Foresight is 20/20: Offensive Line

The Seahawks need to be concerned about the offensive line, but it is not like they shouldn't have seen this coming. The current state of affairs is not a disaster, but things would be a lot better if the Seahawks would have approached things differently.

Back before training camp, several people were calling for the Seahawks to move Sean Locklear to left guard and put Tom Ashworth (or Ray Willis) at right tackle. When the Seahawks signed Tom Ashworth, they told Ashworth, according to his agent, that they thought he would be one of their five best linemen and might move Locklear to make room for him in the starting line-up. It is usually best to take what an agent says with a grain of salt, but that makes sense given the Seahawks signed Ashworth to a 5-year, $13 million deal, including $4.5 million in salary and bonuses for 2006.

From an outside perspective, it made sense to move Locklear to keep the injury-prone Floyd Womack out of the starting line-up, and to create a plan that would maximize continuity along the offensive line. Things to this point have played out exactly as one would have expected, and it looks like the Seahawks made some mistakes that could have been avoided. The concern back before the season was the durability of the starting interior lineman with the oft-injured Womack and the ancient Robbie Tobeck and Chris Gray filling the middle.

As it happened, Tobeck and Womack missed time in training camp with injuries. And Womack and Gray have already suffered injuries after only 3 regular season games. Now second-year player Chris Spencer and rookie fourth-rounder Rob Sims will join Tobeck on the interior. What happens if Tobeck gets injured now? It is a little late to move Locklear to guard (who is a little banged up himself) and then plug in Ashworth at right tackle. Continuity is King along the offensive line.

Sean Locklear excelled at run-blocking and mauling oppenents last year at right tackle, and those skills translate nicely to playing guard. Locklear is somewhat short for a tackle at 6'4" and has struggled in pass protection to this point in the season. With Locklear lining up next to Walter Jones, the Seahawks would have still had the dominant run-blocking leftside that worked so well last year. The running game would not have suffered as much as it has through the first three games.

Let's take a look at how things would have worked under the proposed plan. The Seahawks would have started with the following line:
LT Walter Jones - LG Sean Locklear - C Robbie Tobeck - RG Chris Gray - RT Tom Ashworth

It is reasonable to think the only injury would have been to Chris Gray. That would have been easily taken care of by plugging in Chris Spencer at right guard. So, the Seahawks would have made only one change along the offensive line. Womack would have been available to back-up Jones and Locklear on the left side. An injury to Tobeck would mean Spencer slides over to center and Sims comes in at right guard. As things have played out, the Seahawks have already made two changes on the interior of the line, and they are really without a good back-up for any of the offensive line positions except right tackle.

It's an unfortunate situation, and injuries happen, but the Seahawks should have seen this coming and planned accordingly.

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Early Week Four Picks

Picking the Winners
Arizona at Atlanta - Atlanta (-7)
Dallas at Tennessee - Dallas (-9.5)
Indianapolis at N.Y. Jets - Indianapolis (-9)
Miami at Houston - Miami (-3.5)
Minnesota at Buffalo - Minnesota (+1)
New Orleans at Carolina - New Orleans (+7.5)
San Diego at Baltimore - San Diego (-2.5)
San Francisco at Kansas City - Kansas City (-7)
Detroit at St. Louis - St. Louis (-5.5)
Cleveland at Oakland - Oakland (+2.5)
Jacksonville at Washington - Jacksonville (-3)
New England at Cincinnati - New England (+6)
Seattle at Chicago - Seattle (+3.5)
Green Bay at Philadelphia - Philadelphia (-11)

Here are my early picks for Week 4. The betting lines are included for reference, but I am just trying to pick who is going to win the game. The Titans, Jets, Texans, Ravens, Raiders, and Redskins are all home underdogs. As a rule, it is not good to bet on a road favorite to cover the spread.

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NFC Power Rankings - Week Three

Week Three
1. Seattle (3-0)
- Did I read that correctly? 42-3. In the last 52-weeks the Seahawks only losses are the controversial Super Bowl and a meaningless game against Green Bay.
2. Chicago (3-0)
- Rex Grossman and the Bears get a big test against Seattle.
3. New Orleans (3-0)
- The offensive line is better than anyone thought. The secondary is good and they get half of their games in a charged Superdome. They already beat Atlanta. Tampa Bay and Carolina don't exactly look good.
4. Dallas (1-1)
- Look for Dallas to rattle off three straight wins.
5. Minnesota (2-1)
- Impressive effort against Chicago.
6. Washington (1-2)
- Jacksonville will be a better measuring stick than Houston. The health of Springs and Portis is crucial to success.
7. Atlanta (2-1)
- The option looks like it was a two-week wonder. Vick looked like the guy we saw collapse down the stretch last year.
8. Philadelphia (2-1)
- Going 2-1 is not that impressive when it only includes wins over the 49ers and Texans.
9. Carolina (1-2)
- The Panthers looked about as good as the Bucs. That's not good.
10. N.Y. Giants (1-2)
- The Giants are talented, but the team is unravelling from the top down. The bye week couldn't have come at a better time.
11. St. Louis (2-1)
- Is a win over the Cardinals impressive?
12. Arizona (1-2)
- Kurt Warner should go back to bagging groceries.
13. San Francisco (1-2)
- Losing Vernon Davis and getting Gore banged up doesn't help a bad team get any better.
14. Green Bay (1-2)
- A win in Philadelphia would be impressive.
15. Detroit (0-3)
- What happened after Week One?
16. Tampa Bay (0-3)
- Does losing Chris Simms hurt this team that much? Who will be the starter next year...Brady Quinn?

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Enough is Enough

The latest in the Terrell Owens media coverage has me saying enough is enough, and I am not talking about Terrell Owens, but rather the lack of journalistic integrity that has been on display for over a year now. We might not ever get to the bottom of whether or not Terrell Owens attempted suicide. Maybe his story is true or maybe he and his publicist are trying to spin this, but either way, this should be the last straw and cause a lot of journalists to take a look in the mirror.

When Terrell Owens blew up in San Francisco, he did not behave well at all. His actions were deplorable and he threw his quarterback and his coach under the bus. What happened was not especially different from what goes on from time to time when teams are struggling (see: Jeremey Shockey and Kellen Winslow). It doesn't make his actions acceptable, but the media latched onto the story and exacerbated it. In hindsight, one thing that goes unnoticed is that Owens was right about Garcia and Mooch. T.O. clearly does not deal with the media well and allows them to bully him into saying things he shouldn't in interviews. He needs to learn to say "no comment" and it seemed like he finally had this season.

