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Live
on Sky Sports Kick Off 11:30 PM.
The drought is over, the monkey is off the back & the dream is still
alive. Another week of sleepless nights with troughs of anxiety & peaks
of anticipation. The 12th man flag can fly atop the Space Needle for at
least another week (possibly three?), the clamour for merchandise & the
frenzy for tickets gets cranked up another notch as Seattle gears up for its
second conference championship game in team history.
Surely all the Seahawks have to do is turn up to win. After all the Panthers
are only fifth seed, they've just been lucky surely? Nothing is easy at this
stage. Lets see if we can make sense of this encounter:
Special Teams
Returns have been on the mind of the Seahawks this week. Particularly as
Jimmy Williams coughed up two fumbles on Saturday. Peter Warrick will
replace Williams on Punt returns. Warrick was the Bengals return man for
five seasons & has taken it the distance twice in his career. He has
seen little action this season & will relish the opportunity.
The Panthers employ veteran wide out Steve Smith as both Punt & Kick
returner. His Kick off numbers aren't outstanding but a 10.6-yard return on
punts is pretty good. The Seahawks will need another good performance from
Punter Tom Rouen. Rouen consistently pinned the Redskins inside their own 15
during the first half in a battle of field position. Josh Brown can be
relied on to rack up the points for the Hawks but what kind of game will ex
Seahawk John Kasay have? Will he suffer the condition that is now fondly
referred to as the "Jay Feely's"?
Seahawks Offense vs Panthers Defense
Alexander is set to play after recovering from the concussion sustained
against Washington. He has yet to have a big game yardage wise in the
playoffs. However, a repeat of his three TD performance in Green Bay would
be very welcome. His last regular season game against Carolina saw him rack
up 195 rushing yards & a touchdown.
Alexander won't get very far without another sterling effort from his
offensive line. Widely acknowledged as the best O line in the NFL the battle
with Carolinas front four will be key. Julius Peppers will be a handful for
Sean Locklear. One of the questions is will Locklear's brief encounter with
a Prison cell rattle him or get him even more focussed? Peppers is the
Panthers sack master with 10.5 sacks this season.
Matt Hasselbeck has improved greatly in 2005 & with his line giving him
great protection was able to complete some key passes in crucial situations.
Darrell Jackson was excellent giving the Seahawks the deep threat they
needed. Your writer still has some doubts about Ken Lucas. He is a better
player than last year but seems to disappear on occasions.
Carolina finished 3rd on Defense in 2005 & the old adage that Defense
wins championships. Will be tested once again Sunday.
Seahawks Defense vs Panthers Offense
After an off season overhaul the Seattle defense has come on in leaps &
bounds yet still doesn't get much respect. The front four isn't very big but
can make plays with speed & experience. For a Rookie MLB Lofa Tatupu is
exceptional. He is the team's signal caller & brings some badly needed
stability at his position. The biggest advantage the Hawks have is the
absence of DeShaun Foster. His ankle injury last week means that Nick Goings
will start at tailback for the Panthers. He is a good North South runner but
hardly a game breaker.
To compliment the pounding of Goings Carolina also have the deep threat of
Steve Smith. Chicago committed suicide by covering Smith with just one man
for most of the game. He duly took them to the cleaners for 215 yards &
2 TD's. Smith's 58-yard TD reception on Carolinas first play from scrimmage
caught their opponent's cold & gave the Panthers a led they would never
surrender. Perhaps the Seahawks should take a leaf out of the Cowboys book
when they gave Smith a very bumpy & frustrating ride? Jake Delhomme
needs little introduction. He directed the Panthers attack all the way to
Super bowl XXXVIII & will need to summon all his experience for this
game. Ricky Proehl is another ex Seahawk who is a good possession receiver.
Summary
If either team can open up a 10-point lead then their opponent will have no
choice but to abandon their game plan & pass to cut the deficit. Steve
Smith demonstrated last week how he can punish a defense deep & Seattle
have to respect this. Look for both offenses to build this advantage early.
Time of possession will be key & whoever can run an effective grind it
out Offense to preserve their lead should have a big edge over their
opponent. If Seattle hadn't turned the ball over last week they could have
pitched a shutout.
Ultimately, the Panthers will have to respect Alexander's threat & play
action passes cold prove their undoing. Balanced offense with decent field
position will win this game. Should it come to a last minute field goal for
the Panthers to win it, be warned. The 12th man has the habit of unnerving
even the most experienced kickers: Jeff Wilkins, Nick Novak & Jose
Cortez have all fluffed their lines along with Feely at Qwest Field this
year.
Seahawks in a war by 3.
Matt
Cheesman
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