2010 Regular Season
CARDINALS @ SEATTLE PREVIEW

Overview
Last Game
Meet the Seahawks
Cardinals Roster
Cardinals vs. Seattle Matchups

Overview:
The Seahawks hung on to narrowly beat the Bears last Sunday and should be feeling pretty good about themselves. The Cards - coming off an unexpected upset victory over the Saints - enjoyed their Bye Week. If they can beat Seattle, (with SF 1 & 5 the Cardinals can take a significant step toward controlling their own destiny in the NFC West.

Late Breaking - There's a 70% chance of rain (with no dome) raising speculation that we'll run the ball more. Logically this makes sense, given the Cardinals' history of playing poorly in bad northeastern weather (Warner's timing routes tended to be screwed up). But, with Hall steering the ship, the truth is: "we don't know" (Incidently, does anyone know if he has big, average or small hands)?

Day of Game - Inactive for Cards - Breaston, S. Williams, Skelton, Watson, Abdullah, McBride, Claxton, A Hall, plus Hayes, Schofield

As of Saturday -

Seahawk Injuries
Kelly Jennings	CB	Hamstring	Did Not Participate In Practice	Questionable
Brandon Mebane	DT	Calf	Did Not Participate In Practice	Questionable
Dexter Davis	DE	Hamstring	Limited Participation in Practice	Questionable

Cardinal Injuries
Steve Breaston	WR	Knee	Limited Participation in Practice	Questionable
Will Davis	LB	Groin	Limited Participation in Practice	Questionable
Early Doucet	WR	Groin	Limited Participation in Practice	Questionable
Kenny Iwebema	DE	Knee	Limited Participation in Practice	Questionable
Reggie Walker	LB	Hamstring	Limited Participation in Practice	Questionable
Matt Ware	S	Ankle	Full Participation in Practice	Probable
Stephen Williams	WR	Back	Limited Participation in Practice	Probable

Last Game:
Seahawks capitalized on poor offensive line-play by the Bears, an aggressive pass-rushing/turnover-hungry defense, smart quarterbacking and the resurrection of former WR (& Pete Carroll protoge) Mike Williams to eke out a 3-point win over the Minatures of the Midway.

First Quarter

• A 58-yard pass interference on Lewis helped to set up a 4-play 80-yard scoring drive capped by a 6-yard TD run by Forte. Bears 7 - Seahawks 0.

• Seattle came right back, with four medium-length pass completions from Hassellbeck to Carlson (+4), Mike Williams (+16 and +24) and a 22-yard scoring pass to Butler. Bears 7 - Seahawks 7.

• Seattle held the Bears to 3 & out on three successive series. On one series, Cutler was sacked once by Lewis. Seattle could barely do better during the first two pf their three offensive possessions, but did manage to move to the Chicago 8-yard line from the Bear 37 (set up by a 31-yard Maynard punt) on a couple of completions to Mike Williams and Deon Butler as the quarter ended.

Second Quarter

• Two plays later, Forsett ran it in off  right guard for 9 yards and a TD.  Seahawks 14 - Bears 7.

• Chicago managed to move from their own 19 to the Seattle 11, but Curry's sack of Cutler ended the drive, and Chicago had to settle for a FG.  Seahawks 14 - Bears 10.

• Seattle went 3 & out. Chicago was unable to move the ball much on their next possession. Seahawks then - hemmed in at their own 6 -  held onto the ball for 11 plays and 5:20 but finally punted from the Chicago 38.  With 3:29 left til halftime, Cutler connected with a 67-yard pass to Knox, but the Bears could get no closer than the Seattle 6 and Gould booted a 24-yarder to make it a one-point game.  Seahawks 14 - Bears 13. Starting from their own 15 with 1:15 left, Seattle ran off 3 straight running plays to end the first 2 quarters. Halftime Score: Seahawks 14 - Bears 13.

Third Quarter

• Seattle received, and Leon Washington broke off one more of his patented long ones - this one for 42 yards to the Seahawk 45. But Seattle could only move the ball 20 yards and punted, boxing in the Bears at their own 10-yard line. On the second play from scrimmage, Cutler was sacked (by ) Babineaux for a safety. Seahawks 16 - Bears 13.

• This quarter could be described as a field-possession "war of attrition" battle. Seahawks went 3 & out. Another sack of Cutler (this time by Brock) derailed the next Chicago possession. But a muffed punt (& recovery) by Tate bottled up the Seahawks at their own 7-yard and they went 3 & out again. The next Bear possession was a near-replica of the previous one, with a minus-11 yard sack of Cutler (by Lawyer Milloy) forcing the Bears to prematurely punt. Seattle took over on their own 8, but instead of conservatively running it out of there, Hasselbeck went to the short pass - 6 of 8 plays - before the quarter ended. Third Quarter Score: Seahawks 16 - Bears 13.

