Rainy Days and Coffee: A Seattle Seahawks Franchise

[Stout]

Chargers dismantle 'Hawks in preseason opener
T-Jax perfect, Whitehurst and defense not.
Danny O'Neil, Seattle Times

San Diego, California - Coming into the game, the Seahawks were pretty pumped up for the first preseason game. The first game usually means the starters play the whole first quarter, with receivers and defensive backs getting a couple snaps in as the game progresses, and the starters will usually sit back and watch the rookies and second stringers try to make a name for themselves, as well as try not to go and get hurt. The other storyline is this game was how the quarterbacks Tavaris Jackson and Charlie Whitehurst would peform as they try to be the starter. Jackson was a impressive 6-6 for 55 yards, and his last snap was the Seahawks only touchdowns, as he handed it off to Marshawn Lynch who ran it in. Whitehurst, on the other hand, was a ugly 3 for 13 and threw 2 interceptions. When asked how he felt about the game, Seahawks Coach Pete Carroll responded with, "We had a couple bright moments, and a couple low moments. It's up to us to fix those for next week against Minnesota". He also said that Jackson will start again next week, and Whitehurst will relieve him.

On the other side, however, the Chargers running game proved to be too tough for the Seahawks. Mike Tolbert's 95 yards on 8 carries was highlighted by a 66 yard touchdown run on a fullback flip. The Chargers also had 3 interceptions on defense, although they were interceptions because of awful throws by the quarterbacks. San Diego had the last 20 points of the game after a Steven Hauschka field goal by the Seahawks, including a 55 yard run by former Orangemen running back Curtis Brinkley with 38 seconds left. Chargers coach Norv Turner said, "it was a good win by our boys. Our running game looked fantastic and hopefully that can take some stress of off Phillip [River's] back".

On to the future: The Seahawks will play their first pre-season home game next Saturday afternoon against the Vikings who also lost. Kickoff is expected around 5:00 local time. The Chargers will travel to the "House That Jerry Built" to take on the 1-0 Cowboys, that will be on around 6:00 in the San Diego area.

[Stout]

Seahawks bounce back with OT Win over Vikings
Marshawn Lynch has 214 yards running and scores 3 overall touchdowns, QB on Opening Day still unclear
Danny O'Neil, Seattle Times

Seattle, Washington - Last year, a motto around the Seahawks locker room that started around Thanksgiving weekend was "Move on and play harder." Yes, it sounds like a NFL tagline you would hear Super Bowl weekend, but it propelled them into the playoffs. As the Seahawks ran out onto the field Saturday afternoon, you couldn't help but think that they were thinking exactly that. A few hours later, the Seahawks players were leaving the stadium with a 27-24 victory over the visiting Vikings. And Marshawn Lynch played a huge role in the win.

Lynch made his presence felt at the end of the first, when he broke 2 tackles on a 80 yard run from their own 20 for a touchdown, tieing the game after Christain Ponder's early touchdown strike to Percy Harvin. Lynch would have another running touchdown, this one from a much less 17 yards out. All in all, the Seahawks running back had 214 yards, and he only played the first half. However, while the Vikings have a awful run defense, their pass defense is much better, and that was evident tonight. There is no clear cut winner of the QB contest that Pete Carroll has been holding, and even though again Tavaris Jackson will start next week against the Broncos, next week will surely determine their starter week 1. The defense played much better this week, as after a early touchdown by Percy Harvin, the defense settled down and the first stringers were led by 2nd year man Earl Thomas, who changed the momentum of the game by intercepting a pass from Christain Ponder. Had Ponder not thrown the pick, you'd have to wonder how the game would have went. Thomas also forced a fumble on special teams by jarring the ball loose from Lorenzo Booker on a punt return where he would have had great position.

On the other side of things, the Vikings showed that they will need to work on their run defense if they want to contend. While the offense (led by a rookie quaterback no less) and the pass defense appears fine, to win the NFC North or even get a wild card in this conference, you need to play good defense. Adrian Peterson, coming off a ankle sprain suffered last week, looked to be 100% as even though he didn't score, he still had a couple big plays that led to good drives. Coach Leslie Fraizer said in his post game press conference that Christain Ponder will be his starter come opening day. Percy Harvin also had a huge day, as he had the afore mentioned touchdown and 3 tackles, 2 coming on special teams and another coming on the Earl Thomas pick. The Vikings have a nice young nucleus, and I wouldn't be shocked to see them in the playoffs this year after missing out last season.

