Week 6 at Seattle Seahawks.... piece of cake, right?

[Banjo]

A solid win against this defense should solidify us as the best team in the league! Screw the Texans!

 

[The Brandon Five]

I see alot of attention being focused on the Pats O going up against the Hawks D. That may make for the most interesting discussion but the stat that sticks out to me most is the Hawks O averaging just 17 PPG.

While the Hawks have a top D let's not discount that the Pats have the best O in the league. Chances are the Pats are going to score more than 17 points in this game. The question then becomes, can Seattle score more than 17 points?

As interesting as the Pats O versus the Hawks D is, I think the key to this game is the Hawks O against the Pats D.

"We're only going to score 17 points?"

 

[HawksSoc]

Seahawks fan here, had to join to assure you Pats fans that we are all not all as vein as some other Hawks fans seem to be showing (much to my embarrassment).

-Your TE's arent scary? Yes, they very much they are, they only combined for a million yards and td's last year.
Your TE's are elite, but two of our LB's (Wagner and Wright) are serious burners so they should keep pace with
Gronk and Hern, the strength battle is of course a whole other story. Here I think you guys will profit big, Gronk and Hern are just too good.

-Our Defense is elite? Yeah ok, thats fair enough, but so is the Patriots' O.

- Your secondary potentially being an area we could exploit? Yep, makes logical sense and could come to pass, but so could the reverse, i.e. you exploiting our *sigh* passing attack.

- As a close friend of three Patriots fans I follow your team with great interest, so I know how much better your front 7 have been this year, Hightower was quality for 'Bama and has been important for you, if he misses the game thats a swing in Lynch's favor I would humbly argue.

- the DL's v OL's will be interesting;
Our OL's strength is without question the interior, Max Unger is a quality center, and our Guards are solid, so them versus Wilfork I have tentative confidence in. Our Tackles, less so, our RT is a walking penalty this year. He even got benched for a quarter in one of our previous games (think Panthers) to try shake him out of it, results pending. Our LT, Okung was a big draft pick of ours a few years back, previously only injuries have held him back from a trip to Hawaii, his play this year though has been rather uninspiring. Your rookie Chandler Jones may make some plays this week on the outside. Big Vince in my opinion not so much.
Our DL is pretty good, Mebane our big guy in the middle has been arguably our best player this season, him combined with Red Bryant (a guy you guys wanted this off season I believe) make us very difficult to run on, at least through the middle.

- Our secondary.
CB Brandon Browner, first of our big Corners, here I think you have a opportunity for profit, he makes alot of picks (6 last year), but also gives up just as many if not more big plays.
CB Richard Sherman, middle round pick last year, great corner, has been lights out this year, and will be Elite in the future.
SS Kam Chancellor, good safety, makes hits though not top quality.
FS Earl Thomas, the primary reason our D is what it is, he allows our corners to do what they excel in (press/bump coverage) because he takes away the deep ball totally.
To put it another way. there has been alot of talk on Seahawks.net lately about new contracts for the Secondary, and who takes priority, and the almost total opinion of importance was 1. Thomas 2.Sherman 3. Chancellor 4. Browner.

So in short I think its very close, not favoring either team; Brady will prob throw a TD or two, but his numbers won't be flawless. I wouldn't be surprised if Wilson gets hit, especially by Jones or even Ninkovich, Big Vince however may be quiet, end result I see being low scoring, maybe seven points difference either way.

 

[New England Seahawks]

A solid win against this defense should solidify us as the best team in the league! Screw the Texans!

No it wouldn't. It would just be another game that you were SUPPOSED to win and that the Seahawks were supposed to lose.

 

[New England Seahawks]

Seahawks fan here, had to join to assure you Pats fans that we are all not all as vein as other Hawks fans seem to be showing (much to my embarrassment).

At least we don't come on here starting threads titled "We will humiliate you" (and similar), like Pats fans did in the seahawkblue forum.

 

[VJCPatriot]

At least we don't come on here starting threads titled "We will humiliate you" (and similar), like Pats fans did in the seahawkblue forum.

I've never done that. And if other Pats fans have, I apologize for their trollishness. I respect what the Seahawks have managed to do. They have a solid team particularly on the defensive side of the football. It's not going to be easy to run or pass against them. However the Pats offense is elite and it has Tom Brady.

On top of that the Pats come into this matchup with one of the hottest run offenses in the NFL. Yes believe it or not the Pats have a running attack that has rolled up over 200 yards in consecutive games. If the Pats can continue this trend the Seahawks will have a tough time keying to stop the pass because they must respect the run. If the Hawks put out a personnel package to stop the pass, you can expect the Pats to jam the run down their throats in a hurry up look to prevent sub outs and a double tight end set.