Fourth Quarter

• Three plays later, Forsett blasted in from one-yard out. Seahawks 23 - Bears 13.

• Chicago (after a penalty on the ensuing KO started from their own 9 and couldn't make it past their own 27 and punted. Seattle then went 3 & out. The 53 yard punt once again boxed in Chicago at their own 8-yard line with 10:53 left in the game. They couldn't get past their own 28 before punting. Once again Seattle went 3 & out. This time a 56-yard Ryan punt boxed the Bears in at their own 1-yard line with 7:02 left on the clock. Cutler survived a (minus-6 yard) sack (shared by Clemons and Babineaux) and was able to move the Bears to within FG range at the Seattle 36 - except that Gould's 54-yard FG attempt was wide-right.
• Seattle got the ball back with 3:42 left to play. They punted from their own 41 with 2:14 left on the clock. It's hard to fathom but the one thing that could steal the game from Seattle and help give it back to the Bears - the one thing you'd think the Seahawks would be super-careful about would be what? A punt return by Devon Hester. How about an 89-yard punt return to narrow the score to 3 points. Bingo! Seahawks 23 - Bears 20.
• 1:54 left. But the onside kick was recovered by Carlson with 1:54 left to play and - with no remaining Chicago time outs - the Seahawks hung on to win it. Final Score: Seahawks 23 - Bears 20.

Highlights/Lowlights

• Seattle sacked Cutler 6 times.  (Babineaux 1½, Brock 1, Curry 1, Lewis 1, Milloy 1, Clemons 0½.

• Run/Pass Ratio was 31 Runs/40 Passes

• Bear pass rushers (& that includes Peppers) never laid a hand on Hasselbeck

• Seattle was penalized 5 times.

• Seattle won the time-of-possession battle 34:23 to 25:37.

• No turnovers or take-aways by either team.

• Newly acquired RB Marshawn Lynch had 17 carries (vs. 10 for Forsett). Each RB had one TD.

• Mike Williams was, by far, Seattle's leading receiver with 10 catches for 123 yards. Butler caught 4 passes for 47 yards & a TD. Carlson caught 2. Lynch and Stokely caught 3.

• Team defense - Thomas, Thurmond and Trufant led the team in tackles with 4 apiece. A bunch of other guys had 3.

Meet the Seahawks
No question - these are no longer your father's (nor for that matter, Mike Holmgren's) Seahawks, but a team that's transitioning quickly into "Pete Carroll's team."

 Quarterbacks
08 Hasselbeck, Matt QB 6-4 225 35 12 Boston College
06 Whitehurst, Charlie QB 6-5 225 28 5 Clemson
You never know what you're going to get from Hasselbeck from game to game, because of his injury history. But when he's healthy, you know you'll have to defend against a very bright, well-grounded, resourceful, quick-drop QB who spreads the ball around to a lot guys and is surprisingly mobile. If the Seahawks hadn't snapped up Whitehurst from SD, it's quite likely he'd be a Cardinal (& Max Hall quite possibly would still be holding a clipboard).

 Running Backs
20 Forsett, Justin RB 5-8 198 24 3 California
24 Lynch, Marshawn RB 5-11 215 24 4 California
33 Washington, Leon RB 5-8 203 28 5 Florida State
26 Robinson, Michael RB 6-1 223 27 5 Penn State
It looks as though the newly acquiredLynch will receive the lion's share of carries from here on out. Compare this group of RB's to what Seattle was going with prior to the Carroll regime, and you'll get a pretty good idea of what had to have been at the tippy-top of Pete's "To-Do" list. All three of their top 3 guys must be considered more edge/cutback/home-run and less smashmouth in their running styles. Their biggest RB is former QB Robinson (who filled more of a slash role in the SF attack)

 Wide Receivers
11 Butler, Deon WR 5-10 182 24 2 Penn State
15 Stokley, Brandon WR 6-0 192 34 12 Southwestern La.
17 Williams, Mike WR 6-5 235 26 4 USC
87 Obomanu, Benjamin WR 6-1 204 26 5 Auburn
81 Tate, Golden WR 5-10 202 22 R Notre Dame
Interesting group (Deep enough, evidentally, to enable Carroll to trade away Deon Branch). Carroll has given former Trojan Williams a new lease on life and Mike has delivered. Both Williams and Tate were at or near the top of the BRS receiver rankings prior to their drafts. Stokely was Peyton Manning's go-to possession receiver "back in the day" (It's hard to believe he's going into his 12th year). Wasn't Butler originally a highly-regarded CB when he came out out of Penn State?

