SB Nation
  • Google+

SB Nation Seattle

Stay connected for news and updates

Seattle Seahawks Vs. Oakland Raiders News And Notes

The Seattle Seahawks (4-2) travel to Oakland to face the Raiders (3-4) this Sunday at 1:15 on Fox. Check out our game week stream for all the news and notes ahead of the game. For more on the Seahawks, check out SB Nation's Field Gulls.

  • Live
16 Total Updates since October 25, 2010
  • Important 8
  • Updates 16
  • All Updates 16

Seattle Seahawks Play Terrible First Half, Trail Raiders 10-0

The Seattle Seahawks played just about the worst half of football a team can play, putting themselves in a 10-0 hole at halftime. The offense was inept, the defense held, but made a few costly mistakes, all giving the Raiders, who haven’t been fantastic themselves, the lead. Seattle had 69 total yards of offense, much of which came late in the half. Matt Hasselbeck spent more time on his back than upright, dropping back behind a patchwork line that couldn’t hold back the Raider defense.

Hasselbeck completed 6-13 passes for 87 yards. The run game was non-existent, with the Seahawks combining for 3 yards. Sacks led to the 69 yards of offense. The Seahawks were 0-7 on third down, allowing the Oakland defense to easily get off the field.

The Raiders drew first blood with a field goal, before Jason Campbell found Marcel Reece for 30 yards and a touchdown. Campbell was 10-15 for 105 yards and a touchdown. Darren McFadden carried the ball 12 times for 29 yards and Darrius Heyward-Bey added a 30-yard reverse.

Seahawks kicker Olindo Mare broke his consecutive field goal streak, after 31-straight, with a missed 51-yarder before the half.

The Seahawks look to get back on track in the second half and climb out of the 10-0 hole they’ve dug themselves into. It’s going to take a lot more for an offense that’s been stuck in reverse for the last two weeks.

Continue

Zach Miller Active For Oakland Raiders

After showing up on Friday’s injury report, Zach Miller is active for today’s game against the Seattle Seahawks. Fantasy owners rejoice, Miller will play and appears to be ready to go for the Oakland Raiders. A foot injury had slowed Miller, limiting his ability to practice on Friday, but he will start today for Oakland.

Bruce Gradkowski is back for the Raiders, as well, though he will assume the backup quarterback role against the Seahawks today. Jason Campbell will make his third straight start today. Louis Murphy and Chaz Schilens, both wide receivers, are also inactive. Jacoby Ford and Darrius Heyward-Bey will start on the outside for Oakland.

With two weapons at wide receiver out, look for Jason Campbell to target Miller early and often against the Seahawks. With a banged-up secondary, the Seahawks could have trouble in the passing game, giving Miller a chance to shine in Oakland today.

The Seahawks and Raiders take the field at 1:15 p.m. on Fox.

Continue

Seattle Seahawks Inactives: Walter Thurmond, Kelly Jennings Out

The Seattle Seahawks have released their inactive list ahead of today's matchup against the Oakland Raiders. Kelly Jennings and Walter Thurmond, the starter and backup at cornerback, are both out for this afternoon's game. Jennings has been dealing with a hamstring problem while Thurmond suffered a concussion last week and was not cleared for today's game.

The Tacoma News Tribune's Eric Williams tweeted the full list.

Hawks inactives: Kelly Jennings, Michael Robinson, Walter Thurmond, Matt McCoy, Allen Barbre, Russell Okung, Anthony McCoy, Brandon Mebane.less than a minute ago via webEric Williams
edub2000

With Jennings and Thurmond shelved, Roy Lewis gets the start at corner in banged-up Seahawks secondary. Russell Okung is also inactive after injuring his ankle last week in the Seahawks first possession. Without Okung, the offensive line struggled against Arizona, failing to effectively move the ball most of the game.

Chester Pitts is also active for the first time this season, providing some much needed depth on the offensive line.

The Seahawks take on the Raiders at 1:15 p.m. on Fox.

Continue

Oakland Raiders Friday Injury Report

The Oakland Raiders, looking to match the Seattle Seahawks in the injury department, had a huge list of players limited or not participating in practice today. Quarterback Bruce Gradkowski, listed as questionable for Sunday’s game, did a light workout but isn’t near 100 percent ahead of this weekend’s game. If he is unable to go, or coaches deem he’s not healthy enough to be useful, Jason Campbell will make a third straight start.

The full injury report can be found here. Nine Raiders, including Gradkowski, are listed as questionable. Other notable injured Raiders were: guard Robert Gallery, tight end Zach Miller and cornerback Chris Johnson. Three players — Louis Murphy, Chaz Schilens and John Henderson — have been ruled out. In total, 15 Oakland players were either limited or did not practice.

With both teams limping into Sunday’s game, it should be interesting to see who steps up for both teams. The Raiders and Seahawks kick off Sunday at 1:15 p.m. on Fox.

