Fanarts » Seattle has thrived is finding players with lesser

RENTON, Wash. - There is a certain humility that must come with choosing to be a pass catcher for the Seattle Seahawks. Seattles offensive structure leaves so few opportunities for its wide receivers and tight ends to stand out that they often get panned for not bringing a dynamic element to the Seahawks passing game. But give them the opportunity to shine — as they did in Seattles 31-17 win over Carolina in the NFC divisional playoff game on Saturday — and that group of Seahawks can be on par with other receiving units around the league. The makeup of the guy, the attitude that he brings, the toughness that he brings, and the grit that the guy brings, that has a lot to do with the guys that we like, Seattle coach Pete Carroll said. Weve got a very feisty, competitive bunch of guys and they complement one another but theyre all unique in their ways. Seattles receivers stood out in the win over the Panthers. Jermaine Kearse had a career day with 129 yards receiving and a 63-yard touchdown. Doug Baldwin caught his first touchdown since Week 14. Tight end Luke Willson led Seattle with four catches, two of them coming on a decisive drive in the fourth quarter that Willson capped with a 25-yard TD catch. The likelihood is that Seattles receivers will get overshadowed again this week give the proficiency of Green Bays passing offence and quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Seattles receiving group has lacked big names for most of Carrolls tenure. The most notable was Percy Harvin and he lasted all of eight games with the Seahawks. Where Seattle has thrived is finding players with lesser profiles and the desire to prove others wrong. There is a reason Seattle has only two drafted wide receivers on its roster. Finding the undrafted and overlooked has been beneficial. Baldwin, Kearse, Bryan Walters, Ricardo Lockette and Chris Matthews all went undrafted coming out of college. The only draftees that spent most of the season on Seattles active roster were rookies: second-round pick Paul Richardson — now out for the season with an ACL tear — and fourth-round pick Kevin Norwood. Even in the previous seasons, the only high draft pick to have a major role in Seattles passing game was Golden Tate. Baldwin said the team has taken pride in seeing what Tate did this season with Detroit with 99 catches and 1,331 yards receiving. The only two guys that are drafted in our room are the guys that were drafted this year. Theyve made big plays for us but the majority of the plays throughout the course of the four years that Ive been here have been from the undrafted guys, Baldwin said. Its indicative of the work ethic our receiving corps has instilled. When you come here as a receiver, whether youre drafted or undrafted, youre going to get a fair opportunity. While the group continues to get maligned by pundits for being average — and yes, they hear everything that is said about them — they also understand their role in Seattles offence. Offensive line coach Tom Cable said this has been the best season for Seattles receivers blocking downfield and giving Marshawn Lynch opportunities to get bigger chunks of yardage. The most impressive example was Lynchs 79-yard touchdown run against Arizona in Week 16 when Lockette made four different blocks on the play. When you have probably the best running back in the NFL in Marshawn you kind of pride yourself to get him those open runs, Kearse said. When he gets to the secondary it comes down to us for those long runs, it comes down to us executing and making those blocks. I think we just take pride in it. Its an attitude that doesnt come naturally, especially at the start. Naturally as a receiver you want to throw the ball. Everybody was the guy at their college and you come into an offence who runs the ball a lot, you kind of have to change your focus and youve got to learn to take pride into it, Kearse said. Alex Len Jersey . - Titans quarterback Jake Locker will miss the rest of the season with a Lisfranc injury to his right foot, leaving Tennessee trying to rally with Ryan Fitzpatrick. Jeremy Lin Jersey . -- Los Angeles Angels outfielder Josh Hamilton will be sidelined for at least two weeks because of a strained calf muscle, and pitcher C. http://www.authenticbasketballshophawks....e-hawks-jersey/. -- Andy Dorman and Kelyn Rowe scored in the second half to lead the New England Revolution to a 2-1 victory over Sporting Kansas City in the first leg of their Eastern Conference semifinals