Seattle Seahawks Team Analysis
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by user Letstalknfl
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Seattle Seahawks Team Analysis
Free Agency:
Grade: B
Ken Hamlin will be replaced by Deon Grant. This was a great move by Seattle. After losing Hamlin to the Cowboys, they went out and got Deon Grant. Grant will fill in nicely, and is even a bit of an upgrade in coverage, where Hamlin was a little sub-par. Kelly Herndon was surprisingly let go. He provided solid depth, though was not consistent enough to be a starter. Robbie Tobeck will be missed. He retired and leaves the interior line with little depth. Darrell Jackson will be missed, though Deon Branch and D.J. Hackett are more than capable starters. Grant Wistrom caught the injury bug and will be replaced by Patrick Kerney, a great addition who significantly upgrades the D-Line and the pass rush. Jerramy Stevens talked more than he played and will easily be replaced by blue-collar Marcus Pollard, who is more sure-handed and less fowl-mouthed. Brian Russell provides secondary depth.
Overall, the Seahawks got rid of some older players to make room for the younger talent on their roster. They made good moves to upgrade and fill holes, and didn’t lose anyone they didn’t really want to. Tobeck will be missed, but Chris Spencer seems poised to take over that starting position after filling in last year.
Draft:
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Grade: C
The Seahawks did not pick until the later half of the second round. They’re hoping that Josh Wilson will be worth the wait. He is lightning fast, but at 5’9 will have a hard time against bigger receivers. He has good technique, but he’s very raw and has a tendency to play a little too physical for his own good. He will need time to develop, but has a great chance to contribute in nickel packages as early as this year. Mebane could be a steal in the third. He has tremendous talent, was productive at Cal, and plays with a surprising burst that helps him get off the line quickly. He will have every chance to compete for playing time in 2007. Atkins has work ethic concerns, but may be versatile enough to provide depth all along the D-Line. Wrotto has good size but is very raw and will need to be coached if he’s to become a factor. Herring and Taylor were both productive at Auburn last season, but Herring looks like an overachiever, and Taylor may not have the technique to overcome his lack of speed. Jordan Kent has quickness, but he needs to bulk up. He has a chance to develop and the potential to help out in the return game. Vallos looks like a project. He looks like a run-blocker who needs to learn the techniques of pass-blocking. He has the size and quickness to develop, but will take a lot of coaching. Overall, without a first round pick the Hawks had a decent draft. If Wilson develops into a great nickel corner, if Mebane can turn into a consistent starter, and if Kent can help in the return game, Seattle will be very pleased with this draft.
Coaching:
Mike Holmgren has been the head coach of the Seahawks since 1999. He has done a good job of developing a team that has been in contention over the past several seasons, and coached them to a Super Bowl XL defeat. He’s long been considered a guru at developing quarterbacks and running a balanced offense. Last year, the team was devastated by injuries, but still won the division, largely in part to Holmgren’s coaching. Still, there seems to be something missing in Seattle, and the coach is going to have to figure it out fast as the NFC West becomes more competitive every year.
Ray Rhodes coaches the defense, and has done a good job of it since he joined the team in 2003. Rhodes has had some health issues though, and his role has been relinquished a little bit to coordinator John Marshall. The defense seemed to underachieve last season, ranking 19 th in the league. They did however finish 6 th in turnovers and will look to be more consistent in 2007.
Gil Haskell is the offensive coordinator. He’s been with the team since 2000 and knows how the West Coast offense operates. He’s a seasoned vet, an old friend of Holmgren’s, and does a great job coming up with a gameplan each week. The Hawks do lack explosiveness on the offensive side of the ball though. Haskell and Holmgren will likely look to improve upon that in the upcoming season.
Grade: A-
Quarterbacks:
Matt Hasselbeck is a gutsy, confident, slinger with talent and leadership to waste. He’s also a little inconsistent and takes a few too many risks. The last couple of years he’s been a little better with his decision-making though, and he’s the clear starter in Seattle. Hasselbeck missed four games last year with an injury, but returned in time for the playoffs. He should be full-strength this season and ready to play. He did struggle at times last season though without All-Pro RB Shaun Alexander for six games. Additionally, the offensive line really missed Steve Hutchinson last season and will continue to be a work in progress. How the line performs will directly impact how well Hasselbeck performs this season.
