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!!!!!