On to the future: The 1-1 Seahawks will take on Tim Tebow and the winless Broncos next week in Denver at 5:00 local time and the winless Vikings will take on Romo's boys, the Dallas Cowboys at 4:30 Minnesota time

Minnesota Vikings at Seattle Seahawks
Aug 22, 2011 1 2 3 4 OT F MIN (0-2) 7 7 7 3 24 SEA (1-1) 7 7 7 3 3 27 Top Performers PASS: Christain Ponder - 8-11, 176, 1 TD 1 INT RUSH: Marshawn Lynch - 16-214, 2 TD REC: Leon Washington - 6-54	Team Stats Comparison MIN SEA First Downs 9 22 3rd Down Efficiency 5-12 9-17 4th Down Efficiency 0-0 0-0 Total Yards 398 520 Passing Yards 194 110 Rushing Yards 109 310 Penalties-Penalty Yards 1-10 4-44 Turnovers 2 2 Time of Possession 19:49 34:51
Scoring Summary FIRST QUARTER SCORING MIN SEA 10:07 (MIN) Harvin 69 YD pass from Ponder (Longwell kick) 7 0 1:32 (SEA) Lynch 80 YD run (Hauschka kick) 7 7 SECOND QUARTER SCORING MIN SEA 7:14 (SEA) Lynch 17 YD run (Hauschka kick) 7 14 3:21 (MIN) Ponder 3 YD run (Longwell Kick) 14 14 THIRD QUARTER SCORING MIN SEA 9:18 (MIN) Gerhart 9 YD run (Longwell kick) 21 14 1:05 (SEA) Lynch 10 YD pass from Whitehurst (Hauschka kick) 21 21 FOURTH QUARTER SCORING MIN SEA 10:06 (MIN) Longwell 33 YD FG 24 21 1:49 (SEA) Hauschka 39 YD FG 24 24 OVERTIME SCORING MIN SEA 6:01 (SEA) Hauschka 44 YD FG 24 27
Minnesota Vikings PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Christain Ponder 8/11 176 1 1 Sage Rosenfels 4/11 20 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Adrain Peterson 12 55 4.5 Toby Gehart 11 41 3.7 1 Christain Ponder 2 8 4.0 1 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Percy Harvin 3 82 27.3 1 Greg Cammarillo 2 14 7 Toby Gehart 2 10 5 Mike Jenkins 2 40 20 Vishante Shaincoe 1 40 40 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK Kyle Rudolph Charlie Johnson Steve Hutchinson Phil Loadholt 1 Chris Degeare DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD E.J. Henderson 8 1 Jared Allen 8 Antonie Winfield 8 Erin Henderson 8 1 Chris Cook 6 1 Remi Ayodele 3 KICKING FG XP PTS LG Ryan Longwell 1/1 3/3 6 PUNTING TOT YDS AVG -20 Chris Kluwe 5 200 40 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Lorenzo Booker 2 49 24.5 Jordan Todman 2 30 15 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Lorenzo Booker 4 16 4 Seattle Seahawks PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Charlie Whitehurst 15/23 110 1 1 Tavaris Jackson 4/10 36 0 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Marshawn Lynch 16 214 13.3 2 Charlie Whitehurst 1 2 1.5 Golden Tate 1 8 8.0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Leon Washington 6 54 9.0 Golden Tate 3 17 5.6 Sydney Rice 2 21 10.5 Deon Balter 2 13 6.5 John Carlson 2 8 4.0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK John Moffit Rob Gallery 1 James Carpenter 2 Marquez Mayes 1 Marshawn Lynch 1 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Earl Thomas 8 1 David Vobora 3 Chris Clemons 3 1 K.J. Wright 2 David Hawthorne 2 Rich Sherman 2 KICKING FG XP PTS LG Steven Hauschka 2/3 3/3 9 44 PUNTING TOT YDS AVG -20 Jon Ryan 4 142 35.5 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Leon Washington 2 38 19 Golden Tate 1 25 25 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Justin Forsett 3 20 6.6

[Stout]

Bailey stuns Seahawks, Broncos complete comeback
Veteran returns punt 77 yards with little time left, Carroll fumed.
Danny O'Neil, Seattle Times

Denver, Colorado - 4th and 1, tie game. If it's regular season, you go for it, simple as that. Instead, Pete Carroll chose to kick it to Champ Bailey, who was in the game because Eddie Royal had a concussion. Bailey than dodged 2 tacklers and ran it 77 yards for the score, sending Invesco Field At Mile High into a frenzy. Coach Carroll was extremely upset with his team after the game, as evidenced by his post-game press conference. "We're going to need to work on punt returning this week, both defending it and returning it. We can't return for jack, and our defense was crap on the return. In the regular season, we're going to go the whole season without giving up a return touchdown. They kill you in the long run and it's up to us to fix it".

