NFL GridIron Gab Daily Digest

Thanks to Matt Hasselbeck and Marshawn Lynch, the Seattle Seahawks get a second rematch game in as many weeks.

After downing the Chicago Bears 23-20 in Week Six, the Seahawks return to Soldier Field for the NFC Divisional round of the 2010 National Football League playoffs.

With that in mind, Seahawks Gab turns the Tuesday Two Deep’s focus solely on the bout.

Can't get enough SeahawksGab? Follow Editor Devon Heinen on Twitter at http://twitter.com/DevonHeinen.

Stephen Ross is keeping Tony Sparano around, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t want changes with the team that he owns. Ross, the Fins owner, says he wants a more up-tempo offense, and told as such to TheFinsiders.com

"I've told Tony that to me, I want an aggressive, creative [offense] not playing just to keep it close, where people really are a little more unpredictable," Ross said. "Our players are training in that weather, let's take advantage of it. Let's go with a hurry-up offense. Let's wear them down. You know? We've never done that. You know? This isn't the north, where you just want to take it four yards and a cloud of dust.

The Fins this past season never seemed to be completely in tempo on offense, but that could be due to the very average QB play of Chad Henne, who threw for just 15 touchdowns with 19 picks. High profile WR Brandon Marshall had 86 grabs for 1014 and three scores, but the team wants more from him in 2011.

For now, Ross says it’s time to start looking ahead to next season, and putting in a new offense that is going to score more points in the high stakes AFC East.

“I think I look for a different brand, seeing the Dolphins how fans want to see it, and how we win, going downfield, in the days of Dan Marino, the days we all want to go back to," Ross said.

The Steelers Saturday afternoon will have to be on the lookout for a guy they didn’t have to even think about the last time the Ravens-Steelers played in late November. That player is Baltimore TE Todd Heap, who Sunday in Kansas City caught a game high 10 passes for 109 yards.

To say it was a big day for Heap is an understatement. It was both a playoff and career high for Heap, who had three catches for 35 yards in the teams first meeting in Pittsburgh, and didn’t play in the second meeting due to injury.

Heap and QB Joe Flacco seemed on the same page all day, and Saturday when the two come to Heinz Field, it will be up to the Steelers LB’s as well as all-world safety Troy Polamalu to make sure Heap doesn’t have his way with the Steelers like he did with the Chiefs.

“It’s tough to cover Todd with a safety and linebacker,” Flacco said. “He was big underneath for us (Sunday). That’s the way he is.”

Expecting to see the Ravens try to stay underneath a lot Saturday, Heap could again play a key factor in the contest. The Steelers know that Heap is back and will be a target for Flacco, and will for sure spend time this week making sure to try to shut him down as an option in the Ravens pass game Saturday.

If your not sure who James Starks was before Sunday’s Packers-Eagles game, don’t worry, you were not alone.

The Packers, led by the rookie rusher who had just over 100 yards the whole season, put up 123 yards on 23 carries, a 5.9 yards per carry average as the Pack did enough to earn a game Saturday night in Atlanta.

Green Bay had 32 rushing attempts against the Eagles, the seventh time this season they have had 30-plus attempts. It was only the fifth time this season that the Packers had more rushing attempts than they did passing ones, showing maybe a little shift in the way the team is looking to play offense this postseason.

"I thought we might have a few more passing attempts, but the way James was running, we just stuck with it," quarterback Aaron Rodgers said.

And it also gives the Falcons something to think about in this upcoming divisional matchup. The first time the two teams played back on November 28th, the Pack ran for just 77 yards on 23 carries, a 3.3 yards per carry average.

Rodgers was the teams leading rusher that day, going for 51 yards on 12 carries. That won’t likely be the case Saturday night. Starks came out of nowhere to lead the team, and showed what fresh legs can do for an offense that needed a run game in the worst way.

"To win week-in and week-out, you've got to have the combination of run and pass," Head Coach Mike McCarthy said. The Pack will try again to pound Starks on Saturday, a key factor in this upcoming divisional showdown.

There’s some big names on the list for the Pro Football Hall of Fame this year, as there were 17 finalists.  Those that end up in the Hall will be announced the night before the Super Bowl in Dallas.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee's 17 finalists (15 modern-era and two senior nominees*) with their positions, teams, and years active follow:

* Jerome Bettis – Running Back – 1993-95 Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams, 1996-2005 Pittsburgh Steelers
* Tim Brown – Wide Receiver/Kick Returner – 1988-2003 Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders, 2004 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
* Cris Carter – Wide Receiver – 1987-89 Philadelphia Eagles, 1990-2001 Minnesota Vikings, 2002 Miami Dolphins
* Dermontti Dawson – Center – 1988-2000 Pittsburgh Steelers
* Richard Dent – Defensive End – 1983-1993, 1995 Chicago Bears, 1994 San Francisco 49ers, 1996 Indianapolis Colts, 1997 Philadelphia Eagles
* Chris Doleman – Defensive End/Linebacker – 1985-1993, 1999 Minnesota Vikings, 1994-95 Atlanta Falcons, 1996-98 San Francisco 49ers
* Marshall Faulk – Running Back – 1994-98 Indianapolis Colts, 1999-2005 St. Louis Rams
* Charles Haley – Defensive End/Linebacker – 1986-1991, 1999 San Francisco 49ers, 1992-96 Dallas Cowboys
* *Chris Hanburger – Linebacker – 1965-1978 Washington Redskins
* Cortez Kennedy – Defensive Tackle – 1990-2000 Seattle Seahawks
* Curtis Martin – Running Back – 1995-97 New England Patriots, 1998-2005 New York Jets
* Andre Reed – Wide Receiver – 1985-1999 Buffalo Bills, 2000 Washington Redskins
* *Les Richter – Linebacker – 1954-1962 Los Angeles Rams
* Willie Roaf – Tackle – 1993-2001 New Orleans Saints, 2002-05 Kansas City Chiefs
* Ed Sabol – Founder/President/Chairman – 1964-1995 NFL Films
* Deion Sanders – Cornerback/Kick Returner/Punt Returner – 1989-1993 Atlanta Falcons, 1994 San Francisco 49ers, 1995-99 Dallas Cowboys, 2000 Washington Redskins, 2004-05 Baltimore Ravens
* Shannon Sharpe – Tight End – 1990-99, 2002-03 Denver Broncos, 2000-01 Baltimore Ravens

The contract of cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha has become a free agent after his contract was voided. The Tribune reported Sunday that the Raiders confirmed that Asomugha’s contract, which was signed in 2009, included a clause that rendered it void if he failed to achieve certain incentives.

In addition, the paper cited an ESPN.com report which indicated that the clause in question also means the Raiders can’t designate him a franchise or transition player. The 29-year-old played in 14 games this past season for Oakland, racking up 19 tackles and six passes defensed.

An eight-year pro out of California, Asomugha has compiled 310 tackles and 11 interceptions — including one for a touchdown — over 122 games.