 Tight Ends
89 Carlson, John TE 6-5 251 26 3 Notre Dame
86 Baker, Chris TE 6-3 261 30 9 Michigan State
88 Morrah, Cameron TE 6-3 251 23 2 California
85 McCoy, Anthony TE 6-5 259 22 R USC
Carlson is emerging as one of the best receiving TE's in the league - he's second to Williams on the team in catches. We were impressed by Morrah prior to the draft a couple of years ago. McCoy is said to be one of those USC guys Carroll knows more than a little about.

	Seahawks	Opponents
TOTAL FIRST DOWNS	79	98
FIRST DOWNS (Rushing-passing-by penalty)	23 - 52 - 4	20 - 73 - 5
THIRD DOWN CONVERSIONS	29/68	28/77
FOURTH DOWN CONVERSIONS	1/4	3/7
TOTAL OFFENSIVE YARDS	1462	1806
OFFENSE (Plays-Average Yards)	295 - 5.0	350 - 5.2
TOTAL RUSHING YARDS	429	352
RUSHING (Plays-Average Yards)	119 - 3.6	120 - 2.9
TOTAL PASSING YARDS	1033	1454
PASSING (Comp-Att-Int-Avg)	103 - 167 - 6 - 6.5	120 - 213 - 5 - 7.4
SACKS	17	9
FIELD GOALS (Att/Made	4/4	8/9
TOUCHDOWNS	12	10
(Rushing-Passing-Returns-Defensive)	4 - 5 - 2 - 1	3 - 6 - 1 - 0
TIME OF POSSESSION	27:03	32:56
TURNOVER RATIO	-1

• Hasselbeck (5 TD's/6 Interceptions) has a 61.4% completion average and a 74.8 QB Rating. He's been sacked 9 times.

• Forsett's averaging 4.6 ypc. and until now was the main Seattle ball carrier with 61 attempts. Lynch averaged 2.6 in his first outing but carried the ball more than Forsett vs. Chicago.

• Mike Williams (21) , Carlson (16) and Butler (12) lead the team in receptions with all three averaging between 10.8 and 12.4 ypc. Butler is credited with 2 TD's. Carlson with one.

• Mare is a perfect 4 for 4 in FG attempts (all inside the 40). Opponents have attempted twice as many FG's.

• Tate is the primary punt returner with 12 returns for 11.8 per return and a longest gain of 63 yards.

• Opponents are averaging 13.7 yards per punt return.

• Led by Leon Washington (13 returns, 37.0 yards per return and 2 TD's, the Seahawks are very dangerous returning kickoffs.

• Top 4 tacklers are Milloy (31), Thomas (27), Tatupo (26) and Trufant (25)

• Top sackers are Clemons (4½), Brock (3), Babineaux (1½) and a bunch of other guys with one apiece. (Seahawks are outsacking their opponents 17 to 9)

• Thomas leads the Seahawks with 3 picks. (Trufant and Babineaux each had one).

Cardinal Roster

QB - 06 Hall,  03 Anderson, 19 Skelton,
Hall didn't play lights out nor did he play badly in the Cardinals' upset win over New Orleans, but he did just enough to enable teammates to win a big one. He only figures to get better with added experience. (To put things in perspective - the amount of game-tape of Hall as a pro more than doubled since the Saturday the 9th)

RB - 34 Hightower, 31 Wright, 36 Stephens-Howling  (KR/PR), 26, Wells
Cardinal runners didn't accomplish much vs. New Orleans. You can chalk this up to defensive scheming, except that our running game hasn't exactly been that terrific in the 4 games that preceded it. I think we may have to accept the fact that the Cardinals will be kind of hit or miss in their run game. This isn't to say that THT, Beanie and LSH don't have talent - it just means that, in terms of production, we haven't seen very much on a consistent basis, and there's not much to indicate that we will. That said - the threat of the run remains crucial to our passing offense, and we never abandon the run too early.
FB - 45 Mau'ia
Seems to be settling in as a lead blocker, but we'd like to see more consistency.

WR - 12 Roberts,  80 Doucet,  15 Breaston
WR -11 Fitzgerald, 18 Komar, 14 S Williams,
Fitz and Max seemed to click pretty well vs. the Saints. Breaston and Doucet figure to be back and healthy after the Bye. Komar and Williams (who got dinged) didn't flash much, but Roberts had a few nice grabs.

