Dec 23, 2012, Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider looks at the Seahawks bench in between during the fourth quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Given the Seahawks lofty status of playoff team and being ranked as the 2013 preseason NFL’s best team, it’s  easy to forget where this team stood last year at this time, a week before the draft.  Here we are in mid April again, wondering who the Seahawks may draft starting with the second round after having traded their first round pick to Minnesota for Percy Harvin.  The Seahawks are widely said to have “won” free agency after having gone blow for blow with the San Francisco 49ers in signing big name players.  And the likely answer to the question; “who will the team pick in the second round”?, is a resounding – “Who cares?  Let’s PLAY”!

The team has already improved itself so much that any player they pick up in the draft will be the sprinkles on the frosting of the cake.  In one year the team has gone from just recently having achieved the “respectable” moniker, to “Super Bowl favorite”, and that’s BEFORE the 2013 draft even takes place!  There is really some question as to whether any draft picks will even make the team.  While the draft may seem a bit anti-climactic after the free agency blitz the team just put on, just remember it was exactly a year ago we were almost positive Matt Flynn would be the Hawk’s starting quarterback in 2012.  In other words, with John Schneider and Pete Carroll calling the shots, expect the unexpected.  Expect a player or three who can not only make this team, but who can make this team better.

Just for fun, let’s review a few stories Seahawks fans were reading and hearing about their team exactly one year ago.

- Fans of the Seahawks were being told by football writers that;

- We should take heart in the fact that although the Seahawks started 2011 with a 2-6 record, they finished well with a 5-3 record and matched their 2010 mark of 7-9.

- The Seahawks of 2011 were competitive in all but one of their losses.

- The Seahawks had released their big 2011 free agency catch Robert Gallery.

- Excitement for the “two tight end set” grew with the signing of tight end Kellen Winslow from Tampa Bay.

- The team had released and re-signed Marcus Trufant.

-  The team was happy to have locked up Marshawn Lynch for the next 4 years and Red Bryant for 5 years.

- Breno Giacomini had done such a good job filling in at right tackle for the injured first rounder James Carpenter, he was re-signed and talk began of moving Carpenter to the guard position.

- The names Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor, Brandon Browner, and Earl Thomas were not yet “household names”, much less the “best secondary in football”.

- Matt Flynn was the “crown jewel” of the Seahawks free agent class.  His position with the team would require him to beat out Tavaris Jackson and whatever rookie quarterback the team may pick up in the 2012 draft.  Consensus was the QB job was Flynn’s to lose.  Nobody, except for a few die hard college football junkies or Wisconsin fans had ever heard of Russell Wilson…

Seahawks fans should understand it’s OK be excited about the 2013 draft, even without a first round pick.  Last year the team picked up a franchise quarterback, a starting linebacker, an excellent backup running back, and a starting offensive lineman converted from defense…all AFTER the first round.

As Matt Flynn flies the Hawks’ nest to try his luck with the Raiders, the obvious question is who will back up Russell Wilson? Does John Schneider go with a veteran like Matt Leinert, Tyler Thigpen, or even the bad-tempered Vince Young? Or does he wait for a late round gem from say…a small college?  He may do both. But as a matter of style I would guess Schneider will have at least one eye on a late-round, relatively unknown quarterback who can develop behind Wilson. Not that he would ever take the job away from Wilson, but if the Seahawks got a guy who had good physical attributes such as a strong arm, reasonable mobility, height, and who had done well at the small college level, why not take him and develop him in the Seahawks’/Pete Carroll mold?  Bringing a young QB along gradually from scratch has had some appeal for Carroll in the past.

Such a player can be found in one Brad Sorenson from Southern Utah University.  Check out this guy’s physical characteristics.  He’s 6’5”, 230 pounds, and has a gun for an arm.  In other words he’s a prototypical NFL quarterback.  In watching his highlights, which you have to take with a grain of salt because they don’t show his bad plays, he seems to see the field really well.  He has good touch on the ball, can throw to the corner of the end zone with accuracy, and finds open guys when his primary target is covered.  What’s not to like?  Well, he does throw a few interceptions, but he had a lot more touchdowns than interceptions, having just 10 picks against 23 touchdowns last season.

Having not watched any of SUU’s games I couldn’t tell you for sure if he’s inconsistent or streaky.  He seems to stare down and throw to his number one receiver most of the time, which in the NFL could be trouble.  What I can tell you is that Sorenson is the top ranked small school quarterback in the 2013 draft and 15th overall.  The question is how would he do as an NFL quarterback?  A lot of people who make a living comparing players to other players, i.e. draft “experts,” have compared him to John Skelton who started for the Arizona Cardinals in game one of 2012.  Before you smack your palm to your forehead and scream “oh HELL NO” at me just remember, the only reason Skelton started is because the higher rated Kevin Kolb was so bad.  Skelton was obviously not ready, but was good enough to beat out the veteran Kolb who was the talk of free agency three years ago.

So, let’s assume a newly minted 7^th round pick, whoever it is, isn’t going to beat out Russell Wilson and has a couple years to take in Pete Carroll and all that comes with him.  Can a guy with small college experience develop and blossom under Pete Carroll’s tutelage if given time?  Let’s just say, for the sake of argument, that he could.  The only real danger is that the team would need him to step in if the worst happens and Wilson goes down for any length of time this year.  Then we’d be in  John Skelton territory, with an inexperienced small college guy running the offense at a low level of efficiency.  Would that be a disaster for the Seahawks?  Depending on how long Wilson was out, absolutely it would.  But that’s the chance you take in football.  We could all be sitting around in October or November wondering what were the Seahawks thinking when they traded away Matt Flynn!

But you can’t have two starting quarterbacks on the same roster, can you?  That usually causes an ego or a money problem, or both.  The number two guy is always going to want out.  He’s always going to be looking ahead to the time he can get out from behind the starter who is holding back his career.  A possible situation the Seahawks could have with Sorenson is the team would have a guy who is just happy to be in the NFL,  is developing and improving with no pressure, and who gives you at least four years of backup capability without costing much of anything.  After his first season as a backup, he would be a lot more ready to step in if needed.  Heck, maybe he’d even get some playing time this year if the Seahawks get a few blowouts like they had last year!

