Who Are The Seahawks?

[stinkypete]

You stay classy, Seattle fans! Good analysis, thoughtful and not just blind homerism. Hope us Pats fans are giving you the same treatment.

Some comments/questions:

You compared Baldwin to Steve Smith. Is he that fast? I thought of him as more of a big posession type guy, but I haven't seen enough Seahawks games to get a firm grasp of his strengths.

For a (statistically) middling pass offense, Seattle is particularly efficient in the long passing game. What is the catylist for this? Are the WR particularly good at route running/soft handed? Has it been poor DB play (doubtful given the level of competition in the NFCW)? Does Wilson just turn into superman? Are there any players who possess some under the radar skill that could exploit the Patriots defense?

You mentioned Collins spying Wilson. Collins is probably the most athletically prepared man for the job, but I think Belichick has greater plans for him. In the Indy game, Ninkovich spied Luck. Nink's a solid do it all type player who makes big plays but also has a habit missing tackles (at least this year). Could be an interesting, boom or bust type matchup.

Seattle gavwe up a good deal of yards the past two weeks. I assume, given the athletic nature of your LBs, the Seattle's (relative) weak spot against the run is the middle of the defense?

 

[BlackSantasBicycle]

To add. You definitely spy Wilson some way, I think we realised in the second half that the Read Option not only gave our running game a great chance, but it's a way of creating some space in the passing game too. We have a habit of taking time to adjust though, the first quarter has been a write-off for our offense way too many times this season.

As to the injuries. You guys know as much as us at this stage. That said, Earl Thomas hit Eddie Lacy pretty good leading with his braced-arm against the Packers. It may hamper his tackling a bit, but it's not going to hurt his speed; which is what his game is built on.

I also don't expect Russ to specifically target anyone on your defense in the passing game, he'll throw to who he thinks is open/can make a play. If your coverage is good, he'll look to take off, if he can't do that, he'll throw it away (I believe he led the league in throwaways by some margin this season, what we'd give for a go-to target!)

pazrul, thanks for the kind words, you make some really valid points and this game should present us with our toughest task in terms of containment. I've seen a few Pats games this season and have been impressed with Vereen, I could definitely see him snagging a couple.

As said, Edelman and Amendola could cause us some issues over the middle, I'm not expecting much from our interior and lined up against Jeremy Lane they'll get some success. We're not a whole lot different fundamentally to the defense that gave up 138 yards to Welker a couple of seasons ago, though Brady had all day in that game and I think we only got one sack on him. Dan Quinn's definitely helped us in that respect (it was Bradley calling plays that day), however, as noted we're without a couple of guys, and recently picked up a guy off the street (I think he was working in a parking lot) and played him against the Packers.

In terms of it being a low scoring affair, I think I'll be taking the under on the points total (which I've seen as high as 48.5)

 

[BlackSantasBicycle]

You stay classy, Seattle fans! Good analysis, thoughtful and not just blind homerism. Hope us Pats fans are giving you the same treatment.

Some comments/questions:

You compared Baldwin to Steve Smith. Is he that fast? I thought of him as more of a big posession type guy, but I haven't seen enough Seahawks games to get a firm grasp of his strengths.

For a (statistically) middling pass offense, Seattle is particularly efficient in the long passing game. What is the catylist for this? Are the WR particularly good at route running/soft handed? Has it been poor DB play (doubtful given the level of competition in the NFCW)? Does Wilson just turn into superman? Are there any players who possess some under the radar skill that could exploit the Patriots defense?

You mentioned Collins spying Wilson. Collins is probably the most athletically prepared man for the job, but I think Belichick has greater plans for him. In the Indy game, Ninkovich spied Luck. Nink's a solid do it all type player who makes big plays but also has a habit missing tackles (at least this year). Could be an interesting, boom or bust type matchup.

Seattle gavwe up a good deal of yards the past two weeks. I assume, given the athletic nature of your LBs, the Seattle's (relative) weak spot against the run is the middle of the defense?

