Rainy Days and Coffee: A Seattle Seahawks Franchise

[Stout]

- The Seahawks bench looks on with dissapointment as the Steelers crush the Seahawks.

Steelers bring Seahawks back down to Earth, pick off Jackson 4 times
Defending AFC Champs look good in home opener
Danny O'Neil, Seattle Times

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - Coming off a huge win against the 49ers, you'd have to wonder how the Seahawks would fare against the defending AFC champion Steelers, who won last week after Ben Rothlisberger left with a concussion. The question was, would Big Ben play? On Friday, Mike Tomlin announced that his quarterback would indeed be starting against the Seahawks, so the Seahawks were left with little time to change their gameplan, anf this turned costly, as the Steelers tossed aside the Seahawks en route to a 36-22 victory.

The fantastic, consistently ranked top 5 Steelers defense, intercepted Tavaris Jackson 4 times, just a week after the Seahakws had 5 picks of their own. Jackson did throw a touchdown though, albeit with 16 seconds left on a beautiful pass to Doug Baldwin. Marshawn Lynch had another productive day, averaging over 5 yards on his carries. And 2nd year man Earl Thomas had another great day, holding Mike Wallace to 2 catches and even picking off a pass of his own. Thomas is really becoming one of the better defensive backs in the league, and without his presence, you'd have to wonder what the Seahawks would do. Before Baldwin's touchdown, Justin Forsett had a 104 yard kickoff return as the second half started, and as he ran in, he slid in, causing boos to rain down from the crowd. The Seahawks gave up big yardage on the ground again, and Pete Carrol stated that this week will be focused on run defense, especially because the Cardinals, who they play next week, will probably look to the ground more.

And on the other side of things, Big Ben had a good day back, even though he was shaky in the first quarter, throwing a pick and several balls out of bounds. But as soon as the 2nd quarter started, its like something in him awoke, as he led the Steelers to 17 offensive points. But those points were helped by one of his new targets, Jericho Cotchery. Cotchery had 6 catches and a touchdown, and even had a special teams tackle. Cotchery is trying to show that the Jets made a regret cutting him, as the Steelers are 2-0, but the Jets are 0-2. Troy Polamalu played a huge role as per usual, having 6 tackles and a interception on his day. Mike Tomlin stated in his post game press conference that he was impressed by the way his offense played. "We all know that this defense had 5 picks last week, and forced 3 turnovers today, but I'm proud that our offense, even with Ben coming back from his injury, was able to put up big numbers".

On to the future: The Seahawks have their home opener next week, as they play the 1-1 Cardinals at 1:15 local time. In next weeks Sunday Night Game, the Steelers will take on Peyton Manning and the Colts. That will be at 5:20 local time, or 8:20 on the East Coast.

Seattle Seahawks at Pittsburgh Steelers
Sep 18, 2011	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Seattle Seahawks (1-1)	0	7	7	8	22
Pittsburgh Steelers (2-0)	0	24	3	9	36

Team Stats Comparison
	SEA	PIT
Total Offense	272	317
Rushing Yards	92	114
Passing Yards	180	203
First Downs	13	14
Punt Return Yards	10	16
Kick Return Yards	269	57
Total Yards	551	290
Turnovers	4	3
3rd Down Converstion	1-9	2-9
4th Down Conversion	0-1	0-0
2-Point Conversion	1-1	0-1
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	0/0	1/1
Penalties	2-20	2-8
Posession Time	24:52	23:08

Scoring Summary
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		SEA	PIT
11:55	(PIT) Suisham 49 YD FG	0	3
8:59	(SEA) Farwell returned fumble 15 YDs (Hauschka kick)	7	3
3:50	(PIT) Redman 3 YD run (Suisham kick)	7	10
0:51	(PIT) Cotchery 13 YD pass from Rothlisberger (Suisham kick)	7	17
0:00	(PIT) Timmons returned INT 99 YDs (Suisham kick)	7	24
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		SEA	PIT
11:42	(SEA) Forsett 104 YD return (Hauschka kick)	14	24
2:42	(PIT) Suisham 35 YD FG	14	27
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		SEA	PIT
11:42	(PIT) Miller 1 yd pass from Rothlisberger (2 pt failed)	14	33
1:11	(PIT) Suisham 48 YD FG	14	36
0:16	(SEA) Baldwin 64 YD pass from Jackson (2 pt sucessful)	22	36