On the Seahawks side, the story was the same. Mediocre passing game, great running game. Lynch and Washington continue to prove that they can be a solid 1-2 punch in the regular season, combing for over 160 yards on the ground. Tavaris Jackson was 8 for 16, but did throw a touchdown. Charlie Whitehurst was only 2-5 in his quarter of work, and had a disappointing 14 passing yards. The 1st string defense played great, only giving up 2 field goals by Matt Prater. Because next week is the last week of preseason, don't expect many starters to start, because the 4th game is when the coaching staff determines who on the bubble they're going to keep. Also kept in check was Tim Tebow, who many people are predicting will be the MVP this year solely because he "has the power of God on his side". All joking aside, Tebow was only productive on the ground, where he had 34 yards on 4 attempts. This Bronco team is arguably the best since Plummer left, and it will be interesting to see how they perform after dealing veterans Kyle Orton and Brandon Lloyd this offseason.

On to the future: The Seahawks will be home to Carson Palmer and the new look Raiders next week at 5:00 local time, and Denver fans will see the Broncos against the Cardinals in Arizona at about 5:40 Denver time.

Seattle Seahawks at Denver Broncos
Aug 27, 2011	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Seattle Seahawks (1-2)	0	10	7	3
Denver Broncos (1-2)	3	3	0	21

Team Stats Comparison
	SEA	DEN
Total Offense	312	267
Rushing Yards	265	138
Passing Yards	47	129
First Downs	17	14
Punt Return Yards	11	85
Kick Return Yards	74	21
Total Yards	390	373
Turnovers	2	4
3rd Down Converstion	5-17	2-12
4th Down Conversion	4/4	2/2
2-Point Conversion	0-0	0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	2/2	1/1
Penalties	4-35	1-10
Posession Time	29:59	18:01

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		SEA	DEN
4:38	(DEN) Prater 39 YD FG	0	3
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		SEA	DEN
7:30	(SEA) Hasuchska 20 YD FG	3	3
3:25	(DEN) Prater 49 YD FG	6	3
0:49	(SEA) Lynch 2 YD pass from Jackson (Hasuschka Kick)	10	6
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		SEA	DEN
2:56	(SEA) Carlson 1 YD run (Hasuschka Kick)	17	6
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		SEA	DEN
8:58	(SEA) Middlebrook 29 YD FG	20	6
8:35	(DEN) McGahee 67 yd pass from Manley (Prater kick)	20	13
2:14	(DEN) Ball 7 yd run (Prater kick)	20	20
0:12	(DEN) Bailey returned punt 77 yards (Prater kick)	20	27

Seattle Seahawks PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Jackson 8/16 36 1 1 Whitehurst 2/5 14 Portis 2/14 1 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Leon Washington 13 94 7.2 Lynch 12 68 5.7 Forsett 5 42 8.4 Carlson 3 17 5.6 1 Jackson 3 23 7.6 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Miller 2 10 5 Tate 2 15 7.5 Baldwin 1 12 12 Williams 1 11 11 Lynch 2 -1 -0.5 1 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK Okung 1 Carpenter Gallery 1 Moffit Giacomini DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Hill 7 Sherman 3 Chancellor 4 Vobara 3 Brock 2 Johnson 3 1 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Middlebrooks 1/1 29 Hauschka 1/1 2/2 5 20 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Ryan 4 181 45.2 1 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Tate 1 24 24 Washington 1 24 24 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Washington 1 3 3 Forsett 3 1 0.3

