GAMEDAY!!!
Three to Focus on - Falcons @ Seahawks | ProFootballFocus.com
Two divisional winners both sitting at 1-2? It wasn’t meant to be like this. After adding both Ray Edwards and Julio Jones in the offseason, it appeared as if the Atlanta Falcons had found the missing pieces to their team, or at least people thought they’d added some pass rush and some explosive playmaking on offense. It’s not like you can argue with this, as Edwards has been one of the most productive pass rushers over the past three years, while Jones has broken the fifth highest amount of tackles of all wide receivers. With that being said, the Falcons’ defense unit has been unable to cover anything over the middle, and their offensive line has regressed from last season. The Seattle Seahawks have gotten their season back on track with a hard fought win against the Arizona Cardinals, and now they’ll be looking to build some momentum that could put them in position to control the wide open NFC West. We may be only four games into the season, but this game could have massive repercussion downs the line. Let’s take a look at some points that could decide it.
NFL Sunday: Five things to watch | National Football Post
Let’s talk Week 4 matchups here at the NFP. Five things I am looking at on the Sunday NFL schedule…
NFL.com news: Raiders promote S Parker to bolster secondary
The Oakland Raiders have promoted safety Ron Parker from the practice squad and waived wide receiver Nick Miller. The team made the moves Saturday to add depth in the secondary for Sunday's home game against New England.
The Final Match up Week 4: The Atlanta Falcons " The Matchups Zone
Home, sweet home..The Seahawks have a great opportunity here. Looking at the match ups I feel like the Falcons have so many areas vulnerable to attack, we may win despite our sluggish offensive performances up to now.I tend to disagree with the pundits who say that the Falcons have an identity crisis. I believe its more about their offensive line, lack of confidence in their run game, and what the falcons feel gives them the best shot to win. You will never convince me that a coach would refuse to use a well oiled running game, just because of the draft deal made for a rookie WR (Julio Jones). Not going to happen. I fully expect the Falcons to give their running game another shot in the beginning of Sundays game, and if they can find any success, that will be big trouble for the Seahawks. Thing is, at Century Link, against our top rated run defense, I’ll submit that Matty Ice will be in drop back mode as usual.
WR Golden Tate is learning on the job - Blog - MyNorthwest.com
Golden Tate's rookie season was, well, less than golden. WR Golden Tate scored his first career NFL touchdown in the season opener against the San Francisco 49ers. (AP) Drafted in the second round by the Seahawks in 2010, Tate was one of the more enticing draft picks on the market after a stellar college career at Notre Dame. But his success with the Fighting Irish didn't translate over to the professional ranks, as Tate struggled mightily during his first season in the NFL. "Last year in camp I came in and was making great plays," Tate said on Friday's Brock & Salk Show on 710 ESPN Seattle. "I was catching a lot of balls, but I kind of had no clue what I was doing. Once our DB's started watching film on me they knew how to stop me, so then I stopped making as many plays and I couldn't figure out why."
Falcons at Seahawks: 5 things to watch | Seattle Seahawks & NFL News - seattlepi.com
1. Pressure Matt Ryan Think the Seahawks are concerned about their offensive line? They are. But the Falcons have just as much reason to be worried about protecting their quarterback on Sunday. Atlanta hasn’t done much to keep Matt Ryan upright so far this season, allowing 13 sacks in three games. That’s alarming for a team that surrendered only 23 sacks all of last year. Add to that the fact that Seattle’s defensive front has been the strength of its team this season – the Seahawks sacked Cardinals quarterback Kevin Kolb three times and knocked him down several more – and this could be an area the Seahawks could exploit on Sunday.
Seahawks Blog | Keys to Game 4: Falcons at Seahawks | Seattle Times Newspaper
1. Pressure the passer. The Falcons allowed 23 sacks all of last season, third-fewest in the NFL. They've given up 13 in three games, third-most. Seattle had three sacks against Arizona, and defensive Chris Clemons is heating up, with two sacks in the last two games. Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan has been rattled by the pressure so the Seahawks must heat up Atlanta's pocket.
Expect Robinson’s return to Seahawks’ offense Sunday | Seattle Seahawks - The News Tribune
Out for two weeks with an ankle injury, Seattle Seahawks fullback Michael Robinson got to dissect his team’s offensive attack.And what did he find out? "What I did learn is, first and foremost, the 12th man gets us going," Robinson said. "But we’ve got to come out early, start fast. We can’t wait until the second quarter, third quarter to get going. We’ve got to be the ones who initiate it and set the tempo. And not rely on the other team to do that."
Seahawks.com Blog | Seahawks vs. Falcons "
Matchup microscope Seahawks pass defense vs. the Falcons’ big three – WRs Roddy White and Julio Jones and TE Tony Gonzalez: This isn’t just CB Marcus Trufant against White, who has averaged 93 receptions the past four seasons and already has 20 this season. It’s not just the big body and physical style of CB Brandon Browner against the big body and athletic ability of Jones, the rookie who is averaging 16.5 yards on 13 receptions. It’s not even the strong safety (Kam Chancellor or Atari Bigby) or a linebacker, or two, against Gonzalez, who has caught more passes (1,069) for more yards (12,463) and more touchdowns (88) than any tight end in the 92-year history of the NFL. It’s an all-11-players-needed task, and starts with the pass-rushers being able to generate disruptive pressure on QB Matt Ryan.