Seattle Seahawks PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Jackson 14/27 216 1 4 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Lynch 15 81 5.4 0 Jackson 4 11 2.7 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Lynch 6 32 5.3 0 Rice 3 73 24.3 0 Miller 2 18 9.0 0 Sims-Walker 2 28 14.0 0 Baldwin 1 65 65.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK Gallery 1 1 Okung 0 1 Unger 1 1 Manuwai 0 0 Giacomini 0 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Thomas 6 0 1 0 Hawthorne 5 0 0 0 Bryant 3 1.0 0 0 Clemons 3 1.0 0 0 Chancellor 2 0 0 0 Farwell 0 0 0 1 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Hasuchka 0/2 2/2 2 0 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Ryan 4 184 46.0 3 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Forsett 3 187 63.3 1 Washington 3 82 27.3 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Washington 4 10 3.3 0

Pittsburgh Steelers PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Rothlisberger 15/22 219 2 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Mendenhall 14 83 5.9 0 Redman 9 9 1.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Cotchery 4 64 16.0 1 Brown 3 32 10.6 0 Miller 3 54 18.0 1 Wallace 2 30 15.0 0 Redman 1 26 26.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK Starks 1 0 Legursky 1 0 Pouncey 0 1 Kemoeatu 0 0 Colon 0 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Taylor 6 1.0 1 0 Timmons 6 1.0 1 1 Gay 4 0 1 0 Polamalu 6 0 1 0 Worilds 2 1.0 0 0 Mundy 2 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Suisham 3/3 3/3 12 49 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Sepulveda 4 176 40 1 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Brown 1 42 42.0 0 Cotchery 1 15 15.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Brown 4 16 4.0 0

[Stout]

Around the NFL

Lions 24, Chiefs 21 (OT) - Stafford throws for 3, Hanson wins it with 6:22 left in OT.
Steelers 36, Seahawks 22 - Defense picks off Jackson 4 times, Rothlisberger shows no rust after injury.
Bills 22, Raiders 17 - Fitzpatrick to Chandler from 9 yards out with 0:16 left, Raiders 0-2 in Palmer era.
Packers 30, Panthers 27 (OT) - Newton almost upsets Packers, but Rodgers leads comeback in Nashville.
Ravens 42, Titans 36 - Shootout in Nashville as Rice goes 14-200, 3 TDs, but Flacco frustrated with criticism.
Colts 42, Browns 30 - Peyton throws for 5 TDs as Browns start 0-2 again, Colts play Steelers on SNF next week.
Bucs 16, Vikings 10 - Bucs hold Peterson, Ponder in check in big win, move to 1-1
Redskins 30, Cardinals 18 - Beck throws for 3, Moss 8-98 1 TD in big win over Cards.
Bears 24, Saints 20 - Saints 0-2 without Brees as Bears narrowly win in Big Easy.
Jags 17, Jets 14 - Gabbert gets first pro win, Sanchez showered with boos in pouring rain as Jets fall to 0-2
Cowboys 28, 49ers 23 - Kitna on fire as Boys go to 2-0, face Redskins next week on MNF.
Chargers 24, Pats 17 - Chargers storm into Boston, upset New England as Rivers throws for 2 touchdowns
Bengals 37, Broncos 10 - Dalton throws for 2, leaves with huge lead as Tebow throws 3 picks.
Texans 27, Dolphins 23 - Schaub leads huge comeback as Texans rally, hold on to win in Miami.
Eagles 38, Falcons 28 - Ryan throws for 4 but it's not enough as Vick secures first win of 2011 for Eagles.
Giants 31, Rams 13 - T.O.'s catches 8 catches and a TD in debut but overshadowed by huge game by Eli, Giants.

Top 3 Stories of the week:


Shonn Greene's huge game:
When the lockout ended, and prediction season began, many people were picking Chris Johnson, Adrian Peterson, even Micheal Turner as the league's best running back. So far, it's been Shonn Greene, of the New York Jets. Now, the Jets may be 0-2, and people are calling for Sanchez's head, but Greene is playing extremely well. Averaging 6.1 yards a carry and 145.5 yards a game, Greene is one of the few Jets people are not criticizing. Against a Jaguars defense that held CJ2K in check in week 1, Greene exploded for over 200 yards and 2 scores, and next week he plays the Raiders, who don't have the best run defense, so another huge game should be in order for the 3rd year running back.


