Seahawks vs Saints Keys to Victory

Now imagine 67,000 12's with the same ferocity

With the Playoffs bearing down on us a familiar fear grew within me, the fear of being disappointed. This had nothing to do with the team that I've come to love and respect these past four years; This had everything to do with Seattle. It began in 1995 when Mariners and Supersonics were both so close to giving a championship-deprived city what they wanted, then Superbowl XL, and culminating with the hijacking of the Sonics six years ago. It's gotten to a point where I self-consciously prepare myself to be disappointed in big games and I know I'm not the only one that feels this way. Then something amazing happens, gameday arrives. I walk through those gates to the deafening screams of an entire city and all prior doubts and fears are shattered. If there was a roman coliseum built for football this would be it, and our players are the perfect gladiators to cast away any team standing in the way for their conquest of that Lombardi Trophy. Bigger, Faster, Stronger, Louder - Words we've lived by since week 1 and you best believe that's not going to change now. 

3 Players You Should Know       

Drew Brees (QB) - There is this current mentality that Drew Brees' performance in recent playoffs has declined, I beg to differ. Over his past six playoff games Brees has thrown 17 touchdown passes and just 2 interceptions (three home games, 2 away, one neutral). The "cold-weather" issues? The stats speak for themselves. That article doesn't include the most recent game vs the Eagles but I went back and watched the game for myself and while he did a throw couple of horrible early int's, when the game was on the line Breesus delivered. One significant key to stopping Drew is to throw off his timing, whether that's done by d-line pressure or by the CB's getting a good jam on the receivers/Jimmy Graham it is going to be crucial for our D to dictate the pace. If you see Brees take a deep drop and have enough time to climb in the pocket for his 2nd/3rd read then you're in trouble, this is where he makes his money. Exhibit A - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjVVa5Bfoac&t=4m38s

Cameron Jordan (DE) - When it comes to defensive ends Cam Jordan is a man among boys. Finishing the season 5th in the NFL with 12.5 sacks Jordan has been bringing the pressure all season and hes brought the pain into the playoffs as well. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjVVa5Bfoac&t=2m29s The scary thing about Jordan is how Rob Ryan uses him, as you can see from the video they've got him going against Eagles RT Lane Johnson. Tomorrow he will be matched up against Breno Giacomini it will be interesting to see if Breno can hold his own, fans are quick to call him out as a weak spot on our O-Line but I think he's a fully capable right tackle. 

Saints RB's- With the news that Pierre Thomas practiced today (chest injury) and is officially listed as questionable the Saints have their full stable of backs available. The last time we faced the Saints K.J. Wright was sniffing out screens like a boss and while his absence has brought questions as to who will cover Jimmy Graham I think the Saints short pass game can be just as deadly. It will be pivotal for Malcolm Smith to have the awareness that he's shown in the past few games because I guarantee Sean Payton will dial up more than a few screens. Up until the Dallas game in week 16 Saints fans thought they had traded the wrong RB in Chris Ivory when it should have been Mark Ingram, but something changed in his play. And since that 14 carry for 145 yards outburst Ingram has played with a ferocity only matched by a few RB's in the league, he's definitely got a little beast in him. Luckily for us we've got a 350 pound defensive tackle who goes by the name Red waiting for any halfback foolish enough to run to his side.

3 Players Under the Radar

Cory White (CB) - If the Hawks saw the same things I did against the Eagles one thing will be apparent tomorrow: Attack Cory White. At 6'1 205 pounds he has the physical tools to be a decent corner but watching the Eagles game I came away thinking that White would not be a starter on any other team in the League. An injury to starting corner Keenan Lewis forced White to matchup against WR DeSean Jackson, this was the first play after that injury http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjVVa5Bfoac&t=4m4s and here in the 4th quarter http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjVVa5Bfoac&t=4m54s Keenan Lewis has come back to practice this week and it looks like he will play but White will still be matched up primarily with Golden Tate, I'm looking for Tate to have a significant impact like he did against the Rams. 

Will Herring (LB) - Herring may be familiar name since he was on our sidelines when the beastquake went down. Over four years as a Hawk Herring was a major contributor in special teams and was an adequate coverage LB, but with an injury to starting outside linebacker Parys Haralson, Herring was the next man up and for Saints this is cause for concern. While they don't use it as frequently as us the Eagles do deploy read-option plays and here is the first one I'd seen all game http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjVVa5Bfoac&t=4m20s watch it closely, the LB that hesitates at the point of attack and leaves a considerable hole for Shady to stroll on through? That's Will Herring, and he will be out there tomorrow attempting to contain the much deadlier Beast-Option. 

Isa Abdul-Quddus (S) - I have to admit if you asked me what team Abdul-Quddus played for a week ago I would've guessed the Vancouver Grizzlies. The truth is Isa was a key Saints special team's player who has had a knack for downing punts and deterring huge returns; in essence he was their Jeremy Lane. Just 3 days ago the Saints cut Abdul-Quddus from the team This was the reaction to Abdul-Quddus getting cut by a Saints blog. Why is this important? Maybe because we've got this guy returning kicks tomorrow. Yeah... 

Plays to watch out for: 

Saints: QB Sneak - Last Saturday against the Eagles Drew Brees was 4-4 in converting QB Sneaks for a first down, its something the Saints love to pull off. And most of the time it happens from a hurry-up offense on all four first downs the Saints O-line had no trouble getting the push necessary for this play to be successful. This play would have to go directly through Brandon Mebane who has been on a tear these past 4 games and I know he'll step up to the challenge.

Seahawks: Spider Y 2 Banana - This is Michael Robinson's play, one that we scored on a few times last season including playoffs, and one that I have yet to see in the 2013 season. Many fans have been speculating that Darrell Bevell has been saving some plays for playoffs and I have my suspicions that this is one of them. Add to that the Eagles scored on a play very similar to it against the aggressive Saints D last week and we've got the makings of a Real Rob Touchdown.

In just four years Pete Carroll and John Schneider have transformed the mindset and culture of this team. Collectively we are all long-suffering Seattle sports fans but we need to be confident in the fact that our team has prepared for this colossal moment properly and that they will execute that plan on the field tomorrow. Our team has championship-caliber talent and is always prepared. This is their time, and it is also our time. Go Hawks