Brock and Salk - Weekdays at 11am

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By Brock Huard

Playing away from the friendly confines of Qwest Field and the 12th Man will require four quarters of sustained effort and execution. Thus, I will give you my 4 keys to a Seahawk win tomorrow in the Bay Area.

1. Turnovers. The trend line is obvious between the Hawks and Niners the last three years. SF wins = +8 in turnover margin. SEA wins = +4 in turnover margin. Pretty simple and straightforward, but the hard part offensively is to maintain aggressiveness while protecting the football.

2. 3rd Down Conversions. I said on the air yesterday I would be shocked if we come in Monday and the Seahawks win on third down and lose the game. Last year, the Hawks were 30th in the NFL offensively on 3rd down (31% conversion) and 23rd defensively (teams converting 42%). What saved the Hawks Week One against the Rams and nullified their turnovers was the team's production on 3rd Down (held St Louis to 16% and converted over 50%). The 49ers want to control the ball, get the game to the 4th quarter and create manageable 3rd down situations. The Hawks can ill afford defensively to stay on the field for long stretches and if they are to pull away and control the game, they must dominate on the most critical down tomorrow.

3. Tackle in Space. See Ball, Hit Ball, or as defensive coaches like to say with a KISS: "Keep It Simple Stupid." The 49ers will get Gore in space, they have a versatile offensive unit with "hybrid" players who will win at times in one-on-one situations. When they get is space, Grant, Herring, Babineaux, Wilson, Tatupu and Co. must wrap and get the benefit of their swarming friends to tackle well as a unit.

4. Get to the 49ers Secondary. Carlson, Housh, and Burleson are much better than Spencer, Clements, Bly, Goldson and Lewis. The key will be the offensive front keeping Hasselbeck upright and allowing him the opportunity to take advantage of the 49ers secondary. On the road a week ago, Justin Smith and the Niners dominated the AZ front, an impressive task in a noisy road venue. With a home crowd energized and vocal, Loclkear, Willis and crew must be sharp fundamentally and the Hawks must avoid long yard situations if Hasselbeck's jersey is to stay as clean as it did last week.

Listen to Brock and Salk Monday - Friday from 11am - 3pm only on 710 ESPN Seattle.

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