Lions are 2-0, Stafford still healthy
Everyone said it before the season began, if Matt Stafford stays healthy, the Lions are a playoff team. They sure as hell look like one right now, and they don't even have Calvin Johnson. When he comes back, this team could be even more scary, as Stafford has been pinpoint, throwing for 6 scores in 2 games and completing 63% of his passes. Plus, if you factor in Suh and the young defense, this is a team that could be a NFC powerhouse for years, if they stay healthy and out of trouble. The Lions are going to Minnesota next week, so expect another big game from the former #1 overall pick.


"Suck 4 Luck", The new NFL meme that is taking the Nation
Andrew Luck, the quarterback of Stanford, is arguably the best NFL prospect in years, since Peyton Manning. So many teams would love him as their man, and people are starting a Suck 4 Luck campaign. The picture you see above you was a fan at the Dolphins game, holding up a sign from a meme that started in the preseason, and it's sweeping the nation as fans of the Redskins, Dolphins, Seahawks, Cardinals, Niners they all want Luck. Right now, out of all those teams the Dolphins and Niners are the only one 0-2, and with a very hard schedule, they are the ones with the best shot at Luck. Luck has remained mum on the meme, but his former coach hasn't. Jim Harbaugh, of the 0-2 Niners, has said that it's stupid and incredibly disrespectful to the young man and the teams. Harbuagh, "How would you feel if there was all that pressure on you, that you're fans want you to lose for a better quarterback". We will bring you more "Suck 4 Luck" coverage as the season goes on.

[Stout]

- Jackson celebrates after throwing the game winning touchdown

Seahawks win OT thriller against Cards
Tarvaris Jackson yanked after another 3 picks, but returns and throws game winner
Danny O'Neil, Seattle Times

Seattle, Washington - Wow, what a game. There is no better way to put it, even though it's been a hour and a half since the game ended. For the Seahawks home opener, the stadium was packed, and as the starters were announced, there was a feeling of happiness in the air. It sounds weird but it's so true, ask any one that was there. Now, both teams were coming off losses, and both teams wanted to avoid a losing start, or having the dreaded tie. So, on a beautiful 71 degree day in Seattle, with the roof open, kickoff happened, and one of the more exciting games in the young season began.

The Seahawks, as has been often since the preseason, played fairly well on defense. They had 3 picks, and forced a fumble, although the Cards did recover that fumble. Earl Thomas, as usual, picked off a pass and held his match-up, who in this game was All-Pro Receiver Larry Fitzgerald, to a almost meaningless game. In fact, one of the few plays that Thomas was out of the game, Fitzgerald made his only catch, a 20 yard TD Reception that gave tied the game at 17. Tarvaris Jackson struggled again, throwing 3 picks and even getting pulled from the game. Jackson has thrown 8 picks in 3 games and has often lost while on the field. Pete Carroll stated in his press conference that Jackson will start next week, but Josh Portis, not Charlie Whitehurst would be next in line to get in the game. Whitehurst suffered a concussion after throwing the ball and being hit from behind, and that is the only reason why Jackson was brought back in. But, Jackson did throw the game winning pass in overtime to Zach Miller, sending the crowd into a frenzy. In a call that will live on forever in the hearts of Seattle fans, Gus Johnson, doing the game for FOX, called the play perfectly.
"Jackson, somehow back in the game and leading them on a amazing drive takes the snap, scrambles out, still running, finds Miller TOUCHDOWN! TOUCHDOWN ZACH MILLER! THE SEAHAWKS WIN! WHAT A GAME! JACKSON THROWS THE GAME WINNING PASS!! SEAHAWKS WIN 23-17!"