After Owens arrived in Philadelphia, he was under a microscope. You could practically see the reporters salivating when Philadelphia struggled. McNabb and Owens even mocked the media spotlight by pretending to have an argument during a win. Later, McNabb had thrown a couple of interceptions and Owens was in his face on the sideline. According to both players, Owens was telling McNabb to keep his head up, they were not out of the game, and all they could do was wait until they got the ball back and go out there to make plays. The media seemed more dissappointed that it wasn't a controversy than when they found out as children that Santa Claus was not real.

When Owens made a heroic recovery to come back and play in the Super Bowl, the story was that he was doing it for personal glory. Owens was upset because the team would not give him any guarantees if he were to get re-injured in the Super Bowl. Donovan McNabb let down the Eagles by partying it up in Jacksonville and then lost his composure and became tired and could not even call plays on the final drive in the big game. That story came out from Freddy Mitchell, not Terrell Owens.

The media somehow managed to find a way to rip into T.O. about the Super Bowl instead of Donovan McNabb. I am not sure how that even happens. One guy was playing through an injury and putting it all on the line for the team, while the other let his team down because he was out partying. It is easy to see why Terrell Owens felt like the media was making him a villain.

Terrell Owens did not even hold out in Philadelphia in 2005. He complained about his contract and wanted a new one. He reported to camp and said that they would talk again about his contract after the Eagles won the 2006 Super Bowl. It goes unnoticed that Brian Westbrook was actually holding out during that training camp and McNabb came forward in support of Westbrook and said the Eagles should pay him. By coming out in favor of Westbrook and not Owens, you can understand how Owens felt slighted.

McNabb played terribly in 2005 and was injured. Terrell Owens probably shouldn't have answered those questions about what if Brett Favre was at quarterback, but all he said was that Favre was a warrior and has shown he could play through injuries. A lot of reporters thought McNabb was hurting the team by not just getting his sports hernia operated on at the start of the year, so he could come back later in the year. Owens blamed McNabb's poor performance on an injury. Is that so terrible? Once Owens opened his mouth, everyone forgot they were saying the same thing about McNabb. Somehow nobody remembered that McNabb was throwing more bounce passes than John Stockton. Should Owens have kept his mouth shut? Yes. Did he say something disastrous? No. Did the media contribute to stirring up the controversy more so than Owens, McNabb, or anyone on the Eagles? Absolutely.

As for this recent event, let's say Terrell Owens did attempt suicide. If that is the case, then who would blame him. The media at large appears to think it is their responsibility to bash him at every turn. Look in the mirror and blame yourselves. I don't know Terrell Owens mental state or pretend to relate to his upbringing, but I know that it wouldn't feel great to have your intentions questioned at every turn, especially when you lay it on the line for your team. Owens rushed back from an injury to help his team in the Super Bowl and the story was he was playing for personal glory. Joe Thiesmann actually said he thought the T.O. finger injury was good for the Cowboys.

Last year, Hines Ward was also complaining about his contract. Steve Smith complains about his contract. Javon Walker threatened to hold out. This year it was Ashely Lelie and Deion Branch. Did any of those players receive the type of treatment that Terrell Owens did? Let's take a look at his hamstring injury. Hines Ward missed the preseason, Steve Smith missed more time than Owens did. Darrell Jackson sat out all of preseason and training camp. Everyone just assumed Terrell Owens was not really hurt and he was trying to make a media spectacle out of nothing. Let's make sure we say this: Terrell Owens is correct when he says he is singled out.

And if T.O. did attempt suicide, then the reporting of the last day has been deplorable. The primary focus should have been on the well-being of Terrell Owens, discretion protecting his privacy in a personal matter, and patience in getting all of the details. That would have been the courtesy afforded almost anyone else. Not with Owens; the vultures were at work. ESPN has tried to operate with some care, but they had a nice big headline "Report: Suicide Try." Let's get some class fellas. What if he didn't attempt suicide; great job racking him through the mud. Let's stop bashing a guy at every turn and always assuming the worst motives. Owens has no chance to succeed the way he has been treated and it is time for it to stop. Enough is enough.

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Jeremy Shockey vs. Tom Coughlin

It is nice to see that the Seahawks on-field destruction of the Giants has led to an off-field unravelling, specifically the issue between Jeremy Shockey and Tom Coughlin. While everyone is ripping Jeremy Shockey, it should be Tom Couglin taking the brunt of the criticism, both for what he said and how terribly unprepared his team was against the Seahawks. I am not endorsing Jeremy Shockey or his comments here, but Tom Coughlin has no right to be upset with him, especially given the comments he made to the media. With so much being made of Shockey saying "we got outplayed and outcoached," let's take a look at what Couglin said.

Coughlin opened his post-game press-conference with the following comments:

"In the first half, we just gave the game away, and handed it to them. We gave them the ball at point blank range, and gave them great field position. We turned the ball over. A team that does nothing but preach and talk about turnovers, we turned it over like nothing matters, like nothing counts. It cost us the game. We had trouble stopping them. Our pass coverage was practically nonexistent. The scheme, fine, but the individuals playing the scheme, we've got to play better with regard to that...what really bothers me is the first half, the half that we had prepared for. The half we had prepared to start out the game, we had what we thought was a good plan together, and obviously we didn't execute."

Tom Coughlin threw a lot of people under the bus in that opening statement, while avoiding an opportunity to take any responsibility. His scheme was fine, his plan was good, but the players did not play the scheme correctly, the team did not execute the plan. I do not see how Coughlin can say those things and then get upset at Jeremy Shockey for saying the team got beat on the field and in the game-planning. And how can Coughlin make the following comments in regard to Shockey's comments with a straight face:

"Naturally I'm concerned. I'm concerned because there's nothing to be gained by pointing the finger. If you're truly a team and you're in it together, we win or lose together. We don't make a point of pointing the finger at anyone. When we lose, I lose. I take the responsibility for the loss. That's my job."