The last thing I like about this scenario is that if Sorenson or another no-name QB turned out to be a gem, it would just enhance the Carroll/Schneider mystique, which would drive Jim Harbaugh absolutely NUTS!

This could be a common occurrence with the Seahawks this season, maybe more so than with other teams, if NFL owners vote in a new “head lowering” penalty for running backs .  Pete Carroll has already said the Seahawks are going to remain a “run first” offense.  He may want to change his mind on that one after the first few games if things go the way I’m thinking they could go with this new running back “head lowering” rule.  If you haven’t heard, Roger Goodell proposed a new rule in which running backs will be flagged if they lower their head to use the crown of the helmet like a battering ram.  This essentially means running backs will have to take on hits standing up or risk a penalty.

I was listening to the “Mike & Mike” show this morning on the way in to work, and they had former Dallas Cowboys Great Emmett Smith on the show to give his “NFL Hall of Fame running back” perspective on the new rule.  He brashly said it will make it impossible to play the position of running back.  He claimed there is no way a runner who sees he’s about to have a collision is NOT going to instinctively lower his helmet and his whole body to protect himself.  Smith added, when you are punished for hitting tacklers with your helmet the end result is you’re going to see a lot of guys just step out of bounds rather than try to get more yards.  He thinks it will eventually turn the NFL in to something that resembles “touch football”.   Will this still be “football”?  I say “no”.  Running backs will more resemble quarterbacks at the end of a play, taking a slide to avoid a stand-up hit or meekly squirting out of bounds before the big hits we all know and love.

Now, to be fair, an NFL team of experts, coaches, & former players looked at all the film from last year and only found five instances of this helmet lowering that would have been called under the new rule.  So, while there might be a lot of latitude a referee can give backs on this rule, or there might not be.  The panel admitted it could be very difficult for a referee to fairly call this kind of thing in the heat of a game.  This rule is made for inconsistency in how it’s called, and could be affected by the referee’s angle to the play, his view of the play through other players, the weather, how the other player reacts, and a million other variables.  If NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell decides to push this rule hard, it could really put a crimp on the running styles of the hard-nosed, punishing running backs like Lynch.  A quick review of some “Beast Mode” highlights reveals Lynch does often use his helmet and shoulders and a healthy forward lean to blast people out of his way.  Is this going to make him a magnate for yellow flags?  How could it not?  You could even say Lynch is the kind of runner this rule is designed to punish…errrr…protect.  If there is one rule they could have come up with (other than making the QB scramble illegal) that could put the brakes on a potential Seahawks championship season, this is it!

For other teams with finesse style runners this probably wouldn’t be an issue.  Teams with backs that run in a style more like Walter Payton, Eric Dickerson, or Barry Sanders will get a break because that style runner very rarely takes on a defensive back.  Teams with backs like Earl Campbell, Jerome Bettis, and yes, Marshawn Lynch could potentially lose some important plays, first downs, or critical scores.  Remember the Seahawks were a HALF GAME away from winning the NFC West title.  One bad call can make that difference.  This WILL affect coaching strategies.  Worse case; I think it’s possible that coaches will get tired of all the laundry thrown at their running backs and probably will move away from the running game as an important force in their offenses.  The NFL will evolve into something like the Canadian Football League, where passing becomes the dominant type of play.  That will be too bad.  I think it will wreck the game as it has come to be known and loved.  The diversity of schemes that combine running and passing is what makes the NFL interesting to watch.

The next question is; will the fans revolt?  Will the NFL be on a path to a slow death because fans will slowly find other things to do than watch a league full of guys running around trying to avoid getting hit?  Will the game become something so foreign to our senses that it becomes a laughing stock?  A quick look at the controversy created by the “defenseless receiver” rule should give guidance here.  There were a lot of cases where a legitimate hit was flagged and great defensive plays called penalties.  The hit Cam Chancellor put on 49ers tight end Vernon Davis comes to mind…  That was a great, legal (as it turns out) hit that should have been called an incompletion and brought on the 49ers punting team  if memory serve me.  The penalty turned it into a 1^st and 10 for San Fran.  The Hawks ended up losing that game by a touchdown.  If victories are seen as not legitimately won, the loss of fan interest could put a serious dent in the NFL’s credibility and viewership.  But then the NFL has survived and thrived amid controversial calls for decades, so maybe it’s nothing to worry about.

Last but not least, will this rule, if passed, affect how Pete Carroll and John Schneider evaluate running backs in the upcoming draft?  Might they hedge their bets that sending Marshawn Lynch to ballet school won’t turn him into a finesse  runner and go after one in the draft?  It seems advisable to have a “change-up” back anyway, but maybe this puts a little more urgency into that kind of pick.  I’m thinking a running back with lots of speed and not a lot of brawn, and the ability to avoid pursuit may be high on more than a few teams draft boards.

In the end it looks like the NFL is changing so as not to appear unconcerned, and to avoid the avalanche of lawsuits that will surely materialize if they don’t “do something” now that they know there is a serious problem.  Here are some things about this rule to consider moving forward:  Will it change the game so much that they destroy the game?  If they do nothing can the game survive anyway?  Will the running back become extinct?  Will they have to make more changes to keep the game interesting?  Who knows?  Finding the answers to these questions may become more interesting to watch than the actual games.  One other thing Emmett Smith said is that people who haven’t played running back at a professional level have no idea what they’re talking about.  Sorry Emmett, but THAT’S WHAT WE DO HERE!

Feb 3, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh reacts during the fourth quarter against the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

This Super Bowl was just plain weird. I didn’t really care who won, but I’m glad San Francisco lost. I don’t like Jim Harbaugh and I don’t like San Francisco fans, at least not the ones I have had contact with. (You know who you are…)  Just kidding!  Seriously!  You’re great people, really…

First its time to talk some smack.  Since the Seahawks got totally screwed by the NFL with that early morning game in Atlanta I didn’t really have a dog in this fight (so much for journalistic impartiality). The way the 49ers fans thought they deserved to be in this game after the butt whoopin’ the Hawks dropped on them in Seattle was just ignoring the truth.  The Niners backed into this game by not having to face Seattle and they know it.  Sure they beat Atlanta…barely.  Try doing that at 0-dark thirty west coast time.  If not for San Francisco’s tie against the Rams the Hawks would have had your conference title and your home game and a bye week.  San Francisco is no longer the only elite team in the west.  They have company.  But I digress…

Did anyone else go get a pedicure during the national anthem? MAN that was long! Well done, but tooooo looooong.  And that whole halftime show was BOOOOORING. Sorry.  Beyonce is a lovely and talented singer/dancer but I think she sang the same word for something like 15 minutes! Besides that, it was like watching a 30 minute Bud Light commercial.  Where’s a good marching band when you need one?

