There’s plenty of storylines in the Seattle’s matchup with the Vikings this sunday. We’ll start with the obvious one; remember that guy named Steve Hutchinson? The Vikings guard is opening holes for Adrian Peterson instead of Justin Forsett. For some reason about three and a half years ago, Seattle’s general manager Tim Ruskell slapped Hutch with the transitional tag instead of the franchise tag. Hutchinson took the designation like a slap in the face because the next you know he signed with Minnesota for seven years at the tune of 49 million (16 million signing bonus).

The deal introduced the world to the term “poison pill.” The contract included unprecedented language that made it hard for Seattle to match the Vikings offer. To keep the former Michigan great, Seattle’s brass would have had to make Hutchinson the highest paid lineman on the team or the entire contract would be guaranteed. The team was already paying Walter Jones plenty of good coin. Paying more good coin for another offensive lineman did not make sense; so Hutchinson is now a Viking.

Seattle did counter that move by inking then star wide receiver Nate Burleson to a deal but the loss of Hutchinson still looms large for the team. Since the deal, Seattle has yet to find a productive replacement for the sure fire hall of famer.

What also intrigues me about this game is for the sixth time, Matt Hasselbeck and Brett Favre will square off. The Seahawks three-time pro bowler backed-up Favre in Green Bay for two seasons (1999 and 2000). And so far, the master has the upper hand over his understudy; Hasselbeck is 1-4 against Favre.

Then there’s the case of T.J. Houshmandzedah. Before he signed with Seattle, the number one out of Oregon State flew to Minnesota to see what they had to offer. Houshmandzedah balked at the Vikings deal primarily because of their quarterback situation at the time. T.J. liked the idea of Matt Hasselbeck throwing passes, not Tavaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels. Ultimately, Favre made up his mind and the rest is history.

Do you think T.J. is having second thoughts considering where both teams are headed? Maybe, but I think Houshmandzedah isn’t regretting much and wants to prove he made the right decision. Look for him to have a big game; same goes for Nate Burleson. If both receivers have big games, that means Hasselbeck will do the same and just maybe Seattle pulls of the upset.

The Minnesota Vikings (8-1) are an eleven point favorite against Seattle (3-6). The Vikings are better then the Seattle Seahawks in all three phases of the game period. They have too much balance with Brett Favre under center and Adrian Peterson in the backfield. Wide receiver and returner Percy Harvin is a beast, and so is Steve Hutchinson. My heart says Seattle will shock the world and win 27-24, but my head says Minnesota will beat Seattle and keep them winless on the road. I’ll take the Vikings at home to win 38-27.  

This entry was posted on Saturday, November 21st, 2009 at 12:59 pm and is filed under Football, NFC, NFC West, Seattle Seahawks. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.