Gronk Vs Chancellor Matchup Crucial by CHARLES ODUM Associated Press by TIM BOOTH Bined Four Catches for 50 Associated Press Yards Against the Seahawks
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Saturday, January 31, 2015 SPORTS East Oregonian Page 3B NBA Super Bowl XLIX Hawks stay on streak Gronk vs Chancellor matchup crucial By CHARLES ODUM Associated Press By TIM BOOTH bined four catches for 50 Associated Press yards against the Seahawks. ATLANTA — The Atlan- Atlanta Portland Vernon Davis hasn’t caught ta Hawks overcame 37 points 105 99 PHOENIX — On some more than three passes by Portland’s LaMarcus Al- point Sunday it will happen. DJDLQVW6HDWWOHLQ¿YHJDPHV At least everyone hopes it over the past two seasons. Ju- dridge to extend their fran- Millsap scored 21 points chise-record winning streak happens. lius Thomas was limited four to lead six Atlanta scorers in The biggest, most athlet- catches for all of 27 yards in to 18 games by beating the GRXEOH ¿JXUHV $O +RUIRUG Trail Blazers 105-99 on Fri- ic tight end in football will last year’s Super Bowl romp. had 17 points and Kyle Korv- EH UXQQLQJ GRZQ¿HOG DQG ³7KH\ GH¿QLWHO\ KDYH day night. er 16. Atlanta outscored Port- Portland, which has lost be met in a full-speed colli- an image of being physical. ODQGLQWKH¿QDOSHULRG sion with the hardest-hitting They’ve got an image of com- IRXU RI ¿YH OHG DIWHU HDFK Atlanta improved to 13-2 RIWKH¿UVWWKUHHTXDUWHUVEXW strong safety in the game to- ing out and being ready to against the Western Con- day. dominate,” Gronkowski said. couldn’t stretch the advan- ference, including a fran- tage to more than six points. What will happen when Why is Seattle so good at chise-record 12 straight wins. the NFL’s version of Thun- defending tight ends? A lot of Following four ties in the Aldridge had a game- AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File ¿QDO SHULRG SRLQWHUV E\ derdome comes to the Super credit falls to Chancellor. His high 11 rebounds. Wesley Bowl, featuring Rob Gron- In this Oct. 14, 2012, file photo, New England Patriots’ size, speed and strength can Mike Scott and Paul Millsap Matthews had 16 points and Rob Gronkowski (87) is tackled by Seattle Seahawks’ gave Atlanta its biggest lead kowski in one corner and counter the matchup prob- Damian Lillard had 13 points Kam Chancellor in the other? Kam Chancellor in the second half of an NFL football lems many tight ends create. at 97-91. Portland came no with 11 assists. game in Seattle. closer than four points the re- “I don’t know. I’ll be sit- But the rest of Seattle’s Aldridge, who has con- ting there with popcorn,” Se- most of the Seahawks have attle is they have Chancellor defensive scheme was for- mainder of the game. tinued to play with a torn The Hawks have not lost attle’s Richard Sherman said. been respectful of his skill. — a safety with a linebacker mulated so Chancellor is not ligament in his left thumb, “It’ll be good football.” alone. Especially when Seat- in 2015. The winning streak VFRUHG SRLQWV LQ WKH ¿UVW Rightfully so. build and cornerback speed began after a loss to Milwau- There are a bevy of im- Gronkowski might have — who can match up with tle is playing zone defense, half while making nine of 12 portant individual matchups responsibility is placed on kee on Dec. 26. shots. been better in 2011, but con- Gronkowski. Many felt it was when New England and Seat- sidering the injuries he’s over- Chancellor and not Malcolm linebackers K.J. Wright and tle meet on Sunday. Will Tom come, 2014 could be his most Smith that should have been Bobby Wagner to cover those Brady throw at Sherman? impressive season. He had 51 Super Bowl MVP a year ago. “hook areas” as defensive co- Can the Patriots’ defensive receptions and eight touch- It was Chancellor’s hit on De- ordinator Dan Quinn calls it, front slow down Marshawn GRZQVLQWKH¿QDOHLJKWJDPHV maryius Thomas on Denver’s where tight ends often roam. Lynch? What about LeGar- of the regular season and an- second possession that set the “You have to have the rette Blount trying to run other 10 receptions and two tone for Seattle’s rout. speed to play when the quar- against the best defense in the scores already in the playoffs. “That hit alone could terback throws it how fast NFL? Only once this season did have gotten him Super Bowl can you close and make the All those factors could Gronkowski have fewer than MVP,” Sherman said. tackle. I think the speed and PDWWHU LQ WKH ¿QDO RXWFRPH three catches in a game. Seattle struggled earlier the length