Alas, we've come to the end of our virtual tour of each NFL team, ending with the defending NFC Champs, the Seattle Seahawks.
2005 Record: 13-3 (1st in NFC West); Lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XL. 2005 Rankings
Offense: 2nd (14th pass; 3rd run)
Defense: 16th (25th pass; 5th run)
Head Coach: Mike Holmgren (138-86, 11-9 in post-season); Entering 15th season as NFL head coach. Was in Green Bay from 1992-1998 (75-37, 9-5 in post-season; Took the Packers to the Super Bowl in 1996 and 1997, winning Super Bowl XXXI), and has coached Seattle from 1999-present (63-49, 2-4 in post-season, including a loss in Super Bowl XL).
2006 Draft Class
1.31- CB, Kelly Jennings (Miami)
2.63 – DE, Darryl Tapp (Virginia Tech)
4.128 – G, Rob Sims (Ohio State)
5.163 – FB, David Kirtman (USC)
7.239 – P, Ryan Plackemeier (Wake Forest)
7.249 – WR, Ben Obomanu (Auburn)
Arrivals
Nate Burleson, WR (Minnesota)
Julian Peterson, LB (San Francisco)
Mike Green, S (Chicago)
Tom Ashworth, OL (New England)
Departures
Steve Hutchinson, G (Minnesota)
Marquand Manuel, S (Green Bay)
Joe Jurevicius, WR (Cleveland)
Andre Dyson, CB (NY Jets)
Ryan Hannam, TE (Dallas)
Russell Davis, DT (Arizona)
Tom Rouen, P (San Francisco)
Team Overview
2005 was a year spent exorcising demons in Seattle. The Seahawks won the NFC West in 2004, but were swept by the Rams during the regular season and in the NFC Wild Card playoff game in Qwest Field. Seattle returned the favor in 2005, sweeping the Rams, and for good measure, the Cardinals and 49ers, too. When injuries knocked both starting wide receivers (Darrell Jackson and Bobby Engram) out of the lineup for a month, the team everyone called “soft” shrugged and went on an impressive 11 game winning streak. There was a different feeling around this team the entire year. When Seattle pulled victories from the jaws of defeat against Dallas and the New York Giants, the Seahawks appeared to be a team that had a date with destiny.
After not winning a playoff game since 1984, everyone wondered if they’d see the “Same Ol’ Seahawks” in January. When Shaun Alexander, the league’s MVP, was concussed against Washington, Matt Hasselbeck tossed the team onto his back and they rode his arm, as well as a suffocating defense, to victory. When Carolina came into Seattle fresh off resounding victories on the road against the Giants and Bears, many predicted the end of Seattle’s magical run. The Seahawks responded by pressuring Jake Delhomme into three interceptions in a 34-14 blowout that sent Seattle to Super Bowl XL.
Like all successful NFL teams, the Seahawks lost some key components from their Super Bowl team this off-season. Minnesota was able to wrangle All-Pro left guard Steve Hutchinson away with a $49M, poison-pill laden contract offer Seattle couldn’t match. Joe Jurevicius took less money to return home to Cleveland, and Marquand Manuel couldn’t pass up an opportunity to start in Green Bay.
No player could be brought in to replace Hutchinson, but depth at offensive line has been one of Seattle’s strength in recent years. Expect Pork Chop Womack, Chris Spencer or rookie Rob Sims to man the left guard position this year. The offensive line appears to be in great shape, with All-World left tackle Walter Jones at left tackle, Robbie Tobeck coming off a Pro Bowl season at center, Chris Gray at right guard and last year’s biggest surprise, Sean Locklear at right tackle.
Seattle will definitely miss Joe Jurevicius, but they’ve added a more “dynamic” receiver when they signed Nate Burleson, a Seattle-area native to their own “poison-pill” laced contract offer. Though Darrell Jackson hasn’t yet practiced following off-season knee surgery, Seattle expects him back for the regular season. He’ll start, as will Burleson and Bobby Engram, as Seattle often uses 3-WR sets. Peter “P-Dub” Warrick and DJ Hackett round out the group, which is better than the sum of its part. Hackett made some brilliant catches in 2005, and Warrick appears to be 100% following knee surgery in 2004. The tight ends took a hit when Jerramy Stevens re-injured his surgically repaired knee last week, and he’s expected to miss the first month of the season. Itula Mili showed up in shape this year, and is expected to start after a season where an intestinal blockage kept him out of the lineup.
