How Similar Are The Seattle Seahwaks and The Oregon Ducks?

The Seattle Seahawks came into the NFL season with high expectations. With Head Coach Mike Holmgren retiring after this year, the Seahawks wanted to help Holmgren go out with a bang by winning the Super Bowl. Unfortunately, due to many injuries, the Seattle Seahawks have had to change their goal from winning the Super Bowl, to finishing the season above .500.

Seattle's injury woes all began last season, with former NFL Most Valuable Player Shaun Alexander injuring his left wrist in the beginning of September, 2007. Former Super Bowl MVP Deon Branch also suffered through the 2007 season with nagging injuries. There were only three reasons that Seattle stayed in competition for the NFC West title in 2007.

1) The strength of the NFC West Division

The NFC West is one the worse divisions in the NFL. Teams like the Arizona Cardinals, St. Louis Rams, and San Fransisco 49ers struggle to finish above .500 year after year.

2) Matt Hasselbeck

      Matt Hasselbeck is one of the top-10 quarterbacks in the NFL. His experience               and leadership helped race Seattle through the finish line last season, despite               a few losses.

3) Bobby Engram

      Engram's tenure in the NFL can never go unnoticed. Engram has been the glue           that has held the Seahawks together throughout the tough years.

Despite injuries, Seattle was able to finish last season atop the NFC West, being eliminated in the playoffs by the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Divisional Playoffs.

Now, six games in to the season, Seattle is struggling mightily. The Seahawks are currently 1-5 and dead last in the NFC West. Injuries have plagued the Seahawks all season long. Here is the current list of injuries to the Seattle Seahawks.

1) Starting QB Matt Hasselbeck: Questionable

      Hasselbeck (back/leg) is iffy for Sunday's game against the 49ers, the Seattle               Post Intelligencer reports. "He's on a week-to-week, day-to-day basis," coach           Mike Holmgren said. "I said last week that there was a possibility he could                   play against the 49ers. So I'll stick with that. There is a possibility."

2) Starting LB Lofa Tatupu: Questionable

      Tatupu sustained a concussion in Sunday's game against the Tampa Bay               Buccaneers, the Post-Intelligencer reports.

3) Starting WR Deion Branch: Questionable

      Branch is still recovering from a heel injury.

When one hears about all the injuries to the Seattle Seahawks, he/she cannot help but allude back to the last season's Oregon Ducks football team, where injuries finally took their toll on them and contributed to the Ducks losing their last three regular season games. Let's compare this year's Seattle Seahawks team to last season's Oregon Ducks team.

For example, Oregon struggled mightily towards the end of last season, while Seattle is struggling at the beginning of the season. Oregon was able to rebound after losing three straight games, and win the Sun Bowl in a decisive fashion. Seattle still has yet to rebound.

With that established, what can we expect from the Seahawks for the rest of the season?

Look for Seattle to rebound. Players are becoming healthy again, and that will only contribute to the rebound efforts. Once all players are healthy, the key to Seattle having success, is to establish a consistent running game. While Seattle was able to win most of their games last season with the passing attack, Seattle's wide receivers are dropping like flies.

If Seattle wants to win more than one game this season, they need to take the pressure off of the passing game, which contributed to Matt Hasselbeck's injury.

I predict that Seattle will rebound. We could definitely be looking at one of the Seahawks' past seasons where the division was tied at the season's finish, with two NFC West Teams vying for a playoff spot.

My Verdict: Seattle finishes the season tied with Arizona for the NFC West Championship, and a playoff is played between them. I would expect Seattle to win this game if all players are healthy. I am open to any suggestions that you readers may have. Fire away.