Baldwin's not a burner but he's sneaky fast, he's a crisp route runner and has broken a couple of ankles across the season. Plays angry with a huge chip on the shoulder and wears #89 too, it's a comparison us Hawk fans make a fair bit. He put up a similar season this year to Golden Tate last year, and look at what he's achieved in a pass-orientated offense? I have no doubt that Baldwin could put up some really good numbers on another team. He has fantastic hands too (that drop against the Packers was the first I could remember in a long time) plus he's known for his clutch plays, 3rd down sideline catches and all.

In terms of our deep game, it's seen a drop off this year for some reason, we've not utilized it as in the previous two years (certainly against you in 2012 it seemed like every other pass was deep). Still, we've had enough success and I think it mainly comes down to the success of our run game, a lot of our deep throws will be play-action passes with 1v1 coverage. It doesn't hurt that Wilson throws one of the most accurate and catchable balls in the league, hopefully you'll see that on Sunday! We're also well versed in scramble drills, where defenses assume the play is dead only for Russ to extend it and find a man down field.

Also, this year more than previous ones Russell has really shown his ability to diagnose plays pre-snap and identify the matchups he likes. It's been cool to see this development in him, we've had some big plays out of it in previous weeks.

As for spying Russ, I suggested Collins because I think he's the most capable. Russ has schooled some of the best athletes in the NFL in the past, I'm not sure Ninkovich is a matchup that will ultimately stop him.

 

[The Brandon Five]

In terms of our deep game, it's seen a drop off this year for some reason, we've not utilized it as in the previous two years (certainly against you in 2012 it seemed like every other pass was deep). Still, we've had enough success and I think it mainly comes down to the success of our run game, a lot of our deep throws will be play-action passes with 1v1 coverage. It doesn't hurt that Wilson throws one of the most accurate and catchable balls in the league, hopefully you'll see that on Sunday! We're also well versed in scramble drills, where defenses assume the play is dead only for Russ to extend it and find a man down field.

I think avoiding those broken/extended plays will be the key for our defense. Similar to what we did to Rogers, keep Wilson in the pocket and maintain coverage. I have seen a lot of big plays by the Hawks where Wilson extends the play with his legs and finds an open man because (as you say) the secondary abandons their assignment.

 

[edkk323]

Nice, nice ,really nice. Finally some football talks!!!!

TB is special cuz his throwing motions or his preference. He likes to throw to his receivers where defenders cannot get to ball, downward spiral or a "tomahawk". The receivers have to catch balls inches off the ground. That means less YAC and often less catch. The benefit is less interception. It is a reward/risk thing TB excels at. Plus, Pats are not very good at throwing 20-plus- yard down the field. TB consistently overthrow them all season. We might see even less of these long throw in SB.

Seahawk D can close fast. How good is your tackling? If Blunt can build some speed, he might be hard to take down. We might see lots of runs in the beginning, let our receivers block Sherman and Earl to get a good sense of their injuries.

I like our D. We might let Lynch run 140 yards but take away the big plays down the field or we commit to run stopping and make Wilson throw a lot. BB always tries to make the opponent one dimensional .

Somehow, Gronk vs KC worries me. Gronk might face the best defender he has ever faced this Sunday.

Hello from China. We will watch the game on Monday cuz the 13 hrs difference. 34-23 Pats.

 

[SVN]

Hi, Seahawks fan here in peace. Just wanted to give you a reasonably comprehensive breakdown of your XLIX opponents.


First of all what a great matchup! Always nice when the two best teams in football meet in the big game, and though the Ravens pushed you close a couple of weeks back and we had to overcome some pretty substantial adversity against the Packers, we both found a way to prevail, and both deserve our shot at this game.


The brunt of our struggles against the Packers came from our offense, obviously hindered by the four uncharacteristic interceptions thrown by Russell Wilson. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that Wilson wont ever throw four interceptions again in his career, and certainly not in the play-offs (I believe he had the highest post-season passer rating of any QB on a minimum of 150 attempts prior to Sunday and had only thrown one interception to Julio Jones on a hail mary at the end of the 2012 Atlanta game).