Shaun Alexander is coming off a storybook season. He led the NFL in rushing, broke the single-season rushing touchdown record, was named league MVP and signed an 8-year, $62M mega-contract. Oh, and he’s this year’s cover boy for the most popular video game in history, Madden 2007. Not a bad year for #37. Though he’s at times been labeled as being selfish, Alexander has been saying and doing the right things in camp. He appears ready to be a leader, and he’s always been the type of player who sets seemingly unattainable goals for himself. That obsession with numbers may appear selfish, but if Alexander reaches them, chances are Seattle is winning football games. Behind Alexander is Maurice Morris, who is a good change-of-pace back, and is a more polished receiver than Alexander. Mack Strong finally was sent to the Pro Bowl in 2005, and he returns for another year showing no signs of slowing down. The most intriguing running back on the roster is 2nd year fullback, Leonard Weaver, who was an undrafted free agent from Division II Carson-Newman, where he played tight end. In limited duty, Weaver has shown the ability to run inside and possesses one of the fiercest stiff-arms around. He’s also being looked at as a kick returner, and at 6-0, 251 pounds, he’d be the biggest kick returner I’ve ever seen.
Alexander may be the league’s MVP, but Matt Hasselbeck is the team’s MVP. Hasselbeck is one of the few elite QBs in the NFL, and has this offense running like a well-oiled machine. He’s the team’s unquestioned leader, and as he goes, so do the Seahawks. Backing up Hasselbeck is probably the team’s best athlete, Seneca Wallace. Perhaps best known for his amazing over-the-shoulder reception during the NFL Championship game, Seattle has seen enough of Wallace as a quarterback to resist the urge to convert him to a wide receiver/punt returner.
The one area Seattle desperately needed to improve upon heading into 2005 was putting pressure on the quarterback. Last year, Seattle led the NFL in that category, and they did it by getting production from unlikely sources. Bryce Fisher was brought in to rush the QB, and he led the team with 9 sacks. That was expected. What wasn’t expected were the seasons that DT Rocky Bernard (8.5 sacks), Marcus Tubbs (5.5) and getting a combined 11.5 sacks out of a pair of undersized rookie linebackers, Lofa Tatupu and LeRoy Hill.
Tatupu (2nd round) and Hill (3rd round) were the steals of the 2005 draft, and both will return as experienced veterans in 2006. Seattle added LB Julian Peterson in the off-season, and Peterson-Tatupu-Hill are one of the best linebacking units in the NFL. Peterson gives the Seahawks a bonafide weapon on defense.
The defensive line returns everyone from 2005, with last year’s starting lineup of Grant Wistrom, Bryce Fisher, Chuck Darby and Rocky Bernard expected to once again start on opening day. Marcus Tubbs, Craig Terrill and free agent DT Russell Davis will be rotated in frequently. Wistrom and Fisher saw significant playing time in 2005, and they’ll be rested a bit with Darryl Tapp and Julian Peterson playing some defensive end on obvious passing downs.
The secondary lost Marquand Manuel, who stepped in and played very well when Ken Hamlin was lost for the season following a fight outside a Seattle nightclub. Hamlin is back, and is hoping to pick up where he left off before the head injury suffered last October. Michael Boulware starts opposite Hamlin, but has been slowed by injuries this summer. Michael Green was acquired from Chicago, and he is expected to play a lot in 2006. Marcus Trufant is hoping that finally being healthy heading into a season will translate into better play, and he’ll start on the right side. Kelly Herndon appears to have won his training camp battle with this year’s 1st round pick, Kelly Jennings, who will play immediately as the nickel corner. Jordan Babineaux, nicknamed “Big Play Babs” for his knack for making impact plays last year, provides great versatility in the secondary. When Herndon and Dyson were slowed by injuries, Babineaux, a safety in college, started at cornerback. He’ll be used in dime coverages, and has the experience necessary to back up at every position.
Until someone proves otherwise, Seattle is still the team to beat in the NFC. They’re the most talented team in the conference, and there’s virtually no chance that Mike Holmgren will let them go into the new season without understanding that 2005 is in the past, and that they start 2006 at the base of the mountain.
Three & Out
- Lofa Tatupu became just the 3rd rookie linebacker in NFL history to start all 16 regular season games and 3 playoff games, and the 1st rookie linebacker to post 3+ interceptions and 3+ sacks in a season. The only thing that eluded Tatupu last year was the league’s Defensive Rookie of the Year award. Way to go, voters!
- Don’t underestimate the impact Joe Jurevicius will have on the receivers. Seattle wideouts caught 20 TD passes in 2005, half of them courtesy of Jurevicius. His sure-handedness and impeccable practice habits rubbed off on his teammates, and Seattle eliminated the “dropsies” they had become synonymous with.
- The road to Super Bowl XLI might once again go through Seattle. With a weak slate of divisional games, Seattle also plays one of the NFL’s weakest schedules. If Seattle takes care of business, and clinches home-field advantage in January, it’ll be very tough for any other other contenders to unseat them.
Fantasy Island
Two words: Shaun Alexander. 1,900 yards and 29 TDs don’t disappear because a left guard signed somewhere else.
Ok, maybe he’ll only have 1,500 yards and 20 TDs, but is that really not enough?
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