Denver Broncos PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Manley 3/7 87 1 2 Tebow 5/13 40 1 Quinn 1/5 2 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD McGahee 12 35 2.9 Moreno 8 29 3.6 Ball 8 46 5.7 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD McGahee 3 87 29 1 Thomas 2 23 11.5 Willis 1 6 6 Royal 1 7 7 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK Clady 1 Beadles 1 Thomas Ball Kuper DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Jarmon 5 1 Haggan 7 1 Mays 7 Whilite 4 Dumervil 4 Harris 3 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Prater 2/2 3/3 9 49 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Colquitt 3 153 51 1 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Bailey 1 21 21 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Bailey 1 77 77 1 Royal 2 8 4

[Stout]

Sims-Walker to Seahawks in late night deal
Danny O'Neil, Seattle Times

Seattle, Washington - Coach Carroll announced after Tuesday's practice that a new receiver would be joining the team. Many people thought either Braylon Edwards or Terrell Owens would be signed and would start, but, as the past few years have shown, Twitter proved otherwise. Mike Williams, who is the Seahawks #1 Receiver, shocked Seahawks nation and NFL fans and media with his post around 5:30 local time.

Williams posted from his Twitter account @BigMikeWill17: So happy to have my boy @MikeSimsWalker playing across with me on the field!!! Defensive backs watch out for this 1-2 punch LOL #WorldChampionSwag

This was proven about 45 minutes later, when Carroll sent a text out to several members of the AP and local sports writers, including myself. "We signed Mike Sims-Walker to a one year deal. Very happy to have him". Sims-Walker will start Thursday night due to the fact that it is mostly back ups playing, and how he plays will determine how much time he gets opening day. Carroll did state that Sims-Walker will be on special teams as a starter due to his speed and experience. on special teams

[Stout]

Portis plays well, Seahawks finish preseason 2-2
Defense plays great as the preseason ends
Danny O'Neil

Seattle, Washington - What do the 4th game of the preseason and most summer movie hits both have in common? They're done by mostly unknown guys with great coaching and they surprise everyone. Alright, all joking aside, Quest Field was packed for the preseason finale as rookies and young guys like Josh Portis and Justin Forsett took the field. A couple of hours later, the Seahawks had a 31-27 victory over the new look Raiders, who played without Carson Palmer, Darren McFadden, and lost Jacoby Ford to a broken collarbone.

Josh Portis, the rookie quarterback, carried the offense and was a decent 16-27 and tossed 2 touchdowns. Justin Forsett had almost 240 overall yards, and had a running and a receiving touchdown. The defense, who looked so bad in the preseason opener against San Diego, has improved so much. Earl Thomas, who we covered in our burning questions, came into the game midway through and had a game-sealing pick with little time on a beautiful move that has become his signature. Thomas jumped in the air and caught the ball with one hand, than as he was coming back down switched to the other hand and began to run back. Thomas finished the preseason with 20 tackles and 2 interceptions, but both picks were huge in the games that he had them in as they changed the momentum.

The Raiders, who so many people are picking to win the west, looked nothing like a playoff team. In fact, they looked like the Raiders of old. They dropped passes, made mistakes that shouldn't have been made, and missed tackles. One bright spot for them was Taiquan Jones who complied a impressive 207 yards and 2 touchdowns against the Seahawks defense. While the defense had 2 interceptions, they missed tackles at key points and at one point put Darren McFadden in at linebacker, just to see how that would work. McFadden had a tackle that prevented a first down on the only drive that they punted, so maybe McFadden should switch positions. All in all, very nice preseason for the 'Hawks even though they were 2-2.

On to the future: The Seahawks will visit Jim Harbaugh and his Niners in San Fransisco next Sunday at 1:05 local time. The Raiders, for another season it seems, will play in the late night Monday Night game on Monday the 12th following the Pats-Dolphins game. You can see that at roughly 7:10 local time, although it probably will be pushed back because of the early game.

Oakland Raiders at Seattle Seahawks
Sep 1, 2011	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Oakland Raiders (1-3)	3	14	7	3	27
Seattle Seahawks (2-2)	10	3	0	18	31

Team Stats Comparison
	OAK	SEA
Total Offense	326	274
Rushing Yards	210	205
Passing Yards	116	169
First Downs	13	19
Punt Return Yards	0	1
Kick Return Yards	101	126
Total Yards	427	501
Turnovers	2	2
3rd Down Converstion	2-7	7-13
4th Down Conversion	0-1	0-1
2-Point Conversion	0-0	1-1
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	1/0	3/1
Penalties	1-15	1-5
Posession Time	17:36	30:24

