by: Mike Parker
Mike Sando has laid out his predictions for each NFC West team's record this season, and he likes the Seahawks to win 10 or 11.
The biggest surprise of this list is Sando's prediction that the 49ers "surprise the Seahawks" at San Francisco in Week 8, which I just flat-out can't see happening. It's no secret that Mike Martz loves the pass, and he'll likely be operating a pass-heavy offense with green QB JT O'Sullivan under center. John Marshall also knows this, so he'll probably run schemes that force O'Sullivan into hasty decisions that expose his weaknesses (inexperience, weak receiving corps.) I also don't see Isaac Bruce outrunning Marcus Trufant, let alone scoring 8 touchdowns as he so eloquently claimed last week.
The Seahawks strike me as a 10- or 11-win team this season, but their schedule gives them a shot at an even better record.
I can't see a lot of problems on the other side of the ball in that game, either, but the Seahawks offensive line has a lot to prove, what with it not even being Week One yet. (But getting awfully close.)
As for the rest of Sando's predictions, I'd say they're fairly accurate, but he has the team losing in Dallas on Thanksgiving. Though that isn't quite the popular opinion around this blog, I can see that game going either way, as much as I hate to admit it. It all depends of course on whether or not Jessica Simpson shows up to the stadium, thereby sealing a Seahawks' victory automatically.
The only home game Sando predicts the Hawks lose is Week 14 against the Brady Bunch. I'm not going to go so far as to agree with him on that, but I seriously think that's going to be the game of the year in the 2008 NFL season. The words "epic battle" do come to mind first. -END-
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