Sorry Tom, but when you lose, you take no responsibility, claim you had a good plan and a good scheme and point the finger at your players' inability to execute your scheme and plan. And to make it even worse, Jeremy Shockey was right when he said the team got outcoached. The Seahawks did a lot of things on offense that the Giants had never seen, but it didn't take a great football mind to realize Seattle was going to use 4-WR sets. The Giants did not appear to have any idea what they were doing against those spread formations, even though Tom Coughlin says the team expected to see those looks. Some of that is execution, but when guys are wide-open in the endzone over and over, it is a scheme thing.

Shockey is an offensive player, so it is pretty safe to assume his comments were really directed toward what the Giants were doing when they had the ball. Again, it didn't take a genius to realize what the Seahawks were going to do. Namely, try to use the front seven to put pressure on Eli Manning and stop Tiki Barber. I spent about 10 minutes thinking about what the Seahawks were going to do on defense and I realized that. I am not self-promoting here, but if I can figure out what is going on in 10 minutes, then Tom Coughlin should be able to with a week to prepare.

It is not a coincidence that our safeties came up with 3 interceptions; they were sitting back there waiting to help in coverage because they were not concerned about stopping the run or putting pressure on Eli Manning. Even an average football mind knows that running play-action passes doesn't help against a secondary that is not going to bite on the run. Coughlin should have been running more draws to further isolate the front seven and give Tiki Barber more room to run, especially once he reached the second level. Throwing some short passes over the middle and putting pressure on the linebackers to play in coverage would have helped mitigate the pass-rush as well. It was just a bad game plan.

This is not the first time Coughlin has been called out for getting outcoached. The Giants clearly had no idea what Carolina was going to do in the playoffs last year, and Tiki Barber let the world know about it. Plaxico Burress was so upset, he refused to attend the subsequent team meeting. Coughlin had his ass handed to him by John Fox last year and Mike Holmgren and company again this past Sunday. If he wants his players to keep mum about how poorly he planned for those games, then he needs to avoid throwing them under the bus in his post-game press conferences.

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Alexander-less Seahawks

The local reaction to Shaun Alexander's injury has been a little surprising. Some fans are practically ready to write off the season, and this is just not that big of a deal. Yes, Shaun Alexander was the league MVP, but he wasn't playing like it this year. It is also a little disappointing to see that 75% of people believe in the Madden Curse (at least of those answering an ESPN SportsNation poll yesterday).

That number only makes sense if we are talking about correlation and not causation. When a player wins the MVP or has a great season, then they get the Madden cover. And like Shaun Alexander did this past offseason, they spend more time making media appearances, trying to sell a book, and shooting commercials than working out and preparing for the next season. Compound that with a nice fat contract and less financial incentive to play well and it is not surprising that Alexander was not off to a very good start. Losing Steve Hutchinson did not help either.

Maurice Morris is not Shaun Alexander, but he is a quality player. His ability to contribute in the passing game actually fits better with what Seattle has been doing this year. Morris has been playing better than Alexander so far this season. His numbers in the Giants game (15 carries for 18 yards) are misleading. Most of that came in the second half when the Seahawks were pounding it up the middle and running out the clock.

Another reason to remain calm is that this injury is not that serious. Alexander will miss this week's game against Chicago, but the Seahawks have a bye the following week. The bone in his foot is not displaced and the fracture is very small, so he could conceivably be ready to return in Week 6. However, it might be more realistic that we do not see Alexander until Week 13 or maybe in Week 11 and 12 to get the rust off. Alexander could miss that much time, not because of the extent of his injury, but because he might not be needed and it would be more important to have him back for the playoffs.

The Seahawks might miss Alexander against Chicago, but they should be fine against St. Louis following the bye week. Minnesota nearly beat Chicago and Maurice Morris is a lot like Chester Taylor (and the rest of the Seahawks are a lot better than the Vikings), so it is not a stretch to think Seattle can still beat the Bears. There is also no reason to think the Vikings will be able to beat the Seahawks at Qwest in Week 7. It would be nice to have Alexander back for the Week 8 trip to Arrowhead, but the Chiefs offensive line is struggling so far and they are currently without their starting quarterback, although Trent Green should be back by then.

It would be surprising if the Seahawks did not go at least 2-2 in the next four games, even without Alexander. It wouldn't be surprising if they rattled off four more wins, either. They should be somewhere between 5-2 and 7-0 after Week 8. The Seahawks then play Oakland and St. Louis at Qwest, take a trip to San Francisco, and then get Green Bay at home on Monday night. Those games are as easy as they come in the NFL. Anything can happen in the NFL, but it is pretty reasonable to think the Seahawks will be at least 8-3 or better after the first 12 weeks of the season.

The bottom line is that the Seahawks can win without Alexander. He should be able to rest without the team dropping too many games. It would be nice to give him some action against San Francisco and Green Bay to knock off the rust before an important game at Denver in Week 13. The Seahawks close with 3 of their final 4 games against Arizona, San Francisco, and Tampa Bay. Those teams are a combined 2-7 right now and two of them (Arizona and Tampa Bay) will be starting rookie quarterbacks. The Week 15 game against San Diego will be tough.

Looking at the schedule for the rest of the year, the most important games are going to be at Chicago, Minnesota, at Kansas City, at Denver, and San Diego. It looks like Alexander will definitely miss the first two and probably the third as well, but he should be back for the last two of those games. The other 8 games left on the schedule are against some pretty weak competition.

This Seahawks team does not live an die with Shaun Alexander. If Maurice Morris can average 62 yards a game, 2.9 yards per carry, and get into the endzone when handed the ball from the 2-yard line, then he will be doing as much as Shaun Alexander did in the first 3 weeks of the season when the Seahawks went 3-0. If Morris gets injured, then it might be time to hit the panic button. However, Alexander should be able to come back sooner if the team needs him.

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Branching Out

Apparently when talking about former Patriots, puns are requisite (remember all of the Ty Law headlines during the offseason). I am following suit here in discussing the effect of Deion Branch. It works out pretty well considering that the biggest thing Branch allowed the Seahawks to do was to spread out the Giants defense.

Branch sat out the Arizona game and was activated and used against the Giants in the exact way I predicted the day after he was traded to the Seahawks. The spread offense did not open things up for the running game, but it did mitigate the pass-rush as expected (the Giants did not tally a single sack). The addition of Branch and use of spread formations also really helped out Nate Burleson.

