Hawks need healthy dose of Alexander By Scouts, Inc.
Why To Watch
One of the greatest advantages in all of sports is an outstanding home crowd for an NFL playoff game, and the Seahawks have this advantage in a big way. Seattle is one of the most difficult places to travel to in the NFL because a cross-country road trip is never a treat. Seattle is also the much healthier team, as the strain of back-to-back playoff games has begun to take its toll on Carolina's roster. Several key starters are battling injuries, and starting RB DeShaun Foster will not play due to a broken ankle.
Starting quarterbacks Matt Hasselbeck (Seattle) and Jake Delhomme (Carolina), along with their respective head coaches, have ample playoff experience and have continually made solid decisions with the football and on the sidelines. Assuming there are no lingering affects from his concussion, RB Shaun Alexander will be asked to power the Seahawks in their quest for Super Bowl XL.
When the Panthers have the ball
Rushing: Starting RB Foster broke his right ankle in the second half of Carolina's divisional playoff victory over Chicago and Nick Goings will get the bulk of the carries in Seattle. Jamal Robertson will back up Goings, but don't expect to see much of Robertson. Although Goings is far from the playmaker or pure talent of Foster, he is capable, hard-working and solid with his assignments and knowledge of the position. He has some power and runs hard, but will not make defenders miss regularly or be able to run away from Seattle's speedy linebackers.
Although on the small side, the Seahawks' defensive line is gap sound and solid against the run. MLB Lofa Tatupu has quickly become one of the top middle linebackers in the league. He has an excellent knowledge of the position, quarterbacks the defense by getting it aligned and on the same page, sees plays develop quickly and takes very few false steps to the ball carrier. Tatupu is a striker who packs a wallop and has great pure speed and change-of-direction ability. Carolina will attack him with wham blocks out of double-tight end sets and with FB Brad Hoover, who is battling an injured ankle.
SS Michael Boulware -- a linebacker at Florida State -- will line up in the box if Seattle struggles to stop Carolina's attack with seven defenders. He is a force in the run game, but Seattle would be much better served in its quest to stop WR Steve Smith with Boulware deep in coverage. Keep an eye on where Boulware lines up early in this game to determine how much of a threat Seattle views Carolina's running game without Foster.
Passing: Smith is playing at an uncommon level and is the top playmaker in the NFL. As the games get bigger, Smith steps his game up to an even higher level. He has scored seven touchdowns in his six postseason games and is clearly the top weapon that the Seahawks need to attempt to slow down. QB Jake Delhomme threw for 319 yards in Chicago and has played better on the road than at home. He is doing an excellent job of getting the ball in Smith's hands and isn't forcing throws or making mistakes. Multiple turnovers by Delhomme would be too costly for Carolina to overcome. In the past, Delhomme has struggled in the face of a heavy rush and will gamble too much at times, but that has not been the case in two playoff games this year.
Carolina's offensive line has also been very reliable with its protection. Seattle does an exceptional job of generating pressure from numerous defenders and doesn't rely on just one or two pass rushers to get to quarterbacks. The Seahawks vary their pass rush extremely well and will play with just three down linemen on throwing downs and not hesitate to drop eight players into coverage to keep Delhomme off balance. If Carolina's line continues to perform at a high level, Seattle's secondary will not be able to cover Smith long enough to limit his production.
Do not be surprised to see the Panthers take at least one shot deep downfield to Drew Carter, who can put pressure on Seattle's secondary with his excellent combination of size and speed. The stadium is going to be extremely loud, and Carolina's offensive tackles will have to be very disciplined, as the Panthers surely will use a large percentage of silent counts. Rain could also be an issue, and Delhomme will have to practice throwing a drenched, heavy ball. This could limit the big-play threat of Smith and Carter if Delhomme struggles to get the heavy ball down the field with accuracy.
When the Seahawks have the ball
Rushing: It looks as though Alexander will play this week, and the Seahawks will need him at full strength against an outstanding Panthers defense. It is no secret that Seattle runs behind LT Walter Jones and LG Chad Hutchinson a high percentage of the time, especially in short-yardage and crucial situations. This may be particularly true on Sunday as Jones has a big mismatch in the run game against RDE Mike Rucker, who is a fine pass rusher but gives up an a lot of weight and lower body strength to Jones. Rucker will have to bite and scratch to hold the point of attack.
On the other side of Carolina's defensive line, the Panthers might be without DE Julius Peppers (shoulder), a solid run defender and excellent all-around playmaker. MLB Dan Morgan continues to fight a separated shoulder. Although he will play, he may not be the take-on linebacker who Carolina will need against FB Mack Strong, one of the most powerful isolation blockers in the league. Even when healthy, Morgan's strong suit is to run and hit with his excellent speed and instincts rather than smack fullbacks in the hole.