The power outage was interesting. I’ve seen a quarterback change make a game turn. I’ve seen a snow storm make a game turn. But I’ve never seen a power outage totally turn a game around. The Seahawks should remember that trick next time they find themselves down by 20 at home. In the end, the 49ers got screwed by the refs on that last non-call for holding; so welcome to Seattle’s world San Francisco.  One wonders if they might have gotten “Bettised”; you remember the love-fest the league and network gave the retiring Jerome Bettis before the Seattle/Pittsburgh 2008 Super Bowl in which Seattle suffered a number of bad calls.  There is something especially heart warming to think the refs might have been “letting ‘em play” for Ray Lewis, a guy who plea bargained away a double homicide a few years back, getting 12 months probation instead of double life in prison.  (There I go digressing again!  Hmm, did I just stumble on another reason for not being excited for either team to win?).  Yes, getting hosed by the refs in the Big Game is great fun, and now the Niners know how it feels.  And so ends their 5-0 Superbowl streak.

But this Super Bowl week did have some redeeming value.  For instance, I didn’t know there was so much to know about deer antlers.  And the whole thing about too much power actually causing the lights to turn off???  Amazing stuff!  And what about the demonstration of injustice to women struggling with their weight everywhere when a Ravens cheerleader got canned for being 2 pounds overweight?  We haven’t heard the end of that one, hopefully!

Now it’s on to the NFL draft and next season.  I fully expect it will be the Seahawks and Russell Wilson who will get it done next year.  With his learning curve well in the past, Wilson will be unstoppable.  I wish I could have seen him in this game, but next year will be even more incredible.  Seattle was the team no one wanted to play the second half of the year.  Next year, it will be that way from  week one on because Russell is ready.  As for the rest of the NFC West, don’t get too excited.  You’re getting better, but as long as Wilson, Carroll, and Schneider are in the picture it’s going to be tough going to get past Seattle.

Jan 13, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) warms up before the NFC divisional playoff game against the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

Well Seahawks fans, I don’t know how this could have turned out worse for us.  It’s bad enough that the 49ers and their king sized jerk of a coach got to the Superbowl when the Seahawks are a better team, but now we have another Harbaugh in it…Brother John.  The only good thing about this is by all accounts John is not quite the turd in the punch bowl his brother is.

It’s too bad the NFL won’t have the Superbowl on the east coast and make the 49ers play at the equivalent west coast time of 7:00 AM after getting up at 4:00 AM like they did to the Seahawks in Atlanta.  Yes, I’m still bellyaching about that even though it goes against the Pete Carroll philosophy.  I think it borders on unethical of the NFL to give the first seed team both home field advantage and a time zone advantage and then force the west coast visitors to play the early game on top of that!

I heard Carroll on the last Seahawks Saturday talk about “if we had just gotten ONE of those 4 road losses other than the 49ers loss”.  Yes, it sucks.  My column on “4 plays that could have made the Seahawks the #1 seed” comes back to haunt us again.  Just ONE play of ONE of those games would have given them the NFC West title and at least one home game.  What difference would it have made not to have to fly to the east coast TWICE in 8 days?  How much more would the Hawks have had in the tank in the 4th quarter against Atlanta?  We’ll never know.  I just know it sucks.  Ok, I’ll get off my soap box now…

Well, so as not to be a Negative Nellie for this entire column and acting on instructions from our fearless leader Keith, I’m supposed to do some kind of look back on the year.  I thought I would take a look back at what some pretty widely read sports personalities and writers had to say about Russell Wilson at the beginning of the year.

Wes Bunting – formerly of the National Football Post: Wilson is a plus athlete who can spin the football and gives you a nice run/pass threat. However he’s undersized, is going to struggle to consistently make plays from the pocket and is still learning how to work his way through defenses. He is worth a pick late, but I don’t see the guy as a potential starter in the NFL. Reserve only.  

Well, he was a little right and a lot wrong.  Yes he wasn’t a great pocket passer, but everything else Wilson nailed down by mid-season.

Tony Softli – former personnel evaluator for the Panthers and Rams said; Wilson is an “immediate threat” to Flynn, and called Wilson “future star”.   ”Flynn will have his hands full in a training camp competition against this star in the making”. 

That’s more like it!  He saw in Wilson what I saw.  A guy who will simply overcome his height disadvantage and win on brains and preparation.

Matt Bowen of the National Football Post - I’m curious about this one. Flynn was just handed some new money to come over to Seattle as a free agent and Jackson has plenty of starting experience in this offensive system. Maybe the rookie eventually can jump Jackson on the depth chart, but to beat out Flynn? That’s tough.

Well, you can’t blame Matt.  There was the assumption Flynn would be “the guy” and all that money is hard to watch sitting on the bench.

Tom Fortenbaugh of National Football Post - Time to put my money where my mouth is. I’ve got nothing against Russell Wilson as a person. He’s dedicated, hard-working and intelligent. But I believe he’s a vastly overrated quarterback and I think the twitter universe is putting way too much emphasis on what he’s done in meaningless preseason games. Wilson isn’t a fourth quarter closer (Oregon & Ohio State games in 2011, Virginia Tech game in 2010) and is going to struggle once the games start counting. I’m going to sit tight for a few days to see if the hype forces oddsmakers to adjust north before I lock this one in, but rest assured, I’m making this play.

Tom actually KNEW about Wilson and still got this wrong!  To Fortenbaughs’ credit, he fessed up to this forecast of Wilson’s career in a recent column, admitting his article was a “Swing and a Miss”.  Funny stuff!

John Clayton of ESPN – “I see Matt Flynn as the starter.  They brought him in at $6 1/2 million dollars a year , he’s a quick decision maker, he can make all the throws, and he seems to be very accurate.  He just hasn’t wowed anyone yet…, but I expect that to happen.”  

Clayton is pretty consistent in giving the conservative or “conventional wisdom” aspect of any story.  With Pete Carroll one thing you can never do is assume “conventional wisdom”.