17 Power, A Seattle Seahawks Blog: The Red Bryant Illusion And Why I'm So Hard On Our Defense
It's an exciting time for the Seahawks defense. It's coming into its own. Young future cornerstones like Brandon Mebane, Earl Thomas, and Kam Chancellor are flying around and delivering huge, shuddering hits. Wily veterans like Marcus Trufant, Leroy Hill, Chris Clemons and Raheem Brock are enjoying a high-impact resurgence. And other hopefuls like Walter Thurmond and KJ Wright are lurking around hinting promise. The speed is there, the physicality is there, and we're finally starting to see some of the instincts and discipline we've been lacking. There's no denying the talent on tape.
What snap counts say about rookie WR - NFC West Blog - ESPN
The Seattle Seahawks aren't lying when they say Golden Tate has made strides this season. It's just that they like undrafted free agent Doug Baldwin quite a bit more. Coach Pete Carroll and staff haven't come out and said this, of course, but snap counts can tell us plenty. The chart, based on data provided by ESPN Stats & Information, shows snap counts by week for the Seahawks' skill players. A few thoughts on what the numbers say:
Saturday in review " Seahawks Draft Blog
Robert Griffin III and Baylor lost their first game of the season falling 36-35 to Kansas State. Griffin had the ball with three minutes to go but didn’t manage a first down, so no TCU-type heroics this weekend. With the Horned Frogs losing at home to SMU today, that big performance is a bit of a distant memory. Despite huge progress as a passer, Griffin is still a major project with terrible footwork and throwing mechanics – plus he has very little experience in anything like a cultured passing offense. I read one high profile pundit today suggesting Griffin could challenge for the top-ten, which is a ludicrous suggestion. He had five more touchdowns today and 343 yards but threw his first interception of the year. Great leader, better athlete – but a big time project and that limits his stock.
Danny O'Neil | Honesty has no business in sports | Seattle Times Newspaper
Honestly, we don't want honesty from professional athletes. We should just come right out and say that because it would save a lot of time and trouble, and make it clear that when an athlete is asked a question, he is better off sticking to a scripted answer than saying, you know, what he actually thinks. This reality was made clear by Aaron Curry last week first on Twitter and later in an interview with reporters. He addressed suggestions he might be traded without dismissing them, indicated he would be ecstatic to play for Carolina and at one point appeared to refer to the Seahawks as "they." On Friday, Curry informed one Twitter follower that he had in fact read that follower's series of Tweets very critical of coach Pete Carroll.
Seahawks working to sustain drives - The Globe and Mail
The Seahawks have only scored six points in the first half three games into the season, and just three touchdowns all year. But quarterback Tarvaris Jackson believes offensively his unit did some good things in the second half of his team’s 13-10 win over Arizona last week that they can build on heading into Sunday’s game against Atlanta. NFL PICKS Week 4 Specifically, Jackson believes Seattle’s offence developed some rhythm in the opening drive of the second half, a 14-play, 72-yard drive that resulted in Seattle’s only touchdown of the day. "That drive showed that when we don’t hurt ourselves and when we execute, we can be hard to stop and put points on the board," Jackson said. "I just want to look forward to this weekend and just try and put on a better show.
Seahawks | Seahawks will find out who they are against Falcons | Seattle Times Newspaper - Have you talked yourself into it yet? Do you think these Seahawks have more than a puncher's chance today against the Atlanta Falcons? The answer reveals a fundamental truth about your perspective on this Seahawks season. Either you see this season half full or you're reasonably certain Seattle's chances at defending its division title were D.O.A. and all that's left to decide is how high Seattle drafts to choose its next quarterback.
Top 5 Seahawks Blogs – The Winners!
Well, it is time to choose some winners for the Top 5 Seahawks Blogs. After weeks of intense research (OK, not too intense. Just crunched a few numbers), some voting by the fans (over 1000 voters and 1,500 votes cast for 14 different blogs), and my own thoughts I have narrowed down this list to the Top 5 Seahawks Blogs.
Sizing Up The Seahawks: All Defense, No Offense - The Falcoholic
Thus far, the Seattle Seahawks have played good defense and awful offense. Can't put it more simply than that. On paper, this is the best matchup the Atlanta Falcons have had all season. The Falcons are certainly not looking past the Seahawks, not with a 1-2 record and three shaky performances to kick off 2011. So they'll storm into Qwest Field, one of the loudest stadiums in all the land, and bring three weeks' worth of hard lessons with them. This is the most winnable game the Falcons play this month, and losing this putts them in a horrible position with rough tilts against the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions on the way. The Seahawks have weaknesses the Falcons can exploit, and we've got to hope they do just that.