The thing is, whilst not quite to the same extent with which it occurred, many of our fans foresaw us struggling in the passing game, predominantly due to the fact we lost Paul Richardson to an ACL vs the Panthers. Our first (2nd round) pick in the 2014 draft, Richardson had a slow start in our Percy Harvin orientated offense at the beginning of the season, in fact our offense as a whole has been much better off since trading Harvin. However, whilst showing slow improvement across the season, Richardson really started to up his game down the stretch and had become our only receiver able to create separation with any consistency, on all kinds of routes. He was starting to look like the real deal though his numbers may not reflect it and he opened up space for our other guys (see Kearse’s catches vs Panthers), commanding respect of opposing defenses.


We put a lot of emphasis on a quicker passing game toward the end of the season and it had really started to click, with Wilson playing some of the best football in his career.


However, with Richardson down, and nobody to fill his role our passing offense is now as bad off as it’s been in the entire Wilson era. Baldwin, Kearse and Lockette make up our top three WRs, and yes, I’m whining to Patriots fans about WRs, because as much as I love them and they’ve provided us with some fantastic moments, it’s not the best group (Baldwin would put up decent numbers on a more pass orientated offense though, think Steve Smith at Baltimore).


I expect to see us struggle again in the passing game. Richardson’s the type of receiver who could have given Browner and Revis plenty to think about, but as it is we’ll probably see Revis on Baldwin and Browner swapping duties between Willson and Kearse (neither of whom should cause him too many issues).


So with that in mind, if we want to find offensive success in this game it will come from the running game. Despite all the media controversies and whatnot, come gameday there’s not a running back in the league I’d rather have on my team than Marshawn Lynch.


After a nice rest over three games that saw him only take 38 carries, Lynch ran the ball 25 times last Sunday and went off. I expect his health will be as good as it’s been all season (after experiencing some sickness and a prolonged back issue over the season). If you want to win this game, then shutting down Lynch is a must (duh).


Even if you do that with success, in Russell Wilson we have a top half RB in the league if we’re going by yardage. He’s not run the ball an awful lot over the past few games, he’s a passer first and since our passing game had been pretty good up til Sunday he’s not had to use his legs as much. However, I think we’ll see a change in that come the Super Bowl. After a dismal first half display on Sunday with very little read-option, we made it a focal point of our second half attack, evident in our last two regular time TD drives.


With your defense likely putting a lot of stock in defending the run, who can we expect to spy Russell Wilson, Collins? (I think that’d be great for us given it reduces his overall influence, and he’s the player I think stands the best chance of preventing Russ from having a big day)


I think we’ll get enough from our running game to give us a shot at winning, but I like (dislike) how your defense matches up to our offense right now, we’re not putting up another 43 points this year.


I also like how our defense matches up to your offense for the most part. We don’t give up big plays and Brady knows what can happen when you throw deep to Sherman or Thomas (both of whom will be good to go).


Gronk’s on a different level to any TE in the league, but with Kam Chancellor we are as well equipped as anyone you’ve faced to deal with him. I expect he’ll get his catches, but they will probably come against KJ Wright, who’s probably our weakest coverage guy. This is a huge game for KJ, a guy that not many people are talking about.


I’m guessing Stork will be back for you guys, and whilst we miss Brandon Mebane I see no reason why we should be too worried about Blount, we’ve been very good against the run this year, ranking 3rd in ypg. However, since our second year DT Jordan Hill went down (who had 5.5 sacks and an interception since week 12) we’ve really struggled to get to the QB, relying on Michael Bennett to provide the brunt of the pressure.


My biggest fear in this game is Brady having all day to throw, because as good as our secondary is, they still need pressure. We’ve only had three sacks against Cam Newton and a gimpy Aaron Rodgers so far in the play-offs. That has to change for us, and I expect to see us get more aggressive, with some stunts through the middle. Our All-Pro MLB Bobby Wagner has shown ability to get to the QB like this before and he’d be our best shot.


We’ve shown a weakness to the shorter underneath stuff, but our redzone defense is tough. Gostkowski could be busy on FG duty.


All in all it should be a great matchup, with lots of cool storylines to follow. I’ve seen some of you guys predicting big wins, though I’d be weary of that because other than two games (which we lost by 9 points) all our other losses in the Russell Wilson era have been by one score.


It looks like the Patriots will be favourites for this game and I have no issue with that, I agree. Still can’t pick against my team though. 27-26 Hawks.