Don Banks of SI.com nailed it with this prediction - ”With Russell-mania raging out of control early on in the season, the Seahawks will feed off the energy and veteran-like execution of their rookie quarterback (Russell Wilson) and emerge as one of the surprise teams of the year in the NFL. Seattle will compete with San Francisco for supremacy in the NFC West all season, before settling for a wild-card slot. While Wilson will be a huge part of the story, the Seahawks’ stout young defense will come to the fore down the stretch.”

I was hoping to find more totally off the mark predictions on Wilson, but they have mysteriously disappeared from the web….  Oh well…   If anyone can remember the big shot former NFL General Manager who smugly forecast Wilson as a “career backup” at best, feel free to name names, I know I heard that in the pre-season.  It’s not enough to say that the Seahawks were THE surprise team this season.  They started in the power rankings at around 19th, and ended it in the top 6.  Had the Seahawks been anywhere near their week 9 form earlier in the season this season would have been ridiculous.  Which brings me to looking forward to next year.

The 49ers are the 7th oldest team in the league.  OK, I guess they’re still pretty good this year, and adding Kaepernick made them better, but how long will Gore and Justin Smith be around?  One-two more years?  The Seahawks are one of the youngest teams in the league and will get younger, and better, next year with Hill and Trufaunt most likely gone.  This is a team growing up together, getting good together, and realizing they can be something special together.  With the addition of a true #1 receiver and some youth in the defensive backfield the Seahawks are a legitimate rival to the 49ers starting immediately.  I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Seahawks the preseason favorite to win the NFC West even if the 49ers win the Superbowl.  Most people know next September the Seahawks will be far ahead of where they started last September.  That’s got to be worth at least 2-3 more wins on the road.  I also expect another 8 win home schedule too.

Jan 6, 2013; Landover, MD, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) throws the ball as Washington Redskins defensive tackle Doug Worthington (90) defends in the third quarter of the NFC Wild Card playoff game at FedEx Field. The Seahawks win 24-14. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Zach Miller had what was probably his most important game as a Seahawk Sunday.  After a withering offensive display by RGIII and his offense resulted in two touchdown drives, Seattle’s defense looked like it was running at half-speed and the offense looked like  they had left their Mojo of the last five games on the tarmac in Seattle.  There was absolutely no sign of the high octane offense we had seen in recent weeks, and the vaunted Seattle defense was putting up little resistance to the Washington running attack.

Down 14 – 0 midway through the first quarter Seattle needed to get something going ASAP or risk having the game get out of control by the end of the first quarter.  Enter Tight End Zach Miller who gave the Seahawks just what the doctor ordered to get them out of their funk late in the first quarter.  On a third and long from his own 18 Russell Wilson hit Miller short of the marker, but Miller twisted and fought his way to a critical first down, Seattle’s first of the game.  That was the first sign of life from the Seahawks offense.  That drive ended in a field goal but put Seattle on the scoreboard and broke the Redskins momentum.

The next drive had some excitement from a Wilson to Lynch fumbled handoff which Lynch miraculously scooped up and carried to another key first down.  That drive resulted in a Michael Robinson TD reception, and the Hawks had 10 on the board.  After an Earl Thomas interception of a floated RG III pass the Seahawks added 3 more before the half.  Hawks fans breathed a sigh of relief with the team being just one point down at the half.

The second half started with a lot of Beast mode and Wilson runs — getting the team down to the one yard line before Lynch fumbled the ball away.  The Hawks held the Skins to a 3 and out and got the ball back with good field position, but had to punt the ball away after a near miss to Baldwin in the end zone.  Even though the Hawks were moving the ball they were not able to add any points in the third quarter, reminiscent of some of the Hawks early season games.  Still it didn’t seem like the Seahawks were in too much trouble, but they needed a play to break the near deadlock.  Now in the 4th quarter the Hawks were on their own 46 at 3rd and long when Wilson again hit Zach Miller sneaking out of protection for a huge gain down to the Skins 32.  Three plays later Lynch took the ball into the end zone from the 27 yard line with an assist block from Wilson at the goal line.  And on the 2 point conversion Wilson again hit Zach Miller as he crossed the goal line on a quick slant.  Miller would lead all receivers with 4 catches for the game.

With a touchdown lead the Hawks were ahead but not out of the woods yet.  They needed a game sealing score with time running down.  When the Redskins and RG III got the ball back Bruce Irvin nailed RG III for a sack.  On the next play the right knee of RG III grotesquely gave way as he chased a bad snap and the Hawks recovered on the 5 yard line.  After three unsuccessful shots to the end zone, a Hauschka field goal made it a 2 score game and pretty much put the game out of reach for the Redskins.

There were a lot of great plays made by a lot of Seahawks in this game.  Rice and Tate made some incredible sideline hugging receptions of pinpoint Russell Wilson throws.  Marshawn Lynch made some huge runs and had that crazy scoop of the fumbled hand off.  But the key plays that got the Seahawks out of the doldrums and on their way to this win came from Mr. Zach Miller.  So here’s a big “Well Done!” for Zach Miller, Seattle’s unsung hero and the spark that got the Seahawk machine going.  Go Hawks!

How soon until Kam Chancellor belongs on this list? Credit: Jeff Curry-US PRESSWIRE

We saw the clean hit Kam Chancellor put on Vernon Davis in week 17.  We saw the flags fly giving the 49ers first and goal instead of the 4th and long they were facing.  Then we saw on the replay that Chancellor’s hit on Davis was a textbook hit on a receiver that was intended to separate the ball from the receiver.  So what gives?  Defensive backs are complaining that it’s physically impossible to play their positions with the NFL’s well meaning but ill conceived new rules on how defensive backs are allowed to tackle receivers.  The rules are not only impossible for players to obey given the unpredictable movement of the receiver, they are also impossible for a referee to correctly call.  The new rules are causing players to get unwarranted fines, teams to get unwarranted penalties, and have changed the outcomes of a few games.

Another drawback of the new rule is defensive backs are afraid to tackle anyone high for fear of inadvertent helmet contact.  The predictable result is they are now tackling around the knees of receivers and, as the 49ers Mario Manningham unfortunately found out, that can result in a blown out knee and a year out of the league while rehabbing the repaired but never to be the same joint.  Aren’t we just trading concussions for destroyed knees?