TE - 89 Patrick, 83 Spach,  81 Dray
Patrick had 5 catches vs. NO (Perhaps the TE will become more important in a Hall-led passing offense). Both Spach and Dray tend to be more hit-or-miss as receivers (the few times they get thrown at).

LT- 75 L Brown, 73 Bridges
LG- 66 Faneca,  70 Hadnot
OC- 63Sendlein,  (70 Hadnot), 62 Claxton,
RG- 76 Lutui
RT  72 Keith
This unit has continued to perform below expectations. What we see now is probably what we should expect for the remainder of the season - a deep veteran group that's pretty hit or miss both in pass pro and in sustaining blocks and opening up holes for Cardinal runners. What we see is probably what we'll get, and anything more than that will be gravy.

DE - 93 Campbell, 79 Iwebema
NT - 97 B Robinson,  92 D Williams, 98 Watson,
DT - 90 Dockett, 78 Branch
They performed OK and gritty but not dominant against NO. Campbell has hit a plateau this season. Dockett is playing OK, but not to Pro Bowl caliber standards. B-Rob has taken a lot of heat for being outmuscled by bigger more physical linemen. Watson and D Williams have been OK in NT rotation. Branch shared DE duties with Campbell and occasionally impressed. Play over the first 5 weeks was inconsistent - with some highs and some lows. One thing you have to like about this group (aside from its depth in talent) is its versatility. If you want  a more mobile NT, you can throw in Robinson. If you desire more stoutness up the middle, you can always slot in Watson or Williams. Or if you need a little more bulk outside, you can bring in Branch. And (when healthy) Iwebema can adds pass rush Tobasco. The one nagging concern about this unit is the way it got steamrolled during the losses to Atlanta and San Diego. We don't yet know whether or not the problem - with stopping big physical runners - has, indeed, been fixed.

OLB1 - 55 Porter
ILB  51 Lenon, A. Hall
ILB- 58 D Washington, 56 Walker,
OLB2 - 53 Haggans,  59 W Davis
These guys had a huge day vs. NO. Question is: Can they sustain that level of performance from game to game? Or will they backslide to the undisciplined, lackadaisical and sloppy play disiplayed in NO and SD? When they're on their game, it's an interesting group, with the two inside guys displaying more mobility and range than prototypical "large" ILB's. Especially impressive has been Washington's ability to pursue sweep plays from "inside out" to eat up RB's before they get to the corner. The expected return of Gerald Hayes could add a bit more size and toughness on the inside while enabling Washington (who is still experiencing the ups and downs of the so-called "learning curve) the chance to be spotted where his talents can be utilized more selectively. There also is the outside possibility that highly regarded but injured rookie O Brien Schofield may be ready to go soon; however, his lack of pro experience could keep on-ice for the balance of the year.

RCB - 28 Toler, MacDonald,  37 McBride,
LCB- 29 Rodgers-Cromartie, 27 Adams   
SS-  24 Wilson,  22 Ware, 41 Abdullah, 40 Tillman
FS- 25 Rhodes,  49 Rash Johnson
Our front four looked terrific vs. New Orlean. Toler is fast developing to DRC-caliber level (giving us a pair of talented cover corners for arguably the first time since Jimmy Hill and Pat Fischer back in the early 1960's. Kerry Rhodes has been everything we hoped he'd be at FS. Ironically, the one DB whose performance hasn't quite met expectations is All Pro Adrian Wilson - not that he doesn't make one or two "woo" plays per game, but (at least since the opener vs. StL) lately hasn't been dominating games the way you'd hope he would. Unsung hero of the NO game was nickel-corner Michael Adams (in coverage, run support and special teams). We're not saying he'd be OK left out there on an island, but - playing within his more limited role, he was outstanding. Rashad Johnson was a bit more active and visible in the NO game (with Ware nicked up) and we may have seen him turn the corner.

K-04 Feely
P- 05 B Graham,
H - 05  B Graham
LS- 82 Leach
KR - 37Stephens-Howling
PR - 12 Roberts, 18 Komar, 15 Breaston, 37Stephens-Howling
Feely is reliable.  Graham has become legendary for dropping punts inside the 10 - 15. It's pretty much accepted fact now that LSH (is the real deal when it comes to long KR returns.This hasn't been a one & done phenominon but a consistent part of his game. Roberts got expanded responsibility for returning punts and has started to look pretty settled back there.

    Cardinals vs. Seattle Matchups

Injuries:
Cardinals:  DNP: TBA  LP: TBA  Probable: TBA  

Seattle: DNP: TBA  . LP: TBA  . Probable: TBA .

