Where Does Your Team Stand in the NFC West?

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Seattle Seahawks

Free Agency Departures: Julian Peterson, Rocky Bernard, Maurice Morris, Howard Green, Bobby Engram, Will Heller, Floyd Womack, Leonard Weaver

Free Agency Acquisitions:Colin Cole, John Owens, TJ Houshmandzadeh, Ken Lucas, David Kirtman, Justin Griffith

Draft Picks: (1) Aaron Curry, (2) Max Unger, (2) Traded for 2010 first round pick, (3) Deon Butler, (5) Traded for current 2009 3rd round pick, (6) Mike Teel, (7) Nick Reed, (7) Cameron Morrah, (7) Traded for current 2009 3rd round pick

Team Philosophy

With the departure of Mike Holgrem, the Seahawks will look to Jim Mora to reinvigorate this franchise. Unlike most teams that struggle, Mora did not look to completely rebuild his team. Instead, he focused on adding a number one wide reciever and upgrading the linebacker unit.

Mora will keep the west coast offense and the 4-3 defense that has served Seattle well for so many years now. However, look for the offense to be centered around the run since offensive coordinator Gregg Knapp has a history of producing great rushing offenses.

Draft Analysis

Aaron Curry was labeled the safest pick in this year's draft and the Seahawks drafted him as a replacement for Julian Peterson. The Hawks then pulled off a great move by trading their second round pick for next year's 1st.

The 2010 draft looks to be one of the deepest drafts in recent memory and the Seahawks now have 2 first round picks to work with.

Deon Butler is a nice wide reciever prospect with reliable hands and good route running. While he is a bit undersized for his position, he fits perfectly in the west coast offense.

Mike Teel had a jeckyll and hyde collegiate career with either outstanding or terrible preformances. Teel has the arm to make most of the throws required in the NFL; however, his decision making is very questionable.

Reed was a highly productive pass rusher for oregon and led the Pac 10 in sacks two years ago. He could be a major steal in the seventh round, if he works on improving his agility. Cameron Morrah is a questionable pick since the Seahawks seem to have found a good tight end in John Carlson.

Schedule Analysis

The Seahawks start off the season with 4 of their 6 games at home. Out of their first four home games, three are against teams that did not make the playoffs last year. After the bye week, the team faces three playoff teams on the road and finish the season facing sub .500 teams.

It is important for the Seahawks to start the season with a winning record before the bye. This will allow the team to stay in the playoff race after their brutal stretch with playoff teams and make a late push to win the division.

Overview

Both Seneca Wallace and Matt Hasselbeck have been effective in running the west coast offense, and with the additions of TJ Houshmanzadeh the passing game for the Seahawks will be very effective.

As long as Seattle uses the pass consistently, opponent linebackers will drop into coverage and allow the Hawks to use their running game effectively.

On defense, the Seahawks boast the best linebacker crew in the division and possibly the entire NFC. While the defensive line is not elite, the pass rushing abilities of Patrick Kerney should allow Seattle to put consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

If the defense plays more aggressively this season and blitz more often, I expect the Seahawks to improve their pass defense.

If the Seahawks start off the season with a winning record heading into the bye week, they will contend for the division and probably win ten games. From this evaluation, the team should be expected to get 8-9 wins.

49ers

Free Agency Departures: Billy Bajema, Tully Banta Cain, Keith Lewis, Jt O'Sullivan, Bryant Johnson, Damane Duckett, Jonas Jennings, Sean Ryan, David Kirtman, Donald Strickland, Jimmy Williams

Free Agency Acquisitions: Brandon Jones, Damon Huard, Demetric Evans, Marvel Smith, Marques Harris, Dre Bly, Moran Norris

Draft Picks: (1) Michael Crabtree, (2) Traded for 2010 first round pick, (3) Glenn Coffee, (4) Traded for 2010 first round pick, (5) Nate Davis, (5) Scott Mckillop, (6) Bear Pascoe, (7) Ricky Jean-Francois, (7) Curtis Taylor

Team Philosophy

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