(Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)
After the Seahawks 27-3 defeat at the hands of the Arizona Cardinals, the Seattle Seahawks, Seahawk Nation and the 12th man, as well as players, coaches, and front office reps alike had to take a moment and realize that the little window of hope for the Seahawks to still be that great team like 2005 is now closed.
Over the last few years, the Seahawks, without much notice, have continued to take steady steps backwards, capped off by a 4-12 finish in 2008.
The Seahawks are now 6-16 dating back to last season, which is one of the worst stretches in team history.
Three words can be used to describe the Seahawks in the last few years. Injuries, inconsistency and horrendous (player moves) have resulted in the Seahawks going from a top ten franchise down to a top 20 franchise.
However the Seahawks, much like another Seattle franchise, the Major League Baseball Seattle Mariners, can't undo their past but make the right moves going forward.
The Seahawks head into the bye week at 2-4 and still having a lot of questions needing to be answered. It would be a good time to find out who will make it and who won't.
The possible future players could be QB Mike Teel (seventh-round pick in 2009 draft), RB Justin Forsett (seventh-round pick in 2008 draft), WR Deon Butler (third-round pick in 2009 draft), LB's David Hawthorne and Will Herring, and CB's Kelly Jennings and Josh Wilson.
Teel most likely will not be the future signal caller for the Seattle Seahawks, knowing the track record for late-round picks for the Seattle Seahawks. The last bust was David Greene in 2005.
Once the Seahawks know what they have with those seven players, they can go forward with the successful ones and cut the unsuccessful.
The Seahawks also have to deal with underachieving big contract players in WR Deion Branch, DE Patrick Kerney, C Chris Spencer (free agent after this season), QB Matt Hasselbeck, and others.
The key one in that group is quarterback Matt Hasselbeck. He is no longer that elite quarterback he use to be in 2005 and 2007, when he was one of the league’s best.
However injuries, poor offensive line play, and age have hampered his chances of performance, as well as the new coaching staff, with which Hasselbeck seems to be uncomfortable. That is never a good thing for a starting QB.
So the Seahawks could go on without their best QB in franchise history, Matt Hasselbeck, and possibly head coach Jim Mora Jr. and offensive coordinator Greg Knapp, who have looked more lost than the UW Huskies' final play against Arizona State.
There is also the possibility after the season for the Seahawks to replace GM Tim Ruskell, who hasn't been on his game in the last few years when making player movements.
His biggest blunders were letting LG Steve Hutchinson walk in free agency and giving big money to an aging Shaun Alexander.
So the Seahawks, in midseason, can't really make too many moves player-wise and have transformed from a possible contender to a rebuilding team moving forward.
The key for the Seahawks and fans will have to be two things. This won't be a quick fix like it seems on Madden when you can sign any player you want. It also will take patience and time which everyone must realize before anything.
For the Seattle Seahawks to become a great franchise for a long time, this rebuild will have to take time to complete. However, the Seahawks can cut the years down by making the right decisions.
As of now, the Seahawks moving forward are in need of a QB, LT, RB, LG, RG, CB, and FS/SS.
Not all of the positions will be able to be filled this off-season but the most important (QB, LT, and S) could be filled via the NFL draft.
It's too early to name names yet, because we don't know who all will be in the 2010 NFL draft besides the seniors. Also, players' stock can fall with one injury like Sam Bradford or rise.
As I mentioned earlier, the Seahawks also face the possibility of having current head coach Jim Mora Jr. and other coaches going one and done in Seattle.
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