Seahawks - TownNews

NFACMPS H C

THE COACH

Pete Carroll

? It's not a major story line, but it should be recognized that Pete Carroll preceded Bill Belichick in New England. He wasn't a bad coach there, either, going 28-23, but that pales compared to Belichick's numbers. No team brings more energy to the field than the Seahawks, and it stems from Carroll. He always has the pulse of his team: Carroll saw how Seattle was suffering from a Super Bowl hangover early in the schedule. He not only got the Seahawks to snap out of it, but reach peak form down the stretch.

SPECIAL TEAMS

? Although the Seahawks were not great on special teams this season, they were spectacular in beating

Green Bay. A fake field goal pass for a touchdown by holder Jon Ryan -- one of the NFL's most accurate punters -- and an onside kick that kept them alive for the NFC title won't be forgotten.

TRIVIA

The Seahawks won their first playoff game against the Broncos in 1983. Who coached Seattle that season and who eliminated the Seahawks from the playoffs?

Answer under depth chart

TODAY 6:30 P.M., NBC

SUPER BOWL

XLIX

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS vs. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

HISTORY

? This will be Seattle's third Super Bowl appearance, all coming in the past 10 years. The Seahawks are 1-1 in the big game, dropping their first, 21-10, against the Pittsburgh Steelers (2005 season). An almost entirely revamped squad returned to the Super Bowl

last season where they hammered Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos, 43-8, for the franchise's first title. They would join 12 other teams with multiple Super Bowl championships with a win today.

Seahawks Seattle

KEY PLAYERS

OFFENSE

#24 Marshawn Lynch, RB, 5-11, 215, 8th season, California "Beast Mode" with a penchant for Skittles ... Powerful back with a burst, broke 24-yard touchdown run in NFC title game ... Rushed for 1,306 yards and had careerbest 17 total touchdowns this season ... Also a threat as receiver out of backfield.

#89 Doug Baldwin, WR, 5-10, 189, 4th season, Stanford Undrafted out of college, plays with an attitude about it ... Can get deep but is not known for speed. ... Excellent working as slot receiver ... Led team with 66 catches and 825 yards in the regular season. ... Wilson looks for him in key situations.

#15 Jermaine Kearse, WR, 6-1, 209, 3rd season, Washington Caught winning TD pass in NFC title game for 35 yards in overtime ... Same distance as his winning touchdown reception in last year's NFC title game ... Took over second receiving spot after trade of Percy Harvin. ... Had 38 receptions and 14.1 average per catch.

#82 Luke Willson, TE, 6-5, 252, 2nd season, Rice Took over when Zach Miller was lost for the season due to ankle surgery ... Ability to make big plays in passing game ... Had 80-yard TD at Arizona in Week 16 and touchdown reception in divisional round win over Carolina ... Tendency to drop easy passes at times.

WILLSON

DEFENSE

#72 Michael Bennett, DE, 6-4, 274, 6th season, Texas A&M Seattle's most important defensive linemen ... Rarely leaves the field after playing in a rotation most of last season ... Led team with seven sacks ... Had 39 tackles in regular season.

#25 Richard Sherman, CB, 6-3, 195, 4th season, Stanford One of the best cornerbacks in football ... Will play press coverage or lay back and is equally adept ... Hits hard, too, and has improved support in run game ... Needs to be watched if elbow injury suffered in NFC title game will limit him in Super Bowl.

CHANCELLOR

#31 Kam Chancellor, S, 6-3, 232, 5th season, Virginia Tech Monster hits mark his game and has learned to do it legally ... Amazing athleticism for player his size ... Had 90-yard interception return for touchdown in divisional round win over Carolina ... Potential matchup with Rob Gronkowski could be pivotal in Super Bowl.

Seattle seeks to become the first repeat winner since the Patriots managed it a decade ago. A victory would stamp these Seahawks as an all-time great team, particularly having beaten Peyton Manning and Tom Brady in successive Super Bowls. The Seahawks also come off a mediocre performance in the NFC title game, which should spur them on.

THE QB

#3 Russell Wilson

5-11, 206, 3rd season, Wisconsin ? Holds NFL record for wins at start of career with 42, including postseason ... Third-round draftee who immediately seized starting job and led Seattle to playoff appearances in all three seasons ... Dynamic runner who excels throwing on the run ... Poised in the pocket, very dangerous outside of it ... Played at North Carolina State, then one year at Wisconsin as grad student.

