Here’s a quick look at the Cowboys’ upcoming opponent: Seattle. The Seahawks lost a close game to the Cardinals in Arizona, with rookie quarterback Russell Wilson throwing into the end zone on the final possession.
•Cardinals did an outstanding job of keeping rookie quarterback Russell Wilson in the pocket. One of the things that Wilson was able to do during the pre-season was take the ball when things broke down and run for big chucks of yardage and covert on third downs. The Cardinals made Wilson play from the pocket and it hurt many of his throws.
•Seahawks center Max Unger is their best offensive linemen and rookie right guard J.R. Sweezy is their weakest. Sweezy really struggled with Darnell Dockett and his quickness. Left tackle Russell Okung is an athlete but there were times where he gave up the edge. In the preseason he really struggled in this area. As a group they come off the ball and attempt to zone block you, then allow Marshawn Lynch to make a cut into space. In pass blocking, they will allow pressure which is why you so Wilson having to run as much.
•The starters at receiver for the Seahawks in the Arizona game were Sidney Rice and Braylon Edwards. Their best receiver Golden Tate was inactive with a knee injury and will likely miss the Cowboys game as well. Rice and Edwards have size but are not always the most reliable catching the ball. In my view of the Arizona game, I thought there were times where Rice and Edwards let their young quarterback down with plays at the end of the game with a chance to win. Doug Baldwin also had a chance for the game winner but didn’t make the catch. The way to play these Seahawks receivers is to make them fight for the ball because they will find ways to lose contested catches.
•Running back Marshawn Lynch is the real deal. He is a physical ball carrier that shows the ability to also make that jump cut in the hole. There were times in the Arizona game where plays were not blocked clean and he turned nothing into something. Lynch doesn’t get much help from his fullbacks which makes his runs even that much more impressive. Lynch is the type of back that needs to be gang tackled. He will bounce off defenders, so the front seven need to play square which they were able to do against the Giants.
•I like defensive end Chris Clemons off the edge as a rusher. He usually plays as the weak side end which means that he will be over both Smith and Free. Against the Cardinals Clemons was more than a handful on their tackles. On one play against left tackle D’Anthony Batiste, he exploded to the edge beat him around the corner and knocked the ball out of John Skelton’s hand for a fumble. The other end, Red Bryant is more of a run player but watch backup Jason Jones in passing situations. Jones gets up the field quickly and will chase the ball. Jones does a nice job of getting his hands up as well to bat down passes. Rookie Bruce Irvin is a speedy nickel rusher that doesn’t have much weight but when he does rush, he can bring pressure.
•In the secondary, safeties Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor are a nice combination and interchangeable so you will see Thomas down in the box at times but his better position is deep to play with range. Where the Cowboys also have to be aware of Thomas is when he comes on a blitz. At the corner both corners have height and play well in the press. I really like left corner Richard Sherman’s game with his reactions and the way he keeps himself in position on the routes. This guy will fight you all day and he proved that against Larry Fitzgerald. Sherman is a willing tackler as well. Brandon Browner physically is a long guy and hard to get away from when he gets his hands on you but he doesn’t have the burst of Sherman. Veteran Marcus Trufant plays as the nickel.
•Cardinals did an outstanding job of keeping rookie quarterback Russell Wilson in the pocket. One of the things that Wilson was able to do during the pre-season was take the ball when things broke down and run for big chucks of yardage and covert on third downs. The Cardinals made Wilson play from the pocket and it hurt many of his throws.
•Seahawks center Max Unger is their best offensive linemen and rookie right guard J.R. Sweezy is their weakest. Sweezy really struggled with Darnell Dockett and his quickness. Left tackle Russell Okung is an athlete but there were times where he gave up the edge. In the preseason he really struggled in this area. As a group they come off the ball and attempt to zone block you, then allow Marshawn Lynch to make a cut into space. In pass blocking, they will allow pressure which is why you so Wilson having to run as much.
•The starters at receiver for the Seahawks in the Arizona game were Sidney Rice and Braylon Edwards. Their best receiver Golden Tate was inactive with a knee injury and will likely miss the Cowboys game as well. Rice and Edwards have size but are not always the most reliable catching the ball. In my view of the Arizona game, I thought there were times where Rice and Edwards let their young quarterback down with plays at the end of the game with a chance to win. Doug Baldwin also had a chance for the game winner but didn’t make the catch. The way to play these Seahawks receivers is to make them fight for the ball because they will find ways to lose contested catches.
•Running back Marshawn Lynch is the real deal. He is a physical ball carrier that shows the ability to also make that jump cut in the hole. There were times in the Arizona game where plays were not blocked clean and he turned nothing into something. Lynch doesn’t get much help from his fullbacks which makes his runs even that much more impressive. Lynch is the type of back that needs to be gang tackled. He will bounce off defenders, so the front seven need to play square which they were able to do against the Giants.
•I like defensive end Chris Clemons off the edge as a rusher. He usually plays as the weak side end which means that he will be over both Smith and Free. Against the Cardinals Clemons was more than a handful on their tackles. On one play against left tackle D’Anthony Batiste, he exploded to the edge beat him around the corner and knocked the ball out of John Skelton’s hand for a fumble. The other end, Red Bryant is more of a run player but watch backup Jason Jones in passing situations. Jones gets up the field quickly and will chase the ball. Jones does a nice job of getting his hands up as well to bat down passes. Rookie Bruce Irvin is a speedy nickel rusher that doesn’t have much weight but when he does rush, he can bring pressure.
•In the secondary, safeties Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor are a nice combination and interchangeable so you will see Thomas down in the box at times but his better position is deep to play with range. Where the Cowboys also have to be aware of Thomas is when he comes on a blitz. At the corner both corners have height and play well in the press. I really like left corner Richard Sherman’s game with his reactions and the way he keeps himself in position on the routes. This guy will fight you all day and he proved that against Larry Fitzgerald. Sherman is a willing tackler as well. Brandon Browner physically is a long guy and hard to get away from when he gets his hands on you but he doesn’t have the burst of Sherman. Veteran Marcus Trufant plays as the nickel.
