WEEK 1 SEAHAWKS GAME IN REVIEW

Note To The 49ers: AND STAY DOWN!!!

I hate to toot my own horn, but BEEP MOTHER F***ING BEEP! It killed me the week leading up to this game having to listen to how great San Fransisco was going to be this year, how Alex Smith is more confident than ever, how amazing Patrick Willis is, and Crabtree and Vernon Davis, and Frank Gore..and..and...and. Little was said about Seattle, granted little was known about Seattle, but that worked to their advantage on Sunday, as the Seahawks dominated the 49ers in a 31-6 route!

The start of the game had pits in the stomachs of all Seattle fans. For the second season in a row Matt Hasselbeck has thrown and interception on the first possession of the game, giving SF the ball deep in Seattle territory. That's where the Niner highlights end.

Seattle Defense was the star of the game in my opinion. They were fast, disruptive, spirited, and tenacious. The only allowed San Fransisco into the redzone 3 times during the game. They held SF to 2 field goals, and only 1of 15 on third down conversions. I bet Carroll was happy he resigned Jordan Babineaux after cutting him earlier the previous week, as he had an interception in the game. Marcus Trufant also had an interception which he ran back for a touch down.

In the spirit of tooting my own horn however, I would like to point out the defenses ability to keep Frank Gore in check. I said if they could stop Gore they could beat the Niners, and that's just what they did. Actually they shut him down, allowing Gore only 38 yards on 17 carries. Furthermore, it was blatant that Alex Smith is not the leader Mike Singletary is pushing him to be, he didn't make the throws he needed to , and it was clear on the 4th n 6 pass to the  wide open FB where Smith threw the ball behind the player resulting in a turn over on downs.

What was up with that BTW? San Fransisco went for it so many times on 4th down I thought I was watching a Madden game. It showed no respect for our defense and even less confidence in their defense. I don't mind going for it on 4th down, sometimes, but I can't stand coaches who do that shit all the time. That's NOT how the game is played, and clearly its NOT how the game is won!

Now to the offense. It took a while to get rolling, which seems to be the case for the Seahawks in the past. Seattle only had possession of the ball for 4 of the first 23 minutes of the game, for only 11 yards total offense. That all changed half way thru the 2nd quarter however, when Matt began to exploit to aggressive nature of the 49ers defense. Matt pump faked his way to going 18-23 for 170 yards and 2TD passing and 1TD running.

I held my breath on the 1yard TD run by Matt to give Seattle their first score and put them up 7-6, as flashbacks of last years game in San Fransisco flooded my mind. That was the play where Matt attempted to run a ball in, and was cracked in the ribs, an injury he never fully recovered from all season. Things were different this time however, and the momentum spoke to it.

Hasselbecks 2 TD were to Butler and Branch, and he spread the ball around hitting Williams and Obamanu as well. The offense didn't have an impressive drive necessarily, but they took advantage of the opportunities given to them, and scored quickly. The running game faltered, but wasn't disastrous. The play calling was directed toward what SF was giving up and it just so happened SF defense was geared to stopped the run game. I look for that aspect to improve with the return of  Okung at left tackle as well.

Finally, I just want to take a minute to acknowledge Pete Carroll and the 12th man. The atmosphere fed the players, fed the coaching staff and they players and coaching staff fed the fans. It was a dynamic and invigorated game fueled by the 12th man. When things looked bad early the crowd roared louder and louder, it was the enthusiasm of the 12th man that let me know we were going to win this game early. Whoever said Seattle isn't a football town can eat shit and die as far as I'm concerned, it should go good with the crow the local and national media is eating this Monday as well, as NO ONE picked Seattle to win this game, no one but THE SPORTS MRS.

Quote of the Day : "You win four preseason games and you start to feel pretty good about yourself," he said. "And you maybe you begin to read the press clippings a little bit and you begin to think about we got the division won. Obviously, we don't."          - Mike Singletary, Head Coach San Fransisco 49ers

GO HAWKS!!!!

Seattle Seahawks vs. San Fransisco 49ers Preview and Prediction

Week 1 Seahawks Vs. 49ers

VS.

