Week 1 Picks

by: Michael Steffes

Well folks, it is finally here. The start of the 2008 NFL Season. The first game kickoffs tonight in NYC at 4 pm pacific. Of course, what would be a NFL season with out picking the games.

On the blog this year, through out the season, Chris, Gonzo, and I will be picking all of the games and keeping track of the records so that you can humiliate us in the comments for our idiocy. We decided in the interest of not looking like total fools, we are not using the spread. Just straight picks.

Here are the current standings......

Steffes- 0-0
Sullivan- 0-0
Parker- 0-0

Ah....500 is so nice! To see this weeks picks.....

	GAME	Steffes	Sullivan	Gonzo
2	Washington @ New York Giants	NYG	NYG	Washington
3	Detroit @ Atlanta	Atlanta	Detroit	Detroit
4	New York Jets @ Miami	NYJ	Miami	NYJ
5	Tampa Bay @ New Orleans	Tampa Bay	Tampa Bay	New Orleans
6	Kansas City @ New England	New England	New England	New England
7	St. Louis@ Philadelphia	Philly	Philly	Philly
8	Houston @ Pittsburgh	Houston	Pittsburgh	Houston
9	Jacksonville @ Tennessee	Jacksonville	Jacksonville	Jax
10	Cincinnatti @ Baltimore	Baltimore	Cincinatti	Baltimore
11	Carolina @ San Diego	San Diego	San Diego	San Diego
12	Arizona @ San Francisco	Arizona	Arizona	Arizona
13	Dallas @ Cleveland	Dallas	Cleveland	Cleveland
14	Chicago @ Indianapolis	Indy	Indy	Indy
15	Minnesota @ Green Bay	Green Bay	Minnesota	Green Bay
16	Denver @ Oakland	Oakland	Denver	Denver
17	Seattle @ Buffalo	Seattle--20-17	Seattle -- 27 - 13	Seattle 24-14

As you can see there are a lot of games we agree on, but many we don't. I tended to take some of the home teams. Oakland, Atlanta, and Green Bay for example. My biggest surprise is Houston going on the road to beat Pittsburgh, but I am not alone, with Gonzo tagging along. Chris is the only one who thinks Tavaris Jackson is ready for prime time.

With the Hawks, as total homers, we all predict Hawk victories of varying dominance. Listen to this weeks podcast to hear why we each think the game will shake out that way. It should be up tomorrow. Until then....watch some regular season NFL football people. It is finally here. Read More!

Cowheard Picks Hawks

by: Michael Steffes

Colin Cowheard labeled the Seahawks the NFC Darkhorse this morning and picked them to advance to the NFC Championship game, giving them and Dallas an equal shot at representing the NFC in the Superbowl. Here, paraphrasing, was his reasoning...

• Its Mike Holmgren's last year. Despite what people are saying, teams usually play extremely well for coaches in their last year as long as that coach is respected and like. Mike Holmgren is both.
  

• Matt Hasselbeck is one of the elite QBs in the league. Having an elite QB takes you a long way

• The Seahawks have an easy schedule. (I am assuming he means division, because this isn't cream puff schedule, at least not on paper)

• People who say they lost Shaun Alexander are idiots. Alexander was terrible the last few years and was sucking the life out of the team. Julius Jones doesn't have to be great to be better.

• Essentially, outside of Dallas, every other team in the NFC is pretty mediocre. Not enough proven QBs in the NFC. ~END~
  

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Quarterbacks in Trouble? Oh Yeah

by: Michael Steffes

There was a lot of chatter in the comments today about the effectiveness of the Seattle defense due to the high number of versatile players that command attention. In fact, it is possible that the Seahawks could have as many as five players who excel at getting to the quarterback on the field in their nickle defense; Tapp, Jackson, Kerney, Hill, and Peterson. That discounts the defensive tackle, and the Hawks have a few who can get home at that position as well.

In fact, I think it is fair to say that the Seahawks are the current defense that probably most resembles what the Giants did so well last year. This offseason, because of the Giants success, teams have tried to find elite pass rushers. Luckily for the Hawks, they already had a few.

This article from the Minneapolis Star Tribune talks about teams copycatting the G-Men. Of course they consider the Vikings getting Jarrod Allen part of this. However, they also talk about Tim Ruskell's to draft Lo Jack. He says it has been a something that teams have been doing for years....

"I think everybody would love to be able to do that," Ruskell said. "It's just hard getting that many good players, especially pass rushers, on the same team. Dallas has been trying to do it for years. Indianapolis has been doing it for a long time. I just think it got publicized because of what the Giants were able to do in the Super Bowl."

Anyway, I thought this was a good find and relevant to what people were talking about today. Hope you enjoy the article....and watching Trent Edwards go down early and often come Sunday. ~END~ Read More!

'twas the night before football and all through the house...

by: Chris Sullivan

...an ex-Lion was stealing an ex-Bengal's blouse... Yep, Rudi Johnson is accusing Tatum Bell of stealing his luggage when Bell was cut to bring Johnson into the 53-man roster. Apparently, Johnson is saying that the team's surveillance tape confirms that Bell stole the luggage, and it was later returned -- empty -- to the practice facility by an unnamed woman.

