Third times a charm

Five things to watch Seattle Seahawks Vs. San Francisco 49ers

1)      The Quarterback position- Seattle is starting a new Quarterback Tavaris Jackson for the first time in a decade. Jackson has looked Mediocre at best during the preseason. Many people are wondering how he will handle his first NFL start as a Seahawk. He was sacked several times this pre-season so look for the 49ers to blitz and bring pressure early and often. John Harbaugh has named Alex Smith the starter a former #1 draft pick, who has never really lived up to the expectations of a #1 draft pick. This is going to be Smiths last year to prove he deserved going so high in the draft. (My prediction is to expect a rocky start from both qb’s).

2)      Offensive line- Russell Okung has returned from an ankle injury and is expected to start he will be lining up against Justin Smith. Expect smith to test Okung early, and Okung must have a strong showing early in the game. Rookie James Carpenter (Alabama) has been taking reps at left guard, one of carpenter’s strong points is that he played multiple positions in College and can line up at every position on the o-line.  Robert Gallery who was acquired from Oakland this year is out with a knee injury. If he can not start, Seattle will be premiering one of the youngest lines in the NFL. (Seattle must establish dominance in the trenches early if they want to win.)

3)      Defense- one of Seattle’s strategies this year has been get younger, faster, stronger, and taller. There are only two players expected to start who are less than 6 feet tall. Seattle’s defense last year ranked 27^th in passing yards allowed and 21^st against the run. They will have to improve those numbers dramatically if they want to contend for the NFC West title. Marcus Trufaunt 5-11 will have his hands full with the 6-3 214 lb Braylon Edwards. Also the absence of a leader on defense might hurt Seattle. (Seattle must play tough against the pass, and expect the 49ers to try to establish the running game early; someone must step up to be the leader on defense.)

4)      Rushing offence- Seattle had a terrible time trying to run the ball this preseason Coach Pete Carroll has said he wanted to run the ball more, last year Seattle ran the football 41% of the time.  Seattle must establish the run game early or they might find themselves passing the ball more than they would like too. (My prediction is Seattle will struggle early and be forced to throw the football more than they originally planned.)

5)      Coaching- Many say there is still some bad blood between Carroll and Jim Harbaugh when they were coaching against each other in college. Harbaugh will be making his NFL debut on the anniversary of the September 11^th attacks against his old rival. Who will be the first to let this rivalry get under their skin? ( Carroll clearly has the advantage here as he has more NFL Coaching experience.)

Facts-San Francisco has won the last two home meetings against Seattle. San Francisco has not posted a winning record in 8 seasons. Seattle was ranked first last year in running there base 4-3 defense 60% of the time San Francisco ran their base 3-4 defense 58.9% of the time. Seattle has allowed an average of 249.6 yards passing a game. The NFC West has one of the toughest schedules this year playing against the NFC East, and the AFC North. Last year Seattle gave up an average of 22 points a game.