Dave 'Softy' Mahler and Dick Fain

It's our first Fact or Fiction pick of the week and we're going with Pittsburgh +1.5. They'll probably end up winning outright. Softy says, in terms of college football, Alabama is a Tier 1 school, Clemson, Georgia, etc. are Tier II, and Washington is only Tier III, albeit the top of the tier. Joel Klatt believes the UW defense is of playoff caliber, but the offense is just "exceptionally average". Textimonials weigh in on what to do with Earl Thomas. Softy says if we're going to keep changing the rules of the game, let's just get rid of helmets so that guys will stop hitting as hard. Fans won't like it, but it's the next logically step.

More craziness happening with Earl Thomas as he reportedly missed practice today while dealing with a personal issue, and may not be available for Sunday's game. And who are they playing Sunday? Oh look, it's the Cowboys. Speculation has now spread with everyone assuming this smacks of a trade to Dallas. Softy isn't convinced that's the reason though. This is likely about Thomas making things difficult for the Hawks until they give him what he wants. There's a lot of chaos coming from the VMAC, and the play on the field isn't instilling a lot more confidence. If the Seahawks were a stock, would you be buying or selling right now?

The Pac-12 Network's Yogi Roth is in Seattle covering the Dawgs vs. ASU game on Saturday. He gives us a preview of the matchup from both sides. Jake Browning has regressed over the last couple of years it would seem, but it isn't all his fault. On top of an injury, he's lost some key pieces around him. Scott Huff, offensive line coach for the Dawgs talked about what got the running game going against the Utes last weekend. Textimonials react to the first two hours of the show.

Gregg Bell has had a chance to speak with Earl Thomas, albeit very briefly. He's got the latest on what we know, and his thoughts on what we don't know for sure. Bob Rondeau joins us for his weekly look at the Dawgs courtesy of SimplySeattle. Brian Schottenheimer says he needs to do better, the Browns win and everyone goes crazy, and Larry Fitzgerald won't finish an interview until Tiger Woods takes his shot. Venue Kings' Anthony Beyrouti is your connection to the best deals on tickets to sporting events, concerts, and more around Seattle.

Softy and Dick are live from the Central Bar and Restaurant, today and every Thursday before Thursday Night Football. We hate to say that this is a must-win game, but it is. If the Hawks go 0-3 against three teams that may not even make the playoffs, it's going to be a rough season. Playing those first two games on the road was tough, and we can't look past the fact that both team's looked solid, but the Hawks need to do better. Russell Wilson has never missed a game, but he can't keep getting knocked around the way that he has been. Today is the debut of our new segment Dick and Dave in the Locker Room. Today they interview Duane Brown and Chris Carson. Lee Sterling, handicapper with Paramount Sports has all your NFL and college football picks.

We are live, as we are every Thursday, from the Central Bar and Restaurant before Thursday Night Football kicks off at 5:20. Fact or Fiction: This weekend is the battle for LA. A game that.... no one in LA is probably actually going to watch. Anyway, Dick believes the Chargers will hang in this one, taking them plus the points. The Hawks are 0-2 and this game is about as dire as any could be this early in the season. Mike Holmgren joins us to break down everything he's seen from the first two weeks, and what we might see this weekend against Dallas. Coach Chris Petersen talks with Softy ahead of this weekend's game vs. Arizona State.

Softy and Dick Fain are live from the VMAC in Renton. Pete Carroll indicated today that Justin Britt might be out for awhile, and Doug Baldwin won't be back this weekend either. Sounds like the injury woes will continue. It wasn't long ago that fans were ready to sign a lifetime contract for Pete Carroll and John Schneider. Suddenly, things have changed. How much slack do you give Carroll and Schneider given the current situation. We are all over the Puget Sound getting the inside story on Seattle sports. Today, Softy was on the eastside catching up with Seahawks cornerback Justin Coleman, while Dick Fain was on the westside on Montlake talking with Husky corner Jordan Miller. We play both interviews.

Fact or Fiction: Softy says take Oklahoma -31 against Army this weekend in Norman. Could Pete Carroll actually be about to make a return as the head coach at USC? Petros Papadakis weighs in on the idea. Textimonials react to the first two hours of the show.

Rick Neuheisel says the Husky defense looks strong, but the offense has problems, and he knows what they are. Kevin Harlan says yeah, the Hawks aren't looking so great, but things aren't as bad as we're making them out to be, and Russell Wilson is a top 10 quarterback. Jason Whitlock says Russell Wilson is dead, and Pete Carroll is responsible, thanks to years of focusing so heavily on the defense, neglecting the offensive line, etc. He claims that Russ has regressed now for a couple of years. Do you agree? Pete Carroll and John Schneider have been lauded for their drafting and coaching abilities, but the last few drafts haven't been anywhere near stellar. Is the magic gone when it comes to player development?

It's time for the Husky Honks, each and every Tuesday at 3pm on 950 KJR with Softy, Hugh Millen, and Dick Baird. The Dawgs won last weekend, taking down the Utes 21-7. The defense deserves most of the credit in this one. We knew they were solid, but this game proved it. Utah's quarterback didn't do so well though which unquestionably helped. We continued to see some questionable hits, but it's become very apparent that the Dawgs have done a better job of teaching their players not to lead with the head. Utah is not as well-disciplined There has been a lot of hype around Arizona state, but it looks like they may not be as good as advertised. Their QB though, is much better than Utah's. Dawgs should be able to win this game, but it won't be a cake walk.