The Cardinals had so many chances to put the dagger into the Seahawks and win, and even could have won with 5 seconds left in the game, but as Jay Feely lined up to kick a 55 yard field goal, the Seahawks called a time out. He than missed wide left, and the crowd started screaming. Charlie Whitehurst than threw a desperation Hail Mary, and was hit from behind, causing his concussion. Kevin Kolb, who the Cards thought would be their savior, turned in another sub-par game as he threw the afore mentioned 3 interceptions. Now by no means is this loss his fault, but you need strong offense to win games like this, defensive battles. And with a running game that was often held behind the line, Ken Whisenhunt needs to make big adjustments in order to win. This is the 2nd straight week that a lack of a running game has killed them, and this is the 2nd straight week that they have lost. And also Larry Fitzgerald was held in check, although he brought in a touchdown. Going up against Earl Thomas is like going up against Darelle Revis, and going up against Darelle Revis is like not even playing, because you won't bring balls in, and you won't score. Ken Whisenhunt was very upset with his team losing, and said that changes could be coming. "What really upsets me," Whisenhunt said in his press conference, "is the fact that we couldn't finish. No excuses, changes will come if games like this continue. We have many back ups that can play and win, and I'm not afraid to play them".

On to the future: The Seahawks stay at home to take on the 2-1 Falcons around 1:05 local time, and the Cardinals will be home to the 2-1 Giants, around 2:00 Arizona time.

Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks
Sep 25, 2011	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	OT	SCORE
Arizona Cardinals (1-2)	7	3	7	0	0	17
Seattle Seahawks (2-1)	7	3	7	0	6	23

Team Stats Comparison
	ARI	SEA
Total Offense	256	233
Rushing Yards	75	123
Passing Yards	181	110
First Downs	13	15
Punt Return Yards	19	21
Kick Return Yards	33	76
Total Yards	308	330
Turnovers	3	4
3rd Down Converstion	2-11	9-16
4th Down Conversion	0-0	0-0
2-Point Conversion	0-0	0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	1/1	3/1
Penalties	3-28	2-10
Posession Time	24:22	26:02

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		ARI	SEA
5:27	(ARI) Roberts 19 YD pass from Kolb (Feely kick)	7	0
1:01	(SEA) Lynch 7 YD run (Hauschka kick)	7	7
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		ARI	SEA
4:23	(ARI) Feely 19 YD FG	10	7
3:51	(SEA) Hauschka 34 YD FG	10	10
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		ARI	SEA
8:04	(SEA) Miller 3 YD pass from Jackson (Hauschka kick)	10	17
3:51	(ARI) Fitzgerald 20 YD pass from Kolb (Feely kick)	17	17
OVERTIME SCORING		ARI	SEA
9:33	(SEA) Miller 4 YD pass from Jackson	17	23

Arizona Cardinals PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Kolb 17/32 196 2 3 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Wells 19 56 2.9 0 Williams 1 7 7.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Doucet 6 56 9.3 0 Wells 4 40 10.0 0 Stuckey 3 35 11.6 0 Roberts 3 45 15.0 0 Fitzgerald 1 20 20.0 1 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK Hadnot 0 1 Lutui 0 1 Sendlein 0 0 Keith 0 1 Bridges 0 1 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Haggans 7 0 0 0 Washington 7 0 0 0 Rhodes 6 0 1 0 Leon 6 1.0 0 0 Acho 5 0 0 0 Marshall 4 0 2 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Feely 1/2 2/2 5 19 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Zastudil 7 310 44.2 2 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Jefferson 2 33 16.5 0 Stephens-Howling 1 0 0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Stephens-Howling 4 19 4.7 0

Seattle Seahawks PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Jackson 14/27 122 2 3 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Lynch 34 108 3.1 1 Jackson 2 14 7.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Lynch 5 61 12.2 0 Tate 3 25 6.3 0 Miller 3 16 5.3 2 Williams 1 9 9.0 0 Carlson 1 10 10.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK Okung 1 0 Gallery 1 0 Unger 3 1 Manuwai 0 0 Giacomini 0 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Hawthorne 7 0 2 0 Bryant 5 1.0 0 0 Thomas 5 0 1 0 Wright 4 0 0 0 Hill 3 0 0 0 Clemons 3 2.0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Hasuchka 1/1 2/2 5 34 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Ryan 6 253 42.1 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Forsett 1 28 28.0 0 Washington 3 48 16.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Washington 5 21 4.2 0

[Stout]