of K.J. in specif- Trumping them all might be “Aw man, Beast Mode. in the season defending tight ic, allows him to do that and whether Chancellor and the He’s an animal, man,” New ends, breaking from a trend Bobby, his instincts to know Seahawks are able to keep England wide receiver Bran- of being able to shut down after the ball is thrown, we’ve Gronkowski under control. don LaFell said stealing a elite players at that position all seen the speed that he has Even the NFL anticipated phrase normally used to de- in the past. San Diego’s Anto- to close,” Quinn said. “And the potential matchup: Both scribe Lynch. “When you nio Gates caught three touch- then when we play man-to- Gronkowski and Chancellor put a corner on him, he’s too downs in Week 2 against Se- man, both of those guys are sat at the same podium on small. When you put a safety attle and Oakland’s Mychal able to match up, whether media day. on him, he’s too slow, man. Rivera had eight catches and it be on tight ends or backs, “I guess it was destiny. It You know, when Gronk is two TDs in early November. again due to their speed and was destiny for us to have the out there doing his thing he Those performances were cover ability. I think it’s a AP Photo/John Bazemore same seat,” Chancellor said. is demanding a double team outliers. Against most elite combination of the way we Atlanta Hawks forward Paul Millsap (4) goes up for While Seattle nickel cor- and if he’s not being double tight ends, Seattle has been play zone, their speed to do a basket against Portland Trail Blazers’ LaMarcus Al- nerback Jeremy Lane said teamed, he’s out there mak- at its best. In two games last it, their quarterback keys and dridge (12) during the first half of an NBA basketball last week that he didn’t think ing plays for us.” season against New Orleans, the ability for them to play in game Friday, Jan. 30, 2015, in Atlanta. Gronkowski was that good, The difference with Se- Jimmy Graham had a com- man-to-man.” Hernandez SUPER BOWL: New England offense lacking explosiveness of past seasons Continued from 1B those problems to win games. “People hate us because, you And keep Rob Gronkowski from tak- The only evidence needed is what jury given back-to-back Super Bowl titles fac- know, when you talk a lot of smack, ing over the game. ing New England. For as important a the Seahawks did in the NFC cham- people usually hate you,” Seattle de- Sounds like a lot. But if success- Super Bowl role as Lynch might end up playing, pionship game. Three times in the fensive end Michael Bennett said. ful, Seattle will be put in position to whether Seattle is lifting a second ¿UVWKDOIWKH3DFNHUVWRRNSRVVHVVLRQ “But when you talk a lot of smack do what no team has done before be- restrictions straight Lombardi Trophy will be inside the Seattle 35 and came away and you back it up, they hate you even cause of the way it’s been constructed. dictated by its defense. with only nine points. That defense more.” They are talented. They are still Associated Press The outcome is certainly deeper allowed the Seahawks to hang around So how does Seattle earn a second young. And they have most of their than just how Seattle plays defensively. long enough to post its late rally. title with its defense? By not giving core players together through at least FALL RIVER, Mass. — Has Seattle fully recovered emotion- There is a reason Seattle is being up big plays. They allowed only 39 WKHVHDVRQZLWK¿QDQFLDOÀH[L- The 18 New England resi- ally from the NFC title game and its mentioned in the same category as plays of 20 or more yards the entire bility. Some of that extra money will dents sitting on the jury in remarkable comeback against Green the “Purple People Eaters,” the “Steel regular season and just 17 of those in be consumed by a new contract for the murder trial of former Pa- Bay just to get to the Super Bowl? Curtain,” and the “Monsters of the WKH¿QDOHLJKWJDPHV Wilson, but there will still be room to triots star Aaron Hernandez Can Russell Wilson be an effective Midway.” And that’s not the strength of the supplement what Seattle has already will be allowed to watch the passer against a New England second- They have accomplished statistical Patriots. New England ranked 26th in created. home team play in Sunday’s ary that with Darrelle Revis and Bran- feats that haven’t been seen in nearly the league in offensive plays of 20 or That’s what makes the potential Super Bowl, but the judge don Browner is far better than the one 30 years. The best scoring defense.