Alexander will get an awful lot of touches to take advantage of a banged-up Carolina front seven, which should draw a safety into the box and make throwing the football easier for the Seahawks. Alexander is obviously the key to Seattle's balanced attack, and it isn't nearly as potent or physical with Maurice Morris running the ball.
Passing: Seattle has a solid array of offensive weapons. WR Darrell Jackson is performing at a high level, but he is battling back and ankle issues. Jackson had 143 receiving yards against Washington in the divisional round and is showing great quickness, outstanding sharp routes and an excellent burst out of his breaks.
As deep and talented as the Seahawks' receiving group is, Carolina's secondary has even more depth, talent and physicality. Carolina will play a lot of man coverage to better stack the line of scrimmage against the run. Starting CBs Ken Lucas and Chris Gamble both have excellent size and strength blended with pure speed and athleticism in space. Lucas has allowed just one touchdown pass this season and has an interception in each of Carolina's playoff games. He is clearly playing at a very high level and should draw the assignment of slowing down Jackson, his former teammate.
Jackson's pure quickness may give Lucas some trouble, but for the most part, this is a solid matchup for the Panthers. Gamble is a good matchup against WR Joe Jurevicius, and nickel CB Ricky Manning should battle WR Bobby Engram with favorable results. TE Jerramy Stevens has tremendous height and catching radius and is capable of causing any defense mismatch problems, but the combination of WLB Will Witherspoon, LB/S Thomas Davis and starting safeties Mike Minter and Marlon McCree should bracket Stevens well and offer a great deal of support for the Panthers' corners against Seattle's wide receivers.
Although Carolina's secondary appears to have the advantage over Seattle's receiving options, Hasselbeck is on fire right now and his accuracy, maturity and decision-making have improved quite a bit over the past year. He is athletic enough to make plays with his feet, and expect Seattle to roll him out in either direction to get him in space to challenge the Panthers' defense. Hasselbeck also is adept at throwing a wet, heavy ball in the Seattle rain.
Seattle should also be able to protect Hasselbeck much better than Chicago or New York protected its QB against Carolina's pass rush. Hasselbeck is the first quarterback with experience Carolina's defense has faced, and he will not rattle easily. Peppers injured his shoulder last week, and RDE Rucker -- who is a fine pass rusher in his own right -- will have a hard time beating LT Jones, a physical freak who is the best offensive lineman in football. If Peppers is healthy enough to play, he will have a favorable matchup against RT Sean Locklear, a developing young player who isn't yet anywhere near the class of a healthy Peppers.
Why To Watch
One of the greatest advantages in all of sports is an outstanding home crowd for an NFL playoff game, and the Seahawks have this advantage in a big way. Seattle is one of the most difficult places to travel to in the NFL because a cross-country road trip is never a treat. Seattle is also the much healthier team, as the strain of back-to-back playoff games has begun to take its toll on Carolina's roster. Several key starters are battling injuries, and starting RB DeShaun Foster will not play due to a broken ankle.
Starting quarterbacks Matt Hasselbeck (Seattle) and Jake Delhomme (Carolina), along with their respective head coaches, have ample playoff experience and have continually made solid decisions with the football and on the sidelines. Assuming there are no lingering affects from his concussion, RB Shaun Alexander will be asked to power the Seahawks in their quest for Super Bowl XL.
When the Panthers have the ball
Rushing: Starting RB Foster broke his right ankle in the second half of Carolina's divisional playoff victory over Chicago and Nick Goings will get the bulk of the carries in Seattle. Jamal Robertson will back up Goings, but don't expect to see much of Robertson. Although Goings is far from the playmaker or pure talent of Foster, he is capable, hard-working and solid with his assignments and knowledge of the position. He has some power and runs hard, but will not make defenders miss regularly or be able to run away from Seattle's speedy linebackers.
Although on the small side, the Seahawks' defensive line is gap sound and solid against the run. MLB Lofa Tatupu has quickly become one of the top middle linebackers in the league. He has an excellent knowledge of the position, quarterbacks the defense by getting it aligned and on the same page, sees plays develop quickly and takes very few false steps to the ball carrier. Tatupu is a striker who packs a wallop and has great pure speed and change-of-direction ability. Carolina will attack him with wham blocks out of double-tight end sets and with FB Brad Hoover, who is battling an injured ankle.
SS Michael Boulware -- a linebacker at Florida State -- will line up in the box if Seattle struggles to stop Carolina's attack with seven defenders. He is a force in the run game, but Seattle would be much better served in its quest to stop WR Steve Smith with Boulware deep in coverage. Keep an eye on where Boulware lines up early in this game to determine how much of a threat Seattle views Carolina's running game without Foster.