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		OAK	SEA
5:49	(OAK) Hausucka 39 YD FG	0	3
3:53	(SEA) Janikowski 39 YD FG	3	7
1:22	(SEA) Forsett 16 YD pass from Portis (Hauscka kick)	3	10
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		OAK	SEA
8:51	(SEA) Hauschka 53 YD FG	3	13
7:31	(OAK) Jones 43 YD run (Janikowski kick)	10	13
2:56	(OAK) Jones 36 YD run (Janikowski kick)	17	13
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		OAK	SEA
2:03	(OAK) Murphy 11 YD pass from Boller (Janikowski kick)	24	13
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		OAK	SEA
10:56	(SEA) Lynch 1 YD pass from Portis (2 PT to Sims-Walker)	24	21
6:23	(OAK) Janikowski 26 YD FG	27	21
1:32	(SEA) Forsett 4 YD run (Hauschka kick)	27	28
0:55	(SEA) Hauschka 26 YD FG	27	31

Oakland Raiders PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Boller 7/22 116 1 2 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Thomas 23 207 9.0 2 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Ford 4 93 23.2 0 Schillens 2 11 5.5 0 Murphy 1 12 12.0 1 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK Barnes 2 0 Veldheer 1 0 Myers 0 0 Satele 0 1 Campbell 0 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Groves 10 0 0 0 Mitchell 8 0 0 0 Chekwa 8 0 0 0 Giordano 6 0 1 0 Seymour 4 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Janikowski 2/3 3/3 9 45 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Lechler 1 32 32.0 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Schillens 4 82 20.5 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Cartwright 0 0 0 0

Seattle Seahawks PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Portis 16/27 169 2 2 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Forsett 34 177 5.2 1 Portis 4 13 3.2 0 Sims-Walker 3 12 4.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Forsett 8 60 7;5 1 Sims-Walker 4 53 13.2 0 Lynch 2 13 6.5 1 Mayes 1 25 25.0 0 Butler 1 18 18.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK Linger 2 0 Moffit 2 0 Okung 2 0 Carpenter 2 0 Gallery 1 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Thomas 7 0 1 0 Bigby 5 0 0 0 Maxwell 3 0 0 0 Farwell 2 1 0 0 Moton 3 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Hauschka 3/3 2/2 11 53 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Ryan 1 38 38.0 1 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Forsett 1 29 29.0 0 Tate 2 50 25.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Tate 1 1 1.0 0

[Stout]

21 NFL Predictions: Division winners, events, and a Super Bowl championship
The Seahawks beatwriter lays out his predictions for the upcoming season
Danny O'Neil, Seattle Times

Seattle, Washington -

The NFL predictions are arguably the best column for someone to read. You save it for when the season ends and you mark what was right, and what made the writer look like a fool. Here are 22 (because this January is the 6th anniversary of Dave Brown's death) predictions and thoughts I have on the upcoming 2011 NFL Season.

1. AFC East Winner: Patriots
This is a fairly easy pick. The Pats are coming off a 14-2 season, Brady had his best season a year ago, and they have a core of young receivers (Gronkowski, Hernandez, Edleman, Welker is in a contract year, Woodhead) and although there are questions about the defense, Vince Wilfork and Brandon Spikes look to have big years. I can't see the Jets winning the division as they have a fairly tough schedule and Mark Sanchez will have a tough time against these defenses, the Dolphins are a Quarterback away from contending, and the Bills are the Bills.

2. AFC North Winner: Ravens
Two words: Ray. Rice. The 4th year man out of Rutgers is arguably the best running back in the NFL, and with a offensive line headed by Mr. Blindside himself, Micheal Oher, he will have plenty of holes to run. Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs, and Ed Reed show every year why they are the top defense, and this year is no exception. Also, they have the sure footed Billy Cundiff as their kicker. The Steelers are getting older, too old for this division. The Bengals and Browns however both look a lot better, and even though Colt Mccoy is out for a while due to a severe concussion, that doesn't mean the Browns can't contend. Andy Dalton can very well be the rookie of the year because the way that he's played in the preseason was fantastic.

3. AFC South Winner: Titans
A lot of people are choosing the Texans, and I can see why they say that. However, I just feel that the Titans have the talent to win. That offense, if healthy, can easily be a top 5. Kenny Britt, Nate Washington, and of course, CJ2K. The defense is not what it once was, but veteran LB Will Witherspoon still has talent and mobility at age 31. The Texans I think will make it in as one of the wild cards because they are on the up, and Matt Schaub is a Elite Quarterback. Peyton Manning's future is left to be desired, and I can see the Colts fighting for the #1 spot in the draft. And the Jaguars will be in LA in 3 years, enough said. Poor Maurice Jones-Drew will never win a championship with that team.

