Seatle Seahawks wide receiver Golden Tate seemed to have a quiet game, particularly if you were owning his fantasy stock. Tate caught three passes for 38 yards in a 27-7 victory for the Seahawks over the Dallas Cowboys. Although he was the second most popular target on the day for quarterback Russell Wilson (Anthony McCoy managed to pile up five catches for 41 yards and a touchdown), Tate's contributions might go unnoticed if you weren't paying close attention.
However, Tate did indeed make some significant contributions in the win. Danny Kelly at Field Gulls discusses the impact that Tate made during the Week 2 victory, breaking it down Xs and Os style.
Tate's three catches were all big plays for the Seahawks -- his first was a 20-yard catch midway through the 2nd quarter that was the Seahawks' first explosive play of the game. It came on a brilliantly executed play-action fake on first down that surprised Dallas, who were expecting a run while lining up against Seattle's '21' personnel with fairly tight splits.
Kelly went on to break down Tate's impact through gamefilm review. Check it out.
Indeed, Tate's presence on the field seemed to make Seattle's offense hum a lot better, as the Seahawks were able to utilize play action a lot better and run the football more effectively with Tate playing.
Talk about Tate with Seahawk fans at Field Gulls and with Cowboys fans at Blogging The Boys.