Darrell Jackson nabbed two more touchdowns. Anyone who said D-Jack was an average #1 receiver or complained that he should be traded or let go looks pretty silly now. He has grabbed 17 balls for 231 yards and 3 touchdowns through 3 games. He is on pace for 90 receptions, 1232 yards, and 16 touchdowns. Those numbers might not be realistic, but when healthy, Darrell Jackson is one of the best receivers in the NFL. More important than anything else, D-Jack is already responsible for 12 first-downs. That includes several key third-down catches in each of the first three games.

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Giant Mistake

The crowd at Qwest Field was ridiculous on Sunday. Those Redskins fans at RFK (FedEx Field) can put away those signs they were holding up during the Week One Monday Night game that read "The Loudest Stadium in the NFL." The noise level at Qwest reached 110 decibels at the start of the Seahawks-Giants game on Sunday, and the Giants should point the finger at their own GM - they are throwing each other under the bus left and right as it is.

Giants GM Ernie Accorsi made the allegation that the Seahawks were piping in artificial noise during home games. That was a giant mistake because the Seahawks were smart enough to leak the story to get the fans riled up. It worked. The Giants would have been better off with some piped in noise than dealing with the raucous 12th Man that filled the stands on Sunday. Tom Coughlin insists that the crowd was not a major factor and Tim Booth (AP) is towing the company line.

The crowd clearly impacted Eli Manning and the 12th Man had a lot to do with the fast start of the Seahawks. The noise not only affects the game directly, but has an impact on firing up the Seahawks, especially the defense. The opening interception looked like a mistake by the officials on the jumbotron replays, but I did not get a great look, so I can't say for sure. Normally a mistake like that hurts a team, but it fired up the crowd even more and the tide quickly turned in the Seahawks favor.

The rest of the NFC better hope the Seahawks don't end up with home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. If the road to the Super Bowl goes through Seattle, then it is probably a formality that the Seahawks will be making a trip to Miami in early February. The win over the Giants was important. The Seahawks have a more important game in Chicago next week. It could be the deciding game for home-field advantage in the NFC. Seahawk fans should now be rooting for the Giants to beat the Bears when they travel to New York in Week 10. The Bears then play at the Jets and at New England.

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Picking the Winners

Picking to Win
Carolina at Tampa Bay - Carolina
Chicago at Minnesota - Chicago
Cincinnati at Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh
Green Bay at Detroit - Detroit
Jacksonville at Indianapolis - Jacksonville (+7)
N.Y. Jets at Buffalo - Buffalo
Tennessee at Miami - Miami
Washington at Houston - Washington
Baltimore at Cleveland - Baltimore
N.Y. Giants at Seattle - Seattle
Philadelphia at San Francisco - San Francisco (+6)
St. Louis at Arizona - St. Louis (+5)
Denver at New England - Denver (+6.5)

Note: Underdogs are in italics.

Most of the favorites should be fairly safe bets to cover the spread, if they win, with the exception of Buffalo (-5.5). A game between two bad teams could go either way, but the Jets are a horrible road team. Even if Buffalo wins, they will try to make this a low-scoring game, so 5.5 points is a lot to give.

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Beat the Bias

Seahawk fans like to make a big deal about the East Coast Bias, which is kind of silly and really boils down to population and tradition. However, the Seahawks have a golden opportunity to buck some of that bias today against New York and next week in Chicago. If anyone is wondering why everyone was slobbering over the Carolina Panthers this past offseason, look no further than New York and Chicago. The Panthers opened the 2005 playoffs with an impressive win over the Giants (23-0) in New York followed by a victory against the Bears in Chicago.

The Bears and Giants are certainly good teams, but the real issue here is population. New York and Chicago are home to the first and third largest metro areas in the United States (the second largest is Los Angeles, which is currently without an NFL franchise). Those areas represent about 30 million people, which means tons of media and far reaching press coverage.

The Seahawks will be front and center this week against the Giants. The presence of the NFL on Fox in Seattle is evidence of how much coverage this game is getting. If the Seahawks can beat the Giants, then they will be primed for a showdown in Chicago next week. The Seahawks face the Bears on Sunday Night Football in Prime Time. It should be a match-up of two 3-0 teams.

There are 11 2-0 teams in the league right now. Three of them will fall this week with the Bears facing the Vikings, the Jaguars going up against the Colts, and the Falcons meeting the Saints on Monday Night. Of the remaining undefeated teams, Cincinnati and New England face each other in Week Four, and both teams also have tough match-ups this week against Pittsburgh and Denver, respectively. Baltimore and San Diego are also undefeated and play each other in Week Four.

Assuming Chicago and Seattle win this week, there will be a maximum of one other undefeated team in the NFC when the Bears and Seahawks face off next Sunday night, and a maximum of only 3 in the AFC. My guess is that Atlanta, San Diego, and maybe Indianapolis will be the only other undefeated teams at kickoff of the Seahawks-Bears game. If San Diego is not undefeated that almost certainly means Baltimore will be (as long as they get by Cleveland). Jacksonville will have a tough time against Indianapolis this week (especially if Matt Jones can't play), and even if they pull off a win this week, they head to Washington next week. So the short story is that the Seahawks and Bears should be two of four or five undefeated teams left when they face each other.

If the Seahawks can pull off wins in the next two weeks, the media world will take notice in a huge way.

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Giant Rematch

The Giants come into Seattle after an emotional overtime win over the Philadelphia Eagles. It was not a pretty win and Philadelphia just isn't that good, especially after losing Javon Kearse for the season. Lito Sheppard and Donte' Stallworth were both struggling with injuries as well.

It might sound immature to say this, but the Seahawks should win easily if the Giants do not get help from the zebras, which they almost certainly will. The blantant Oregon robbery of Oklahoma has me seriously questioning officiating in general. The ability of the Cardinals to get away with horse-collar tackles and Larry Nemmers slowing down the Seahawks offense makes me only more wary of the growing problem of poor officiating to the point of actually questioning the integrity of the officials (something I really want to avoid). The pass-interference call on Ken Hamlin didn't help either. Maybe I am a little jaded after the Super Bowl and watching Pittsburgh continue to get every call go their way over the first two weeks.

As far as the Steelers go, in Week One it was consistent blocks in the back by the Steelers, especially downfield by the receivers, without any calls, while Miami got penalized several times on key third downs on ticky-tack calls so the Steelers could continue to move the ball. In Week Two it was Max Starks blatantly holding Rob Meier on about half of the plays and then shoving him in the back to clear him from Roethlisberger on several other plays, while Jacksonville got called for some ticky-tack holding calls on the interior of the line. The numbers don't lie, through the first two weeks the Steelers have been flagged 4 times for 35 yards, while their opponents have been penalized 16 times for 149 yards.