Looking forward to getting all the other crap out of the way and watching some football come Sunday.

Not sure if the patriots are favored.

 

[SVN]

Russell wilson scares me the most of all of them

 

[Oswlek]

This is great stuff, but you left the most important question unanswered. What PSI do they prefer with their footballs?

 

[BlackSantasBicycle]

In reply to edkk, our tackling is solid for the most part, expect Bobby Wagner to put on a clinic. That said there have been a couple of games where we've been pretty horrible in the tackling department (Dallas at home and KC away), look to have put that behind us though.

Gronk's a different beast though, he'll take some gang tackling, not many solos going to be put on that guy.

Not sure if the patriots are favored.

I was going off Vegas, seen Pats favoured by 1.5 today.

This is great stuff, but you left the most important question unanswered. What PSI do they prefer with their footballs?

PSI doesn't bother us, we threw a TD with one of the kicking balls the other day!

 

[Mv1029]

Good insight on your Hawks! With regards to the PATS, I think the consensus is that they'll stuff the box to stop Lynch and leave our secondary out on an island, but I'm not so sure this will be the case. I think if the Seahawks get in the red-zone we'll definitely bring people up in the box, but I don't think Belichick wants to give up the big play, so he'll be ok with a bend don't break defense for 80 yards of the field and try to limit the Seahawks to field goals. Certainly we'll pick our spots, but I think for the most part we'll keep the safeties back and hope that our front seven can limit Lynch and Wilson on the run. We have a big interior defensive line and middle linebacker in Hightower so I think as long as we maintain the edge to keep Wilson in the pocket and tackle well we'll be in good shape. As for the offense, it's going to be interesting to see how the injuries to Sherman and Thomas impact the defense - I hope we test them early. I'm not sure we are going to be able to gain much in yardage on the run but we have to try to have balance to keep the Hawks honest so our attempts need to be there. I'm not banking on getting much out of Stork but I hope I'm wrong. I think Brady can move the ball with the short passing game but just how well is going to be dependent on how quickly our receivers can get off the line because we all know Seattle will press - this is why Sherman's health is critical. When it's all said and done, I think our defense matches up well against your offense and vice versu, but I give our offense a bit of an edge in the overall matchup - PATS win 27-20!

 

[PatsDeb]

FWIW Marxhawn Lynch has never done all that great against the Pats, either in the one contest vs. Seattle or in a bunch of contests while with Buffalo.

 

[BlackSantasBicycle]

FWIW Marxhawn Lynch has never done all that great against the Pats, either in the one contest vs. Seattle or in a bunch of contests while with Buffalo.

For the most part Lynch is a different animal to the one that was in Buffalo but the Pats did a great job of containing him last time we played.

What I will say is that our attack was a little different then. We only really got the read option going against Chicago that season, and it helped our rushing game on the whole.

For example Russ only ran for 128 total yards in the first eight games of that season (17 against you). However, since we got the R/O going against Chicago in week 13 he rushed for 389 yards over the seven games that closed out our season. A pretty significant increase.

And whilst you did limit him to his fewest yards in a game that season, Lynch's average also saw an increase from the Chicago game onward.

I don't want to come across as really defensive here, because you guys are bringing up some very relevant points, I'm just trying to play the role of devil's advocate I guess, and provide some explanation for why certain things may be/may have been.

I really hope this game is as good as it looks on paper, could be one for the ages.

 

[mosi]

For the most part Lynch is a different animal to the one that was in Buffalo but the Pats did a great job of containing him last time we played.

What I will say is that our attack was a little different then. We only really got the read option going against Chicago that season, and it helped our rushing game on the whole.

For example Russ only ran for 128 total yards in the first eight games of that season (17 against you). However, since we got the R/O going against Chicago in week 13 he rushed for 389 yards over the seven games that closed out our season. A pretty significant increase.

And whilst you did limit him to his fewest yards in a game that season, Lynch's average also saw an increase from the Chicago game onward.

I don't want to come across as really defensive here, because you guys are bringing up some very relevant points, I'm just trying to play the role of devil's advocate I guess, and provide some explanation for why certain things may be/may have been.

I really hope this game is as good as it looks on paper, could be one for the ages.

