SEATTLE -- Even with all the teaching hes done to change the way tackling is handled in the NFL, Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll still believes in the importance of the big hit.So when Earl Thomas raced across the field and leveled Rob Gronkowski with a shoulder tackle to the midsection last week, Carroll was ecstatic about the result of the play, and the message it sent that the game can still be physically brutal but in a safe way.Neither one of the players got hit in the head. Still the jolt was significant, but if we could show kids how we want them to hit and play this game, and college kids, thats how you do it, Carroll said. Its the new way, its the new way to make hits.The duo of Thomas and strong safety Kam Chancellor are just two of the challenges rookie Carson Wentz has to face when the Philadelphia Eagles travel to Seattle on Sunday. Wentz has passed plenty of tests in his first NFL season, getting Philadelphia into the playoff conversation at 5-4 after last weeks home win over Atlanta.But even Wentz acknowledged theres little that can prepare him for the experience of facing the Seahawks defense in Seattle .You go in there confidently. You dont worry about the extra outside noise and all those things, Wentz said. You just go in there and play ball.The past two weeks have indicated another second-half surge could be on the horizon for Seattle. After holding off Buffalo in a Monday night victory, the Seahawks went across the country on a short week and won at New England , stopping the Patriots at the 1-yard line in the final seconds. They kept a two-game lead over Arizona in the NFC West.It ranked among the more impressive regular-season wins since Carroll arrived in Seattle and showed flashes that a plodding offense could be on the verge of a breakout.Its a process, said Seattle wide receiver Doug Baldwin, who had three TD catches last week. Weve still got some young guys. Our offensive line was pretty much all in new spots, Russell was dealing with some injuries, so there are a lot of things that go into it. Its not just a normal routine. ... I do expect us as the season goes on to continue to get better. Thats one thing I expect.Heres what else to watch as the Eagles and Seahawks meet for the 15th time:ROAD WOES: The Eagles are 4-0 at home and have outscored opponents 108-38, but theyre 1-4 on the road with four straight losses after winning at Chicago on Monday night in Week 2. They fell behind 14-0 in three of those four losses and rallied to either have a lead in the fourth quarter or have the ball with a chance to go ahead on the final drive, only to lose.I think when you are on the road, you try to press just a little bit, coach Doug Pederson said. You try to get that quick, early lead, try to take the crowd of out of the game. You maybe do some things that are uncharacteristic of what you do at home, and we just cant do that.The Seahawks are 31-5 at home since 2012, when Wilson became the starting quarterback.SPLITTING CARRIES: Seattle will have running back Thomas Rawls in the lineup for the first time since Week 2, when he suffered a hairline fracture in his leg. The return of Rawls led to the release of leading rusher Christine Michael earlier this week, but its unclear how the carries will be split between Rawls and rookie C.J. Prosise.Prosise energized a lethargic run game last week against New England, rushing for 66 yards and catching seven passes for 87 yards.A quick emergence is really exciting, Carroll said. Hes coming up and doing stuff. You can see how hes capable.BALL CONTROL: The Eagles rank second in the NFL in time of possession (32:28) and controlled the ball for 38:10 in their win over the Falcons. Ryan Mathews had a season-high 108 yards rushing, helping keep Atlantas high-powered offense on the sideline. Its no secret that a balanced attack is Philadelphias formula for success. Pederson doesnt want Wentz throwing 45 passes per game the way he did in losses to the Cowboys and Giants.WELCOME BACK: Pederson has a longstanding connection to the Seahawks. The graduate of Ferndale High School about 90 minutes north of Seattle went to numerous Seahawks games in the Kingdome as his family had season tickets. Pederson even got to play a high school playoff game in the Kingdome.You just kind of walk on that turf and you go man, one day it would not only be great to play in this game, and who knew back then that youd be a head coach in the league, Pederson said.---AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi contributed to this report.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL.Custom Nike Baseball Jerseys Black Friday . Reassurance came from Paul Tesori, his caddie and close friend whose newborn son is in intensive care in a Florida hospital. "Paul sent me a text this morning, just told me he loved me and wanted to go out and fight as hard as I would any other day," Simpson said Sunday after doing just that. Custom Nike Cincinnati Reds Jerseys . LOUIS -- The New Orleans Saints looked like a team playing out the string. https://www.customjerseysnikebaseball.com/custom-nike-atlanta-braves-jerseys/ . 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The Dutchmans tenure got off to a poor start when referee Guido Winkmann awarded a penalty within two minutes for Niklas Starks clumsy challenge on Alexandru Maxim.Rio 2016 organising committee president Carlos Nuzman insists Brazil remains on schedule to deliver a successful Olympic Games despite the numerous problems which threaten to undermine it.A national economic crisis led to the Rio organising committee reducing its budget and infrastructure plans, while a health crisis surrounding the Zika virus means some officials, spectators and competitors are considering avoiding the Games, which run from August 5-21.There are also fears that some of Rios sporting facilities will not be ready on time and that the water will be too dirty for it to host sailing, open-water swimming and rowing events. Despite that, International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach spoke positively about the Games on Wednesday and Nuzman was similarly upbeat when he addressed the media in London on Thursday.We will deliver a spectacular Games, said Nuzman. We are not changing anything about the field of play.Nuzman said the only venue experiencing delays was the velodrome, which he said was 85 per cent finished and just required the track to be laid for completion. The Velodrome, under construction, at the Olympic Village in Rio We have all the support from the three levels of government. Even the companies involved in any other problems, they continue, [so] that we have no delays.Nuzman responded to concerns about the poor condition of the water at Marina de Gloria, where seven of the 10 sailing events will launch. He said that Olympics venues are to be inspected for stagnant water.The field of play of the Olympic Games is the other side of the bay, he said. The international federation gave the approval and we will keep a very strrong team to clean, which will start and continue during the Games.dddddddddddd. The Marina da Gloria in Rio will host sailing events Nuzman also gave assurances that Rios anti-doping laboratory will be fully accredited with a correct and legal framework before the World Anti-Doping Agency deadline of March 18.It will be fully operational for the Games, he said. All the written regulation was approved by IOC, WADA, the federal government and organising committee. Now its in the hands of the federal government until March 15. This will be a strong legacy for us.With only between 12 and 15 per cent of Paralympic tickets and 47 per cent of Olympic tickets sold, there are fears about a lack of atmosphere at venues.But Nuzman was also upbeat on that issue. Many, many sports are already sold out. If we had more tickets, wed have sold more, he said. For the other sports, we have a campaign. Carlos Nuzman expects a successful Games in Rio Brazilians love to buy tickets at the last moment. This happened with the World Cup and other events. I am confident we will have full stands, and I hope sponsors can give the tickets they have to their guests.I think we are in a good way, apart from the problems you mention we have.Also See:Refugee team for RioIOC: Bids not corruptWBC horrified at plansKing eyes Rio berth ' ' '