The Giants received two touchdowns as gifts from Nemmers last year. Jay Feely did miss three field goals that could have won the game, but it should not have been that close to begin with. The Giants did not score a legitimate touchdown in the game last year. Plaxico Burress, Jeremy Shockey, and Amani Toomer are all banged up heading into Sunday's rematch. The key to stopping that offense will be putting pressure on Eli Manning and stopping Tiki Barber with the front seven. The Hammer did not play last year, and the secondary should be able to handle Shockey and the receivers (that is unless they get help from the zebras again).

Deion Branch will make his debut, and it could mean a big day for the running game and for Nate Burleson. Burleson has looked terrible so far, dropping balls and not making an impact. However, he will be the fourth receiver in some four-wide sets, meaning that he will be drawing single coverage by the fourth-best guy in the Giants secondary. He has been getting covered by the top corner on the opposing team as Darrell Jackson was being underestimated by opponents coming off his knee injury. The weakness of the New York defense is the secondary, so the passing game could have a nice day if Hasselbeck gets time to throw.

Shaun Alexander should be able to find more room to run from spread formations. The offensive tackles, especially Sean Locklear, need to direct Osi Umenyiora and Michael Straham to the outside. If they can get those pass-rushers wide, then the middle will be wide-open for the running game. Maurice Morris could have some long runs on draws in third-down situations.

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NFC Power Rankings - Week Two

Week Two
1. Seattle (2-0)
- The NFC West does not appear to be closing the gap at all.
2. Chicago (2-0)
- Is Rex Grossman for real? The Bears still need to beat a non-NFC North team.
3. Atlanta (2-0)
- They put up 558 rushing yards (123 more than anyone else) in the first two weeks against two of the top three rushing defenses from 2005 in the NFC.
4. Dallas (1-1)
- The loss to Jacksonville isn't looking so bad now.
5. N.Y. Giants (1-1)
- Comeback division win on the road was impressive, but can they beat a playoff team?
6. Minnesota (2-0)
- Won twice by facing two injury-plagued teams, but luck is part of the game. They will show what they really have against Chicago this weekend.
7. Philadelphia (1-1)
- DE Jevon Kearse is done for the year and CB Lito Sheppard figures not to play this week. The Eagles need to win 3 of their next 4 if they want a chance at the playoffs. Their schedule is front-loaded with easy games, but it is brutal down the stretch.
8. Washington (0-2)
- Shawn Springs and Clinton Portis need to play for this team to win. When they both play this team is one of the best in the NFC.
9. Carolina (0-2)
- The Panthers should win their next three games even if they do not have Steve Smith or Dan Morgan, but they could easily lose the three after that. They will struggle to make the playoffs.
10. Detroit (0-2)
- Seattle and Chicago are the two best teams in the NFC. The Lions should win the majority of their next five games against lesser competition, and should be 5-2 or 4-3 heading into their Week 8 bye.
11. New Orleans (2-0)
- Wins over Green Bay and Cleveland are not exactly awe-inspiring, but the Saints grabbed two wins on the road and will play at the Super Dome on Monday night for the first time since Hurricane Katrina. Their next three games are against their NFC South rivals.
12. St. Louis (1-1)
- Orlando Pace's concussion is bad news. It could lead to Marc Bulger getting injured and that would be a disaster. The showdown in Glendale this weekend will determine if St. Louis is really a step ahead of the Cardinals.
13. San Francisco (1-1)
- Looking as good as the rest of the also-rans in the NFC West.
14. Arizona (1-1)
- The Cardinals might be the worse team in the NFC West. They did nothing to get better besides adding Edgerrin James and it shows.
15. Tampa Bay (0-2)
- Chris Simms looks like the quarterback that couldn't win the big game at Texas. This is an 0-2 team with no injuries to point to as an excuse. Either Carolina or Tampa Bay is starting 0-3 and it looks like it will be the Buccaneers.
16. Green Bay (0-2)
- Starting out with back-to-back home losses is not a good sign.

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Surprise! Womack Injured Again

Floyd "Pork Chop" Womack will miss the next 6 weeks with a knee injury. To say Womack is injury-prone is an understatement. Chris Spencer will now fill the void at left guard and Womack will not return to the starting line-up unless someone else gets hurt. The offensive line continued to struggle against the Arizona Cardinals.

The biggest problem appears to be at right tackle, rather than left guard. We might not be too far away from seeing Tom Ashworth take over for Sean Locklear at right tackle. Locklear still needs a few more bad games before anything would happen, but he did not play well during the preseason and his struggles have continued through the first two weeks. Ray Willis also struggled during the preseason.

Shaun Alexander is not helping out the situation either. The line has missed some blocks and the opposition is keying on the run, but Alexander just doesn't look like the running back he was last year. Maurice Morris is making it hard for Alexander to blame the offensive line. Alexander has 140 yards on 40 carries (3.1 average), while Morris has 48 yards on only 7 carries (6.9 average). Morris also has 2 catches for 33 yards, while Alexander has 3 catches for 10 yards with a couple of drops.

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NFC Power Rankings - Week One

Week One
1. Seattle - Still on top until they lose.
2. Chicago - Offense looks better, defense still strong.
3. Atlanta - Adding Ashley Lelie and Grady Jackson helps. Is this the year Vick lives up to expectations?
4. Dallas - Tough loss on the road to Jacksonville, but is the offensive line in trouble again?
5. N.Y. Giants - Eli still isn't a leader.
6. Carolina - Injuries along the offensive line are cause for concern.
7. St. Louis - Did Jim Haslett fix the defense?
8. Detroit - Mangini and Martz making talented players realize potential.
9. Minnesota - Capitalized on an injured Washington defense.
10. Washington - Tough loss without Shawn Springs, but they should bounce back.
11. Tampa Bay - Is Baltimore that good or is Chris Simms that bad?
12. Philadelphia - Hard to tell much with a win against Houston
13. Arizona - Edgerrin James doesn't help if they can't block for him.
14. New Orleans - Reggie Bush is exciting, but the Saints still have plenty of holes.
15. San Francisco - They might be better than Arizona, but they need to win some games to prove it.
16. Green Bay - Brett Favre held the Packers hostage the last two offseasons and it's showing.

