Seattle Seahawks vs. San Diego Chargers: Matchups Within the Game

After a rough offseason that cast a shadow of doubt on the 2011 NFL season, football is returning to the national spotlight as the Seattle Seahawks visit the San Diego Chargers in the first national broadcast of the season—or at least the preseason.

San Diego left Seattle with a bitterly disappointing defeat last September.  Despite outperforming Seattle in most statistical categories, the Seahawks rode their special teams performance to a 27-20 victory.

Special teams play will be one of the subsets of the game worth watching.  In particular, teams will start to get an idea of how the change in the kickoff rule (the ball was moved up to the 35-yard line) might impact their return game.

Seattle will be unveiling an entirely new offense, led by Darrell Bevell's offensive scheme that worked to perfection with the Vikings in 2009.  It will also feature new offensive line and assistant head coach Tom Cable's power run blocking.

The Chargers have made significant changes on defense.  Ron Rivera is no longer the defensive coordinator, as he took the head coaching position with the Carolina Panthers.  They have brought in another 3-4 specialist, Greg Manusky, who was previously the defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers.

Seattle Seahawks Offense

The Seahawks coaches aren't entirely sure what to expect from their new offense at this point.  

Speaking to reporters, head coach Pete Carroll offered: "We have no idea what’s going to happen. Fortunately, it’s preseason. So we have a chance to figure it out. That’s most important right now."

The team is blending in almost as many new pieces as old.  Matt Hasselbeck is being replaced by Tarvaris Jackson, leading to the biggest concern and question mark with the new offense.  

Hasselbeck wasn't a great fit for Bevell's offense, which places a premium on mobility and being able to throw a solid deep ball.  These are about the only deficiencies in Hasselbeck's game, leading Seattle to part ways with its most successful signal caller in the 35-year history of the franchise.

Jackson at least knows Bevell's offense, which was likely a driving force in the signing.  He'll be joined by wide receiver Sidney Rice, also leaving the Vikings via free agency.  Rice was a key component in the 2009 offense, riding his 1,312 yards and eight touchdowns to a Pro Bowl appearance.

While Seattle has added the big play threat in the passing game, its nature will be a run-first offense.  To meet that goal it brought in Tom Cable, who turned around the Oakland Raiders ground game in just one season.  He puts an emphasis on physical blockers clearing holes for running backs.

In a move nobody was surprised by, Seattle signed Robert Gallery to play left guard.  He'll be working next to Seattle's rookie sensation at left tackle, Russell Okung.  

Cable also convinced tight end Zach Miller to make the jump from Oakland to Seattle.  The former Pro Bowl tight end was a solid blocker that also contributed to the passing game.  

Seattle certainly has size in the passing game.  The speedy Rice is 6'4", while Miller, wide receiver Mike Williams and tight end John Carlson are 6'5".  Seattle has also been impressed with rookie Kris Durham, who has 4.4 speed and a 36" vertical jump to go along with his 6'6" height.  He isn't expected to play tonight, though.

Two other receivers to watch are Ricardo Lockette and Doug Baldwin as they make a case for inclusion in what has become a crowded and competitive receiving group.

Undrafted free agent QB Josh Portis is another person fans should tune in to see.  He'll likely play the entire second half, and can expect to see extended playing time in future preseason matches.  

"Josh is going to be around here for awhile.  We need to see how he develops because his talent is there. We're going to take a great look. He'll play a bunch in preseason and he'll play a lot in the San Diego game, so we're looking forward to seeing him get out on the field," Carroll said.

"He's just got those normal humps he's got to get over and it's going to take some time, but all the raw stuff is there. We're excited about him."

The feelings are warranted.  Portis was the only D-II QB invited to the NFL scouting combine, and the former Florida Gator (he left due to playing time concerns because of another Gator that now plays for the Broncos) has the look and skills of a major college QB.  He stands 6'3", weighs 211 pounds and has excellent arm strength.

He has been progressing well in camp.  Some of us at B/R (OK, me) believe that Portis could even unseat Charlie Whitehurst for the number two position, threatening Whitehurst's tenure in Seattle.

There is little surprise that Seattle is optimistic about its offense. Then again, it hasn't faced opposing competition yet. 

“The first thing we’re looking for is seeing us play hard.  I want to see the guys run around and hit and get back to football with as many guys as we’re going to play. We’re going to try and play everybody that travels with us," Carroll said.

“The hope here is that we see a team that’s ready to play football and go out and run around the field and make this first step.”

Tarvaris Jackson: What Has He Accomplished?

There are mostly doubters of Jackson's ability to lead the offense.  He seemed to struggle with making quick decisions while playing in Minnesota.  

However, he did show some progression as a Viking.  He had two starts his rookie season, losing both games.  He then posted pedestrian stats (171-294, 58.2%, 1,911 YDS, 6.5 YDS/ATT, 9 TDs, 12 INTs, 70.8 QB rating) his second year.  He still posted an 8-4 record as a starter, though.

There were high expectations placed on Jackson in his third season.  The team was off to a slow start, however, losing to the Green Bay Packers and Indianapolis Colts by a combined eight points.  Jackson wasn't showing the proficiency Brad Childress had hoped for and he was benched in favor of Gus Frerotte.

The Vikings won seven of their next 10 games, but Frerotte was injured in a game against the Detroit Lions.  Jackson entered the game and played well, leading the Vikings to a small comeback win.

Minnesota would win two of its next three games, securing a playoff berth under solid performances by Jackson.  The Vikings were 3-3 in Jackson's games, but the quarterback posting a passer rating of 95.4 with nine touchdowns and just two interceptions.  

While the Vikings seemed poised to make a run with Jackson at quarterback, one big mistake in the playoffs undermined his standing with the fans and coach Childress.  Asante Samuel intercepted a Jackson pass, returning it 44 yards for a touchdown.  Jackson couldn't engineer a passing game, and the Vikings lost the game.

The Vikings brought in Brett Favre to lead the offense in 2009 and Jackson didn't see meaningful playing time.

There is still hope that Jackson can be a solid starting quarterback in the NFL, and Jackson is excited to get his opportunity to lead an offense again.

“I’ve been through a whole lot,” Jackson said. “I have some experience, not a whole lot, but I learned a lot from Brett (Favre) these last two years just the way he prepares week in and week out.”

The Seahawks are trusting he learned how to get the ball to Sidney Rice, and that Rice can stay healthy.  They could create a potent tandem that would jump-start Seattle's aerial attack.

San Diego Chargers Defense

There are several newcomers to the Chargers defense.  Takeo Spikes, who played for Manusky in San Francisco, was recently signed as a free agent.  Jonas Mouton, a second-round draft pick, will join him as the core of the inside linebackers (the Chargers lost both of their starters in free agency).  

Also re-joining Manusky is Travis LaBoy.  He will be challenging the Chargers' 2009 first-round pick Larry English for the starting outside linebacker position opposite Shaun Phillips, the star of the linebacker corps.

The Chargers also added defensive tackle Corey Liuget in the first round of the April NFL draft.  The Chargers are working on converting him to a defensive end, as they already have solid strength at nose tackle in Antonio Garay. 

The oft-injured Bob Sanders was signed to play strong safety.  He'll be playing next to Eric Weddle, who signed a five-year, $50 million contract to stay in San Diego.

The Chargers need to develop a pass rush and will have an opportunity to work on it Thursday night.  The Seahawks have a young offensive line filled with potential but short on experience.  There isn't much offered along the lines of blitz packages or heavy stunts in the preseason, though.  

Starters are not expected to play too long, either.  Players are still working to get into "football shape," as the lack of offseason drills and mini-camps have some players behind schedule.