So, what’s the answer?  Players can go broke hitting high, and receivers can have their careers cut short by low tackles around the knees.  Lacking a change in the laws of physics or a really high tech concussion-proof helmet, there’s one easy thing that can be done.  How about using the red flag replay for those calls?  When both the players and the refs can’t get a fair shake with a rule, it’s time to either change the rules again or use playbacks to fairly enforce the rules.  It doesn’t make it any easier for the defensive back to avoid an inadvertent rule violation, but maybe when the receiver suddenly ducks his head replay will show it’s not the D-back’s fault; and at the very least replay can show when an unfairly flagged hit is a good legal hit.  Sure it could open up a bag of worms as replay officials try to interpret a defender’s intent or a receiver’s reflexive “duck and cover” move, but it’s worth a try.

If something isn’t done about this issue football will continue to lose credibility as a contact sport.  Now….what the hell is this garbage about eliminating the kickoff!  DON’T GET ME STARTED!!!

Was Wilson ever really considered for the role of Qb1? Credit: Ron Chenoy-US PRESSWIRE

This was supposed to be a two man race for Rookie of the Year (ROY) honors.  It was going to be either #1 Draft Pick Andrew Luck of the Colts, or it would be Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III of the Redskins.  These two QB’s have been playing steadily all year, turning their teams around, transforming them from cellar dwellers to playoff teams, and catching nearly all the headlines of the major sports media.  But a funny thing happened on these two guy’s way to the ROY award.  Russell Wilson of the Seahawks has put up a ROY season of his own, having guided his team to 10 wins and the playoffs.  All the more amazing when you consider how Wilson started his pro career just months earlier.

Who is this Russell Wilson guy?  He was drafted 75th overall in the third round and started the season as a 3rd stringer behind the previous year’s starter and a new free agent with a big contract.  Wilson whose height will never crack 6’0″, so impressed his coaches in summer camp that they made it a 3-way competition for the QB job.  After he won the job, most “experts” in the sports media confidently predicted Wilson would “be a good backup, but is not starting QB material”.  He was dismissed as too short, but they overlooked Wilson’s primary asset as a player.  His brain.  He is a student of the game like no one other than maybe Peyton Manning.  His work ethic is second to none.  His leadership is contagious.  His confidence is off the charts.  His stats are right there with the other two guys.  What’s different is Russell Wilson is actually re-defining the position of NFL quarterback to fit HIS capabilities.

Sunday night everyone in the country finally got to see what the whispers were all about on this rookie QB Wilson way up in the United State’s version of western Siberia, Seattle Washington.  The first hint that something was happening in western Siberia came when the Seahawks beat the division leading Chicago Bears at home in week 13.  It’s safe to say no one saw that coming, including a lot of people in Seattle, since the team had just lost to the Dolphins the previous week.  The amazing thing about that win over the Bears was Wilson had to win it twice.  After seemingly securing the win with a long drive with under 30 seconds on the clock, Seattle’s defense allowed a long pass to get the Bears in field goal range.  They made the kick and the game went to OT.  This is when things changed for Seattle’s season.  Wilson put the team on his shoulders, and took the ball 80 yards on Chicago, throwing and running through their defense at will, and getting the winning score while Chicago’s offense sat helplessly and watched the birth of a green and blue monster.

The next week Wilson and Seattle spanked the Cardinals, who they lost to back in week one, 58 – zip.  That shocking score gained the solid interest of the national sports media.  The following week, Seattle put the stake through the heart of their “road curse” by dominating the Bills in Toronto in another 50 point blow out.  Now the media had all eyes and ears on Wilson and Seattle, and Russell Wilson has officially entered the ROY “discussion”.  Sensing something was happening in Seattle, the network changed the Seahawks/49ers game to the ‘Sunday Night Football’ showcase.

With the nation’s eyes on Seattle and their rookie QB, the Seahawks dismantled THE BEST DEFENSE in the league, while holding the 49ers potent offense to two field goals until late in garbage time where they finally managed to cross the goal line.  And this was the same 49er team that only a week before beat New England in their own stadium.

Tweets by sports writers after the game not only indicate Wilson is “in the discussion” for ROY, but may now actually be LEADING Luck and RGIII.  Russell Wilson may be late to the party, but he’s just kicked in the door and taken over the DJ’s booth.  And he’s playing his own tune, the one that says a 5’10″ quarterback CAN play in the NFL.  He’s having to redefine how a quarterback plays to get back whatever advantage he loses by being 4 inches too short for an NFL quarterback.  But that’s all the more reason to give him the nod for Rookie of the Year.  How many other rookies have had to redefine their position in order to play at a high level?  The ROY award has been given to lots of “prototype” quarterbacks who came into the league and had a good year.  But maybe this year it’s about more than that.  Maybe it’s about a “pioneer” as commentator Trent Dilfer said on a post game show; a guy who will open doors and eyes and make it a little easier for undersized players to play quarterback in the NFL.

Here is my best shot at determining those 4 plays that, had they gone the other way, would have changed the Seahawks season.

1. Week 1 vs the Cardinals – Most people would pick one of the 2 missed passes at the end of this game that could have given the Seahawks a touchdown and the win.  But I’m going to pick a another play earlier in the game.  Seattle had just scored 13 consecutive points and led Arizona 16-13 . Arizona’s offense under QB John Skelton was having an awful second half and the Seahawks were in complete control and had all the momentum.  Then Skelton was hit during an attempted pass  and left the game with an injured right ankle.  Kevin Kolb, who had lost the starting job to Skelton in the preseason, came in and drove the Cardinals on a scoring, and game winning drive.  The Hawks later fell short on several pass attempts in the red zone after a long drive.  Had Skelton not been hurt, the Seahawks would likely have continued to stifle him and would have been able to play ball control the rest of the game and gotten the win.
2. Week 4 vs the Rams – An uninspired effort by the offense left the Seahawks defense with the majority of the load in this game.  The Rams Danny Amendola was able to get open for key completions all game long.  Even so the Seahawks were only down by 6 and driving with 2 minutes left.  The game was lost on a throw when Wilson’s intended receiver Anthony McCoy tripped on his route and Rams cornerback Bradley Fletcher grabbed an easy interception, and that handed the win to St. Louis.
3. Week 8 vs the Lions – This is another one that, despite a late 4th quarter winning drive by the Lions,  was actually lost not on the last drive of the game, but late in the second quarter.  It was on a Lions drive that was stalled at third-and-11 just past midfield.  Stafford made probably his best throw of the year to Titus Young who streaked for a 46-yard touchdown.  Had the Seahawks held on that 3rd and 11, they likely could have held the Lions out of the end zone until half time and that  4th quarter drive by the Lions would have been irrelevant.
4. Week 12 vs the Dolphins – The Seahawks had the lead and the Dolphins were driving with 8 minutes remaining in the game.  On first and goal from Seattle’s 7-yard line QB Ryan Tannehill was flushed out of the pocket to his right and forced a throw to Anthony Fasano in tight coverage.  Hawks LB Bobby Wagner intercepted the ball in the end zone for what would have been a touchback and Hawks ball at the 20.  Unfortunately, during the throw, Seahawks Safety Earl Thomas had launched himself airborne in an attempt to knock down the pass.  His forward momentum carried him into Tannehills path and Thomas’ arm inadvertently brushed the quarterback’s helmet, drawing a personal foul.  Interception negated.  Dolphins get the easy score and win 21-24.

