If the Hawks attitude about this game resembles mine in any way, this could be a tougher game than you’d think. There is a palpable feeling this week among the fans and media that the Hawks have reached a new tier of strength and consistency. Lots of praise is being showered on them. When you’ve had three emotional wins in a row, culminating in a division championship, and then you head out on the road for a game against a weak opponent, you had better watch out.
Even with that setup, the Hawks should roll today. A big part of their win streak has been their ability to play at a consistently high level the last few weeks. Perhaps, more importantly, Carolina looks to be a doormat.
A few items I’ll be watching for to see if Holmgren is gearing up for the playoffs:
– Leonard Weaver
I think this this guy has untapped potential. I’d like to see Holmgren try some different things with him today to see if we can pull him out of a hat come playoff time.
– Marcus Pollard
Same thing here. I’d expect the Hawks to sacrifice a little bit of their normal game plan to see if they can force Pollard into a rhythm.
– Pressure from Non-Kerney’s
It’s time for the LeRoy Hill’s, Darryl Tapp’s and Julian Peterson’s to make other teams pay for double-teaming Kerney.
– #94 DT Howard Green
He played a fair amount last week. It will be interesting to see if that’s a new member of the rotation.
– Kelly Jennings breakout game
It’s coming. I’m going out on a limb and predicting a pick-6 for this guy. His breaks on the ball have been outstanding.
– Bobby getting to 1000 yards
He needs ~70 (too lazy to look up specifics) yard to get his first 1000-yard season. That would be nice to see.
– Shaun 100th TD
He’s one away.