Monday, August 16, 2010

Seahawks win in Carroll debut

The Pete Carroll era in Seattle kicked off with a 20-18 exhibition win over the visiting Tennessee Titans at Qwest Field.
Charlie Whitehurst played most of the game,although Matt Hasselbeck got the start and Whitehurst threw for 214 yards with two touchdowns to lead the Hawks to the win.
Seattle's second pre-season game is next Saturday at Green Bay.

Puget Sounds

1) I was dubious of the trade for Charlie Whitehurst and I am still a long way from sold,but I have to admit,I really liked what I saw against the Titans.
Whitehurst played mostly against the Tennessee backups,but showed a strong arm with a reasonably quick release and gave me some hope for his future in Seattle.
I still think they could have landed Whitehurst for less than the team paid,but I feel better after the game than going into it....

2) Defensively,I thought that Red Bryant looked strong.Bryant was a run stuffer at defensive tackle,but has been moved to defensive end under the new defense,
Bryant made a few tackles against the run,but was surprisingly strong rushing the passer as well,narrowly missing a sack.
It is early,but I liked what I saw from Bryant....

3) The comeback of former first round bust and former USC star under Pete Carroll,Mike Williams got off to a strong start with a 51 yard touchdown catch from Whitehurst that showed some speed that Williams had often lacked as a pro,but maybe even more importantly,I liked Williams blocking in the game.

4) Justin Forsett looked pretty good and Julius Jones didn't in their battle for the top ball carrier on the team.
Looking at the box score,there isn't much to separate them with Forsett rushing for 17 yds on seven carries to Jones 13 on five,but watching the runners,Forsett has so much more burst to the hole and despite his size ran harder.
Bet on Forsett as the starter...

5) Russell Okung came into camp late,but was immediately in the game and I like Okung,who got dinged up a bit blocking two Titans and successfully.
I still think Washington is going to regret taking Oklahoma tackle Trent Williams over Okung....

6) Kevin Vickerson looked good in his Seattle debut as he was quick off the snap and able to penetrate up the middle.
The biggest Seattle question in the front seven is pass rushing and Vickerson could be a key cog in getting more rush on the passer.

7) Dexter Davis of Arizona State was a late round pick,but he seemed to be all over the place and had a sack.
Davis looks to be a tweener,but might stick as an all around player,if he can contribute on special teams...

8) Keep an eye on former Eagle second rounder Matt McCoy making the team.
McCoy looks to be one of those steady types that just makes the basic tackle and when you look at the scoresheet wound up with eight or nine tackles for the day.

9) We should have a decent handle on the Packers too this time next week as the Browns played them in week one and then the Hawks in week two.

Photo Credit-Otto Greule Jr-Getty Images

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