The key is Matt Hasselbeck getting the ball to the open receiver. He is better than he played last week and should be able to get right at Qwest in front of the home crowd. If the Saints keep 8 in the box, then Hasselbeck should have easy pickings; he just needs to execute. The Saints really have a choice between shutting down the pass or the run. I assume they will go the route of the rest of the opponents so far and commit the safeties to stopping Shaun Alexander.
The Seahawks can counter some of that by using draws. A draw is basically the opposite of a play-action pass, and it can divert some of the pressure from the secondary away from the run game. Mack Strong is retired, but he will give the team and crowd a big emotional lift before the kickoff. And it may seem crass to say this, but Leonard Weaver is a better run blocker than Strong has been this year. Old Mack just wasn't the same in that department this season. The concern for Weaver is pass protection.
The Saints offense has been terrible this year, after being so good last season. They are still capable of getting it together, but Deuce McAllister would have been the player to scare the Seahawks. The quick defense should be well-suited to deal with Reggie Bush. Marcus Trufant needs to show he can cover his man without help sometimes. The safeties can't let Bush break the long one if he gets to the second level, so Trufant can't have help all game. The Truf is that Trufant hasn't been very good lately.
The front four needs to get more consistent pressure, but John Marshall needs to learn that you blitz on third-and-long to force a quick, short pass that doesn't go 17 yards for a first down. Doesn't he know that? Has he ever watched a football game before? I'm just saying. Blitz on third-and-long. Don't blitz on third-and-two.
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