series on Saturday night. Pete Maravich Jersey . Vettel only needs to finish fifth or better Sunday to wrap up the championship with three races remaining, and bettered his own lap record to claim his third straight pole at Buddh International Circuit. Vince Carter Jersey . The right-hander pitched into the seventh inning and boosted Cincinnatis struggling offence by hitting a double and scoring as the Reds ended a seven-game losing streak by beating the Atlanta Braves 1-0 Saturday night.DENVER -- Early on, Stephen Strasburg didnt have his best stuff and yet the powerful right-hander tried to bear down to keep his team close. Almost paid off, too. The Washington Nationals loaded the bases in the ninth before falling 6-4 to Jorge De La Rosa and the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday. Strasburg (7-8) settled in after a shaky start, giving up four runs -- three of which were in the first -- and nine hits over 5 1-3 innings. "Giving up three runs early, I couldve easily shut it down," Strasburg said. "I didnt want to do that. I wanted to keep it as close as possible. Give the guys a chance to come back -- anything can happen here." And almost did. Closer LaTroy Hawkins got the first two outs in the ninth, before allowing RBI singles to Jayson Werth and Anthony Rendon to make it a 6-4 game. With the bases loaded, Hawkins struck out Ian Desmond to end the rally. "You have to tip your cap sometimes. He did a good job," Desmond said. "He made some pitches on me. "We did a good job battling back right there. We kept on grinding away. Ill take us in that situation a lot of times." Denard Span had four hits for the Nationals, who finished the season series 5-1 against Colorado. He was one of the few to have success against De La Rosa, who gave the Rockies a badly needed boost as they snapped a seven-game skid. "Jorge, another great outing. He did it again," manager Walt Weiss said. "Were scuffling like crazy and he takes the ball and gives us a great performance and wins the game." The Rockies tried a little bit of everything to break out of their funk. They wore their socks high and even engaged in a pregame staring contest. Turns out, the best cure for their slump was simply the left arm of De La Rosa. De La Rosa (11-6) struck out a season-high 11 as he pitched efficiently into the eighth inning. He kept the Nationals guessing by effectively mixing in a changeup with his 89-mph cutter. "All my pitches were working really good today," said De La Rosa, who allowed two runs -- one earned -- before being lifted for a reliever with one out in the eighth.dddddddddddd"My command of all my pitches was really good today." The Rockies decided as a team to wear their socks high, just to try something new. Even Weiss followed the trend. This helped ease the tension, too: Prior to the first pitch, Rockies outfielder Brandon Barnes and Nationals reliever Aaron Barrett engaged in quite a stare-down, with both players standing near the dugout holding their hats over their chest to see who would blink first. After several minutes, Barnes finally gestured toward Barrett that they settle it with a game of rock-paper-scissor. Right after De La Rosas warmup pitches, home plate umpire Paul Emmel told Barnes go into the dugout, with Barrett throwing his hands up in triumph. "Well do any stare-down to win games, for sure," joked Nolan Arenado. Once again, De La Rosa mastered a park that typically isnt friendly to pitchers. Hes 42-14 lifetime at Coors Field. "This is the perfect park for me," he said. Usually, its the hitters saying that. De La Rosa had his pitches dancing all day. He struck out Bryce Harper three times. The Nationals were just 1 of 14 with runners in scoring position off De La Rosa. "He knows how to pitch here," Nationals manager Matt Williams said. "Hes got a surprising fast ball when he needs it, but he relies on his changeup a lot. Thats a great strategy here. "Hes a good pitcher. He pitches well." The Nationals were without infielder Ryan Zimmerman, who went on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday with a strained right hamstring. "Its a pretty substantial strain of the hamstring," Williams said. "You never know how its going to react, so well just take it day by day. Its going to be a couple of weeks at least. Well see where he is at the end of that and go from there. He pulled it good." NOTES: Werth wasnt in the starting lineup because of a tender right knee. ... The Nationals are off Thursday before opening a three-game series in Cincinnati. ' ' '