I feel like I can already see this entire game in my mind. I don't know it its the anticipation for the last 8 months, or  having seen these two teams play twice a year every year, or my Piscean sixth sense. Either way I don't foresee any big shocking discoveries, conclusions, or changes coming out of the first game of the season.

THINGS WE KNOW:

About San Fransisco: If Frank Gore is successful, the 49ers will be successful. Take last year for example; in the first meeting between the two teams Gore ran for 207 yards and San Fransisco won the game. In the next meeting in December Gore was held to only 25 yards on 9 carries in a loss for the Niners. Gore is one of only 3 players to rush for 1,000 yard the last 4 seasons. We also know that Alex Smith is not the QB they want him to be. While his numbers aren't horrible, he struggle to convert on third downs, and despite having talented receivers hasn't developed a rapport, as of yet, with any of them. Mike Singletary's attempts to make Smith a leader on the team by naming him a team Captain this year is almost pathetic. This guy simply isn't a leader, and no one believes in him.  Lastly we know Linebacker Patrick Willis is a beast. He is the heart of the defense, and if Seattle hasn't game planned specifically for him it could be a long game for Seattle and Matt Hasselbeck.

About Seattle: We know that of the guys on the 53 man roster 28 of them are new to the organization. Head Coach Pete Carroll and General Manager John Snider have certainly wasted little time in implementing their vision of the Seattle Seahawks of the future. We known Russell Okung is out for at least the first game with a high ankle sprain, and we know our offensive line new, having never played together before, they have quite the task ahead of them. We also know that Matt Hasselbeck is the better quarterback in the game, and that if he is comfortable and gets in rhythm our passing game can be dynamic. Matt tends to thrive in the hurry up offense, ill be interested to see when that is put into effect.

THINGS WE DON'T KNOW

About San Fransisco: How their offensive line will perform. San Fransisco is starting two rookie linemen in right tackle Anthony Davis, and left guard Mike Iupati. You can't expect solid play out of any rookie on their first game or even season in the NFL, but playing at Qwest Field, the loudest stadium in the NFL, will be the biggest challenge they face all year.  Not to mention their starting center is out with a broken left leg, and starting in his place is guard David Bass, whose only experience at center came in one game back in 2006. Bass has been bouncing snaps all week during practice and suffered a minor concussion recently. All this combined with the crown noise at Qwest can give Seattle the edge in this game, and that is what I'm banking on.

About Seattle: A lot. There are 28 new players, and the majority of them I know nothing about. So going into this game their are alot of unknowns. The most exciting unknowns for me are the young players, the rookies on offense and defense. Will Mike Williams and Golden Tate provide the deep threat Seattle has been missing in years past? The height alone of Williams is enough to excite me, having a big target to throw too gives Matt a whole other level to what being "open" means. We've seen in the past Hasselbeck struggle to find open receivers, and get frustrated, but Williams height adds the sky as now part of the field. It should be a fun dynamic this year. On the defensive side, Earl Thomas is another unknown but exciting question going into the game. How will the rookie perform and will he take advantage of the chanced given to him caused by the inexperience of the Niners offensive line, and their ability to give Smith enough time to throw.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
Both teams will have trouble on the Offensive line, but Seattle has more experienced players and the better QB, so I look for them to beat SF in the passing game. The run game is a different story. Can Seattle stop Frank Gore? and how effective will the tandem of Forsett, Washington and Jones be against SF defense which totes Willis at linebacker?

I am predicting a Seattle win with a final score of :
SEATTLE 27 SAN FRANSISCO 13

GO HAWKS!!!!!

FOR THE MRS: Top 10 Players To Watch!!

Ladies!!! Here is it, I took my top 10 ranked teams and found you the hottest player on each team. The guys are ranked by hottness in this post, not by where their teams ranked previously. ENJOY!