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Video: Interview with Shaun Alexander

FoxSports Totally Football - OneOnOne

Alexander's Analysis - 3:52 (Video)
"Reigning NFL MVP Shaun Alexander discusses the Seahawks' Week 1 struggles, his laid-back style and his chess addiction."

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Game Plan: Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals are not much better than they were last year (2006 Arizona Cardinals Preview). The signing of Edgerrin James was basically their only offseason move. The only other additions even worth mentioning are RG Milford Brown and DT Kendrick Clancy. Milford Brown comes from Houston, which is not exactly a hotbed for offensive lineman. Clancy is decent, but not a difference maker. He is not an upgrade over Russell Davis. In short, the Cardinals are still terrible.

The offensive line is firmly entrenched as one of the worst in the league. Edgerrin James is not someone that can overcome that. It might be different if the Cardinals had signed Barry Sanders in his prime, but James is not an elusive back. He averaged a pathetic 2.8 yards per carry against a poor San Francisco 49ers defense in Week One. That is on par with the Cardinals did in the two games against the 49ers last year (2.9 and 2.8 yards per carry, respectively). That means the front seven does not need safety help. The Seahawks can get away with nickel packages without worrying about giving up big gains on the ground.

The extra men in coverage will be needed to cope with Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, and Bryant Johnson. The Seahawks managed to keep that trio of receivers to a single touchdown over both games last season. In fact, the Cardinals only scored one touchdown against the Seahawks, but did manage 8 field goals. Kurt Warner put up 334 yards and a touchdown in the Week 9 game. However, he also threw 3 interceptions, lost a fumble, and was sacked 4 times. Ken Hamlin was out of the line-up and Julian Peterson wasn't on the roster. It should be another tough outing for Warner. The Seahawks can blitz and pressure him and watch the the sacks and take-aways pile-up.

When the Seahawks have the ball, all eyes should be on Shaun Alexander. Alexander only had 313 yards and 6 touchdowns in the two games against Arizona last year. If you figure the loss of Hutchinson means Alexander will produce at only two-thirds of the level he did last year, then he should still be good for over 100 yards and two touchdowns. Alexander should run all over the Cardinals. He could put up impressive numbers against this defense even if he was running behind the Arizona Cardinals offensive line.

The Cardinals will need to put extra men in run support. CB Antrel Rolle might be ready to become a shutdown corner, but he is the only player in the secondary worth mentioning. Bobby Engram and Nate Burleson should have big days (assuming Rolle will be covering Jackson). In the one game when Jackson and Rolle lined-up across from each other last year, D-Jack got the better of it anyway, grabbing 8 balls for 125 yards. The Seahawks should just run it down Arizona's throat, and then throw it to the open receiver when Arizona commits to stopping the run.

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Branch Effect

FSN Northwest - Seahawks branching out (Video)
"Newest Seattle receiver Deion Branch talks about leaving the New England Patriots in exchange for a first-round pick ending his holdout."


Recently acquired wide receiver Deion Branch signed a six-year, $39 million deal with the Seahawks. Branch will reportedly receive $23 million over the first three seasons of the deal, including $13 million in bonuses and guarantees. The 2007 first round draft pick is gone to the Patriots and the money has been spent, so now Seahawk fans want to see their new player on the field and producing.

The Seahawks have a two-week roster exemption, so Branch could remain inactive against the Arizona Cardinals and New York Giants, but that probably will not happen. The Seahawks are going to want to see Deion Branch practice and learn the playbook some, but might plug him into the line-up as soon as this coming weekend if they think he can contribute against a division rival. The odds of Branch playing this week are probably 50-50, but he should be active for the Giants game for sure. The games against the Giants (Week 3) and Bears (Week 4) have important playoff implications, and Holmgren and Ruskell will want Branch out there. He could help spread those tough defense and force them into dime packages, which would help combat the pass-rush.

Deion Branch has not played in the West Coast Offense since college, but it won't be much of an adjustment for him. He is an intelligent player and excels at short routes and running after the catch. The plays might have different names, but a quick-hitch, slant, or curl route is the same in any offense. A reasonable expectation is that the Seahawks will initially feed Branch the third-down playbook and use him in obvious passing situations. As he gets comfortable with more of the playbook, his role will expand. He will get a lot of work in practice with Matt Hasselbeck, especially during the bye week.

The Cardinals defense allowed QB Alex Smith to pass for 288 yards (103 more than he did in any game last year) and the San Francisco offense rung up 27 points. That was a pretty poor performance considering it was the home opener at their brand new stadium in front of a loud, supportive crowd. The Seahawks offense probably doesn't need Branch this week, so the team will probably wait one more week to make a decision on who to let go (or put on IR) before activating Branch.

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Seahawks Offensive Line Problems Minor

The Seahawks had some struggles along the offensive line against Detroit. However, the struggles of the Seahawks unit is nothing compared to the injuries to some of the Seahawks rivals in the NFC. The St. Louis Rams lost starting center Andy McCollum for the season. They will struggle to run the ball up the middle, which causes problems with what Scott Linehan likes to do. The Rams looked very good against Denver, so this bad news for the Rams is good news for the Seahawks.

The Carolina Panthers lost starting left tackle Travelle Wharton for the year as well. That will create problems in protection of Jake Delhomme's blindside as well as difficulty running the ball. The Panthers also lost MLB Dan Morgan with at least the fifth concussion of his career. He is out indefinitely. It is a big blow to a defense that is already coping with the loss of LB Will Witherspoon and S Marlon McCree in free agency. OLB Na'il Diggs was slowed with a sprained knee in the preseason. The Panthers are suspect up the middle now, and looked terrible against the run in the Atlanta game. Last time I checked, Steve Smith doesn't play linebacker, so his injury is not the reason the defense struggled.

The San Francisco 49ers also lost starting left guard Larry Allen with a knee injury for 2 to 4 weeks. And if anyone noticed, the New York Giants, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Carolina Panthers, and Washington Redskins all lost at home in Week One. Those were all playoff teams in 2005. The Bears and Seahawks both won on the road. Tampa Bay and Kansas City won't be such tough road games if they play like they did in Week One against the Seahawks later in the year.

