SI
Remember the day when these guys were just an automatic pick to win the division? Yeah, that’s when they had one of the most dominant offensive lines that made Shaun Alexander appears to be one of the best running backs in the NFL. We were in the group of people that wondered why he didn’t get a huge contract extension until we started (cue jokes) boning up on our knowledge of the importance of offensive and defensive line play. Well, those days are long past. This team is still a pass happy offense that struggles to defend the pass on defense. Good thing the Cardinals and Rams are in their division. Those teams, HATE passing.
Key Off-season Additions: T.J. Houshmanzdzadeh. We’re only typing that massive name once. It takes too long and has far too many consonants. Housh is the best pick up in the off-season for the Seahawks though. Deion Branch was a waste of a first round draft pick. Seattle was the only team dumb enough to make that trade though. Pair him with Housh and Matt Hasselbeck will have one last shot at winning a division title.
Key Off-season Losses: Mike Wahle, Julian Peterson and Marcus Trufant. All of these guys were impact players for Seattle. Wahle was a good offensive lineman, Peterson a star linebacker and Trufant just isn’t showing up to camp. The secondary was already weak, but without Trufant, it gets weaker. All of these will play a part in the Seahawks season.
Strength of the 2008 Team: Coaching. You might disagree with us on this one but we thought Mike Holmgren was still more than capable of making the right decisions with the headset. He’s yet another loss that will affect the Seahawks. Jim Mora Jr. is destined to be a failure in our opinion. Just look at his time in Atlanta.
Weakness of the 2008 Team: DEFENSE. There was absolutely, positively NONE on this club last year. The Seahawks were much like the Chargers and constantly engaged in shootouts on a week to week basis. They didn’t have nearly the offensive firepower that San Diego did either. Julius Jones could help keep the defense off the field if he can show he’s able to carry the rock 25 times a game and chew up some clock.
Key Game – 2009 Schedule – Week 8 @ Dallas: Another case of having a tough start with a chance to really make a difference after this game. By our count, it’s going to be a 3-3 season coming into this game after the bye week. After this, the only really tough game remaining on the schedule is the Vikings. Dallas doesn’t seem to carry that same swagger as before. They’re definitely a beatable team. All you have to do is punt 30 times at the scoreboard.
Impact Player(s): Julius Jones and Housh. Both offensive players. Both the top of the depth chart at their position. Jones needs to make sure that the Seahawks can stay balanced while Housh can really be an excellent possession receiver for Matt Hasselbeck. We think Jones may fail at his job which will make Housh’s that much harder.
Prediction…7-9: Sorry Seattle. They just don’t have the gusto this year to inspire much confidence. Yet, they have a fairly easy schedule. The only consecutive road swing comes when they go at Arizona, Minnesota and St. Louis. Still, we see them losing some upset games because they can’t stop the pass and also having an inconsistent offensive day. Without a reliable defense, this team is doomed to fail. That is where they truly need to do some rebuilding.
From the ground floor, too.
His name is spelled like this Houshmandzadeh, get it right please, also Seattle is a better team than the 2006 team which won the division!
you’re an idiot!! 10-6 at the very least you people are so stupid sometimes! damn!
I agree that the Seahawks may have more big names on the team then they did in 2006. However, the division is stronger and their O and D Line is weaker. Its hard to throw the ball 40 yards down field when you don’t have the time to take a 5 step drop and it’s hard to run between the tackles when there isn’t a hole. I agree with disagree with Knezz77 10-6 at the very best, SC is probably closer to reality. I see their wins as:
Rams x2, Jaguars, Lions, 49ers x1, Texans, Buccaneers.
our d line is weak? you must be stupid… plus last year the defense looked horrible because they werer on the field the entire game… the defense isnt as bad as you would think they pitched 2 shut outs this year… man you guys have no idea what you are talking about