NFL Team Previews: Seattle Seahawks
For the second team in the NFC West, I will be previewing the Seattle Seahawks, with general manager John Schneider at the helm and Pete Carroll as head coach. After two consecutive Super Bowl appearances, including a Super Bowl victory, the Seahawks started off slow and took a bit of an overall step back. Now, heading into his fifth season, QB Russell Wilson and company look to take back the NFC this upcoming season.
DRAFT RECAP: One of the biggest reasons why the Seahawks have slowly started falling off the mountaintop is losing key members of the offensive line such as Russell Okung and Max Unger. With their first round selection, they took OT Germain Ifedi from Texas A&M. Of all the highly ranked tackles, he's not the most pro-ready, but the Seahawks kind of need him to be with their (lack of) line depth. In the second round, they addressed the line on the other side of the ball with DT Jarran Reed from Alabama, who may be one of the biggest steals in the draft, as he was projected to go in the first round. He might already be the best DT on the Seahawks, after letting Brandon Mebane walk in free agency. The next two picks were offense, and RB CJ Prosise is good Thomas Rawls insurance and TE Nick Vannett is good Jimmy Graham insurance, as they battle lack of experience and the injury bug, respectively. They Seahawks took 2 more running backs later, in Alex Collins of Arkansas and Zac Brooks of Clemson.
FREE AGENCY: No stunning moves by the Seahawks this offseason, as they were yet another team to go through free agency rather quietly. Last year, the Jimmy Graham trade shocked the world where this year, the biggest move was RT J'Marcus Webb from Oakland. They also brought in some defensive line depth, by bringing in DE Chris Clemons from Jacksonville and DT Sealver Siliga from New England. They both should be in line for rotational minutes.
PLAYERS LOST: RB Marshawn Lynch retiring from football may be the most notable loss this offseason by the Seahawks, but with the emergence of Thomas Rawls last season, his may not hit the hardest. The Seahawks lost three starting offensive linemen: G Alvin Bailey went to Cleveland, G JR Sweezy went to Tampa Bay, and LT Russell Okung went to the Denver Broncos. Those two guards are solid players, but Okung is one of the best tackles in the NFL. It's tough to reshuffle an offensive line and stay successful, and that's assuming you have the same running back in place. Along with that, NT Brandon Mebane was poached away by San Diego, and although he may be getting up there in age, he's still a very good tackle and would still be a starter in Seattle. The last huge loss by the Seahawks was OLB Bruce Irvin, who signed a big contract with the Oakland Raiders.
STRONGEST POSITION: I think you know where I'm going with this one. The secondary is still the strong suit of the Seattle Seahawks, as CB Richard Sherman and safeties Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas are still manning the back of the defense. As long as they are all playing at a high level, this Seahawks team will be hard to score on. However, they now have some added depth in the secondary, with the addition of CB Brandon Browner, and better play from last season's backups Jeremy Lane and DeShawn Shead. None of these players are outstanding, but they don't need to guard the Dez Bryant's of the world, that's Richard Sherman's job. And Kam can hit as good as anybody, and Earl Thomas is one of the best ballhawks in football.
WEAKEST POSITION: I'll say the offensive line is very uncertain, but not necessarily weak. A lot can go right here, Webb can have a good season, Garry Gilliam can step up and be Russell Okung's replacement, Justin Britt can have a breakout season, and Germain Ifedi can show the scouts who called him "not ready" wrong. But that's also a lot to ask, but with a passing game led by QB Russell Wilson, it makes the job a lot easier. But, history has shown that team's with massive O-Line turnover at all levels, not just the NFL, tend to struggle.
FIVE MOST IMPORTANT PLAYERS TO THE SEAHAWKS SUCCESS: QB Russell Wilson, RB Thomas Rawls, TE Jimmy Graham, S Kam Chancellor, CB Richard Sherman. Obviously, without Wilson there the offense would not be good, especially with the questions on the offensive line, in the backfield, and with Jimmy Graham's health. Which leads to why it is important for Rawls to prove his breakout season was legit and for Graham to have a bounceback year and show he is "up there" with Rob Gronkowski among tight end rankings. And c'mon, we know Doug Baldwin won't get 14 touchdowns again. The importance of the passing game relies on Jimmy Graham more than Baldwin. And with the secondary, Kam Chancellor is the emotional leader back there, and Sherman is the lockdown corner on the other side of some average corners. Without either of the two of them, that vaunted defense is entirely different. Then again, with all the losses in the front seven in the last two years, it may already be.
PREDICTION: This is probably the toughest prediction I've done yet. On one hand, they have lost a lot of key pieces from those Super Bowl teams, and on the other, some of the most vital pieces are still there and they haven't brought back much. I don't know if they should be the favorites in the NFC, or even in the division just because they have the secondary and Russell Wilson. I'm going with a 10-6 record this year and a wild card spot just because I feel as though they are in a transitional period with all the losses, and next year is the year to seriously reconsider them for the Super Bowl.