Passing: Smith is playing at an uncommon level and is the top playmaker in the NFL. As the games get bigger, Smith steps his game up to an even higher level. He has scored seven touchdowns in his six postseason games and is clearly the top weapon that the Seahawks need to attempt to slow down. QB Jake Delhomme threw for 319 yards in Chicago and has played better on the road than at home. He is doing an excellent job of getting the ball in Smith's hands and isn't forcing throws or making mistakes. Multiple turnovers by Delhomme would be too costly for Carolina to overcome. In the past, Delhomme has struggled in the face of a heavy rush and will gamble too much at times, but that has not been the case in two playoff games this year.
Carolina's offensive line has also been very reliable with its protection. Seattle does an exceptional job of generating pressure from numerous defenders and doesn't rely on just one or two pass rushers to get to quarterbacks. The Seahawks vary their pass rush extremely well and will play with just three down linemen on throwing downs and not hesitate to drop eight players into coverage to keep Delhomme off balance. If Carolina's line continues to perform at a high level, Seattle's secondary will not be able to cover Smith long enough to limit his production.
Do not be surprised to see the Panthers take at least one shot deep downfield to Drew Carter, who can put pressure on Seattle's secondary with his excellent combination of size and speed. The stadium is going to be extremely loud, and Carolina's offensive tackles will have to be very disciplined, as the Panthers surely will use a large percentage of silent counts. Rain could also be an issue, and Delhomme will have to practice throwing a drenched, heavy ball. This could limit the big-play threat of Smith and Carter if Delhomme struggles to get the heavy ball down the field with accuracy.
When the Seahawks have the ball
Rushing: It looks as though Alexander will play this week, and the Seahawks will need him at full strength against an outstanding Panthers defense. It is no secret that Seattle runs behind LT Walter Jones and LG Chad Hutchinson a high percentage of the time, especially in short-yardage and crucial situations. This may be particularly true on Sunday as Jones has a big mismatch in the run game against RDE Mike Rucker, who is a fine pass rusher but gives up an a lot of weight and lower body strength to Jones. Rucker will have to bite and scratch to hold the point of attack.
On the other side of Carolina's defensive line, the Panthers might be without DE Julius Peppers (shoulder), a solid run defender and excellent all-around playmaker. MLB Dan Morgan continues to fight a separated shoulder. Although he will play, he may not be the take-on linebacker who Carolina will need against FB Mack Strong, one of the most powerful isolation blockers in the league. Even when healthy, Morgan's strong suit is to run and hit with his excellent speed and instincts rather than smack fullbacks in the hole.
Alexander will get an awful lot of touches to take advantage of a banged-up Carolina front seven, which should draw a safety into the box and make throwing the football easier for the Seahawks. Alexander is obviously the key to Seattle's balanced attack, and it isn't nearly as potent or physical with Maurice Morris running the ball.
Passing: Seattle has a solid array of offensive weapons. WR Darrell Jackson is performing at a high level, but he is battling back and ankle issues. Jackson had 143 receiving yards against Washington in the divisional round and is showing great quickness, outstanding sharp routes and an excellent burst out of his breaks.
As deep and talented as the Seahawks' receiving group is, Carolina's secondary has even more depth, talent and physicality. Carolina will play a lot of man coverage to better stack the line of scrimmage against the run. Starting CBs Ken Lucas and Chris Gamble both have excellent size and strength blended with pure speed and athleticism in space. Lucas has allowed just one touchdown pass this season and has an interception in each of Carolina's playoff games. He is clearly playing at a very high level and should draw the assignment of slowing down Jackson, his former teammate.
Jackson's pure quickness may give Lucas some trouble, but for the most part, this is a solid matchup for the Panthers. Gamble is a good matchup against WR Joe Jurevicius, and nickel CB Ricky Manning should battle WR Bobby Engram with favorable results. TE Jerramy Stevens has tremendous height and catching radius and is capable of causing any defense mismatch problems, but the combination of WLB Will Witherspoon, LB/S Thomas Davis and starting safeties Mike Minter and Marlon McCree should bracket Stevens well and offer a great deal of support for the Panthers' corners against Seattle's wide receivers.
Although Carolina's secondary appears to have the advantage over Seattle's receiving options, Hasselbeck is on fire right now and his accuracy, maturity and decision-making have improved quite a bit over the past year. He is athletic enough to make plays with his feet, and expect Seattle to roll him out in either direction to get him in space to challenge the Panthers' defense. Hasselbeck also is adept at throwing a wet, heavy ball in the Seattle rain.
Seattle should also be able to protect Hasselbeck much better than Chicago or New York protected its QB against Carolina's pass rush. Hasselbeck is the first quarterback with experience Carolina's defense has faced, and he will not rattle easily. Peppers injured his shoulder last week, and RDE Rucker -- who is a fine pass rusher in his own right -- will have a hard time beating LT Jones, a physical freak who is the best offensive lineman in football. If Peppers is healthy enough to play, he will have a favorable matchup against RT Sean Locklear, a developing young player who isn't yet anywhere near the class of a healthy Peppers.