So there you have it…Coulda-Shoulda-Woulda.  4 Plays that would have made the Seahawks the No.1 seed in the playoffs had they not happened, giving them home field advantage and a bye in the first week…just like their Super Bowl year.  Even winning just one of these games would have made this weeks game vs the 49ers a battle for the NFC West lead.  I’m sure every Seahawks player knows this and will remember it next season, which should be one to remember.  But with a little luck, a top 3 defense, and the newly found offensive power of the last 3 games, hopefully fans won’t have to wait until next season for a look at another Seahawks Super Bowl.  But how much easier it could have been.

Sept. 9, 2012; Glendale, AZ, USA; Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Sidney Rice (18) celebrates after scoring a 10 yard touchdown during the second half against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Cardinals beat the Seahawks 20-16. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-US PRESSWIRE

This game was such one-sided disaster for the Cardinals there’s just not a lot of analysis necessary.  So, I thought I’d list some of my random thoughts from the game and it’s aftermath.

• I wonder if the Cardinals would trade Larry Fitzgerald for Matt Flynn and a draft pick…  They really need a QB.  Larry caught one pass today.
• Cardinal’s fans and management shouldn’t blame Ken Whisenhunt.  He didn’t fumble a single ball or throw a single interception.  And who didn’t draft a high round QB last year?
• I know what Russell Wilson means about blowouts not being as much fun as a close game.  This game was not fun to watch.  By the middle of the third quarter I was rooting for the Cardinals to show some life, something, anything…
• This game may do more harm than good for the Seahawks collective ego.  They caught a team at the bottom of their fall from respectability.  That’s not going to happen again for a long time.  The Hawks should not let this game convince them they have suddenly gotten that much better.
• Russell Wilson didn’t help himself to win Rookie of the Year.  Not that he didn’t look good, but the Hawks would have won this game with Stan Gelbaugh under center.
• 10 penalties for 97 yds…  Some bad habits returned for Sherman and Giacomini.
• Wish list for next draft: Get someone to replace Giacomini and his mindless penalties.
• I should have gone fishing rather than watch this game.  Not that it wasn’t good that they won, but this game didn’t really prove anything.
• It’s good the second and third team guys got to play some.  If the Seahawks make the playoffs it will help that they had this experience.
• Where was this when the Hawks played Miami, Detroit, and St. Louis?  Let’s hope they saved something for Buffalo.  The Buffalo game scares me.
• Matt Flynn looked worse than Russell Wilson ever has.  He overthrew receivers by a LOT and almost got Sydney Rice killed on that pass over the middle.  You don’t throw that ball to your #1 receiver when you’re up by 50.
• Richard Sherman is a great player, he needs to act like he’s been there before when he does something great.

Well, that’s about it from my perspective.  Fair?  Unfair?  Have some of your own?

Was Wilson ever really considered for the role of Qb1? Credit: Ron Chenoy-US PRESSWIRE

Russell Wilson has a way of making himself “Mr. Relevant”.  When he came to Wisconsin looking for another year of college football after trying minor league baseball following his junior year at NC State, within 2 weeks he was the starter and elected captain of the team.  In the early days of spring training with the Seahawks the wet behind the ears round 3 rookie so impressed Pete Carroll with his play that he earned himself the right to be part of the Quarterback competition with Tavaras Jackson and newly acquired veteran free agent Matt Flynn.  Wilson went on to impress the coaching staff enough in his backup roll in his first two preseason games he was able to earn a start in game three vs. Kansas City.   He went on to dismantle the Chiefs with his aggressive running and passing style and proved he could do it against the first team defense.  That performance earned him the starting job  with the Seahawks.

Wilson’s early regular season starts were not impressive, but he did take care of the ball and managed games pretty well as he learned to read defenses and got used to the speed of the NFL.  His mistakes were few and not too serious.  Carroll insisted this slow start was by design.  Still, fans were not convinced.    They wanted more from the QB position and Flynn supporters were making themselves heard.  It was obvious Wilson was improving with every start but didn’t quite have it all figured out through the first 7 weeks of the season.  Carroll kept his fledgling QB on a short leash for the first half of the season.  Most games Wilson threw fewer than 25 passes but people were asking for more.  There was never a loss you could really pin on Wilson, yet the clamor for Flynn continued.

Around week 8 it seemed like Carroll let out a little more rope on his new QB.  He allowed Wilson to have more influence on the game with his passing and Russell responded.  Wilson went 25 for 35 for 236 yards and 2 TDs against the Lions.  That game was a loss, but it was a loss the defense got the blame for.  For Wilson it was a breakout performance.  Since then the Hawks have gone 3 for 4, with the Bears vaunted defense being the latest and most significant victim of an increasingly relevant Russell Wilson.

