SANTA CLARA http://www.vikingsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-dru-samia-je rsey , Calif. (AP) ¡ª When Richard Sherman downplayed Seattle¡¯s success by describing the Seahawks as a ¡°middle of the road¡± team a few weeks ago, his former teammates took offense.Heading into the rematch this week between Sherman¡¯s new team, the San Francisco 49ers, and his old one, former teammate Frank Clark had a stern message for the player who helped lead Seattle¡¯s defense to a Super Bowl title five years ago.¡°He¡¯s not in this locker room anymore, so his opinion really doesn¡¯t matter,¡± defensive lineman Frank Clark said.Article continues below ...¡°You know what I mean? They¡¯ve got problems over there in San Fran that he needs to be worried about. At the end of the day, this is my team now. This is my defense. Richard Sherman and his era is over here.¡°If he¡¯s got anything to say about our defense, he can say it on the field. We¡¯re 1-0 against Richard Sherman right now, and we¡¯re 1-0 against the San Francisco 49ers this year.¡°Our plan is to be 2-0. So we¡¯re going into their stadium next week with pure aggression. We¡¯re going to stop that run and we¡¯re going to have fun on third downs.¡±The Seahawks (8-5) dominated the first meeting in a 43-16 win at home two weeks ago, winning their 10th straight game over the 49ers (3-10) in a rivalry that used to be one of the league¡¯s fiercest.Now in a season that started with talk of the 49ers emerging as an NFC West contender behind quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and the Seahawks falling following the breakup of the ¡°Legion of Boom¡± defense is heading to the finish with Seattle still holding the upper hand.The Seahawks can clinch a playoff berth with a win Sunday, while the 49ers are tied for the worst record in the league and only playing for draft position and next season.¡°At the end of the day in this league if you don¡¯t end up with the trophy then how great was your season anyway?¡± Sherman asked.¡°We¡¯re fighting Daniel Jones Jersey , we¡¯re struggling, dealing with injuries. But at the end of the day there¡¯s only one team that ends up with the trophy. Unfortunately it won¡¯t be us this year and we¡¯ll see if it¡¯s them.¡±Here are some other things to watch:KITTLE¡¯S CATCHESTight end George Kittle has been the major bright spot in a down season for the 49ers. After catching seven passes for 210 yards ¡ª all in the first half ¡ª last week, Kittle holds the single-season record for yards receiving for a San Francisco tight end with 1,103. Kittle fell 5 yards short of breaking Shannon Sharpe¡¯s single-game record for a tight end and coach Kyle Shanahan apologized for not getting him the record.¡°Every play mattered there at the end so you¡¯re just trying to call plays to try to win the game, not to break a record,¡± he said. ¡°That¡¯s what you feel bad about. I wish he could have broken the record. He deserved to.¡±STABLE LINESeattle is likely to be without starting guard D.J. Fluker for the second straight game because of a hamstring injury, but his replacement has proven to be more than adequate.Perhaps it¡¯s just coincidence but Seattle¡¯s two best running games this season have come with Jordan Simmons in the lineup.Simmons started for Fluker in Week 10 against the Los Angeles Rams when the Seahawks rushed for 273 yards. And he was in the lineup again last week against Minnesota when Seattle ran for 214 yards.Fluker has been a key component of Seattle¡¯s success this season, so it¡¯s mostly coincidence about when its two best running games have happened. But the run game has been a critical part of Seattle¡¯s success this season and the Seahawks rushed for 168 yards in the first meeting against San Francisco.SHOEGATEThe Niners are still a bit steamed about a play in the game two weeks ago in Seattle. Linebacker Fred Warner lost his shoe and Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson tossed it out of his way. While Warner went behind the line to try to get his shoe, the Seahawks went into hurry-up mode and drew an offside penalty when Elijah Lee couldn¡¯t get on the field in time as Warner rushed off. Shanahan got a personal foul for arguing the call and then was fined $25,000 on top of it for the outburst.¡°They told us there was nothing the player could do,¡± Shanahan said. ¡°So, that¡¯s what I told Fred. Next time Ed Oliver Jersey , just make it more obvious. We¡¯re going to get the penalty anyway, so hopefully, sit down and make it as obvious as you can. Hopefully then common sense will prevail.¡±LINEBACKER CHANGEThe Seahawks were hoping to get Mychal Kendricks back from suspension to hold down the weakside linebacker position until K.J. Wright was fully healthy. That plan lasted one game as Kendricks was injured against Minnesota and is out for the season after being placed on injured reserve.Wright is not expected to return to the lineup for another couple of weeks, meaning second-year linebacker Austin Calitro will rejoin the starting lineup. Calitro has started three games at weakside linebacker and one at middle linebacker this season, and played well alongside Bobby Wagner. SEATTLE (AP) ¡ª John Schneider and Pete Carroll continue to refer to the makeover of the Seattle Seahawks as a reset, even if it¡¯s looked more like rebuild.The roster that brought Seattle its first Super Bowl title was deconstructed this offseason in the most massive overhaul of the franchise since the infancy of the Schneider-Carroll partnership when they arrived in 2010. Left in the wake are some stars from that title team ¡ª Russell Wilson, Doug Baldwin, Bobby Wagner, K.J. Wright ¡ª and an abundance of new faces trying to prove the Seahawks aren¡¯t taking a major step backward after missing the playoffs in 2017 for the first time in five seasons.