If Hernandez returns to the Pats in time for this game then the Hawks are in for double trouble. Although I hear the Seahawks have athletic linebackers, I'll take AH one on one vs any linebacker in the league and Gronk will just outmuscle or outphysical any other second level defender so they will be a handful for any coverage given to them.

Bottom line, this game will come down to the play of Russell Wilson vs Tom Brady. Every snap comes through the center/QB first after all. And I believe that the Pats have the edge in that key matchup. If a play needs to be made, I believe in Brady and the Pats chances a lot more than Wilson. Looking forward to a very competitive game but I have a lot of confidence that the Pats can put a W on the board. But it will be a tough one, playing on the road at one of the loudest stadiums in the NFL and against a solid and well coached opponent.

 

[New England Seahawks]

I know very well how scary their offense is. I was at the game on Sunday (sec 131 and very little rain, thank god) and was really surprised at their running attack gashing the Broncos defense and making them look very average.

I'm just really looking forward how the Seahawks defense match up against them to prove if they are for real, or just had the benefit of facing sub-par competition the 1st 5 weeks (with the exception of GB).

 

[ATippett56]

After playing the Arizona Cardinals, the New England Patriots better not look past the Seattle Seahawks.

 

[sainthawk]

Thanks in advance for the intelligent conversation of the board.

As evident from my name, I am a Seahawk fan, however I try to be as unbiased as humanly possible, and first and foremost love football and the strategy behind it. It is with that in mind that I come to try to give a unbiased Seahawks Scouting Report.

First off, I love the enthusiam from both sides, I love it when both sides know there team is going to win. It makes the work week far more tolerable. I won't get into my prediction until the end but know that it won't be +7 for either team. This one is going to be close.

On Offense.
Marshawn Lynch, is not the same RB you saw twice a year in Buffalo two years ago. Statisically he is the best Rb in the league since week 9 of last season. Robert Turbin is a great backup. He is phyiscal. This isn't a typical thunder and lightning combo. Its more of a thunder and then some more thunder combo. Seattle we run the ball early and often. They don't break from this gameplan. Teams have been stacking boxes all season with limited sucess.

The Seattle offensive line is a mixed bag. Okung (LT) to put it nicely is shizoprenic. Looks good one week, bad the next, is dominant in the run then gets pushed around. The remainer of the of oline Carpenter, Unger, Moffitt/Sweezy and Giacomini are the definition of roadgraters, they are weak in pass pro. But can and will move a pile. The key for NE is to force 3 and +6. Seattle is the type of team that has to stay ahead of the sticks on offense.

Russell Wilson is hard to diagnose. I have read on this board that he turns the ball over alot, don't read to much into it. True, he has 7 ints, but 3 were from WRs dropping the ball, 1 was caused by the TE falling down on a cut, 1 was from a hit in the pocket that caused the ball to go straight up in the air, and one was from a hail mary at the end of the half. He is not making many mistakes. They haven't "let him lose" yet, and I doubt this is the game they do. He is gaining confidence in his recieving core, I think that has alot of fans in Seattle optimisic.

Pete Carrolls Gameplan has been vanilla. His gameplan continues to be don't turn over the ball, control the clock, let the defense put us in position to win the game. I suspect that won't change this week.

The defense.
This is where I think the game will be won or lost.
Defensive Line. Seattle utlizes 2 line packages, on early run downs you will see Bryant, Mebane, Branch, Clemons. This is basically is a hybrid 3-4 line with a DE(bryant) at 330lbs. It is a very difficult line to run againist, expecially to bryants side. He is a earth mover, and is great at swallowing up running games. Running outside has been alittle more succesfull however, as I will get to, the Seattle corners are big, tough to block and excellent tacklers.
On passing downs, Seattle utilizes a package similar to the Giants NASCAR package. Clemons, Jones, McDonald, and Irvin. It is a small line but incredibly fast. Seattle doesn't blitz often and counts on its front four to get to the pass rusher. The goal for NE is to stay unpredictable. Run on 3 and long, and utlize short passing plays on 1st and 2nd down. This defense line is for real, the Pats cannot play into their strengths.

The LB core is fast and like to hit and tackle well, but can get lost in coverage at times. Expect Wagner and Wright to be responsible for Gronk in one on one coverage. I am not one that believes Gronk will be a not factor, (if healthly) However, Seattle has the atheletes to help limit him from a break out game.