This is the perfect explanation of why I am so grateful to have Tim Ruskell and people like him at the helm in Seattle.

We have had virtually no locker room drama distracting us in the last two seasons, and its largely because we are drafting and signing free agents who are leaders and teammates before they are football players. I think we have let a number of very good players leave in free agency (or via trades), but with the drafting prowess of Ruskell and his team, we have seen little negative impact from that. Ken Hamlin and Ken Lucas were stars on this team and they have been strong players elsewhere, and good for them, but it does appear that the Hawks have recovered gracefully and are better off without them. Darrell Jackson was not missed at all last year, and I don't think he will be this year.

I don't intend this to be a HURRAY RUSKELL!!! post, not at all, but it is a post about why I love the Seahawks above all other teams in the league. It's not just about the fact that they are Seattle's team, but they are a team I am proud to be a fan of. I look at the ineptitude of the Mariners the last few years, the endless fail of the Chicago teams I followed (but did not root for) my years there, and the catastrophe that has been Sonics ownership over the last three-ten years... I am constantly impressed with Ruskell and the culture he has cultivated in Seattle.

Tomorrow, the football season starts, and with it a lot of excitement, some crushing disappointment, a lot of wins and a few losses, and second-guessing from every fan on every game.

GO SEAHAWKS!!!!

end post! end offseason!!!! Read More!

Questions About Deion Branch

by: Michael Steffes

The beat writers all got their first chance to talk to Deion Branch today, and the reports from all of them agree he was kind of non-committal as to when he is coming back. The opinion formed by most was, not soon.

First off, he is NO LONGER eligible to be put on the PUP list. That needed to happen last Saturday when the roster was trimmed. The only option is IR, which would end his season.

But rather than go off hunches formed by the writers, I suggest Seahawk fans simply study the perfect guinea pig, Mike Mckenzie. Mckenzie, a cornerback for the Saints, suffered the exact same injury in week 16 of the regular season. That would be three Sundays before Mr. Branch. He saw action in the Saints final two preseason games, and is expected to start against the Bucs on Sunday.

I understand that every injury is unique, and people heal differently, but this is a pretty good barometer as to what we can expect from Deion. After all, a corner and a wide receiver do very similar things. So, if you are thinking that the team may have made a mistake not sitting Deion for the first 6 games, you might be right. Of course, if Mike Mckenzie can stay with Joey Galloway on Sunday, well then week 3 or 5 seems pretty darn reasonable. ~END~ Read More!

First Injury Report

by: Michael Steffes

I am not going to list it here. It can be found on any number of sites. (ok. I lied, here is a link) I just wanted to share my excitement over the fact that an injury report means that NFL Football will be played on Sunday (and tomorrow) and I think all I can say is....

Bow-chick-a-bow-wow! Bring it! ~END~ Read More!

Morris, Jackson, Carlson and Willis to start Sunday

by: Michael Steffes

Mike Holmgren just concluded his weekly presser. He said that Mo Mo will be the starting running back. Lo Jack will start at right defensive end. And that it appears Sean Locklear will miss the game, leaving Ray Willis at right tackle. John Carlson has been named the starting tight end. However, with all these players, except Willis, they are only the first of many who will play.

Holmgren also re-assured that Lofa will be ready to go. He didn't sound too concerned. He said that Lofa will be practicing today, with another unexpected (kinda) surprise, Deion Branch. Branch is expected to participate in his first practice since tearing his ACL last January.

The team is heading to practice now. ~END~ Read More!

"Mystery Group" Ready for Action

by: Mike Parker

I won't spend too much time regurgitating news, but this story - written by Jose Romero at the Seattle Times - is exactly the kind of read you want going into the first game of the season with a young and unproven group of receivers.

"We love this. We love being the unknowns," Taylor said. "You get your opportunity to go out and prove what you can do. Most defenses don't know about you. Most defensive coordinators don't know much about you. But you get an opportunity to make big plays and shine when you're in the spotlight."

Taylor, Kent and Payne are calling themselves "The Mystery Group," and rightfully so. Admittedly, however, typing those three names and not including the word "Obomanu" felt a little strange, but it's something we're all going to have to get used to. And you know what? That's okay. Obviously, we could have used Obo-wan's regular-season experience going into this season, but Matt has shown over the years that he develops chemistry with receivers quickly - so long as they prove themselves to be reliable targets.

But remember also - the run is actually an option this year. And the team has enough depth to keep mixing things up to confuse defenses, especially considering nobody has any film on what Holmgren might have up his sleeve this year. All bets are off, folks.

I have a feeling, though, that with Nate and Matt's help, Kent, Taylor and Payne (hereinafter "KTP") are going to get their chance to shine, seize every chance they're given. -END- Read More!

Things are "Heating" Up

by: Michael Steffes

With the first week approaching quickly, and the team back on the field today around 1:30, the anticipation is building. One man, is just happy to be a part of it. Tim Ruskell singled him out as the big surprise of training camp. He also might have the sweetest nickname on the planet. Gregg Bell has a great piece introducing you to "the Heater". Check it out. Its a good read. ~END~ Read More!

Sando Predicts the Hawks' Record

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 Seahawks strike me as a 10- or 11-win team this season, but their schedule gives them a shot at an even better record.

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.

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- Read More!