¡°I feel like there is a different energy, a different vibe,¡± Wagner said. ¡°I feel like everybody is hungry, everybody has something to prove http://www.billscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-cody-ford-jers ey , and that brings an excitement.¡±Seattle believes there won¡¯t be a backward slide because the principles of how it wants to play have only been reinforced by the offseason moves. The Seahawks want to run the ball to control possession with running backs Chris Carson and Rashaad Penny, and some tweaks to the offensive line. They want less pressure on Wilson in the pass game and hope receiver Brandon Marshall still has something left. They want to stop the run thanks to a defense that¡¯ll be focused even more on linebackers Wright and Wagner.Those are principles Carroll created when he arrived and Seattle slowly shifted away from them in some aspects. The run game fell apart after Marshawn Lynch departed. Wilson was the entirety of Seattle¡¯s offense a year ago. And a defense that was among the best just a few years ago was exposed last season as injuries decimated the once-dominant unit.That¡¯s partly why the likes of Richard Sherman, Michael Bennett, Jimmy Graham, coordinators Darrell Bevell and Kris Richard and offensive line coach Tom Cable all were sent away in the offseason.Seattle needed to get younger and fresher in the hopes this reset isn¡¯t just a bridge to 2019, but with the chance of being good now.Here¡¯s what else to know about the 2018 Seahawks:RETURN OF THE RUN: The addition of new offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer only reinforced Carroll¡¯s determination that Seattle had gone away too much from its offensive principles. He built the Seahawks into a powerhouse by running the ball.So the Seahawks are going to run and they¡¯re not being secretive about it. Even though Carson flashed early last season before suffering a season-ending injury, Seattle still spent a first-round pick on Penny as a complement. A year ago, Seattle had one rushing touchdown from someone other than Wilson. No running back rushed for more than 240 yards for the season. If that happens again, the Seahawks¡¯ offense will be in trouble.¡°We want to run the football. That¡¯s been crucial for our success,¡± Carroll said. ¡°It¡¯s part of the whole system and how it works. It¡¯s probably the part of our team that I¡¯m most looking forward to.¡±SAFETY PLAN: Safety Earl Thomas¡¯ holdout cast a shadow of questions over Seattle¡¯s training camp as to whether second-year safeties Tedric Thompson or Delano Hill are ready to be starters. Thompson is the most likely to step in immediately in Thomas¡¯ place as a free safety, while Hill is more apt to play strong safety, meaning Bradley McDougald would move to free safety.Whatever the mix ends up being Devin Singletary Jersey , this is not what Seattle expected or wanted, and could make the secondary a weakness after years of being one of Seattle¡¯s great strengths.FIND THE RUSH: The trade of Bennett and the loss of Avril to a neck injury left Seattle with major questions on the defensive line, such as: Who can rush the passer? Frank Clark will be the primary focus after getting 22 sacks in 46 games in his first three seasons. But Seattle must find a complement to Clark. Whether it¡¯s Barkevious Mingo, Rasheem Green, Jacob Martin or someone from the interior of the line, Seattle needs to get pressure on opposing quarterbacks to keep its revamped secondary from being exposed.Dion Jordan was supposed to be that other pass rusher but another leg injury has sidelined the former top five pick for the entire training camp.SHAQUEM¡¯S DREAM: Seattle drafted linebacker Shaquem Griffin because it believed his athleticism would be beneficial on special teams and potentially as a pass rusher. He may get a bigger role right from the start.Griffin could end up being Seattle¡¯s starting weakside linebacker in Week 1 after Wright underwent knee surgery. It¡¯s unclear if Wright will be healthy in time for the opener and Griffin ¡ªwho had his left hand amputated as a child¡ª has been Wright¡¯s backup throughout the offseason and training camp.If Griffin starts the opener it would only add to what¡¯s been one of the most uplifting stories of the offseason after Seattle drafted him in the fifth round and reunited Shaquem with his twin brother Shaquill.NO FAVORS: If Seattle can survive a front-loaded schedule, it could be in position for a playoff run late in the season. The Seahawks play four of their final five and five of the final seven games at home. Their only road game in the month of December is to San Francisco.But getting to December will be a challenge. The Seahawks open with four of six on the road, including a trip across the Atlantic Ocean to face the Raiders in London. Survive that rough start, and there may be a chance for a late surge into contention.