Seattle Seahawks

NFL Previews - Seattle Seahawks

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2007 SEATTLE SEAHAWKS PREVIEW

(My Sportsbook) - After a string of bad luck in the injury department last season, the Seattle Seahawks will hope the wheel of fate turns in a favorable direction for them in 2007.

Karma may already be on their side. One year removed from playing in the Super Bowl, the Seahawks seemed destined for a first-round exit in the playoffs last year. That was before Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo dropped the snap heard round the world, botching a late field goal attempt and allowing Seattle to sneak into the next round with a 21-20 win.

The Seahawks then almost pulled off an upset over the favored Bears, but let the game slip away on Robbie Gould's field goal that in turn gave Chicago an overtime victory and ended Seattle's postseason.

Still, the game offered a glimpse of what should have been for Seattle all season long. Matt Hasselbeck was under center, Shaun Alexander was in the backfield and Darrell Jackson was catching passes.

All three of those players missed time in 2006 as Seattle limped through the season. Hasselbeck sat out four games with a knee ailment in late October and Jackson missed three games because of injury.

However, the biggest problem last year for Seattle was Alexander's pesky foot. The former Pro Bowl back suffered a broken foot in the season opener against Detroit that limited his production before he finally decided to shut it down for six weeks.

The offseason did bring some change for Seattle's offense. Jackson was jettisoned to, in a curious move, the division-rival 49ers in a draft-day trade, while Jerramy Stevens was allowed to walk as a free agent. Stevens developed stone hands when the Seahawks reached the Super Bowl in 2005 and never really recovered last year, making just 22 catches for 231 yards.

Unable to find a replacement in the draft, free agent signee Marcus Pollard will take over at tight end.

Defensively, the Seahawks added defensive end Patrick Kerney and safety Deon Grant to shore up a squad that has its sights set on the top spot of a wide- open NFC West.

Below we take a capsule look at the 2007 edition of the Seattle Seahawks, with a personnel evaluation and prognosis included therein:

2006 RECORD: 9-7 (1st, NFC West)

LAST PLAYOFF APPEARANCE: 2006, lost to Chicago, 27-24 (OT), in NFC Divisional Playoff

COACH (RECORD): Mike Holmgren (72-56 in eight seasons with Seahawks, 147-93 overall)

OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Gil Haskell

DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: John Marshall

OFFENSIVE STAR: Shaun Alexander, RB (896 rushing yards, 7 TD, 12 receptions)

DEFENSIVE STAR: Julian Peterson, DE (89 tackles, 10 sacks, 1 INT)

OFFENSIVE TEAM RANKS: 14th rushing, 20th passing, 14th scoring

DEFENSIVE TEAM RANKS: 22nd rushing, 16th passing, 19th scoring

FIVE KEY GAMES: at Arizona (9/16), at San Francisco (9/30), St. Louis (10/21), Chicago (11/18), at Carolina (12/16)

KEY ADDITIONS: TE Marcus Pollard (from Lions), DE Patrick Kerney (from Falcons), CB Josh Wilson (2nd Round, Maryland), S Deon Grant (from Jaguars), S Brian Russell (from Browns)

KEY DEPARTURES: WR Darrell Jackson (to 49ers), TE Jerramy Stevens (to Buccaneers), C Robbie Tobeck (retired), DE Grant Wistrom (free agent), S Ken Hamlin (to Cowboys)

QB: When healthy, Hasselbeck (2,442 passing yards, 18 TD, 15 INT) is one of the better quarterbacks in the league. However, his knee ailment last year prevented him from ever getting into a rhythm, as evidenced by a career-high- tying interception total posted despite missing four games. Still, the former Pro Bowl selection has plenty of weapons this year and a healthy knee. Seattle feels confident in his backup as well, Seneca Wallace, and proved as much with the four-year contract the club gave him. The deal will keep Wallace (927 passing yards, 8 TD, 7 INT) in Seattle through 2010. Wallace, though, still has some steps to take before he is ready to guide a NFL offense full time. David Greene is third on the QB depth chart.

RB: When you lose an NFL MVP for any amount of time, it is going to hurt your offense. So, when Alexander (896 rushing yards, 7 TD) was forced to miss six games last year, the Seattle offense was off a step. What it missed most was Alexander's ability to wear down defenses and finish games strong, though the 2005 MVP and only player to ever record 15 or more touchdowns five consecutive seasons appears to be healthy now. If not, Maurice Morris (604 rushing yards) will be called upon again. Morris started eight games last year but weighs almost 25 pounds less than Alexander and can't grind out yards the same way. However, he did show some signs of being a dependable back last year. Marquis Weeks is the third running back. Mack Strong is a rock at fullback and even helped in moving the chains without Alexander in the backfield. He rushed for 149 yards last year and also made 29 catches.