The Secondary is the strength of the team. They are arguably the best in the NFL. Browner and Sherman are huge (6'4" and 6'3" respectively) they swallow up recievers in press coverage. They aren't burners and can be beaten deep. Thomas and Chancellor are polar opposites at the safety position. Thomas is small and fast, he will play centerfield all day, but is still good and run support. Chancellor is a big bruiser (6'4" 240lbs) He can be suspect to cover 2 at times. His strength is under zone coverage, and covering athletic TE's.

I hope that sheds some light on who you are playing this weekend and what to look for.

As for a prediction, Carrolls ideal would be 17-17 with 2:00 mins to go, and Seattle with the ball, that is the way his is game planning this season to protect his young offense.

The defense is good enough to get there. The offense struggles on 3rd down, and I can't over look that, not yet anyway. Pats 20- Seahawks- 16

 

[ThatllMoveTheChains!!!]

Your rookie Chandler Jones may make some plays this week on the outside.

If your guys do some film study they'll discover he can be effectively "blocked" by wrapping an arm around his neck from behind. Many teams have been using this strategy with great success...

On a serious note, if your tackle play has been suspect and the officials call the game straight up it could be a big day for him. I'm looking forward to the game because I think it'll be a good measuring stick for the tweaks to the Pats' offense; assuming that Carroll makes the necessary adjustments to clamp down on the short passes that the Pats thrive on. Similarly this should be a good chance to see if the Seahawks can maintain their stinginess against a very good offensive team that's built a bit differently than the ones they've seen. All that said I do think the Seahawks will need a big play or two from STs or D to turn this game their way. I do think Wilson will pick up some yards through the air, but I have faith the Pats will minimize Lynch, and I don't think Wilson will manage to be consistent enough to put together more than 1-2 long scoring drives.

 

[mosi]

I think the Pats will stack the box and limit Lynch and put the ball in Wilson's hands. He may have his first 300 yard game. The Pats may try to run the ball but at the same time, they may just spread the field and throw the ball around - much like they did against the Vikings a few years ago and like they traditionally do against the Steelers.

 

[italia44]

At least we don't come on here starting threads titled "We will humiliate you" (and similar), like Pats fans did in the seahawkblue forum.

Link to the multiple threads that say we are going to humiliate the Seahawks?????.....Put up or shut up,pigeondroppings:yeahthat:

 

[Deus Irae]

Link to the multiple threads that say we are going to humiliate the Seahawks?????.....Put up or shut up,pigeondroppings:yeahthat:

No such threads are currently on the first page of either Seahawks.net or Seahawkshuddle.com

 

[Thirdbasekid24]

No such threads are currently on the first page of either Seahawks.net or Seahawkshuddle.com

or the seattle times seahawk forums.

 

[Hawkscanner]

I see alot of attention being focused on the Pats O going up against the Hawks D. That may make for the most interesting discussion but the stat that sticks out to me most is the Hawks O averaging just 17 PPG.

While the Hawks have a top D let's not discount that the Pats have the best O in the league. Chances are the Pats are going to score more than 17 points in this game. The question then becomes, can Seattle score more than 17 points?

As interesting as the Pats O versus the Hawks D is, I think the key to this game is the Hawks O against the Pats D.

I don’t know that I’d be so confident that the Pats would score any more than 17 points – given the caliber of defense they’ll be facing and the boiling cauldron that is Century Link Field. With all due respect to all the teams New England has faced thus far … I’m not sure they have faced a defense quite THIS dominant yet this year.

Just look at the Arizona game. The Cards came in to Foxboro and limited the mighty Pats Offense to 18 points – a team that many were surprised the Pats could lose to. Over at Seahawks.Net, a lot of people thought that way prior to the Seahawks game with them as well. I was among a very small minority of voices saying, “Don’t overlook this team. I don’t care what the statistics say, the Cardinals are a very dangerous team” – as I knew that they had a very good defense. And unfortunately, I was right … and the Hawks went down that day to them at Arizona.

Right now, the Cardinals defense is ranked 11th overall in total yards allowed (334.0) … BUT they’re ranked 5th Overall in the one stat that truly counts – points allowed (78). This Seahawks defense is MUCH better than the Cards … AND they are playing at home. This defense made Tony Romo look like a shell-shocked survivor of a mortar attack. They laid the kryptonite on the NFL’s superman from a year ago (Aaron Rodgers) … and they completely baffled Cam Newton, totally taking him out of his game as well. Now I realize that THIS Patriots Offense is a whole different kind of animal altogether … but I don’t know that I’d be 100% certain that the Pats will do to the Hawks AT the CLINK what they have done to other teams thus far.

