Deion Branch and Brandon Mebane Headline Seahawks Inactives

The Seattle Seahawks suffer a serious loss and an expected one. Brandon Mebane and Deion Branch are inactive for today's game against the San Francisco 49ers. Branch will continue to be inactive until he can practice regularly. He has said he is capable and desires to play, but Jim Mora does not want to play Branch and risk further injury. Seattle is stacked with weapons in the passing game and should not suffer another missed game by Branch, but one wonders when he will play.

The greater loss is definitely Mebane. Mebane is Seattle's best interior pass rusher, best interior run stuffer, the best lineman at forcing and splitting double teams and, if not already clear, the Seahawks best defensive lineman. He may be Seattle's single best defender. The team is lucky that it has excellent depth at defensive tackle. Red Bryant is active and will fill some of Mebane's snaps.

Seattle used a double over-tackle formation in the preseason with Bryant aligned beside Colin Cole. It doesn't create the kind of fast pressure a team expects from an under-tackle, but it commands the interior and allows Seattle's defensive ends and linebackers to be playmakers. It's an older system last regularly used by the turn of the millennium Miami Dolphins.

The remaining inactive players are: Travis Fisher, Leroy Hill, Chris Spencer, Walter Jones and Michael Bennett.