10. Donald Brown #31 Indianapolis Colts, RB

9. Ryan Mathews #24 San Diego Chargers, RB

8. Ed Dickson #83 Baltimore Ravens, TE

7.Tony Gonzales #88 Atlanta Falcons, TE

6. Asher Allen #21 Minnesota Vikings, CB

5.Barry Church #42 Dallas Cowboys, S

4. Dustin Keller #81 New York Jets, TE

3. Reggie Bush #25 New Orleans Saints, RB

2. Ryan Grant #25 Green Bay Packers, RB

1. Devin Thomas #11 Washington Redskins, WR

Follow Them on Twitter

@Rmathew24

@DUSTINKELLER81

@EdDickson80

@BarryChurch42

@Reggie_Bush

@RyanGrant25

@MrDevinThomas

FOOTBALL FOR THE MRS.; Learn The Game One Aspect at a Time

I know alot of woman, and a few men would love the football if they only knew what was going on during the game. So While these posts are entitled " Football For The Mrs." this is really just a way to help those of you who want to know the game better. Over the course of the season I will break down the entire game of football, from players positions, to how to game works, the penalties, and formations, schemes etc. We will take it slow and start at the very begining. Let's learn the positions on offense!

POSITIONS Offense

The linemen, the interior line must consist of atleast 5 players. The center ( who can be found where his name suggests) is the middle of the line, he is the player who lines up infront of the quarterback, and hikes the ball. Next to the center on both sides is a gaurd, often teams play the gaurds and centers close together to better protect the quearterback.  On the outside of each gaurd is an offensive tackle. These 5 players must be set (set meaning not moving and on the line of scrimmage) before the snap on every play. They are not eligible to catch passes, with the exception of tackles, and they cannot advance past the line of scrimmage unless they are in contact with a defender. Their main job is to protect the quarterback and open up lanes for the running game.

The tight end; also on the line, is a reciever, normally larger in size because they don't have to have the speed of a wide receiver. They will often line up outside a tackle, and are used to block as well as receive. their general area of the field is in  the middle about 5-15 yards from the line of scrimmage.

Wide receivers: called such people they are the players closest to the sidelines, their primary job is to catch passes from the quarterback. Depending on the play, there generally will be between 2-4 wide receivers on the field at a time. Wide receiver is a very general term however, as there are positions within the position. Split ends line up on the line of scrimmage which is required. The Flanker, lines up off (behind) the line of scrimmage, usually on the outside of the tightend. Then you have the slot receiver, who can be the tightend, who lines up between the split end/flanker and the tackle. Finally the slot back lines up in backfield and generally makes catches in the middle of the field.

The Quarterback; generally lines up directly behind the center, which is known as "under center" In this position he quarterback takes a direct snap from the center and either passes or hands off the ball. A quarterback can also line up in "shotgun formation" which is where he is a few feet behind the center and the ball is hiked the distance between him and the center rather than handed off. This formation is used when the offensive line is having trouble protecting the quarterback, as it eliminates the time it would take for the quarterback to drop back to pass. It is also used by certain quarterbacks who simply perfer the formation.

The Running back ; can be either a half back or full back, lines up in the backfield, behind the QB and fullback . The halfback or tailend will be the one rushing the ball most of the time. his main job is to reveive handoffs from the QB and run the ball. he also is used in the passing game for short passes, screen plays, and as a blocker in the passing game. The fullback lines up between the RB and the QB the running back,and is often larger than the half back.He isn't used for running the ball as often as he is for blocking and leading the running route for the halfback.

LEARN YOUR PLAYERS; Starting players on Seattle Seahawks offense

Center- Chris Spencer #65

Left Gaurd- Ben Hamilton #50

Right Gaurd- Max Unger #60

Left Tackle- Russell Okung #76

Right Tackle- Sean Locklear #75

Tight end- John Carlson #89

Wide receiver- Deion Branch #83

Wide reveiver- Golden Tate #81

Runningback- Justin Forsett #20, Leon Washington #33

Fullback- your guess is as good as mine as to who will get this job, as Owen Schmitt was released by the Seahawks 9/7/10.

Note: Other Wide receivers that will see much playing time are Mike Williams, Deon Butler, and Ben Obamanu. Its still not clear on how often Julius Jones will be used in the running game, or if he will remain with the team.