A quick look at the stats shows Wilson ahead of Luck and RGIII in passer rating for the months of October (90), November (128), and thus far in December (104).    Wilson has 19 touchdowns (more than Luck and Griffen), and has winning drives in the last possession of the game in three games.  With Wilson at the helm the Seahawks have also beaten NFL top rung QBs like Arron Rogers, Tom Brady, Tony Romo, and Jay Cutler.  Wilson’s performance against the Bears has caught the attention of all the major sports media including Sports Illustrated, ESPN, SportsNation, Yahoo Sports and others.  Those stories will start showing up in Fridays’ sports pages.  Oh, and one other thing; Russell Wilson won player of the week in a week when he, RGIII, and Andrew Luck drove their teams to last minute victories.  Why?  Because Russell did it twice in the same game.

You can make a good argument Offensive Rookie of the Year honors will go to either Luck or RGIII using a number of the various rating categories, but you can’t ignore Wilson.  His numbers are similar, his contribution to his team is just as large, and his leadership is unquestioned.  He’s in the conversation now, kind of like when he got himself into Seattle’s QB competition during spring training.  Expect “Mr. Relevant” to be in position to step up should either RGIII or Luck falter.

Dec 2, 2012; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears defensive tackle Nate Collins (left) and defensive end Israel Idonije (right) pressure Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) during the second half at Soldier Field. The Seahawks won 23-17 in OT. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-US PRESSWIRE

You could almost hear the outraged Seahawks fans screaming at their television sets.  It seemed like lady luck was just not with the  Hawks today.  The referees seemed to be making every possible call against the Seahawks and none for them.  Balls dropped by the Bears seemed to be magnetically attracted back into their hands.  A couple times the Seahawks came out of a pile with the ball on a fumble and a muffed kick but for some inexplicable reason the ball was awarded to the Bears.  It was just “one of those days” the Seahawks and their fans have suffered through many times in the past, most notably in their Super Bowl loss, and most recently last week vs. Miami.

But something strange happened on the way to another infamous Seattle loss.  They somehow got the plays they needed at just the right time.  Like the big defensive stop in the first half that halted a Bears drive inside the Seahawks 30.  And there were the numerous Russell Wilson runs for first downs.  Then there was the offensive pass interference call on the Bears Brandon Marshall against Richard Sherman that helped end a second half Bears threat.

And then came what most fans thought would be the game winning score that capped a 97 yard drive; an incredible catch and run by… you guessed it, Golden Tate.   This guy always has at least one amazing catch and run, and today was no different.  Catching the ball at the 10 yard line, spinning and weaving through a matrix of Bears defenders, and finishing with a horizontal dive and stretch into the end zone.  Hawks up by 3 with 26 seconds left to play.  We WIN!!!  Right???  Not so fast!  After the kickoff, which the Seahawks covered well by tackling the Bears return man on the 15, Bears QB Jay Cutler hit Brandon Marshall for a 56 yard strike to around the Seahawks 30.  A short run to kill some clock and the Bears hit a 46 yard field goal to tie up the game and send it to overtime.  You may notice some people walking around Seattle tomorrow with large clumps of their hair missing.  They are Seahawks fans and this turn of events is why…

Now for the sake of full disclosure, this is when I turned off the TV set, got my son and our fishing poles and went fishing.  The Seahawks just don’t ever seem to win after things like this happen and I didn’t want to see it after they seemingly had it in the bag!  By the time we got our gear and ourselves in the car, got the radio on and were heading for the freeway, Russell Wilson was driving the Hawks who had just gotten a delay of game penalty.  ”Yep, true to form”, I said.  Seems like every time in these close games when the Hawks need to execute and focus, the penalties come in droves and they start going backwards.  Not this time.  Running for a couple first downs to keep drives alive and throwing with deadly precision, Wilson quickly had them in scoring position.  At this point the air was starting to leave the Bears stadium for a second time in 10 minutes.  Seahawks fans got the feeling something special might be about to happen.  And it did, but at a cost yet to be determined.

From about the 15 or 20 Wilson threw a dart to Sydney Rice who made the reception, barely getting the ball in the end zone before a crushing hit appeared to knock him out cold.  (Rice later said he never lost consciousness).  The scary moment when Rice went limp on the ground overshadowed the potential score.  As the refs scoured the replay for what Hawks fans must surely have thought was any excuse not to award the Hawks the score, Rice came around and sat up, and was able to walk off the field.  After taking an inordinately long time, the replay official finally awarded the Hawks the TD.  GAME OVER!

Nothing came easy for Seattle today.  Not for the Seahawks or their fans at home watching.  But these are the kind of games that build character and show that if you persevere you can overcome adversity.  Yeah, I should have delayed my fishing trip a few minutes…  Next time I should have a little more faith in the Seahawks, especially Mr. DangeRuss Wilson, whose leadership on this team just paid a huge dividend.  Not only did he deliver the win, he delivered the spark of confidence this team will need to get into the playoffs.

Nov 11, 2012; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Golden Tate (81) leaps over New York Jets defensive back Ellis Lankster (26) during the 2nd half at CenturyLink Field. Seattle defeated New York 28-7. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-US PRESSWIRE

It’s starting to become obvious that Golden Tate, despite his small stature and slow development, is turning into something special.  The Seahawks receiver keeps coming up with not only amazing catches, but even more amazing runs after the catch.  Every week there seems to be another Golden Tate gem in clutch situations where he makes a difficult catch followed by a long run through a defensive secondary for a first down or score.

This week’s contributions to the “WOW! list”; an over the top scoring grab right off the helmet of a Jets defender three plays into the Hawks first possession, followed by a quick turn into the end zone; and later a touchdown throw to fellow receiver Sydney Rice to ice the game in the forth quarter.

Last week against the Vikings Tate had a catch and run for a TD that looked more like a pinball bouncing and banging off the bumpers than an undersized receiver shredding an NFL defense for a score.  That one ended in an acrobatic leap into the end zone.  He lost the ball in the air but the refs gave him the score, which drew the attention of Pete Carroll at the after game press conference.  Carroll said he would “talk to Golden about that leap” and maybe advise him to keep his feat a little closer to the ground.  You could see the results of the coaches talk this week when Tate was running after a catch and although he did leap, it was more like a hurdle than a swan dive.  On the same play he angled his pads to absorb a hit and when the hit came it actually broke him free for more yardage.  Tate has a great ability to absorb hits and bounce off, on his feet and under control.

