Raiders vs. Seahawks: What to Watch for in Preseason Week 4

Seattle and newly named starting quarterback Russell Wilson head back to the great northwest tonight for his fist start at Century Link Field. The Seahawks will look to finish the preseason with an undefeated 4-0 mark as Oakland rolls into town.

After last week's blowout victory over the Chiefs, Wilson was given the starting job over veteran Matt Flynn. Flynn and his $10 million guaranteed contract will have to take a back seat to the third-round selection out of Wisconsin. 

Wilson and the starting offense shouldn't see a whole lot of playing time this week as they played deep into the third quarter last week, so expect to see a lot of Flynn (who is returning from an elbow injury) and No. 3 quarterback Josh Portis. Portis slid up the depth chart into the No. 3 spot after the Tarvaris Jackson trade to Buffalo was finalized.

With the final-cut day looming on Friday, there will be plenty of position battles to keep an eye on in tonight's game. Let's take a look at who you should be watching for as the Seahawks take on the Raiders. 

Wide Receiver Battle

Have Deon Butler and Ben Obomanu done enough to keep their roster spot, or will they lose out to Kris Durham and Ricardo Lockette? It's hard to envision the Seahawks keeping more than six wideouts. Right now I personally like Sidney Rice, Braylon Edwards, Doug Baldwin, Golden Tate, Durham and Lockette as my top six.

Neither Lockette nor Durham have had a catch all preseason long, but after tonight they will be hoping their performances against the Raiders were enough to secure that fifth and six spot on the depth chart. 

One wide receiver who has intrigued me during the preseason is Charly Martin. Martin was an undrafted free agent out of West Texas A&M in 2009. He has spent the last couple years bouncing from team to team, yet this year seems different, as he has made a couple of impressive plays out of the slot. 

On this play, Martin is covered by veteran cornerback Stanford Routt, but that doesn't seem to faze him as he beats him on a simple eight-route for the touchdown. Even though he only has four catches, it hasn't stopped him from becoming one of Wilson's favorite targets. Which is something that just may help him when Friday rolls around.

John Moffitt

It appears as if second-year offensive guard John Moffitt will be making his first on-field appearance since Week 13 of the 2011 season. Moffitt arrived to Seahawks camp fully healthy after recovering from knee surgery, but his clean bill of health was short-lived, as he left practice on August 9 with an apparent elbow injury.

It turned out his apparent elbow injury needed surgery, which in turn has forced him to miss Seattle's first three preseason games. However, he returned to practice yesterday and worked extensively with the second-team offensive line. J.R. Sweezy continued to get all the first-team reps at right guard. 

Before Moffitt's injury in 2011, his play was sporadic and uninspiring. He allowed three quarterback sacks, six hits and 16 hurries. Not to mention, his run blocking was pathetic as well. It will be interesting to see if he can bounce back from multiple injuries and step up his level of play.

This sack from the 2011 season practically sums up Moffitt's play for the entire year. Watch the right guard as he just gets burned with a simple swim move. It appears as if he never moves his feet or even gets low enough in his stance to stop Darnell Dockett. If he continues to play this poorly, don't be surprised if Sweezy gets the nod all season long at right guard.

Winston Guy

Winston Guy is a sixth-round pick out of Kentucky who is looking to make the Seahawks' 53-man roster as the fifth and final safety. History has proven that there is no specific number that coach Carroll has in terms of roster spots for each position, especially safety. 

In 2010, he started the season with five safeties, and in 2011 he opened with four. Guy is looking to push Carroll back into his ways of 2010. Currently, Guy has been spending a majority of his playing time as the sixth defensive back in the Seahawks' "Bandit" package. And it appears to be the right fit over the first three preseason games, as coach Carroll had this to say about the Kentucky product:

"

He just gets it. He's a hitter. He plays the ball well. He's really fast. He's 216 pounds. Big kid. He's got a real knack for rushing the pass. He looks like a pass-rusher when he's coming. He's really been a pleasant surprise.

"

As you can probably tell from the quote, Guy's main responsibility is to rush the passer out of the "Bandit" package. Last season, Atari Bigby played this same role for Seattle, so it will be interesting to see how things shake out tonight in the preseason's final tuneup before next week's regular season opener.

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