Seattle  Passing Attack vs. Cardinal Pass Defense
Hasselbeck, when healthy is efficient in the short game. While no speedster, he's nimble-footed enough to cause trouble on naked boots/waggles or if forced outside the pocket. He likes to spread the ball around, and Seattle has a multiplicity of targets - including Mike Williams, Golden Tate and Stokely at WR, Carlson (second most catches) at TE and both Lynch and Forsett coming out of the backfield. Prior to the NO game, I'd have to say that this sort of multi-pronged passing attack had given the Cardinal defense the most trouble. However, the Cards were able to contain Brees and his merry pranksters; if they can hang onto the magic, perhaps they can do it again vs. the Seahawks. Although the Cardinal defense - when it brings its A Game - can put pressure on the passer, it must be pointed out that Peppers, Urlacher & Co. were unable to sack Hasselbeck last Sunday. (In the past, Cards have discovered that, if Hasselbeck has to face constant pressure back there, he can be contained. Question is: "Is this the past or is it a new present?"

This may be the game where the Cards sick the more physical Toler on the Bears' #1 receiver (Williams) to give us a better size matchup. This would free DRC to contain Tate or Stokely while perhaps being freed up to do a little freelancing. It will be up to Adrian Wilson, Kerry Rhodes and Cardinal LB's to keep Carlson and Lynch (or Forsett) in check. Someone on either edge must be responsible for making certain they're in Hasselbeck's face when he runs boots or escapes the pocket.

Seattle Running Attack vs. Cardinal Run Defense
Seattle's runners appear to be mostly slashers and not pounders (which means gap-discipline and outside-contain rules this week). When the Cards aren't "guessing and lunging", they can stop enemy home-run hitters, but if they get frustrated and ignore their assignment, they can be gashed badly by opposing running attacks. Facing Hasselbeck, there will be a natural tension created between containing the run and covering Hasselbeck and Seahawk receivers.

Cardinal Passing Attack vs. Seattle Pass Defense
We still don't know what we'll be getting in Hall. We do know that he and Fitz are beginning to get more comfortable with one another, but in his first pro start. Hall's ability to hit his receivers was still around 50-50. The unknown factor remains the degree of improvement (if any) we can expect to see after the extra week off. What we're hoping to see from Hall and the Cardinal receivers is something closer to a Drew Brees passing attack - with, say, a 2 in 3 certainty that Max knows what he wants to do and that we all can be pretty confident that he and Cardinal receivers will be successful. (Note - What we don't know yet will be the shape of our starting receiving corps. Expectations are that Hall will finally have the opportunity throw to a healthy Fitz., Breaston and Doucet. This, alone, should make us excited.

Also open to debate must be whether or not Seattle's 6 sacks vs. Chicago was due to (a) the "Hawks or (b) the Bears? DE's Chris Clemons and Raheem Brock have been causing the most trouble, but Carroll isn't bashful about sending in a safety or two when he smells blood. Operating behind a less-than-rock-solid Cardinal O-line, Hall has taken his share of lumps. It will be up to both our pass rushers and Max's feet and quick release to keep Hall upright. Expect the Seahawks to do a lot of false-carding and blitzing in order to confuse Hall.

It could be argued that Seattles' biggest strength is in their secondary - with a pair of excellent safeties playing behind a strong CB tandem and with enough depth to cover multiple receivers in nickel or dime packages. Hall's work may be cut out for himself this Sunday.

Cardinal Running Attack vs. Seattle Run Defense
Seattle held Chicago to 61 yards rushing (31 of which came from Chester Taylor). Season-long, they're only giving up 2.9 yards per carry.

We are 99% sure Coach Wiz and his people would like to see the Cardinal running game - on the backs of Beanie and Hightower finally get off the ground. We expect the Cards to at least try to establish the run and to run the ball enough to keep Seattle pass rushers honest, but as is Wiz's nature, our guess is that he will dial up whichever plays represent the best chances of working and, if Seattle decides to load up the box with extra defenders, we'll see Hall slinging the ball around more often.

Special Teams
Both teams excel in the return game ( L Washington vs. LSH). Both have excellent position punters in Graham and Ryan. Both have reliable kickers in Feely and Mare. We might have a slight edge in punt coverage (a Seattle weakness we should try to exploit).

Final Word
We're not ready to call this a "must" game. How about a "pivotal game." Winning it could put us in the drivers seat within our division. Playing well could help define "who our team actually is." The downside is that, should we lose, we'll be giving our opponents "new hope" and  will be in the midst of a dog-fight within our division. And all the nagging questions about whether we're good enough will once again surface. It certainly is a big (make that "huge") game."