Around The NFL

Bills 24, Pats 20 - Bills upset Pats in Buffalo and crowd storms field after huge win.
Vikings 22, Lions 11 - Ponder keys win in Minnesota as Stafford has awful game.
Giants 35, Eagles 34 - G-Men take lead with 0:51 left as Manning hits Cruz from one yard out, Eli 22-40, 309 4 TD.
Panthers 21, Jags 10 - Newton gets first win as he throws 2 touchdowns.
49ers 34, Bengals 27 - Alex Smith saves 49ers in Cincy, Dalton throws 4 picks.
Saints 27, Texans 21 - Daniel leads Saints to win, Brees expected back soon though.
Browns 17, Dolphins 6 - Browns 1-2 punch of Hillis and Hardesty key win against Dolphins.
Titans 22, Broncos 9 - Tebow struggles big time, Fox might make switch soon.
Chiefs 23, Chargers 13 - Cassel leads Chiefs to win in San Diego, Rivers throws temper tantrum on field.
Rams 31, Ravens 30 - Cadillac Williams 15-93 1 TD running 1 caught as Rams outlast Ravens, T.O. has a big home debut.
Raiders 14, Jets 6 - Jets 0-3 as Sanchez struggles again, changes could be coming against Ravens next week.
Packers 16, Bears 12 - Rodgers leads Pack to win in Chi-town, Cobb 5-81 1 TD.
Falcons 30, Bucs 17 - Ryan has another DNF due to big lead, Smith says it's due to caution.
Seahawks 23, Cards 17 (OT) - Jackson throws game winning pass in OT to Miller FTW, Whisenhunt explodes.
Steelers 24, Colts 17 - Big Ben throws 3 touchdowns as Steelers win on SNF.
Redskins 23, Cowboys 18 - Romo returns in second half after Kitna gets hurt, FG Battle on MNF.

Top 3 News Stories of the week

- A photo caught of Rivers yelling at an official

Rivers' scene on the field
Phillip Rivers caused shock when on Sunday, after getting hit from behind by Tamba Hali about 4 seconds after he threw the ball in the closing minutes and not getting a call, began to scream at Hali and than at an official. Rivers was not ejected or removed from the game, but was thrown with a penalty of his own, a 15 yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Rivers did not make his usual post game interview, instead going to the podium to make a speech. Rivers said that he made a "incredibly foolish mistake, and he wish he could take it all back". Hali stated in a text message to FOX Sport's Jay Glazer that he accepted Rivers' apology, but warned him to watch out. "u don't mess wit someone like that and not expect others to take note. i wuld wear a vest nxt game if i were him because people are gonna hit him hard, harder than usual" was his text. Rivers should indeed wear some sort of protection next week against the Dolphins, because I am sure that they are going for him too.

- Rex Ryan after the Jets latest loss

The Jets, and their sudden downfall
The Jets, a team that went to the playoffs, the AFC Championship game no less, have started out this season 0-3 and are in the bottom of most offensive ranks. 13 PPG, 2 passing touchdowns from Mark Sanchez, only 1115 yards through 3 games, 339 passing yards through 3 games, what happened to this Jets team. Rex Ryan, Jets coach and the arrogant coach, broke down crying in his press conference after the game, apologizing to all the Jet fans across the world. If the Jets want to even win a game this year, they will need to fix their passing game. The rumors about a new quarterback won't stop, even though it's only week 4. Jet fans are some of, if not the most, toughest fans in the NFL and this is no exception, as the Jets are really struggling, and it's such a shock to see them doing this bad.

- They could very well be re-posing in Indy this winter.

The Manning brothers are on top again
It's that time of year again, the 'Manning Bowl" bandwagon starts again. But this time, it could actually happen. Eli and Peyton are 1-2 in TD passes and are in the top 5 of QB rating, and they have both looked fantastic this year. Eli looks the most mature that he's been since he came into the league, and of course, Peyton is still going 13 years into the league. Now, even in week 4, it's a bit premature to look at playoff teams, but I am honestly convinced that both teams could easily make the playoffs. I mean, these are 2 of the best QBs in the league, and the wide outs and tight ends that they have are 2 of the best corps in the NFL, so I don't know, it's early, but these teams can definitly make it if they stay healthy, and speaking of healthy, neither of these QBs have ever missed a NFL game since they became starters.