WR/TE: With the departure of Jackson, the club's leading receiver last year, the Seahawks hope Deion Branch can step into the role of the number one wideout. A former Super Bowl MVP with the Patriots, Branch (53 receptions, 4 TD) spent last season -- his first with Seattle -- building a rapport with Hasselbeck. D.J. Hackett (45 receptions, 4 TD) will slide into the second spot, with his size can create mismatches, and should emerge as a major weapon this year. Bobby Engram also missed time last year due to a thyroid condition that cost him nine games, though he still managed 24 catches and a score. Nate Burleson (18 receptions, 2 TD) will also look to improve in his second year with Seattle. Pollard (12 receptions) is a short-term solution at tight end, and will be backed up by Will Heller.

OL: Seattle's offensive line contains the best tackle in the game with Walter Jones, meaning a lot of offense goes through the left side. He teams with right tackle Sean Locklear to form a very good outside portion of the line. Chris Gray will most likely start at the right guard spot over Floyd Womack, with Rob Sims getting another shot at replacing 2005 departure Steve Hutchinson on the left side. The biggest change is at center, where Chris Spencer takes over for the retired Robbie Tobeck, who excelled at making pre-snap adjustments. Pat Ross will serve as his backup, while Tom Ashworth will come off the bench at the tackle spot.

DL: Kerney (16 tackles, 4.5 sacks with the Falcons) was brought in to give the Seahawks an upgrade in their pass rush, though he fits the mold of the 2006 squad as he missed seven games last year due to a torn pectoral. Darryl Tapp (33 tackles, 3 sacks) and Bryce Fisher (46 tackles, 4 sacks) team with Kerney within a rotating ends scheme. Chartric Darby (37 tackles, 3.5 sacks) and Rocky Bernard (35 tackles, 3.5 sacks) will start at the left and right defensive tackle spots, respectively, though one will be pushed for time if and when Marcus Tubbs (seven tackles, .5 sacks) fully recovers from knee surgery. He was limited to just five games last year, but was effective when on the field. Craig Terrill (14 tackles, 3 sacks) and third-round pick Brandon Mebane will back up at the tackle spots.

LB: The Seahawks produced two Pro Bowl selections out of the linebacker spot last year in Lofa Tatupu and Julian Peterson. Tatupu (122 tackles, 2 sacks) led the team in tackles while Peterson (89 tackles) had a career-high 10 sacks. Most importantly for Peterson, he played in all 16 games in 2006, shaking off injuries that plagued him while he was in San Francisco. Rounding out the top unit is Leroy Hill (92 tackles, 2 sacks), who could have gone to the Pro Bowl after finishing third on the team in tackles last year. Tatupu, Peterson and Hill combine to form one of the most athletic linebacking units in the league. Kevin Bentley (24 tackles) is the versatile backup, while Lance Laury (11 tackles) was solid after being added from the practice squad last year when Tubbs was placed on injured reserve.

DB: The biggest addition to this unit may be on the sidelines, as Seattle inked former Falcons head coach Jim Mora Jr. as its secondary coach. Mora will be breaking in two new safeties into the Seahawks secondary, as Grant and Brian Russell were both signed in the offseason. Grant (60 tackles, 2 INT) is penciled in to replace Ken Hamlin and his 96 tackles at free safety, after Hamlin joined Dallas as a free agent. Russell (51 tackles, 1 INT), meanwhile has the edge over Michael Boulware (39 tackles, 2 INT) at strong safety. The Seahawks will look for more out of corners Marcus Trufant and Kelly Jennings this season. Trufant (66 tackles, 1 INT) needs to take his game to the next level, and Seattle hopes the 11th overall pick in 2003 does so under Mora. Jennings (40 tackles, 1 INT), Seattle's first-round pick in 2006, should be better this year with some experience under his belt. Without a first round pick this season, Seattle addressed its secondary again in round two, taking 5-foot-9 corner Josh Wilson in the second round.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Burleson (24.7 kick return avg. 9.5 punt return avg.) upgraded the Seahawks' kick return game last year, and that spot should improve this year with Wilson, who returned kicks at Maryland, joining him in the return game. Josh Brown (25-31 FG) proved he was clutch last year when he tied an NFL record with four game-winning field goals in the final minute of regulation or overtime. That earned him as a spot as a Pro Bowl alternate as he turned in a 100-point season for a club record fourth straight season. Ryan Plackemeier (45.0 avg.) enters his second year in the NFL as the Seahawks' punter.

PROGNOSIS: Of all the teams in the NFC West, the Seahawks are the one with the most questions. The wide receiving group isn't as good without Jackson, while Hasselbeck isn't getting any younger either. However, a healthy Alexander can cover those deficiencies and then some, but the offensive line needs to return to 2005 glory. Defensively, the Seahawks secondary must improve, and a solid pass rush would help that. Seattle's defense will be tested during its high- scoring division games. In all, while every other team in the NFC West seems to be moving forward, the Seahawks appear to be in neutral. That should be good enough for Holmgren's club to make the playoffs again this season.

August 31, 2007, at 04:01 PM ET

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