Saturday, January 6, 2007; 7:00am

CAN THE SEAHAWKS PLAY THE "WILD CARD" AND FLUSH THE COWBOYS DOWN ROYALLY?

THE SEATTLE SEAHAWKS MUST PLAY THEIR CARDS RIGHT AND NOT FOLD AGAINST THE COWBOYS. BOTH THE HAWKS AND THE COWBOYS HAVE BACK-DOORED THEIR WAY INTO THE PLAYOFFS. BOTH TEAMS HAVE LOST THERE LAST 3 OUT OF 4 GAMES OF THE REGULAR SEASON, BOTH ARE 9-7, AND BOTH TEAMS HAVE UNDER-ACHIEVED THE ENTIRE REGULAR SEASON. IF THE SEAHAWKS EXPECT TO WIN THIS PLAYOFF WILD GAME AGAINST THE COWBOYS THEY MUST DO ALOT OF THINGS RIGHT.

FIRST THE HAWKS ON OFFENSE MUST SET A TONE AND ESTABLISH A STEADY FLOWING TYPE OF OFFENSE. FLOWING BY POUNDING THE COWBOYS WITH THE RUN. ALEXANDER HAS ONLY AVG. 3.6 YARDS A CARRY ALL YEAR. THE SEAHAWKS OFFENSIVE-LINE MUST OPEN HOLES SO THAT ALEXANDER DOES NOT HAVE TO CUT BACK AGAINST THE GRAIN AT A REGULAR PACE. THE SEAHAWKS WIDE-OUTS MUST HOLD ON, AND CATCH THE BALL WHEN IT COMES THEIR WAY. DROPS WILL GIVE THE COWBOYS MOMENTUM AND THE BALL ON OFFENSE.

LONG DRIVES BY THE HAWKS OFFENSE WILL KEEP THE EXPLOSIVE COWBOYS OFFENSE OFF THE FIELD. SEATTLE QUARTERBACK MATT HASSELBACK MUST PLAY SMART. HASSELBACK CANNOT TURN THE BALL OVER WITH PICKS AND FUMBLES, AND MUST THROW THE BALL AWAY WHEN HE FILLS THE PRESSURE. THE SEAHAWKS OFFENSE MUST GET TOUCHDOWNS INSTEAD OF FIELD GOALS WHEN THEY GET INTO THE RED ZONE. IF THE HAWKS EXPECT TO HAVE A FIELD GOAL PARTY AGAINST THE COWBOYS EXSPLOSIVE OFFENSE, EXPECT A LOSS. SEATTLE MUST TAKE CARE OF THE FOOTBALL AND NOT HAVE "SARAH LEE TURNOVERS" WITH THE FOOTBALL. THE HAWKS KNOW THE COWBOYS HAVE ALOT OF PLAY-MAKERS ON DEFENSE.

THE PLAY-MAKERS ON THE COWBOYS DEFENSE THAT LEAD THE CHARGE IS LINEBACKER #94 DEMARCUS WARE. WARE WHO HAS 11.5 SACKS THIS YEAR IS ALWAYS AROUND THE FOOTBALL AND MAKES ALOT OF BIG PLAYS FOR THE COWBOYS DEFENSE. THE OTHERS ARE THE HARD HITTING COWBOYS SAFETY # 31 ROY WILLIAMS WHO LEADS THE DALLAS WITH 5 INT. COWBOYS CORNERBACK #41 TERRENCE NEWMAN IS SOLID IN COVERING AND TACKELING.

THE HAWKS DEFENSE WILL BE TESTED THROUGHOUT THIS ENTIRE GAME.
THE COWBOYS ON OFFENSE HAVE MANY WEAPONS THAT THEY CAN GO TO AS WELL. COWBOYS QUARTERBACK #9 TONY ROMO WILL BE MAKING HIS PLAYOFF DEBUT. ROMO HAS STRUGGLED IN THE PAST FIVE GAMES WITH 8 INT. AND A HAND FULL OF FUMBLES. IF ROMO HAS TIME TO THROW HE WILL MAKE A LOT OF PLAYS DOWN THE FIELD WITH HIS ARM AND FEET. THE COWBOYS HAVE TWO WIDE-OUTS THAT HAVE OVER 1,000 YARD IN RECIEVING IN #81 TERRELL OWENS AND #83 TERRY GLENN. IT DOES NOT EVEN DROP OFF WITH THE COWBOYS TIGHT-END #82 JASON WITTIEN WHO HAS 64 REC. FOR 754 YDS. , AND THIRD WIDE-OUT #84 PATRICK CRAYTON WITH 36 RECEPTIONS, 516 YDS. AND 4TDS. SEAHAWKS CORNERBACKS #27 JORDAN BABINEAUX AND #21 KELLY JENNINGS WILL HAVE THEIR HANDS FULL WITH JUST OWENS AND GLENN. INJURED STARTING SEAHAWKS CORNERS MARCUS TRU-BURNT AND KELLY HERDON WHERE GETTING BURNT ALL YEAR LONG ON BIG PASS PLAYS BEFORE THEY BOTH GOT HURT. THE HAWKS SECONDARY WILL HAVE TO PLAY A LOT OF ZONE ON DEFENSE TOO TAKE AWAY OF A LOT OF THE BIG PLAYS. KEEPING EVERYTHING IN FRONT OF THEM WILL LIMIT THE COWBOY WIDE-OUTS GETTING PAST THEM FOR THE HAWKS DEFENSE.

THE COWBOYS LIKE TO KEEP A SOLID BALANCE ON OFFENSE BY RUNNING THE FOOTBALL WITH JONES AND BARBER. #21 RUNNING BACK JULIUS JONES HAS RUN FOR 1,084 YARDS AND 4TDS, WHILE THEIR OTHER EXPLOSIVE BACK, #24 MARION BARBER HAS RUN FOR 654 YARDS AND 14 TDS. BOTH JONES AND BARBER ARE SOLID RECIEVERS OUT THE BACK-FIELD AS WELL. SEATTLE'S DEFENSE WILL BE PICKING A LOT OF POISON WITH ALL THOSE WEAPONS ON THE COWBOYS OFFENSE. SEATTLE'S DEFENSE FIRST MUST FOCUS ON PUTTING PRESSURE ON COWBOYS QUARTERBACK TONY ROMO. PRESSURE, SACKS AND FORCING TURNOVERS WILL HAVE TO HAPPEN IF THE HAWKS EXPECT TO WIN THIS GAME.

SPECIAL TEAMS OF THE HAWKS CAN PLAY A BIG PART IN TRYING TO GET A WIN AGAINST THE COWBOYS. SEATTLE'S PUNTER RYAN PLACKEMIER CAN HELP THE HAWKS DEFENSE BY BACKING UP THE COWBOYS OFFENSE INSIDE THIER TWENTY YARD-LINE WITH SOLID PUNTS.

THE HAWKS OFFENSE MUST STAY POISED AND LIMIT THEIR PENALTIES [HOLDING, FALSE STARTS, DELAY OF GAME]. SEATTLE'S DEFENSE MUST PLAY AS A COHESIVE UNIT AND TRY TO CONTAIN THE COWBOYS OFFENSE.

"KNOW WHEN TO HOLD THEM AND KNOW WHEN TO FOLD THEM".
PLAYING THEIR CARDS RIGHT WILL GIVE THE SEATTLE SEAHAWKS A VICTORY AGAINST THE TEXAS TWO-STEPPING COWBOYS!

-Dre206, Jan 6/07, 7:00am