I have mentioned this in other thread but I think the Pats will be able to shut down Lynch, much in the same way as Denver did last year. The key is Wilson. Wilson played really well in the SB last year. He proved he can win it if your put the game on his shoulders. And he was throwing to Baldwin, Kearse, Locket and Wilson as well.

The Pats can't think that if they stop lynch, they will win the game. Wilson is a gamer and say what you want about Baldwin and Kearse, they are gamers and play hard and though.

With that said, I think the Pats will play smarter than Denver and will keep this game close. I also think they have the secondary to do a better job with those receivers and will try to limit the big plays.

Part of me thinks that if the Pats are going to win, they will win going away - say 30-10. In that scenario, they would have figured out the Seahawks and been able to move the ball and score TD's instead of FG and will have controlled the Seattle offense.

If they lose, it will be a 1-4 point game where they just can't get that final score to win.

 

[BlackSantasBicycle]

I have mentioned this in other thread but I think the Pats will be able to shut down Lynch, much in the same way as Denver did last year. The key is Wilson. Wilson played really well in the SB last year. He proved he can win it if your put the game on his shoulders. And he was throwing to Baldwin, Kearse, Locket and Wilson as well.

The Pats can't think that if they stop lynch, they will win the game. Wilson is a gamer and say what you want about Baldwin and Kearse, they are gamers and play hard and though.

With that said, I think the Pats will play smarter than Denver and will keep this game close. I also think they have the secondary to do a better job with those receivers and will try to limit the big plays.

Part of me thinks that if the Pats are going to win, they will win going away - say 30-10. In that scenario, they would have figured out the Seahawks and been able to move the ball and score TD's instead of FG and will have controlled the Seattle offense.

If they lose, it will be a 1-4 point game where they just can't get that final score to win.

I agree with the idea that stopping Lynch doesn't win the game, but it gives you your best and most realistic shot.

And to be clear I love Baldwin and Kearse but they're not a #1 and #2 WR respectively on any other team, they're certainly gamers, and when it matters they really come to play, but it's a little different from last year. Not only did we have Golden Tate commanding some respect of the defense, but we unleashed Percy Harvin, who was scaring the crap out of the Broncos at times.

I'd be really surprised if we had much success through the air on Sunday. It would take a herculean effort by Russell Wilson (which he's certainly capable of) and I think we'd have to throw in some new looks e.g. utilizing Lynch in the passing game/getting our TEs working the middle (we very rarely attack the middle as a team, some put that down to Wilson's height, some suggest it's part of our conservative game-planning with emphasis on protection, personally I think it's a bit of both).

As for the predictions, you'd have to go back to 2011 to find the last time we lost by anything more than 9 points. We've also had the lead in every game under Russell Wilson. Everything suggests this should be a close game, but it doesn't always play out that way, particularly in the big game.

Thanks for the respectful replies, I thought for sure I'd cop a little more smack talk than this.

 

[mosi]

I agree with the idea that stopping Lynch doesn't win the game, but it gives you your best and most realistic shot.

And to be clear I love Baldwin and Kearse but they're not a #1 and #2 WR respectively on any other team, they're certainly gamers, and when it matters they really come to play, but it's a little different from last year. Not only did we have Golden Tate commanding some respect of the defense, but we unleashed Percy Harvin, who was scaring the crap out of the Broncos at times.

I'd be really surprised if we had much success through the air on Sunday. It would take a herculean effort by Russell Wilson (which he's certainly capable of) and I think we'd have to throw in some new looks e.g. utilizing Lynch in the passing game/getting our TEs working the middle (we very rarely attack the middle as a team, some put that down to Wilson's height, some suggest it's part of our conservative game-planning with emphasis on protection, personally I think it's a bit of both).

As for the predictions, you'd have to go back to 2011 to find the last time we lost by anything more than 9 points. We've also had the lead in every game under Russell Wilson. Everything suggests this should be a close game, but it doesn't always play out that way, particularly in the big game.

Thanks for the respectful replies, I thought for sure I'd cop a little more smack talk than this.

You guys are the defending Superbowl champs. That demands respect. When the Eagles gave little respect to the Pats, I think that really pissed them off!

