The Hawks Nest: Can the Seahawks Repeat?
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Check this out:
September 6, 1998
Seattle 38, Philadelphia 0 Seattle passing: Warren Moon 13-21 for 204 yards, 0 INT, 3 TD
Seattle receiving: Joey Galloway 6-142
Seattle rushing: Ahman Green 6-100
Philadelphia passing: Bobby Hoying 9-23 for 63 yards, 1 INT, 0 TD
Philadelphia receiving: Jeff Graham 3-30
Philadelphia rushing: Duce Staley 20-95
Seattle passing: Matt Hasselbeck 8-15 for 98 yards, 0 INT, 1 TD
Seattle receiving: Jerramy Stevens 4-22
Seattle rushing: Shaun Alexander 19-49, 2 TD
Philadelphia passing: Koy Detmer 13-29 for 84 yards, 2 INT, 0 TD
Philadelphia receiving: Brian Westbrook 5-38
Philadelphia rushing: Ryan Moats 10-26
That is right… the Seahawks to the tune of 80-0. (The Eagles, since 2001, lead the Hawks 2-1)
Seattle Offense
Run: The problems are well documented (and should be seeing as they are 24 th in YPC with 3.6) but what isn’t is that Maurice "Mo" Morris is averaging 4.2 YPC with Shaun Alexander is averaging 3.3. The injuries to Shaun have caused the numbers to go down. Would Morris have kept the numbers high? I couldn’t tell you, but with the man-blocking scheme that the Seahawks Offensive Line uses fits better for the back that “hits” the holes; which Morris does.
Will Philly’s D be able to handle this? Probably. Philadelphia is ranked 7 th in the league in Run Defense; allowing only 93.3 YPG. But against who?
Week Opponent NFL Rank in Rushing Yards Allowed
•1 Green Bay 32 nd (81.8 YPG) 46 Yards
•2 Washington 6 th (124.6 YPG) 130 Yards
•3 Detroit 31 st (82.1 YPG) 39 Yards
•4 NY Giants 10 th (123.3 YPG) 83 Yards
•5 Bye
•6 NY Jets 20 th (96.5 YPG) 158 Yards
•7 Chicago 30 th (85.3 YPG) 72 Yards
•8 Minnesota 1 st (173.3 YPG) 105 Yards
•9 Dallas 11 th (122.9 YPG) 110 Yards
•10 Washington 6 th (124.6 YPG) 158 Yards
•11 Miami 15 th (109.2 YPG) 77 Yards
•12 New England 7 th (124.2 YPG) 48 Yards
The only Top 10 team they have played that they held was the Patriots (which as we all saw, was amazing), but as we all know, the Pats are pass heavy.
So…what does this mean? It means that the Eagles can be run on and that they can stop the run…just as inconsistent as the Seahawks…Well, Hawks fans, let’s hope that Shaun is finally healthy.
Advantage: Push (0-0)
Pass: Seattle is Ranked 8 th in the league in Passing Yards per Game (250.5) and they are 8 th in TDs through the air (18). They will be missing D.J. Hackett due to a high ankle sprain, but should be able to pick it up with the other receivers on their roster. They kept it going when Deion Branch was out and we can agree that (as of right now) is better then Hackett.
Guess what Pass Defense is ranked 22 nd in the league, allowing 224.5 yards per game? The Eagles. And again they have played some lowly teams with bad Pass games (MIA, WAS, MIN, NYJ). Philly is also ranked DEAD LAST in INTs forced: 6.
Advantage: Seattle (1-0)
Offensive Line: This has been a problem for the Seahawks in the Run game but has been decent in the Pass game. This can be explained by the pure fact that Offensive linemen usually have one that they are better at. Seattle is tied for 18 th with 24 sacks allowed (League high is 47 by DET), and will need to give Hasselbeck time in the pocket if they are to utilize their passing game.
28 is the number of sacks that the Eagles have on the season, with their blitz happy Defense (Ranks T-8). The Defensive line holds all but 3 of the teams sacks, with DE Trent Cole and back-up DE Juqua Thomas leading the squad. Cole, the team leader with 9 sacks, will have his work cut out for him as he will be going up against big Walter Jones.
Advantage: Philadelphia (1-1)
Philadelphia Offense
Run: Two words: Brian Westbrook. Philly ranks 12 th in the league with 118.4 YPG.
Seattle Ranks 15 th with 100.5 YPG. Seattle will need to line up the speedy Julian Peterson man-on-man to the RB a lot to try and stop him.
They have both played some bad teams.
But again… Brian Westbrook.
Advantage: Philadelphia (1-2)
Pass: Who is starting for the Eagles? Donovan McNabb or A.J. Feeley? Feeley looked good last week, but don’t be lulled into a false sense of security. His career numbers: 623-353 for 3850 Yards (56.7%), 26 TDs, 25 INTs. A QB Rating of (drum-role) 72.2. Donovan’s rating? 85.4. The Eagles are ranked 12 th in the league in Pass Yards a game (237.9) and 11 th in passing TDs (17).
Seattle has 11 INTs this season. Not a lot, but the surprise? Marcus Trufant is having a career season at corner, racking up 58 tackles, 11 Passes Deflected and 4 picks. He has had a tough job this season lining up against receivers such as Chad Johnson, Darrell Jackson and Torry Holt, so Reggie Brown and Kevin Curtis should be nothing.
Advantage: Seattle (2-2)
' Offensive Line: ' If you look at the line, you have guys like Jon Runyan and Shawn Andrews yet Philly has allowed 34 sacks (T-26). They are a solid line in the run game and will need to get to the second level to take away the speed of the Seahawks Defense.
Dear New York Giants: The Seahawks are only 4 sacks behind you to take over the lead in sacks. They are ranked second in the league with 35…SECOND. And it comes from everywhere, their line (DE Patrick Kerney 10.5 and DE Darryl Tapp with 5.5) is by far the leader.
Advantage: Seattle (3-2)
'Special Teams: (Not Scored) '
Kickers:
This Season:
21/26, Long of 52.
Last Season:
25/31, Long of 54
This Season:
18/23, Long of 53
Last Season:
18/23, Long of 47
Punters:
This Season:
59 Punts, Long of 62, Avg of 41.2, inside the 20: 21
Last Season:
84 Punts, Long of 72, Avg of 45.0, inside the 20: 25
This Season:
46 Punts, Long of 65, Avg of 41.8, inside the 20: 14
Last Season:
N/A
'Seattle wins 3 positions to 2 '
Yes, there are other factors that matter when you are looking at a game. Things such as Home Field Advantage (HFA): (Seattle is 2-3 on the road; Philly is 2-3 at home), injuries and who needs it more.
At this point they are even. They are even in HFA, Seattle is winning the Injuries (Seattle is getting Shaun back and Philly has lost Donovan) and the Eagles need it.
The Hoch believes that the Offense of the Seahawks will pick apart the Eagle’s beat up secondary.
SSReporters believes that the X-Factor is Westbrook.
The Hoch’s Prediction: SEA 31, PHI 17
SSReporters' Prediction: SEA 17, PHI 26