NFL Standings - Updated: Sep 26, 2011
NFC EAST	W	L	T	PF	PA
Redskins	3	0	0	76	53
Giants	2	1	0	83	70
Cowboys	2	1	0	77	65
Eagles	1	2	0	82	85
NFC NORTH	W	L	T	PF	PA
Packers	3	0	0	76	53
Vikings	2	1	0	49	37
Lions	2	1	0	56	55
Bears	1	2	0	49	67
NFC SOUTH	W	L	T	PF	PA
Falcons	2	1	0	89	68
Buccaneers	1	2	0	45	61
Saints	1	2	0	64	75
Panthers	1	2	0	70	65
NFC WEST	W	L	T	PF	PA
Seahawks	2	1	0	73	63
Rams	2	1	0	66	71
49ers	1	2	0	67	83
Cardinals	1	2	0	60	75
AFC EAST	W	L	T	PF	PA
Bills	2	1	0	70	78
Patriots	1	2	0	66	75
Jets	0	3	0	39	62
Dolphins	0	3	0	56	73
AFC NORTH	W	L	T	PF	PA
Steelers	3	0	0	80	52
Bengals	2	1	0	89	64
Ravens	1	2	0	85	87
Browns	1	2	0	67	73
AFC SOUTH	W	L	T	PF	PA
Colts	2	1	0	79	71
Titans	2	1	0	85	68
Jaguars	1	2	0	44	62
Texans	1	2	0	65	70
AFC WEST	W	L	T	PF	PA
Chiefs	2	1	0	85	61
Broncos	1	2	0	52	76
Chargers	1	2	0	47	57
Raiders	1	2	0	48	61

[Stout]

Seahawks beat Falcons, but lose Lynch
Star running back out 9 weeks with broken collarbone
Danny O'Neil, Seattle Times

Seattle, Washington - As Marshawn Lynch lay on the ground in the second quarter, the crowd was silent. The only noise you could hear, even from the nosebleeds, was the sound of them calling for a cart. Lynch, on a run just before the 2 minute warning, had taken a hard hit to the ground, and wasn't moving. As Lynch was carted away, the crowd remained silent, and than, in a split second, became loud again. Lynch gave a thumbs up to the crowd, so we knew he wasn't paralyzed. Instead, he had broken his collarbone, and will be out until probably December as he recovers. But, the Seahawks were able to win without him, being led by Justin Forsett's two huge kickoff returns.

Speaking of Forsett's kickoff runs, the first was at the end of the first half, as he went 104 yards to the house after Brent Grimes returned a pick by Tavaris Jackson, who only threw 2 today and is somewhat making improvement. Jackson was 17/25 and looked calmer today, often going with shorter passes than trying to go deep, but the pick returned for a touchdown was on a bit of a deep ball, considering their position. Forsett's second really changed the momentum, and it was alot similar to Marshawn's run against the Saints last year. A lot of broken tackles and celebrating (this was punctuated by Forsett raising his arm and jumping in) later, Forsett had his second kickoff return TD. Also playing a huge role was Mike Williams, who had 3 catches, including his first TD of the year on a great catch in the back of the end zone. And, Leon Washington was also key, scoring on a 7 yard run early in the 4th and averaging almost 6 yards a carry. And the defense, boy did they play great. Chris Clemons had 2 sacks, as did Mebane and they were able to limit Michael Turner to only 29 yards, and he's one of the premier back so that is excellent. Clemons is becoming a veteran leader on this defense, and he is a huge reason why they are 3-1. He has been able to constantly pressure the quarterback, and that leads to incomplete passes and interceptions, something that Earl Thomas must be happy about.

Matt Ryan struggled, throwing a pick to Earl Thomas and not throwing a touchdown, although the one that he threw was called back due to holding. Ryan said after the game, "I tip my hat to their defense. They played great, and against a offense like ours, they deserve a lot of credit". Roddy White was one of the few falcons who had a good game, totaling 88 yards on 4 receptions, and scoring the touchdown that was called back. White was actually not matched up against Earl Thomas, instead Thomas was on 1st round pick Julio Jones, who was held to 1 catch for 11 yards. Jones had high praise for Thomas, saying that he ranks up there with the best defensive backs, and he's not the only one that thinks that. Leading them on defense was Johnathan Babineaux, who had 10 tackles and 3 sacks, often coming up the middle in order to sack Jackson. Brent Grimes also had an impressive showing, picking off both of the interceptions Jackson threw and returned one of them for a score, but he downplayed it after the game. Grimes stated that none of it matters if the Falcons can't pull off a win. And coach Mike Smith agreed with him, saying that individual acomplishments don't mean anything if you don't win.

