blacksaint

Seattle Seahawks

Wednesday, October 10, 2007
By Brian Allee-Walsh

The winless Saints should not expect a friendly welcome Sunday night in the Pacific Northwest.

The NFC West co-leading Seattle Seahawks probably have their feathers ruffled after being blanked by the Pittsburgh Steelers 21-0 in a rematch of Super Bowl XL.

Seattle Coach Mike Holmgren summed it up best, saying: "We got it handed to us pretty good."

In more ways than one.

-- The Seahawks were held scoreless for the first time since a season-opening loss to the Miami Dolphins, 23-0 in 2000, a string of 115 regular-season games.

-- Their 38 yards rushing were the fewest in 15 years.

-- Pittsburgh dominated time of possession (40 minutes to 20).

-- Seattle had more punts (nine) than first downs (eight).

Two key offensive players sustained injuries against the Steelers. Veteran fullback Mack Strong announced his retirement Monday after being diagnosed with a herniated disc in his back. Deion Branch, the team's leading receiver, is expected to miss two games after spraining his right foot.

All of which suggests that the Saints need to be extra careful not to become bird feed at revved-up Qwest Field.

LAST TIME THEY MET

Seahawks won 21-7 on Sept. 12, 2004 at the Superdome. Seattle leads the series 5-4.

OFFENSE

Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck is coming off his worst performance of the season. He was pulled in the fourth quarter against the Steelers in favor of Seneca Wallace. Hasselbeck has a 90.5 rating. Running back Shaun Alexander is playing with a cast on his broken wrist. He leads the team in rushing with 378 yards and two touchdowns. Leonard Weaver will replace Strong. And with Branch sidelined, Wallace could play more at wide receiver. Receivers Bobby Engram (19 catches, 275 yards, two touchdowns) and Nate Burleson (13, 173, 2) and tight end Marcus Pollard (10, 98, 1) will have to pick up the slack.

DEFENSE

Middle linebacker Lofa Tatupu leads with 38 tackles. Outside linebacker Julian Peterson has 34 tackles and a team-high six sacks. Cornerback Marcus Trufant has 26 tackles and two interceptions. The Seahawks are allowing 14.8 points per game, tied for fifth lowest in the NFL.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Kicker Josh Brown is 8-of-8 on field-goal attempts. Punter Ryan Plackemeier is averaging 41.2 yards with 12 downed inside the 20-yard line. Burleson handles punt returns (10.3 average), while he, backup running back Maurice Morris and wide receiver Ben Obomanu take turns returning kicks.

WORTH REPEATING: "To me, it's a no-brainer. I've given every ounce inside of me to football. I have no regrets. It's time to move on to bigger and better things." -- Strong explaining his decision to retire after 15 seasons and 201 games.

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saint4life
(504)

JOESAM2002

You know, I hate to see Mack go, he's been a steady performer for many years. I wish him the best of luck in his future, in whatever he does.

blacksaint

I agree with you on that one, he's definitely been one of the best players and people in the NFL. I also wish the best for him and his family.