You have a good point, I almost forgot about Tate, as I don't remember him catching a lot of balls in that game. Same with Harvin. But you are right, they demanded some sort of acknowledgement and focus and that freed up those other guys. But in those big moments last year, the guys that made the plays were Wilson, Baldwin and Kearse.

Luke Wilson also scares me. He seems to have these goofy big games, where no one seems to tackle him and he runs 50 yards for a TD.

At the same time, I think last years Super Bowl is an aberration for how badly Denver played. They really sucked and I think the decline of manning was in full force. They were rattled early and his decision making was terrible. Talk all you want about arm strength and such but what killed Manning in last years SB and in the playoff game with Indy was his decision making. In last years SB, he had people open, he just waited too long and went to the wrong guy, over and over again. Same as this year. I just don't think Manning is clutch. The opposite of Wilson and Brady.

I am expecting a close game but would honestly love a Pats blow out.

 

[livinginthe past]

I agree with the idea that stopping Lynch doesn't win the game, but it gives you your best and most realistic shot.

And to be clear I love Baldwin and Kearse but they're not a #1 and #2 WR respectively on any other team, they're certainly gamers, and when it matters they really come to play, but it's a little different from last year. Not only did we have Golden Tate commanding some respect of the defense, but we unleashed Percy Harvin, who was scaring the crap out of the Broncos at times.

I'd be really surprised if we had much success through the air on Sunday. It would take a herculean effort by Russell Wilson (which he's certainly capable of) and I think we'd have to throw in some new looks e.g. utilizing Lynch in the passing game/getting our TEs working the middle (we very rarely attack the middle as a team, some put that down to Wilson's height, some suggest it's part of our conservative game-planning with emphasis on protection, personally I think it's a bit of both).

As for the predictions, you'd have to go back to 2011 to find the last time we lost by anything more than 9 points. We've also had the lead in every game under Russell Wilson. Everything suggests this should be a close game, but it doesn't always play out that way, particularly in the big game.

Thanks for the respectful replies, I thought for sure I'd cop a little more smack talk than this.

Hey man,

Thanks for taking part in some excellent and well thought out football discussion.

I do like to visit other teams forums - however, I must say that Seahawks.net is utterly impenetrable for a fan of another team.

I signed up but don't think ill be posting very much there.

The level of over-stated bombast and sheer arrogance is something to behold - homers are fine really - and back-2-back SB's will make any fanbase confident - but you have multiple posters there who display parody levels of overconfidence.

Anyway, to the game....

I think the Seahawks will be too quick for the Patriots to establish any type of run game - they fill holes as quick as any in the NFL - however, the Patriots need to realize that the the Hawks offence is not going to pile up points in a hurry - NE should stick with the run even if it doesn't bear immediate dividends.

The Patriots will need to be a LOT more careful with ball security - they can't expect to get as lucky as they were against the Ravens with fumble recoveries.

I'm hoping that the short passing game will be the key to the offence - the Denver WR;s are soft and folded quickly after being hit hard a few times last year - the Patriots WR's do not possess the same level of raw talent but are much less likely to wither under pressure.

I don't see many deep bombs in the immediate future of Tom Brady - he doesn't throw them very well and the Seahawks will lap them up - they have excellent ball skills.

The Patriots have gone back to their offensive roots recently - using creativity and misdirection to get the ball going forward. The Patriots are unlikely to just line up and play like they have in previous SB';s.

I don't think the Seahawks D-line is anywhere near as good as last years edition with its amazing depth - plus they aren't calling offensive holding at all - Brady is going to get time to throw.

I'm a big fan of Russell Wilson - mentally he's the strongest young QB in the NFL - his skills are developing week on week - however, the Seahawks really do need to give him something to throw to other than a bunch of jump ball specialists and straight line runners.

Also a big fan of Marshawn Lynch - he runs with power and passion - even if he is being shut down he never gives less than 100%. His victimisation by the NFL is also an utter joke.

Its not that easy to just power run on a team - especially not one that is as disciplined as the Patriots - I do give Seattle props for showing excellent guts by sticking to the run late vs Green Bay but if the Patriots can avoid arm tackling Beast Mode I don't see them getting blown up in the running game.