4. AFC West Winner: Chargers
This is a Super Bowl team. Rivers, Jackson, Gates, Matthews, Floyd this could go down as a historic offense in terms of points. The Raiders even with Palmer and McFadden aren't quite there yet, and them dealing several picks for Palmer might go down as stupid. Broncos and "God's Son" have the potential to go far, but that all depends on a questionable offense. And even though the Chiefs won a year ago, I think that it was a fluke.

5. NFC East Winner: Giants
Yes, I am choosing the Giants. The Eagles will end up disappointing everyone because of the pressure put on them. The Redskins will contend, even though Sexy Rexy is their Quarterback, they still have a good defense. And the Cowboys will have a bad year because Romo will end up getting hurt somehow. The Giants have the best chance to win due to a young nucleus of players.

6. NFC North Winner: Packers
The Defending Champs can easily make the Super Bowl with this team. The Packers won the Super Bowl last year without Jermichael Finley and I would be shocked if they didn't go back to the Super Bowl. Aaron Rodgers has all the people around him to put up a lot of points, and the defense is great. However many more years Charles Woodson has left in him, he's going to make it count. Jay Cutler is out for a unknown amount of time after a broken wrist, and he is their team. The Lions I think will grab that final wild card spot, that is if Stafford can stay healthy. And the Vikings are in for a long season, although A.D. will still put up huge numbers.

7. NFC South Winner: Saints
Write this down, Drew Brees is the best QB in the NFL. He also has Mark Ingram out of the backfield now, and he also has Marques Colston, Devery Henderson, and the 2nd year man Jimmy Graham out of Miami. The Bucs will make it in as a wild card team, Josh Freeman has all the skills as a Elite QB and Blount is one of the best running backs in the NFL. The Falcons will miss out because of a tough schedule, and the Panthers need a couple years before they contend, when Cam Newton becomes one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game.

8. NFC West Winner: Rams
Yes, the Rams will take home the weak NFC West. The Niners and Seahawks will both play for that title, but the Rams have the benefit of the doubt. Bradford will make huge strides this year, and the arrival of Brandon Lloyd will help so much. This is Alex Smith's make or break year, and with ANOTHER offensive coordinator and a new coach, it will be intresting to see how he plays. Tavaris Jackson and Marshawn Lynch look to lead a Seattle team that has moved on from Hassleback and Lofa Tatapu. And the Cardinals will have the number one pick in the draft next year.

9. MVP: Drew Brees, Saints
Best player in NFL. Super Bowl team.
10. OPOY: Drew Brees, Saints
See above.
11: DPOY: Darelle Revis, Jets
Has been robbed for 2 years straight. Will win over Nnamdi and Woodson.
12: OROY: Cam Newton, Panthers
Fast and has a great arm. Could be best rookie in a long time.
13. DROY: Von Miller, Broncos
Miller will be a mainstay on this Broncos defense for a long time.
14. Coach of Year: Bill Belichick, Patriots
Belichick will lead this team to Indy. Easy call.
15: Comeback Player of the Year: Matt Stafford, Lions
If he stays healthy, they make the playoffs. Stafford is a great quarterback and has the potential to be a HOF quarterback.
16: Rookie of the Year: Cam Newton, Panthers
See above.
17. First coach to be fired: Ken Whisenhunt, Arizona
Team will have #1 pick in draft. Write it down.
18. 3 Games to watch out for:
Pats-Giants - Rematch of Super Bowl 42. Eli vs Brady. This could be a historic game.
Lions-Packers (The first time) - Stafford vs Rodgers in what could be a matchup that determines the NFC North winner.
Saints-Falcons (The second time) - This will determine NFC South. Mark my words.

19: Team that has the best chance to go undefeated: Packers.

20: Team that will go winless: Cardinals.

21: Team that will barely sneak into Playoffs: Raiders.

22: Super Bowl Winner: Pats-Saints..Saints win second Championship in 3 years.

[Stout]

- Marshawn Lynch is gang-tackled by the Niners defense.