But catching the ball is not Tate’s only contribution.  The guy can block.  In a home game against the Cowboys Tate gave Sean Lee a hit he probably won’t remember, because it knocked him out.  The common term for that kind of hit is a “decleating”, which definitely describes this one.  Lee was pursuing a scrambling Russell Wilson and and didn’t see Tate coming.  Tate went low and hit Lee in the chest, launching him off his feet like he’d been standing on an stunt man’s spring board.  The hit drew Ooh’s and Ah’s from the crowd, but drew a $10,000 fine from the NFL.  Oh well, such is the price of making a name for yourself.

Tate, who became a household name as “the guy who stole the game from the Green Bay Packers” on Monday Night Football (he even got his own “Hitler reacts to Golden Tate’s touchdown” parody on YouTube) is now making his mark as one of the “go to” guys for Seahawks QB Russell Wilson.  Tate is currently Seattle’s second leading receiver after Rice, with 24 receptions for 283 yards, and 5 TDs.  The coaching staff is happy to see Tate make the good kind of leap – in his development, having seen his raw talent early on but also his lack of disciplined route running.  That all now appears to be well behind Golden Tate in year 3 of what looks to be career on the rise.

This got me to thinking; could this work with the NFL?  Fans love their fantasy football, right?  What would happen if fans got to pick between several coaching candidates?  Or what players make the team?  How about picking this weeks starting QB?  Or even the game plan?  Make it all interactive on the web with some fancy software that will take the average of all responses from choices offered by the software.  Maybe throw in some kind of wild card to shake things up; such as an electronic “wheel of fortune” with choices like picking one player from the opposing team that will have to sit out a quarter.  How cool would THAT be?  This would give the games real meaning to the people who support the team in every NFL city.

Can you imagine what this idea could do to the game?  It would make it an interactive real-life computer sports game.  Think of all the ways fans could exercise their will?  Of course there would have to be safeguards to prevent fans of enemy teams from infiltrating our fan choices to weaken our team.  But that can all be worked out.  Maybe you’d buy into different levels of voting.  For example; you could have a “basic” package that allows you to vote on the defensive coach and two offensive lineman, a linebacker, and a safety.  The “silver package” allows voting on head coach, defensive coach, and 4 offensive and defensive players but not the QB.  The “gold” package would give you control of all coaches, and all players.  And the “Platinum” package adds game planning and 3rd down play calling during the game.  The “Super Double Platinum” level gets you into the NFL DRAFT!  Yeah BABY!

Crazy you say?  I’m absolutely insane?  Yeah, but how much would you PAY for this kind of control of your Seahawks?  Hmmm?  If the powers that be determine there’s a boatload of cash to be made, I’m thinking there may soon be conversations along these lines.  In fact, it’s already being done in other entertainment genres.  Ever hear of “American Idol” or “Dancing with the Stars”?  They already have fan voting.  If there’s one thing franchise owners like, it’s new revenue streams.  Fan interactive voting would be a FAT new source of cash for owners.

Call me crazy, but remember… you heard it here first.

Dec 24, 2011, Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch (24) breaks a tackle by San Francisco 49ers defensive end Justin Smith (94) to rush for a touchdown during the fourth quarter at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-US PRESSWIRE

All the writers have their stories/predictions out and there seems to be a consensus.  ”It’s going to be a low scoring game with the 49ers eeking out a 4 point victory”.  Sure, why not?  I could believe that!  After all, that’s what logic would dictate, right?

We have the two best defenses in the league and two so-so offenses all in the same game.  This combination doesn’t scream “high scoring bomb-a-thon”.  And Alex Smith is hitting a rough patch in the road after dropping two recent games in fairly close proximity.  Seattle, according to the sports elite, has a rookie QB the coaching staff doesn’t trust to throw down the field.  They say look for a Gore vs Lynch grind for 4 quarters.

Well I could just join the chorus and agree with them but that’s not my style. And besides that, I don’t believe that’s how Pete Carroll is going to attempt to win this game.  I just don’t see Carroll in his office up in Kirkland saying to is coaching staff “yeah, I think I’m going to game-plan according to all the sports writers and do the VERY predictable thing and run Lynch 35 times”.  So, understanding full well that I’m 100% wrong when I try to predict what Carroll is GOING TO DO based on what I would do, but totally get what he DID after the game, Im’ going to try this week to think like Pete and make a bold statement as to how I think this game will go.

The 49ers already know about Lynch.  They’re game planning to stop him.  They also have a really good pass defense but probably aren’t all that afraid that Russell Wilson can do to them what he did to a mediocre Patriots secondary.  They will stop Lynch if they can, and dare Wilson to beat them.  Now they have last weeks game film, and they know Wilson can throw a pretty good long ball.  So if I’m San Fran, I’m ready for that too.  What does that leave?  It leaves quick passes over the middle, in the flanks, and screens to backs.  If I’m Carroll I’m also working on ways to add some sprint outs and a possible option run/pass into that mix with one of the most mobile young QB’s in the league.  If Wilson can get the SF defense to quit worrying about the deep ball by mixing lots of short passes with Lynch runs, then eventually when he does go for the long ball, it will come as a little bit of a surprise to the SF secondary.  Maybe there’s a long TD to be had if the timing and match-up is right.  That should open up the running and short passing game even more.

And what about defensively?  Alex Smith is not Tom Brady.  He’s not even Russell Wilson.  He’s…pedestrian (I learned that word hearing sports writers talk about Matt Flynn, though I don’t necessarily agree with that).  There are already calls in San Francisco to bring in Colin Kaepernick. I haven’t seen the two games the 49ers lost, but I know Smith  had some INT’s and wasn’t sharp.  Smith’s confidence of last year might be starting to wane slightly with the two losses.  With players like Smith if they’re taken out of their comfort zone they don’t do well.  So pressure is critical.  Getting him running, firing passes on the run, forcing him to make throws to his second or third receiver should help limit the damage he can do.  So, stunts, blitzes, combined with getting really physical on SF’s older receivers should help make it a long day for Smith.

San Francisco is an old team.  Still good, but getting long in the tooth by NFL standards.  The young, tough new kids on the block should be able to keep up the punishment on the 49ers for 4 quarters.  The Seahawks are overdue to get all three elements of the game going at the same time, offense, defense, and special teams.  I expect the team to be focused and inspired by the challenge of playing a great team on the road.  If that happens, this game will not be as close as everyone thinks.  The 49ers are ripe for a blow-out just like the Texans were last week.  They should not take this game lightly.