Seneca Wallace is the backup quarterback. He’s ideal for that role. He may be a little too small and a little too erratic to be a full-time starter in this league, but he showed last season that he can step in when needed and perform fairly well. So long as Hasselbeck doesn’t miss more than a few weeks, Wallace will be just fine as the backup. Third year player David Greene is third string. He’s yet to take a regular season snap at the NFL level, but he’s big and has a strong arm. Ideally, the Hawks won’t have to resort to plugging the inexperienced Greene into the lineup.
Grade: B
Running Backs
The Seahawks have one of the best running backs in the league in Shaun Alexander. Alexander didn’t look like himself early last year, even before a foot injury knocked him out of six games. Late in the season, he started looking more like the back that rushed for 1,880 yards and 27 touchdowns in 2005. He’ll be thirty when the season starts, but he still has some tread left in him and should be back to his pro-bowl form this season (barring injury). Just like Hasselbeck, the play of the offensive line will have a tremendous impact on Alexander’s season.
Maurice Morris is one of the best change-of-pace backs in the league, but doesn’t have the consistency to be an every down starter. Still, his value to the team on third downs and as a complement to Alexander is tremendous. Mack Strong returns as the starting fullback. He’s been one of the more underrated players at his position over the past 12 years, and should continue to be a fairly reliable blocker. Backup fullback Josh Parry, who came over last year from the Eagles may see an increase in playing time, but Strong should remain the blue collar consistent blocker he’s always been for the Hawks.
Grade: A-
Receivers
Unloading Jerramy Stevens for Marcus Pollard was an excellent move for the Hawks this off-season. Stevens is one of the most overrated tight ends in the league and he usually does more talking than anything else. Even though Pollard is 35 years old, he still has soft hands and can be a reliable check-down option. Unfortunately, Pollard and backup tight end Will Heller are both pass-catching tight ends with limited blocking ability. If the line doesn’t improve this season, then Seattle may wish they’d brought in a blocking tight end who can help out in run-blocking and pass protection. Still, with Pollard in the lineup, the Hawks get a blue-collar player with great work ethic and sure hands.
The Hawks lost long-time starter Darrell Jackson this off-season in a draft day trade with the 49ers. They won’t enjoy lining up against him twice a year. Though he’s declined recently, he’s still a reliable target and will be missed. Deion Branch started to play better toward the end of last season but needs to show that he’s a true number one in order to justify the first round pick the Hawks gave up for him. Incidentally, Robert Meachem, Anthony Gonzalez, Sydney Rice, Steve Smith, and Dwayne Jarrett were all available at the 24 th spot they gave up in the draft this year. Nate Burleson was given a lot of money to come in and make an impact on this team. He didn’t. While he may continue returning kicks and is currently considered a starter, expect D.J. Hackett to take that starting job away from him. Hackett has natural ability, adequate size, and showed a lot of promise last season. Bobby Engram is a great slot receiver, capable of making clutch catches on third down. Rookies Jordan Kent and Courtney Taylor will fight for playing time, but watch Kent. He has playmaking ability and deceptive quickness. Overall, the Hawks need a legitimate number one receiver and a complete tight end. Maybe Branch will be that number one, but he seems more likely to be a very good number two.
Grade: C-
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Offensive Line
Walter Jones remains one of the premier left tackles in the game. However, the Seahawks still haven’t replaced Steve Hutchinson, and it showed last year. Sean Locklear and Tom Ashworth will contend for the spot at right tackle and both are capable, if not great starters. Chris Gray is a valuable starter at right guard, but the combination of Rob Simms and Floyd “Porkchop” Womack was not consistent enough to plug the whole at left guard vacated by Hutchinson. Womack has size and ability, but there just seems to be something missing. Center Robbie Tobeck retired and will be missed, though Chris Spencer started 13 games last year and will continue to get better. Overall, the Seahawks line needs a consistent right tackle and a dominant left guard. On the bright side, their key starters are returning which could go a long way toward building cohesiveness up front.
Grade: C
Defensive Line
The addition of Patrick Kerney is monumental in helping the defensive line. He replaces Grant Wistrom, who has struggled with injuries and hardly played last season. Kerney is a force at rushing the passer, and he’s got good technique when it comes to wrapping up the ball carrier. He’s a potential pro bowler and one of the better free agency pickups this off-season. If he can stay healthy (he missed 7 games last year), the Seahawks will be very happy with this signing. Bryce Fisher will likely start on the other side and is fairly reliable. He’s not a playmaker however, and the Seahawks will likely rotate him with Darryl Tapp, Brandon Green, and possibly rookie Baraka Atkins, who all provide adequate depth. Tapp is capable of starting should Kerney go down with an injury.
