick up for the Seahawks a sign that Carroll can coach up underachieving talent.



- The Seahawks traded a fourth and a fifth round pick to the Buffalo Bills to acquire Marshawn Lynch for games like today. Last week in the second half to clinch the NFC West championship Lynch ran for 70 yards to control the clock and grind out points for the Seahawks.

This week Lynch constantly running hard was setting Hasselbeck up on third and shorts because he would get those gains of four on first or second down. Then with the game on the line the Seahawks who haven't had a running game since 2005 Lynch went into full "beast mode". Lynch broke eight tackles on his 67 yard touchdown run. Nevermind the playoffs that is one of the best runs you'll ever see. Given that it was the playoffs and that there was four minutes left in the game that run has to rank up there amongst the best runs of all-time. Lynch is a talented back and with an actual offensive he can be a very productive back.

After being stuck up in Buffalo with no chance of making the playoffs Lynch is finally getting a shot. He may still be on a bad team and his line in Buffalo can't be any worse than in Seattle but at least for Lynch he is playing in big games. Hopefully the Seahawks can work out a deal for Lynch as he does run very hard. Give Lynch the line Alexander had in 2005 and he might have ran for over 2,000 yards.



- I'm going to sing the praises of Pete Carroll once again. Carroll inherited a truly bad roster due to Tim Ruskell apparently not knowing anything about football. After the controversial firing of Jim Mora after one year, releasing big names(T.J.Houshmandzadeh), the way Carroll left USC, etc it was looking like Carroll was going to be taking a ton of heat this time of year.

Instead Carroll like Mike Holmgren and Chuck Knox led the Seahawks to the playoffs in his first year. In fact Carroll is the first Seahawks coach to ever win the division title and a playoff game in his first year as Seahawks head coach. Carroll has brought that winning swagger to Seattle which the players desperately needed. This is also a roster in transition. Only three guys on offense(Matt Hasselbeck, Sean Locklear, Chris Spencer) started the last Seahawks playoff game which was just three years ago. On defense only four guys(Brandon Mebane, Marcus Trufant, Kelly Jennings and Lofa Tatupu) started the last Seahawks playoff game just three years ago and neither kicker was on the team. As you can see he inherited a team in a bit of a transition.

Carroll has the players believing in him and most importantly in themselves. He has taken guys nobody wanted and made them into something. He took Leon Washington, Chris Clemons, Mike Williams and Brandon Stokley and made them valuable key contributers with the Seahawks. Him and John Schneider had a terrific draft which saw them net two huge starters in Earl Thomas at safety and Russell Okung at left tackle. Carroll's work is just beginning in the offseason but at least he is giving the players a taste of success to build on for the future.

At the end of the day as fans that is all we can ask for from our sports teams. Just give us hope and a chance each week. I love the fact that in the divisional round of the playoffs I get to watch my favorite team play once again. I get another week of talking about the Seahawks with my friends and family. Another week of hearing people talk about the Seahawks. As a diehard sports fan of a team especially a Seattle sports team you often wonder why you are a fan and put up with such misery. This is why because when your team finally does something it is so much sweeter. You think the Patriots fans will be this excited if they win next week? Heck no they won't. Congrats to the Seahawks for giving me another week of cheering on my favorite team!