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A Look at Wide Receivers in the 2002 Draft

In thinking about whether or not the Seahawks were wise to trade a draft pick for a wide receiver, it is interesting to look at the receivers taken in the 2002 NFL Draft. If a team hits on a receiver in the draft and he performs at a high level, then they usually get stuck with a bad contract situation.

2002 NFL Draft WRs
13th Donte' Stallworth
19th Ashley Lelie
20th Javon Walker
33rd Jabar Gaffney
36th Josh Reed
46th Tim Carter
47th Andre' Davis
48th Reche Caldwell
62nd Antwaan Randle El
63rd Antonio Bryant
65th Deion Branch

After 3 seasons only 2 of the first 11 receivers are still on the teams that drafted them. Josh Reed has underacheived in Buffalo and Tim Carter had to fight for the #3 job this year in New York. 5 of them had at least mild contract or playing time controversies. Walker and Branch are the only two that played especially well and both basically forced trades. Why even draft a wide receiver these days? (maybe we should be asking Matt Millen)

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Packers Sign Koren Robinson

The Green Bay Packers agreed to a deal with Koren Robinson. The deal reportedly included a signing bonus of 15 bottles of Cristal and an on-call designated driver.

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Week One Observations - Seahawks

The offensive line looked terrible. That was a theme across the NFL in Week One and many of the guys upfront appeared unprepared for the speed of the defense. Shaun Rogers is a very good player, and he clearly overmatched Floyd "Pork Chop" Womack. Fortunately, the Seahawks get the Cardinals at Qwest next week and the line should be able to get on track. Womack will get his next big test against La'Roi Glover when the Seahawks play St. Louis in Week 6 and against Kevin Williams when the Seahawks play Minnesota in Week 7.

Shaun Alexander did not play well. The offensive line is going to get all of the blame, but he did not run like he did last year. Alexander was still in preseason form. Alexander did not run with any authority, didn't break a single tackle, and did not make anyone miss either, but he did manage to fumble twice. Overall, his performance lacked effort. It's not time to panic that he is just jogging after getting a big contract, but it is something to watch. He should bounce back next week and have a big game against Arizona. Frank Gore scored two touchdowns and averaged 5.3 yards per carry against the Cardinals last week. If Alexander doesn't put up great numbers, then it is time to worry.

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Seahawks Deal for Branch

The Seahawks traded their 2007 first-round pick to the Patriots for Deion Branch. This looks like a great deal for the Seahawks. Wide receivers in the draft are very hit or miss. The Seahawks need another pass-catcher, especially with Jerramy Stevens sidelined. Matt Hasselbeck should have fun picking apart secondaries with the deepest group of receivers in the NFL.

DL Chris Cooper, SS Oliver Celestin, or RB Josh Scobey will need to be let go. Scobey should be safe after his excellent play in kick coverage against the Lions. Willie Ponder looks like he is going to be among the league leaders in kickoff returns again, and Jimmy Williams looked good returning punts.

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31 Weeks Later...

The Seahawks return to the scene of the crime (Ford Field) in Detroit, 31 weeks since the controversial Super Bowl loss. Sure, there was the draft, minicamps, training camp, preseason games, and plenty of speculation, but this is what the players and fans have been waiting for the last 7 months. The Seahawks will finally take the field in a meaningful game, and have a chance to get rid of the bad taste of the Super Bowl loss.

The game has some interesting story lines besides just being in Detroit. Former Seahawk (1997-2000) Jon Kitna will start at quarterback for Detroit. His knowledge of the Seahawks offense could potentially help out the Lions defense. Mike Martz also spent 4 years as the head coach of the NFC West rival St. Louis Rams, so he has plenty of experience preparing for the Seahawks. Martz coached the Rams to a 31-37 loss last year in his final game as the Rams head coach before sitting out the rest of the season with heart trouble. Martz and the Rams were 3-0 against Seattle in 2004, and his overall record against the Seahawks is 6-3. This is really a double-edged sword because the Seahawks will be prepared for Mike Martz' offense and know what to do to bother Kitna.

When the Lions have the ball, Kevin Jones and Roy Williams will be the key players. Kevin Jones could have a surprisingly big game if Rod Marinelli influences Martz to run the ball. Leroy Hill probably will not play, so Jones could eat up a lot of yardage. He is completely healthy and has a healthy Cory Schlesinger blocking for him. The biggest problem for the Lions offense is the right side of their offensive line, so the absence of Hill should not be felt that much. If Marcus Trufant can shut down Roy Williams (who has a slight groin injury), then Kitna could look for Corey Bradford to beat Kelly Herndon deep.

When the Seahawks have the ball, we should see a lot of Shaun Alexander. Shaun Rogers is a very good player and will line up opposite Floyd "Pork Chop" Womack. Alexander could have trouble running left, especially if rookie LB Ernie Sims does a good job on the weakside. If Alexander can get past Rogers and Sims makes a mistake, we could see some very big plays from the reigning NFL MVP. At the other tackle position, Shaun Cody is a banged up, so Alexander will probably have more room to run to the right.

The Lions are also starting Terrence Holt at free safety, instead of rookie Daniel Bullocks. Holt is nothing special, but it looks like the rookie is not ready. That should be good news for Matt Hasselbeck, especially against a weak pass rush. Darrell Jackson appears to be ready to go, but CB Dre' Bly should be able to shut him down.

That probably means a huge game for Nate Burleson going against CB Fernando Bryant. Last time Burleson went up against Bryant, he had 5 catches for 52 yards and a touchdown. In six career games against the Lions, Burleson has 18 catches for 279 yards and 4 touchdowns. However, the majority of that production came in his last 3 healthy starts against over the past 2 years when he amassed 12 catches for 202 yards and 4 touchdowns. Look for Hasselbeck to hook up with Burleson for at least one touchdown, but he will also force him the ball and might throw a bad interception.

Prediction:
Seahawks 27, Lions 17

Detroit Lions Preview

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Ponder This...

The Seahawks signed KR Willie Ponder this week after he was cut by the New York Giants. Willie Ponder has been the second best kickoff return man over the past two seasons with an average of 26.4 yards per return. He also scored a touchdown in each of those two seasons. The Seahawks averaged 21.3 yards per return with 0 touchdowns over that span. Ponder is only 26 years old and could give the Seahawks an elite return man for years to come.