Hawks put up 21 in 4th, stun 49ers
Defense records 5 picks, Jackson throws for 2 touchdowns
Danny O'Neil, Seattle Times

San Fransisco, California - As the national anthem played, and the jets flew over Candlestick Park, you knew that we were in for another exciting NFL season. You could just feel it. Coming into the game, the 49ers were 7.5 favorites and local (well, California) rapper The Game came out for the coin toss, but the Seahawks were out to change the mood at the stadium, and they delivered, upsetting the San Fransisco 49ers 28-10, led by 5 picks by the defense.

Tavaris Jackson was a decent 19/31 and tossed 2 touchdowns in his official regular season debut, but when you have Marshawn Lynch, you don't need to pass it every play. Now, you may look at Lynch's stats and notice a very pedestrian 3.7 YPC, but he had some clutch plays that helped change the momentum. Without his 8 yard run on a 4th and 1, the game may not have turned out the same. Sidney Rice also made his high publicized debut, as many people were wondering if he would be a bust. Even though he only had 4 catches, he caught a touchdown on a acrobatic slant route that ended with him falling as he caught the ball, smiling as he gave the ball to the official. John Carlson also caught a touchdown, and pointed to the local soldiers who were on the field watching the game, in honor of the 9/11 tribute before the game. The defense, as mentioned before, had 5 picks, although the majority of those picks were on awful throws by Alex Smith.

Speaking of Alex Smith, the boos were loud and explicit as he walked off the field. The former #1 overall pick started off well, but in the 2nd half was just awful. His throws were terrible, bad enough to the point that the crowd was chanting Kap-er-nick, wanting injured rookie QB Colin Kapernick to come out onto the field because even with a injured shoulder, he could probably still make better passes. Patrick Willis and Frank Gore showed that they will probably be the only bright spots for the 49ers this year, as Gore had a 83 yard run in the first and Willis tacked on 6 tackles and a sack. Vernon Davis also had a good game, having 5 catches, one of them being a diving 8 yard, first down catch.

On to the future: The Seahawks will travel to Pittsburgh to take on the defending AFC Champion Steelers, at 10 AM local time. The Niners remain home against the Cowboys, which will presuambly be the national televised game for FOX.
Edit: Date should say 9/11/11 don't mind the box score date mistake

Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers
Jan 1,	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Seattle Seahawks (1-0)	7	0	0	21	28
San Francisco 49ers (0-1)	7	3	0	0	10

Team Stats Comparison
	SEA	SFO
Total Offense	346	262
Rushing Yards	155	188
Passing Yards	191	74
First Downs	20	10
Punt Return Yards	35	9
Kick Return Yards	50	0
Total Yards	431	271
Turnovers	1	5
3rd Down Converstion	4-14	1-9
4th Down Conversion	2-2	0-0
2-Point Conversion	0-0	0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	3/0	0/0
Penalties	3-29	0/0
Posession Time	31:44	16:16

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		SEA	SFO
9:09	(SFO) Gore 83 YD run (Akers kick)	0	7
1:41	(SEA) Rice 4 YD pass from Jackson (Hauschka kick)	7	7
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		SEA	SFO
1:55	(SFO) Akers 44 YD FG	7	10
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		SEA	SFO
10:24	(SEA) Lynch 1 YD run (Hauschka kick)	14	10
4:24	(SEA) Carlson 4 YD pass from Jackson (Hauschka kick)	21	10
1:34	(SEA) Sherman 26 YD INT TD (Hauschka kick)	28	10

Seattle Seahawks PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Jackson 19/31 215 2 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Lynch 32 131 3.7 1 Washington 3 23 7.6 0 Jackson 2 1 0.5 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Lynch 7 39 5.5 0 Rice 4 24 6.0 1 Williams 2 17 8.5 0 Sims-Walker 2 34 17.0 0 Carlson 1 4 4.0 1 Miller 1 23 23.0 0 Baldwin 2 74 37.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK Okung 0 1 Gallery 0 0 Unger 0 1 Mcquistan 0 0 Maunuwai 0 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Wright 8 0 0 0 Hawthorne 9 0 0 0 Bigby 2 0 0 0 Branch 3 1.0 0 0 Chancellor 4 0 0 0 Sherman 1 0 2 1 Thomas 1 0 1 0 Browner 4 0 2 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Hasuchka 0/0 4/4 4 0 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Ryan 7 327 46.7 2 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Washington 2 50 25.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Washington 4 35 8.7 0