I think the Patriots D can shut down the passing game - with the simple proviso that they keep Wilson in the pocket - he is fantastic at making broken plays - and his WRs are good at getting themselves open.

 

[thenepatsrule]

I am intrigued by the OPs username

 

[BlackSantasBicycle]

Hey man,

Thanks for taking part in some excellent and well thought out football discussion.

I do like to visit other teams forums - however, I must say that Seahawks.net is utterly impenetrable for a fan of another team.

I signed up but don't think ill be posting very much there.

The level of over-stated bombast and sheer arrogance is something to behold - homers are fine really - and back-2-back SB's will make any fanbase confident - but you have multiple posters there who display parody levels of overconfidence.

Anyway, to the game....

I think the Seahawks will be too quick for the Patriots to establish any type of run game - they fill holes as quick as any in the NFL - however, the Patriots need to realize that the the Hawks offence is not going to pile up points in a hurry - NE should stick with the run even if it doesn't bear immediate dividends.

The Patriots will need to be a LOT more careful with ball security - they can't expect to get as lucky as they were against the Ravens with fumble recoveries.

I'm hoping that the short passing game will be the key to the offence - the Denver WR;s are soft and folded quickly after being hit hard a few times last year - the Patriots WR's do not possess the same level of raw talent but are much less likely to wither under pressure.

I don't see many deep bombs in the immediate future of Tom Brady - he doesn't throw them very well and the Seahawks will lap them up - they have excellent ball skills.

The Patriots have gone back to their offensive roots recently - using creativity and misdirection to get the ball going forward. The Patriots are unlikely to just line up and play like they have in previous SB';s.

I don't think the Seahawks D-line is anywhere near as good as last years edition with its amazing depth - plus they aren't calling offensive holding at all - Brady is going to get time to throw.

I'm a big fan of Russell Wilson - mentally he's the strongest young QB in the NFL - his skills are developing week on week - however, the Seahawks really do need to give him something to throw to other than a bunch of jump ball specialists and straight line runners.

Also a big fan of Marshawn Lynch - he runs with power and passion - even if he is being shut down he never gives less than 100%. His victimisation by the NFL is also an utter joke.

Its not that easy to just power run on a team - especially not one that is as disciplined as the Patriots - I do give Seattle props for showing excellent guts by sticking to the run late vs Green Bay but if the Patriots can avoid arm tackling Beast Mode I don't see them getting blown up in the running game.

I think the Patriots D can shut down the passing game - with the simple proviso that they keep Wilson in the pocket - he is fantastic at making broken plays - and his WRs are good at getting themselves open.

We're really missing posts like that from pats fans on .net, I can totally understand your point of view but new posters definitely need to spend some time there to figure out how it works, a lot of the bravado is exaggerated and we're a sarcastic bunch for the most part. Indeed we do suffer fools on there too though, price of success I guess.

Nice thoughts on Seattle and Wilson in particular. The misconception with Seattle is that when he gets paid the big bucks we could be in trouble, however we're actually in a nice situation. All of our core defensive guys are on long contracts, apart from Bobby Wagner who we'll extend with Russ next month. Byron Maxwell looks to be our only significant loss in FA, he's been great over the past season and a half but if there's one place where this front office can pick guys to excel, it's in the secondary. Seahawks fans are expecting an offense heavy draft, if we're paying Russ big money, we need to protect that investment!

Winning the turnover battle will be huge for either team, I believe we were both top 3 in ball security this season? We preach protection, our crazy talented sophomore rb Christine Michael cannot get on the field because of his fumbling issues. It's a real shame because he's a dynamic back.

We were terrible at forcing turnovers early in the season, particularly by our standards, but we started to look like our old selves down the stretch. Cliff Avril might be a guy to watch out for, he has some impressive fumble/strip sack stats over the past few years.

Tackling, as touched on by others, will be HUGE. Us with Gronk and you with Marshawn! Both teams are solid fundamentally though I think defense dominates and anything over 20 points might well be a winning score.

Only three more days, feels like the longest bye ever!

I am intrigued by the OPs username

Aha, Michael Bennett's nickname is Black Santa, some of you probably saw how he celebrated immediately after our NFCCG win... stole a police bike and went on a lap of honour with it.