Continue

Seattle Seahawks Friday Injury Report

The Seattle Seahawks put their finishing touches on the gameplan today before heading out to Oakland to take on the Raiders this Sunday. Injuries are still an issue for Seattle and seven players are listed as questionable on today's injury report. Among the walking wounded, starting cornerback Kelly Jennings and his replacement, Walter Thurmond, are both looking doubtful this week. If they are unable to go, Roy Lewis will step in and start opposite Marcus Trufant.

The Seattle PI's Greg Johns tweeted the injury report after practice today.

Here's official injury report: Seahawks list all seven as questionable: Mebane, Stokley, Robinson, M. McCoy, Jennings, Okung, Thurmond.less than a minute ago via TweetDeckGreg Johns
gregjohns1

Of those seven, only Matt McCoy and Brandon Stokley participated in practice today. There was one positive for the Seahawks, however. Guard Chester Pitts is back and had his best week of practice this year, according to head coach Pete Carroll. Pitts is well on his way to making his debut this week, backing up the guard and tackle on the left side of the offensive line. Ben Hamilton is still holding down the starting spot at left guard.

Continue

Oakland Raiders Fail To Sell Out, Will Be Blacked Out In Bay Area

Rolling blackouts are affecting many teams in the NFL and the Oakland Raiders have been no exception this year. Per NFL rules, if the home team fails to sell out that week’s game, it will not be broadcast locally. For the fourth time this year, and the 11th straight time overall, the Raiders didn’t sell out the Oakland Coliseum, leaving Bay Area fans high and dry.

The Contra-Costa Times reported on the ticket sales and included a plea from head coach Tom Cable for fans to step their game up.

“Raider Nation, hear me,” Cable said after Sunday’s 59-14 victory over the Denver Broncos. “I hope you get this. We need you in those stands supporting us. We need to have a great 12th man from here on in, because we’re doing our part and it’s coming together.”

The Raiders are known for some of the craziest fans in the NFL. The Black Hole at Oakland Coliseum is filled with a plethora of fans dressed in enough Raider garb to scare the life out of opposing teams and fans. Unfortunately, the dedication of those die-hard fans hasn’t been carrying over to the rest of the fanbase in the area.

The good news for fans in Seattle is the blackout has no effect on broadcasts outside of the Oakland area. The Seahawks and Raiders face off on Fox in the Seattle area at 1:15 p.m. on Sunday.

Continue

Seattle Seahawks Thursday Injury Report

The Seattle Seahawks are dealing with a multitude of injuries this week ahead of Sunday’s game against the Oakland Raiders. Seven players sat out of today’s practice at the VMAC, including Kelly Jennings and his replacement, Walter Thurmond. The Seahawks are light at corner and the concussion Thurmond suffered on Sunday plunges the cornerback depth to extremely low levels.

The Seattle PI’s Greg Johns had his report from practice, noting the trouble in the secondary and the full injury list.

Also missing again Thursday were left tackle Russell Okung (ankle sprain), wide receiver Brandon Stokley (oblique strain), fullback Michael Robinson (hamstring) and linebacker Matt McCoy (hamstring)

Brandon Mebane also sat out, still dealing with a calf injury that’s hampered him for weeks. We’ll know more about the availability of all seven after Friday’s practice, but things aren’t looking good on the injury front for the Seahawks right now.

Continue

Dave Wyman: Preventing Concussions An Impossible Task

“My head was my weapon of choice” said former Seattle Seahawk Dave Wyman in a guest commentary for the Seattle Times. He wasn’t talking about using his brain to outsmart opponents, however. As an NFL player, Wyman’s head, and the helmet encasing it, was used as a weapon meant to batter and bruise the opponent lining up across from him, routinely slamming helmet-first into ball-carriers and linemen.

With the recent NFL crackdown on helmet-to-helmet hits drawing national attention, players are having to change their habits and aiming points on the field. Hitting an opponent in the helmet, whether accidental or intentional, now draws a swift reponse — and a suspension for first-time offenders. Will it work? Wyman doesn’t think so and wonders how the new rules will be enforced.

These new edicts are even worse because they could be called on every play. There is far too much gray area involved. The fact is, helmet-to-helmet contact occurs on every play. It’s subjective, based solely on the referees’ opinion. The real sticking point comes down to intent vs. accident.

He’s right. Helmet-to-helmet hits happen on every play in one form or another. While the devastating blows — the NFL’s words, not mine — draw all the attention, there are much smaller — perhaps much worse when factoring in the cumulative effect — hits happening every time the ball is snapped.

Will fines and suspensions deter players from targeting the helmet of a ball-carrier? It remains to be seen and, through one week of enforcement, we haven’t yet had a case of a hit to warrant such a punishment. Concussions are a serious business and I’m all for attempts to limit the chances of a major brain injury, but with high-speed collisions happening all the time during the course of a game, Wyman argues punishing players for what amounts to accidental blows to the head is too subjective.

If nothing else, the backlash in response to the NFL’s emphasis on blows to the head, both for and against the heavier punishments, has brought more attention to concussions and just how severe they can be.

Continue