The Seahawks take on the Broncos in Mile High Stadium (I'm sure it's not called that anymore but I don't give a darn!) tonight and it will most likely be the most interesting preseason game to watch, considering both teams' first team players will get significant action.
The third preseason game is traditionally the most 'dress-rehearsal' of the four games. Coaching staffs do real scouting and game-planning, a departure from the first two preseason matchups where most teams just run vanilla schemes and neglect to adjust much throughout the game. So with that in mind..
1) Schemes: it will be interesting to see some of the blitz schemes cooked up on defense and some of the creativity the Hawks bring out on offense. Formations and groupings could change from the first two games. Will the Hawks bring the house? Will they break out some trick plays? Though it won't be what you could expect in the regular season, generally speaking, more creative playcalling should be evident.
2) Sidney Rice and Mike Williams: The Two Towers. They've been quiet in this preseason. Hopefully that changes tonight.
3) The offensive line: they were the goat of the game last week. Tarvaris Jackson was running for his life most of the night and the first-team running game didn't gain much traction. Will be tough against the Broncos stout defensive line, but it would be nice to see them a) give Jackson some time to throw it to his playmakers, and b) get a little push on the line and hit some people in the mouth.
4) The defensive line: Alan Branch. Brandon Mebane. Red Bryant. The return of Chris Clemons. Tonight, you will see the presumptive starting lineup for the Hawks on the defensive line. Will they stop the run? Will they get pressure on the QB? Will they collapse the pocket?
5) Jeff Reed. Yep, the kicker. The Seahawks quietly lost their very solid, veteran kicker this offseason and are now faced with relying on a guy that got cut from the Steelers last season, signed on the 49ers to finish the year, and was a free agent on the street at the end of the lockout. He's a veteran, and in the past has been pretty solid, but his inconsistency and strange antics are a concern. Kicker is a more important than a lot of people realize, and a lot of games are won and lost on the foot of a team's kicker. Whether or not Reed is up to the task is a big question mark.
Read more about the Seahawks preseason matchup at Field Gulls.