San Francisco 49ers PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Smith 8/25 77 0 5 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Gore 28 171 7.7 1 Smith 2 17 8.5 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Davis 5 47 9.4 0 Morgan 1 19 19.0 0 Williams 1 0 0.0 0 Crabtree 1 11 11.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK Snyder 0 1 Davis 0 0 Goodwin 0 0 Person 0 0 Iupati 0 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Haralson 11 1.0 0 0 Rogers 10 0 0 0 Whitner 10 0 0 0 Bowman 8 0 0 0 Willis 6 1.0 0 0 Brown 4 0 1 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Akers 1/1 2/2 5 44 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Lee 6 269 44.8 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Ginn 0 0 0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Ginn 2 9 4.5 0

[Stout]

Around The NFL

Packers 30, Saints 17 - Aaron Rodgers threw for 375 yards and 2 touchdowns as the defending champs handled the Saints.
Steelers 20, Ravens 13 - Charlie Batch 11 yard pass to Hines Ward with 1:44 left as Steelers beat Ravens, Big Ben questionable week 2
Bengals 25, Browns 20 - Dalton wins 1st start, Shipley catches 4-100, 1 TD
Colts 20, Texans 17 - Peyton leads comeback after being questionable for season, Kubiak frustrated
Titans 27, Jaguars 17 - Hassleback throws for 3 touchdowns, CJ2K only goes 25-65
Falcons 31, Bears 13 - Ryan 16-24 116, 2 TD and Falcons cruise to victory
Chiefs 41, Bills 24 - Fitz throws for 4 picks, Chiefs running game too much for Bills Defense
Rams 22, Eagles 10 - "Dream Team" upset by Rams, Lloyd out for season and T.O. signed
Lions 21, Bucs 12 - Even without "Megatron", Stafford throws 3 touchdowns as Lions smash Bucs.
Seahawks 28, 49ers 10 - Defense picks off Alex Smith 5 times, Jackson passes 2 touchdowns
Redskins 23, Giants 17 (OT) - Eli throws pick to Alexander FTW as Giants comeback from 14 down only to blow it in OT
Vikings 17, Chargers 10 - Ponder wins debut, Gerhart fills in perfectly for A.D.
Cardinals 25, Panthers 22 - Cardinals hold on, Newton still looking for first pro touchdown
Cowboys 31, Jets 19 - Kitna throws for 4 TDs, Austin totals 213 yards
Pats 26, Dolphins 17 - Branch 8-81, 1 TD as Pats defeat Phins
Broncos 33, Raiders 17 - Defense shuts down Raiders as Tebow Mania begins

Top 3 News Stories of the week:
T.O to Rams
- Rams look to see a lot of this

In the aftermath of Brandon Lloyd's season ending injury, the Rams went out and signed Terrell Owens. T.O. was extremely happy to be signed to a young team like the Rams, and will step in as the #1 Receiver now. In his opening press conference, Owens announced he will wear #84 in honor of good friend Randy Moss, and to signify a new begininning. Owens: "I am so excited to join a team like the Rams that will give me a fresh start". T.O. will start next week against the Giants on Monday Night Football, an appropriate start for the star receiver.

Manning comes back, beats Texans


A week ago at this time, people didn't even know if Peyton Manning would play this season. However, on Sunday Morning, while backup Curtis Painter warmed up, Manning received a injection in his back and put his pads on, and led the Colts to a upset victory against the Texans. Manning passed for 281 yards and a touchdown to Austin Collie in the closing minutes. It was great seeing the future Hall Of Famer play, even though he wasn't 100%. We will see how he plays at 100%, hopefully it is sooner than later, as the Colts need him in order to even sniff the playoffs. The Colts take on the Browns next week, so they should have a good shot at 2-0.

2011: Year of the rookie QB?
- Newton and Dalton in action on Sunday

As a record 5 rookie QBs started on week 1, all eyes are on Andy Dalton and Cam Newton. Dalton threw for a touchdown and led his team to a win over the Browns, while Newton had more success on the ground this past week. Many people are saying that one of these 2 will be the OROY, and they give you good reason. Both are explosive and have the potential to turn their teams around. The Panthers play the defending champ Packers Sunday, and the Bengals will take on the Broncos, so both of these Quaterbacks look to lead their teams to upset victories and turning heads around the league.