On to the future: The Seahawks travel to NY to take on the resurgent Giants and that game will be on at 10:00 local time, and the Falcons take on the defending champion Packers next afternoon in a game that is sure to attract many viewers. '

Ed. Note: Please leave feedback if you're following. I'd love to know what to improve on and what I'm doing right, because I want to be the best I can be at everything I do, and this is no exception, so please just leave some feedback.

Atlanta Falcons at Seattle Seahawks
Oct 2, 2011	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Atlanta Falcons (2-2)	0	14	7	7	28
Seattle Seahawks (3-1)	3	14	7	10	31

Team Stats Comparison
	ATL	SEA
Total Offense	261	249
Rushing Yards	38	124
Passing Yards	223	125
First Downs	13	13
Punt Return Yards	74	43
Kick Return Yards	100	297
Total Yards	435	589
Turnovers	2	3
3rd Down Converstion	3-12	1-8
4th Down Conversion	1-1	0-0
2-Point Conversion	0-0	0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	2/0	2/1
Penalties	1-10	1-5
Posession Time	20:00	28:00

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		ATL	SEA
6:40	(SEA) Hausucka 42 YD FG	0	3
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		ATL	SEA
7:21	(SEA) Williams YD pass from Jackson (Hauschka kick)	0	10
1:06	(ATL) Weems returned punt 74 YDs (Bryant kick)	7	10
0:25	(ATL) Grimes returned INT 44 Yds (Bryant kick)	14	10
0:00	(SEA) Forsett returned kickoff 104 YDs (Hauschka kick)	14	17
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		ATL	SEA
2:37	(ATL) Turner 5 YD run (Bryant kick)	21	17
2:06	(SEA) Forsett returned kickoff 103 yards (Hauschka kick)	21	24
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		ATL	SEA
10:54	(SEA) Washington 7 YD run (Hauschka kick)	21	31
1:59	(ATL) Turner 2 YD run (Bryant kick)	28	31
0:35	(SEA) Hauschka 31 YD FG	28	34

Atlanta Falcons PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Ryan 17/30 248 0 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Turner 15 29 1.9 2 Ryan 2 9 4.5 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD White 4 88 22.0 0 Gonzalez 4 42 10.5 0 Douglas 2 55 18.3 0 Weems 2 17 8.5 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK Baker 0 0 Blalock 0 2 Mcclure 1 0 Svitek 0 1 Clabo 1 1 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Babineaux 10 3.0 0 0 Lofton 10 0 0 0 Hayden 6 0 0 0 Peterson 5 1.0 0 0 Robinson 4 0 0 0 Grimes 4 0 2 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Bryant 0/0 4/4 4 0 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Bosher 7 335 47.8 1 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Douglas 3 67 22.3 0 Weems 1 33 33.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Weems 2 74 37.0 0

Seattle Seahawks PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Jackson 17/25 148 1 2 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Washington 13 76 5.8 1 Lynch 6 23 3.8 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Sims-Walker 4 38 9.5 0 Williams 3 38 12.6 1 Rice 2 23 11.5 0 Tate 1 32 32.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK Okung 0 0 Gallery 1 0 Unger 0 2 Manuwai 1 1 Giacomini 1 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Clemons 5 2.0 0 0 Mebane 4 2.0 0 0 Wright 3 0 0 0 Hawthorne 3 0 0 0 Browner 3 0 0 0 Thomas 2 0 1 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Hauschka 2/2 4/4 10 42 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Ryan 5 244 48.3 1 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Forsett 3 238 79.3 2 Washington 2 59 29.5 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Washington 6 43 7.1 0

[Stout]

