Get To Know Your Foe (Week 7): Seattle Seahawks

Dec 29, 2013; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman (25) exchanges jerseys with St. Louis Rams defensive end Robert Quinn (94) following a 29-7 Seattle Seahawks victory at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

On Sunday, the St. Louis Rams will head into their sixth regular season game against the Seattle Seahawks. To get some inside information on Seahawks’ camp, we went behind enemy lines and spoke with Paul Novak, editor over at 12th Man Rising, the Seattle Seahawks site within the FanSided Network. To get some deeper insight on the opponent, here are Ramblin’ Fan’s five quick questions…

1. The Seahawks are 3-2 and 3rd place in the NFC West. What has been their biggest problem this season and what do  they need to do to get back on track? Have they fallen victim of the Super Bowl hangover?

The two biggest issues plaguing the Seahawks thus far have been penalties and injuries.

The Seahawks average 8.2 penalties per game after their first five games and many of them have come at crucial points in the game. Percy Harvin had three TD’s called back in one game because of penalties. No wonder he wanted out, right?

Seattle’s secondary was once considered the deepest unit on the team. Now they are forced to play guys they just signed from the practice squad this week. Kam Chancellor, Byron Maxwell and Richard Sherman have all been banged up.

That’s not even counting two Pro Bowl o-lineman, C Max Unger and LT Russell Okung. TE Zach Miller will also be out against the Rams as he recovers from ankle surgery.

2.  Do you think the Seahawks can get back on track and get back to the form that they were last season when they made the Super Bowl?

Of course they can. Last season they were one of the healthiest teams in the league and they forced an ungodly amount of turnovers.

If they can get healthy for the stretch run next month and some balls start bouncing the Seahawks way, you’ll see the blowout wins start coming just as they did in 2013.

3. Obviously the big news this week is that Percy Harvin was traded to the Jets. What are your thoughts about the trade?

No fanbase wants to keep around a player that (a) doesn’t want to be here, and (b) causes turmoil in the locker room and threatens to fight anyone he has issues with.

After the trade news broke that Harvin punched former teammate Golden Tate in the face before last year’s Super Bowl and also got into an altercation with Russell Wilson this season.

That’s not a guy any team wants in the locker room. Especially a team that doesn’t really need him.

4. Who are some players that Rams fans may not know about that they should keep an eye on?

With Pro Bowl C Max Unger out, local Washington high school product Stephen Schilling will start his second game against the Rams. He played well in the first but the Rams struggling pass rush might be able to get something going with Schilling and injured LT Russell Okung anchoring the o-line.

Starting MLB Bobby Wagner is also out and K.J. Wright will be filling in. Not many people know of Wright, although he would be a starter on a majority of NFL defenses.

5. What is your prediction of the game on Sunday? Who wins and why?

There are two ways this game could go. Either the Seahawks go into a major funk having lost two in a row for the first time in three years or they’ll rebound from the humiliating loss the Cowboys handed to them in Seattle.

I think the championship team shows their grit and pulls out an impressive statement win against a Rams team that is severely underrated.

Seahawks win 30-13