INFORMATION & PHOTOS FROM ASSOCIATED PRESS

DEPTH CHART

OFFENSE

WR 89 Doug Baldwin; 83 Ricardo Lockette LT 76 Russell Okung; 78 Alvin Bailey LG 77 James Carpenter; 78 Alvin Bailey C 60 Max Unger; 61 Lemuel Jeanpierre; 65 Patrick Lewis RG 64 J.R. Sweezy; 78 Alvin Bailey; 66 Keavon Milton RT 68 Justin Britt; 79 Garry Gilliam TE 82 Luke Willson; 84 Cooper Helfet; 88 Tony Moeaki WR 15 Jermaine Kearse; 81 Kevin Norwood; 13 Chris Matthews;

19 Bryan Walters QB 3 Russell Wilson; 7 Tarvaris Jackson FB 46 Will Tukuafu RB 24 Marshawn Lynch; 22 Robert Turbin; 33 Christine Michael

DEFENSE

LDE 72 Michael Bennett; 95 Demarcus Dobbs; 70 David King LDT 99 Tony McDaniel; 67 Landon Cohen RDT 94 Kevin Williams RDE 56 Cliff Avril; 93 O'Brien Schofield LOLB 51 Bruce Irvin; 57 Mike Morgan MLB 54 Bobby Wagner; 52 Brock Coyle ROLB 50 K.J. Wright; 53 Malcolm Smith LCB 25 Richard Sherman; 20 Jeremy Lane; 28 Marcus Burley SS 31 Kam Chancellor; 23 Jeron Johnson FS 29 Earl Thomas; 35 Deshawn Shead RCB 41 Byron Maxwell; 27 Tharold Simon

SPECIAL TEAMS

K/P 4 Steven Hauschka H 9 Jon Ryan LS 49 Clint Gresham KR 89 Doug Baldwin; 19 Bryan Walters PR 19 Bryan Walters; 25 Richard Sherman

Trivia answer: Chuck Knox and Los Angeles Raiders

THE ROAD

Record: 14-4, NFC West champs

Date Opp. W/L Score

Sept. 4 Packers W 36-16

Sept. 14 Chargers L 21-30

Sept. 21 Broncos W 26-20

Oct. 6 Redskins W 27-17

Oct. 12 Cowboys L 23-30

Oct. 19 Rams

L 26-28

Oct. 26 Panthers W 13-9

Nov. 2 Raiders W 30-24

Nov. 9 Giants W 38-17

Nov. 16 Chiefs

L 20-24

Nov. 23 Cardinals W 19-3

Nov. 27 49ers

W 19-3

Dec. 7 Eagles W 24-14

Dec. 14 49ers

W 17-7

Dec. 21 Cardinals W 35-6

Dec. 28 Rams

W 20-6

PLAYOFFS Jan. 10 Panthers W Jan. 18 Packers W *overtime

31-17 28-22*

SEAHAWKS' STATS

Team leaders

OFFENSE

PASSING

Combines regular season and postseason stats

RUSHING YARDS

Russell Wilson

Marshawn Lynch

3,952 passing yards 24 touchdowns 11 interceptions

1,522 rushing yards 14 touchdowns

DEFENSE

Combines regular season and postseason stats

TACKLES

SACKS

K.J. Wright

Michael Bennett

79 tackles 40 assist 2 sacks

7 sacks

INTERCEPTIONS Richard Sherman 6 total

Team totals

SEAHAWKS

OPPONENTS

PLAY SELECTION percentage

Regular season Postseason

PASS

RUN

25.2 16.2

375 274

205 187

5538.6.2 46.4 54.8 45.2

170 87

14 23

51 30

POINTS

TOTAL YARDS

PASSING RUSHING TURNYARDS YARDS OVERS

TOUCHDOWNS

PER GAME

TOTAL

RECEIVING YARDS

Doug Baldwin

969 receiving yards 75 receptions 4 touchdowns

WHEN THE

? BEAST MODE. If the Patriots can tame the Beast, they will have a

big head start toward a fourth championship since 2001. RB Marshawn

SEAHAWKS Lynch will try to impose his will on a solid but not overwhelming defense. HAVE THE BALL If Lynch is slowed, that leaves the onus for running on QB Russell Wilson.

? RELIABLE RUSSELL? When he throws, Wilson must avoid the interceptions that plagued him vs. Green Bay for the NFC title. Not that Wilson was always off-target, but he was not nearly as precise as usual.

? KEEP PUSHING THROUGH. One thing Seattle won't do is lose faith. And behind an unsung offensive line led by LT Russell Okung and C Max Unger, they won't back off, either.

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