Relax, I'm not talking about an entire season. However, shutting down the sack machine for Week 3 of the preseason might be the best way to prepare our defense for Atlanta.

Now, I know a lot of people are going to go off about how it's just a one game suspension, and that there's no need to sit Tamba this week. But I counter that with saying this is the BEST opportunity to bench Tamba and give Andy Studebaker and Cam Sheffield a chance on the starting lineup. Of course, I don't expect that to be enough to sway most of the doubters, so here are some reasons to consider:

1. The first game of the season sets the tone until your "Bye Week". We saw it last year when we got waxed by Buffalo. That set a poor tone that was tough to bounce back from.

2. We know what Tamba can do. More importantly, Tamba knows what he can do.

3. Either Studebaker or Sheffield are getting that start against the Falcons. Better to get them working against a 1st team offense now, than when the pressure on against Atlanta.

4. Seattle's o-line has some major problems. That can be a serious confidence booster for both of these guys.

5. The rest of the defense (and team) needs to understand the changes they need to make in their own games when Tamba isn't available (Justin Houston especially).

6. This gives Romeo Crennel a chance to tinker around to find out where his best matchups are (i.e. Sheffield on L with Houston on R, Studebaker on R with Houston on L, etc.).

7. Playing these guys earlier gives some of the other guys (Long, Miller, etc) a chance to get out there against the 2's and evaluate their games against higher competition as well.

I know a lot of people (myself included) were looking forward to seeing what kind of havoc the Tamba-Houston connection could wreak on Seattle and poor young Russel Wilson. But we have to remember that this is just the preseason, and the preseason is where you get ready for all the possible situations you'll face during the regular season. Well, we know for sure what one of those situations will be on Sept 9.