Around The NFL
Saints 30, Jags 17- Brees returns and shows no rust, going 31-52 and throwing 3 touchdowns.
Chiefs 24, Vikings 6 - Cassel keys win with 2 touchdowns, hold Vikings to 2 field goals.
Panthers 27, Bears 17 - Cam Newton remains hot, brings Panthers to as many wins as last year.
Titans 19, Browns 16 - Titans hold on after kicking GW FG with 2:31, intercept McCoy on 6 yard line.
Eagles 36, 49ers 19 - Dream Team back to 2-2 after huge game by Vick, Steve Smith 5-73 1 TD.
Texans 18, Steelers 13 - Schaub to Jones with 1:43 FTW as Texans upset Steelers in Texas.
Rams 27, Redskins 16 - Bradford skins Washington, throwing for 2 touchdowns as T.O. has another huge game.
Bengals 34, Bills 20 - A.J. Green 10-159 1 TD in blowout win over Buffalo.
Lions 17, Cowboys 14 - Stafford leads Lions to another win in Calvin Johnson's return.
Giants 40, Cards 24 - Bradshaw and Jacobs combine for 127 yards rushing in Ground N' Pound win over Cards.
Seahawks 34, Falcons 28 - Marshawn Lynch breaks collarbone, but Seahawks still hold on.
Packers 40, Broncos 28 - Packers 4-0 as Rodgers goes 23-38, 328 4 TDs on Broncos defense.
Raiders 27, Patriots 10 - Patriots 1-3 for first time in Brady era, Michael Bush 28-159 2 TDs.
Dolphins 29, Chargers 24 - Dolphins finally win as Moore throws for 3 scores.
Ravens 35, Jets 28 - Sanchez finally has decent day but Ravens win, losing Ray Rice in the process.
Colts 24, Bucs 20 - Peyton to Wayne from 3 yards out with 2 minutes left FTW as Colts complete comeback in Tampa.

Top 3 Stories of the week:


Packers stand alone in Undefeated teams.

This is the second straight year that only one team or less is undefeated by week 5, and that is the defending champion Packers, who look like they can repeat. Aaron Rodgers is playing great football, and is becoming highly respected for his calmness and coolness while in the pocket, and if the Packers are losing, he can change the game right away. Having a number one receiver like Greg Jennings helps, as he's brought in 3 scores. While the Packers don't really have a running game, with a QB like Aaron Rodgers, you don't need one. They remind me so much of the Colts from the early to mid 2000s, a strong QB and a lack of a running game, but they won a Super Bowl, and the Pack can easily repeat as Champions. And on the defense, Brad Jones already has 6 sacks, and Clay Matthews has 4. But we're all shocked that there's only one team, but this means in a way that there are a lot of teams getting better, because aside from the Packers there's no clear cut amazing team.

- Brady warming up before another loss.

The Patriots shocking 1-3 start.
Patriot fans are some of the most loyal, but somewhat cocky fans. And you can't blame them, 3 super bowl titles last decade and they make the playoffs year in and year out. Yet this year, the Pats are 1-3, they have more losses already than all of last year. How could this have happened? Easy, them not improving their defense in the offseason. Cutting Brandon Meriweather was incredibly stupid, and now they're 1-3. Brady is struggling, more than he has in a long time, and the running game is actually the only part going well. By all means, Bill Belichick is one of the greatest coaches to ever coach in this league, and they can turn it around, but with a schedule that includes the Cowboys, Steelers, Giants, Chiefs, Eagles, Redskins, and Colts, it's going to be really hard. The best thing they can do is watch game tape of their previous seasons, seeing what they did right and what they did wrong. The Patriots are a contender year in and year out, and they can still make the playoffs but it'll be hard.


Justin Forsett's huge return game
Justin Forsett had 2 kickoff returns for touchdowns in the Seahawks week 4 win over Atlanta, propelling them to 3-1. After Marshawn Lynch's injury, Leon Washington became the primary back, and in an effort to make it easier on him, Justin Forsett became the kick returner. What a decision by Pete Carroll. The 4th year running back returned 2 kicks, one 104 yards and one 103 yards for scores and had a 31 yard return on his other kick that gave them good field position. Pete Carroll stated that the Seahawks will stick with this, barring another injury, because Forsett has explosiveness when returning, and every team wants that in a returner. Devin Hester, who obviously is one of the greatest punt/kick returners of all time, said he sent a text message to Forsett, congratulating him on his huge game. Hester "It's good to see these guys on smaller market teams making names for themselves and getting praise. Hopefully he doesn't pull that on us [Laugh]". The Bears take on the Seahawks week 15, so Devin you'll get to see for yourself.

[Roncatto]

FSR no one has commented so far, can I say great franchise mate. Tough luck on Lynch. That could cost you unless you can find a bear to take the load in FA cos trust me Forsett cannot

I did a Seahawks Franchise and stupidly deleted it. Might have to re-start one.

Check out QB's in upcoming draft cos jackson is terrible, imho

P.S :- like the layout and info.