Chartric Darby and Rocky Bernard are the big men in the middle. Both weigh less than 300 lbs but still provide decent run support. They need to become more adept and clogging holes and eating up space to allow the all-pro linebacking corps the opportunity to fly to the ball. Russell Davis and Craig Terrill provide adequate depth and likely will be fixtures in the rotation. Rookie Brandon Mebane will be given every opportunity to work his way into the rotation. The Hawks would love to develop him into a consistent starter, and he has the potential to be that. Overall, the Hawks have good depth, but outside of Kerney, there are no consistent playmakers along the defensive line. While their pass rush should be improved this season, their run defense needs dramatic improvement (22 nd in the league last season). That improvement all starts up front.
Grade: D+
Linebackers:
Lofa Tatupa and Julian Peterson both made the pro bowl last year and rightfully so. They form one of the most exciting linebacker tandems in the league right now. Peterson is fast and can fly to the ball. He’s also very adept at blitzing; he had 10 sacks last year. Tatupa is a reliable force in the middle. He’s a great tackler and has playmaking ability. Additionally, he’s only in his third year, so he may just get better and better. Leroy Hill is the other OLB. He is underrated compared to the other two. He finished last season with 92 tackles and is a reliable starter. Depth is a concern however, as Kevin Bentley and Niko Koutouvides are questionable if thrusted into starting positions. With a little more depth at the position, the Hawks would receive and A+.
Grade: A
Secondary
Marcus Trufant is one of the better cornerbacks in the league. With an increased pass rush this year, he may continue his development. While he didn’t have a very good year last season (he struggled a lot on press routes, and allowed too much separation), his mistakes are coachable and he has loads of talent. Jordan Babineaux will likely be the other starter. He’s big and has fairly good technique, but he lacks speed and isn’t fluid coming out of his backpedal. He’s still young and he could develop into a reliable starter, but he needs to be productive early this season to avoid losing playing time to Kelly Jennings. Jennings figures to be the nickel back now, but the former first rounder continues to improve and the Seahawks would like him to develop into the starter opposite Trufant. The secondary last year was devastated by injuries, so Seattle used their first pick in the draft (which was in the second round) on very fast but very raw cornerback Josh Wilson out of Maryland. Wilson will need time to develop but looks like a nickel back who may contribute as soon as this season.
Brian Russell and incumbent starter Michael Boulware will vie for the starting SS position. Russell is an underrated player and Boulware is an overachiever. Whoever wins the battle (and give Boulware the nod) the Seahawks will have an adequate starter with valuable depth. At Free Safety, the departed Ken Hamlin will be replaced by Deon Grant. Grant and Hamlin are similar in style and there shouldn’t be much of a fall off there. Grant is a little better in coverage than Hamlin was, but isn’t as explosive. Still, he’s a reliable starter and a great pickup for the Hawks, filling a need. Overall, Seattle’s secondary has loads of potential but really needs to step it up this year. This grade could jump up very quickly if Ray Rhodes and John Marshall get these youngsters on track. On the other hand, it could also drop monumentally if they don’t show improvement soon.
Grade: B-
Special Teams:
The Seahawks resigned Kicker Josh Brown which is a little puzzling. Brown wasn’t as consistent as you’d think last year, hitting only 80.6% of his field goal attempts. He was even worse the year before. Chances are if Brown doesn’t improve this season, the Hawks will move on in 2008. Ryan Plackemeier was the fourth best punter in the league last year with 45 yard gross punting average, and he did fairly well in dropping 25 kicks inside the 20. He’s a solid young player and will likely have a long career in Seattle. Nate Burleson will likely be on return duty this year. He was 13 th in the league returning kicks and 12 th returning punts with one touchdown; fairly reliable, though overpriced until he contributes as a receiver. Bobby Engram and Maurice Morris also handle return duties at times, but don’t be surprised if Seattle tries rookie Jordan Kent in that role. Kent is a former track star at Oregon and is known for his shifty quickness. Overall, the Hawks are about average on special teams.
Grade: C+
Overall Analysis:
The Seattle Seahawks are a talented team, but something seems to be missing. They’re still the favorites to repeat as NFC West champions, but with the division looking to become more and more competitive, the Hawks need to continue to improve. They need one of their receivers to step up, they need their offensive line to gel, and they need to improve their run defense and secondary play. The good news is, they have the talent and potential for all those things to happen. Expect the Hawks to be contenders this year in a weak conference. If they can win their division again, they could be headed to their second super bowl in three years.