His addition led to Maurice Mann getting cut, but long-term it is probably worse news for Josh Scobey. Scobey is also a return specialist, but he is not as good as Ponder. Maurice Mann was added to the practice squad after clearing waivers and will be added back to the 53-man roster unless the team finds another receiver. They are taking a look at Darius Watts, but Watts is an underachiever with a propensity to drop the ball. Didn't the team already cut Peter Warrick?

Scobey is still around for now for two reasons. Although Eddie Drummond had an off year last season, he is still one of the best kickoff return men in the league. Scobey's role as a gunner this week will be important. The team also needs to get a better look at Ponder before cutting their only other reliable option on kickoff returns.

The Seahawks seem content to take only four legitimate wide receivers to Detroit to go along with two tight ends. Something could still happen on the Deion Branch front, but not until after he has his hearings. Depending on what Seattle is offering, New England might just want to deal him and avoid the headaches and distraction. Right now, the Seahawks have 10 defensive lineman and 6 healthy pass-catchers. Something needs to change there, and it would not be surprising to see someone wind up on IR.

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Shaun Says Hawks are Ready

MSN Video - FSN Northwest Sports Report

Shaun says so (Video)
"Shaun Alexander ensures that his Seahawks are ready for the regular season to kick off. Hear from the reigning NFL MVP on Seattle's mindset."

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Olive Branch

The Seahawks and Jets look like smart players in the Deion Branch melodrama. Deion Branch has tentative deals with New York and Seattle. Deion Branch is almost certainly not going to land in Seattle, but Tim Ruskell is making a good play here.

I don't think New England is going to trade Branch, but with two teams coming to terms with him, it forces their hand to either re-sign him or deal with him sitting through the first 10 weeks of the season. If he is going to be an unrestricted free agent next year, the Seahawks already have a leg up on everyone else in terms of a starting point for negotiations and some good will with Branch. Is it too much to say they are extending an olive Branch?

When considering what this trade means about the Seahawks receivers right now, remember that Seattle didn't even make an offer to the Patriots. That renders any contract agreement meaningless. This was just a smart move by Ruskell to take advantage of this situation and position the Seahawks for next year if Branch becomes a free agent. This business with Branch doesn't necessarily reflect negatively on the Seahawks current receiving situation, including Darrell Jackson and his knee.

The Jets are doing exactly what I thought the Dolphins would do. A week ago today I suggested the following:
"Just a thought here, but Miami should offer a first-rounder for Branch. There is no way New England would take that deal and send him to a division rival. The Patriots are allowing Branch to shop for a deal in hopes that he realizes that his market value is less than he thinks it is. If Miami offers a first-rounder, then Branch won't back down from his demands and Miami can almost guarantee either a holdout or that New England gets backed into a situation where they have to deal him to someone else to avoid one."

The Jets came to terms with Branch for a 6-year, $36 million contract, although it apparently has a "funky structure." To make things more complicated, Deion Branch and his agent Jason Chayut have filed a grievance against the Patriots. "Chayut is alleging that there was a verbal agreement between he and the Patriots that New England would deal Branch if presented with a 'fair and reasonable' offer. Chayut alleges that the Jets presented New England with that offer but that the Patriots didn't act on it."

Branch is not going to win any hearing, but it is looking more and more like he will not be playing a down for New England, at least not in the first 10 weeks. He would lose out on most of his $1.045 million salary and be hit with considerable fines to the point where it would actually cost him to stay in New England if he doesn't play. The fines through Week 10 would be about $1.5 million, and he would only make about $400,000 this season for the final six weeks, so he is looking at paying the Patriots about $1.1 million.

However, he knows he can land a contract for $30+ million as an unrestricted free agent next year, so it might make sense to avoid an injury. The Patriots were playing with fire when they let Branch talk to other teams and now they are paying for it. The idea was that Branch would realize his asking price was too high, but it looks like the Patriots were wrong about that.

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Final Cut at Final Cuts

Offense (27)
QB (3) - Matt Hasselbeck, Seneca Wallace, David Greene
RB/FB (6) - Shaun Alexander, Maurice Morris, Mack Strong, Leonard Weaver, Josh Scobey, David Kirtman
WR (6) - Darrell Jackson, Nate Burleson, Bobby Engram, Peter Warrick, DJ Hackett, Maurice Mann
TE (3) - Jerramy Stevens, Itula Mili, Will Heller
OT/OG (7) Walter Jones, Sean Locklear, Floyd Womack, Chris Gray, Tom Ashworth, Ray Willis, Rob Sims
C (2) - Robbie Tobeck, Chris Spencer

Defense (23)
DE (4) - Grant Wistrom, Bryce Fisher, Darryl Tapp, Joe Tafoya
DT (5) Rocky Bernard, Chuck Darby, Marcus Tubbs, Russell Davis, Craig Terrill
OLB (5) - Julian Peterson, Leroy Hill, D.D. Lewis, Kevin Bentley, Isaiah Kacyvenski
MLB (2) - Lofa Tatupu, Niko Koutouvides
SS/FS (3) - Ken Hamlin, Michael Boulware, Jordan Babineaux
CB (4) - Marcus Trufant, Kelly Herndon, Kelly Jennings, Jimmy Williams

Special Teams (3)
K - Josh Brown
P - Ryan Plackemeier
LS - J.P. Darche

I would love to see DE/DT Chris Cooper on this list instead of DE Joe Tafoya, but he never got a chance at DE, and their just isn't room for 6 DTs. The team seems committed to giving the final DL spot to Joe Tafoya.

WR Peter Warrick could be left off, and Mike Holmgren might want that, but I am not sure Tim Ruskell feels the same way. Warrick would almost certainly land on his feet with someone else and has the potential to make the Seahawks look bad for letting him go.

RB David Kirtman did not earn a roster spot, but he might make the team because of the injuries to TE Stevens, TE Mili, and FB Weaver. A fullback with great hands that can contribute on special teams is very appealing. Kirtman's fate is tied to the seriousness of the injuries to Mili and Weaver. If neither look ready to go in Week One, then he probably has a spot and it might be at the expense of the expense of LB Isaiah Kacyvenski, LB Niko Koutouvides, or S Oliver Celestin.

S Oliver Celestin could probably be released to make room for Kirtman without being picked up by someone else. When Weaver and Mili return from injury, then Kirtman could be release and the Seahawks could bring Celestin up from the practice squad. If someone else were to take him, then Etric Pruitt could fill that role.

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