Where The Seattle Seahawks Stand After Free Agency

The Seattle Seahawks have raised the bar and set a gold standard for revitalizing a shredded roster this off-season.

During 2008 a total of 11 starters missed significant playing time, and two top DB’s (CB Marcus Trufant, S Deon Grant), played through a broken hand, and a torn hamstring, respectively.

The starting QB also missed nine games, that never bodes well for the fate of a team, just ask the 11-5 2008 New England Patriots. 

The Seahawks missed the playoffs for the first time in five seasons and relinquished their perch atop the NFC West to the, dare I say, NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals had not won a division title since 1975, and had only finished second once in the last nine seasons.

Instead of overhauling the roster after the departure of future HOF coach Mike Holmgren, Ruskell re-stocked the ammunition.

He gave Hasselbeck a get well soon gift, locking up marquee FA WR TJ Houshmandzadeh with a 5 year, $40 million dollar contract.

Houshmandzadeh represents the best WR. Hasselbeck has had to work with in his career. He is the team's best WR since HOF’er Steve Largent was catching balls, (Jerry Rice doesn’t count guys).

His arrival provides an evident upgrade over long time Seahawks WR Bobby Engram, who departed to Kansas City.

He got a much-needed run stuffer; nabbing former Green Bay NT Colin Cole with a 4 year, $20 million dollar deal. Cole is massive (6 ft 1, 330 lbs) and commands double teams on every down.

He opens up the rest of the DL, and helps keep bodies off of the LB’s. Cole replaces former starting DT Rocky Bernard who signed with the New York Giants.

He traded fading star LB Julian Peterson to the Detroit Lions for DE Cory Redding, and a 5th round pick. Redding is slated to pair with Pro Bowl DE Patrick Kerney to form a formidable tandem at the DE position.

This trade opened Pandora’s box and allowed the Seahawks to select the drafts top overall prospect, snaring Wake Forest LB Aaron Curry with the No. 4 pick. Curry will team up with LB’s Lofa Tatupu and Leroy Hill to form what is arguably the NFL’s top LB corps.

In addition to Curry he traded up to the 49th slot (3rd and 4th round picks), to select Oregon C/G Max Unger, one of the top three interior OL available in this years draft class behind C's Alex Mack and Eric Wood.

He worked another trade, with the Philadelphia Eagles (5th, 7th and next years 3rd), to move up and grab Penn. State WR Deon Butler with the 91st pick. He brings an element that Seattle has not had on a long time: blazing speed. Butler posted a 4.32 40 time at the NFL Combine, and times as fast as 4.28 in pre draft workouts.

The drafting of Curry was met with the gut wrenching decision by the Seahawks to rescind Leroy Hill's franchise tag, and effectively make him a FA.

Ruskell worked the strings with the $8.3 million he had cleared, signing former Seahawks CB Ken Lucas, and FB Justin Griffith shortly after this occurrence. Lucas brings much needed size (6', 210 lbs) to an undersized Seahawks CB crew that often saw Kelly Jennings, and Josh Wilson burned by taller, more physical WR’s.

Griffith represents an upgrade in the blocking game over former Seahawk’s FB Leonard Weaver (now with Eagles).

He waved his wand and a few days later Leroy Hill had a fresh 6 year, $38 million dollar contract inked.

Ruskell did a fantastic job wheeling and dealing, everything seemed to fall into place.

The bow to top it all off was scoring Denver’s 2010 first round pick. Armed with that they have the ability to hand pick either Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford (trade up) or Texas QB Colt McCoy next year as Hasselbeck’s heir apparent if they so choose.

All of the Seahawks holes are  filled, except for two.

They still need a Franchise QB to replace the aging Hasselbeck within time, and eventually need an upgrade over starting SS Brian Russell. OL depth would be justified considering all five starter's landed on IR in 2008.

The team has rumored interest in former Ravens CB Chris McAlister. If added the team would have five CB’s with starting experience. Common sense would entail a strong possibility that one could be bumped into Russell’s SS role.

Acquisitions aside, injuries aside, there is a reason this team went 4-12 last year.

They played terrible football; and the secondary was a big cause for the utter failure of 2008.

They ranked dead last in the NFL in passing defense, allowing 259.3 yards per game.

It was just 2007 when this same unit also gave up the fewest passing TD’s in the league (15)

If they can fall somewhere in-between, it would go a long ways towards restoring this defenses’ image.

QB and WR problems hampered the Seahawks as well; these positions missed a combined 61 games (No. 1 QB, Top 4 WR’s).

This led to a dysfunctional passing game with a non-existent rapport. Getting into a rhythm is vital for any team, especially for an up tempo offense like the Seahawks run.

The passing game slipped from a 2007 8th ranking all the way down to a 29th overall ranking in 2008. the new off-season additions should help them climb back into a top ten ranking once again. 

A new zone-blocking scheme should help revitalize the running game, and take some pressure off of the re-tooled passing game. With a deep four WR set the Seahawks should have no problem putting up points in bunches.

If the Seahawks secondary can adjust to the new Tampa 2 Scheme and force  more turnovers. It will take even more pressure off the offense.

In addition, the revamped DL should be able to get after the QB more then last season (35 sacks, 13 coming in two games against the 49ers) and allow the secondary to sit back in zone coverage and become ball-hawks.

The health of this team will dictate the outcome of the season.

If this team remains intact to some degree, they will reclaim their perch atop the NFC West after a brief one-year absence.

If the plague ensues, the team will crumble like they did last season. Without QB pressure this team will not succeed, and the secondary will suffer as well just like last season.

Without WR’s, Pro Bowl QB Matt Hasselbeck will have no one competent to throw to, and vice-versa.

If the running game does not pick up, added pressure will be heaped upon His-Backs-A-Hassle, I mean Hasselbeck.

A transition is needed after a 4-12 season. A breathe of fresh air needs to come over this battered roster.

The wounds need to heal; the pain of losing cannot be forgotten.

They need to strap it up and punch the opposition in the mouth, and drive themselves to making 2008 an aberration.

That is how the Seahawks can be successful in 2008, that is how they can become the next  2008 Atlanta Falcons (4-12 2007, 11-5 2008).

Seattle, take after the Sounders FC. Take the next step into shedding some positive thought on a city that has had more then it’s fair share of sports misery.