I agree with you however as to your take on the key to the game -- Can Russell Wilson and the Seahawks Offense score 17+ points against your defense? That's a whole 'nother matter entirely.

 

[Big-T]

The Seahawks have also never seen an offense anything like what the Patriots have either, it doesn't matter how loud your crowd is or how good a fresh defense is when the Patriots are snapping the ball within 10 seconds of the ball being spotted, how is Red Bryant going to cope with being stuck on the field for whole drives in such a tempo? How will Bruce Irvin cope with being steam rolled by Gronk & Solder when they run right at him for a whole drive?

The Arizona game was bizarre from a play calling stand point and once the Pats went no huddle they started gaining yards with ease.

The Seahawks do have a good defense, but they haven't faced anything like what New England will show them.

 

[pherein]

I agree with you, yards allowed is not a good metric for judging a defense (or offense). I have a lot of respect for Football Outsiders' metric systems. So forget numbers, let's just say the Seahawks defense is very good, and possibly among the best.

Ill agree to that. Id say your top 10 easy. Which is very good in the NFL.

On the other hand, the same thing applies to opponents' offenses. Saying the Green Bay offense is "averaging 24 pts a game" doesn't put anything in context -- unless you were to compare Green Bay's average in the four other games they played, and compare that to what they produced in the Seattle game.

I know where you going with this, but not sure I can agree. GB only got 28 pts on us , and we totally suck on defense. 12pts vs Seahawks, but 22 vs SF, which is a better defense than Seahawks. I think anyone would agree to that.
That just says GB is inconsistent right now. They are up and down every week.

 

[Brady_to_Moss]

Seattles D has faced one threat this year...GB..and they are struggling like no tomorrow this year. Big test for them going up against NE. I say we score 27-30 ish..them with no passing game...17. No passing game is going to hurt them against the pats D..they will be playing right into the pats strengths

 

[pherein]

Alrighty-then. [stretching/limbering knuckles] Let me start by giving you all a brief scouting breakdown of the Seahawks Defense -- since that's going to be a major focus heading in to this game.

Back in 2009, former head coach Jim Mora

May he burn in hell

 

[Deus Irae]

I don’t know that I’d be so confident that the Pats would score any more than 17 points – given the caliber of defense they’ll be facing and the boiling cauldron that is Century Link Field. With all due respect to all the teams New England has faced thus far … I’m not sure they have faced a defense quite THIS dominant yet this year.

Ravens..... shredded them

Just look at the Arizona game. The Cards came in to Foxboro and limited the mighty Pats Offense to 18 points – a team that many were surprised the Pats could lose to. Over at Seahawks.Net, a lot of people thought that way prior to the Seahawks game with them as well. I was among a very small minority of voices saying, “Don’t overlook this team. I don’t care what the statistics say, the Cardinals are a very dangerous team” – as I knew that they had a very good defense. And unfortunately, I was right … and the Hawks went down that day to them at Arizona.

Hernandez was lost on the 3rd play of the game. For some reason, the Patriots had altered their offense to revolve more around Hernandez and Edelman in the offseason, and that injury threw everything into disarray. Despite that, the Patriots should have won with 25 points, but the replacement official made that holding call on Gronk that wasn't actually a hold that gets called in the NFL.

Right now, the Cardinals defense is ranked 11th overall in total yards allowed (334.0) … BUT they’re ranked 5th Overall in the one stat that truly counts – points allowed (78). This Seahawks defense is MUCH better than the Cards … AND they are playing at home. This defense made Tony Romo look like a shell-shocked survivor of a mortar attack. They laid the kryptonite on the NFL’s superman from a year ago (Aaron Rodgers) … and they completely baffled Cam Newton, totally taking him out of his game as well. Now I realize that THIS Patriots Offense is a whole different kind of animal altogether … but I don’t know that I’d be 100% certain that the Pats will do to the Hawks AT the CLINK what they have done to other teams thus far.

If you're going to be using Patriots/Cardinals as a basis for your argument, and sinking it in points, what about Seahawks/Cardinals? The Seahawks put 16 on the board. Are you saying that the Patriots offense is only as good as that Seahawks offense?

I agree with you however as to your take on the key to the game -- Can Russell Wilson and the Seahawks Offense score 17+ points against your defense? That's a whole 'nother matter entirely.

It's possible that the Seahawks will hold the Patriots to 17 points or fewer. I wouldn't go betting the farm on it, though. The Seahawks have given up more than that twice this season, and they've yet to face an offense that's both good and playing like it.