That’s right -- five Pro Bowlers!
In their second year at the helm, Pete Carroll and the Schneid have brought in five guys who made the Pro Bowl this year. I hope Addicts and other Seahawk fans realize what an enormous feat that is. Of course, a deep playoff run would be even more amazing, but let’s put this achievement in perspective by comparing it to Tim Ruskell’s five years at the helm. In all that time, Ruskell brought in only three Pro Bowlers. That’s right, just three in five years: two high-profile free agents, and a 2nd round draft pick. (There were several other Seahawks who made the Pro Bowl from 2005 to 2008, but they were already on the team when Ruskell became GM so he gets no credit for them.)
The first of those free agents was Julian Peterson. A stud linebacker signed by Ruskell in 2006, Peterson made the Pro Bowl in ‘06, ‘07, and ‘08. Ruskell was able to leverage both the goodwill that the team had built up with Holmgren as head coach and Paul Allen’s deep pockets to sign him. For his part, Peterson lived up to his contract, becoming one of Ruskell’s success stories. Unfortunately, Ruskell traded Peterson away just prior to making probably the worst personnel move of his tenure in Seattle, drafting Aaron Curry with the 4th pick of the 2009 draft.
The other free agent Pro Bowler was pass-rush specialist Patrick Kerney. In 2007, his first year with the team, he had 14 ½ sacks and one interception, and was named an All-Pro at defensive end. Kerney was another success story for Ruskell, at least for the ’07 season. Again, Ruskell was able to leverage the owner’s deep pockets and the team’s good reputation to sign him. Unfortunately, that was the only year in which Kerney performed at an All-Pro level. After ’07, injuries scuttled his performance and ultimately brought an end to his playing career.
The third Pro Bowler brought in by Tim Ruskell, and arguably his best personnel decision, was his 2005 2nd round draft pick, linebacker Lofa Tatupu. Tatupu was an All-Pro, a three time Pro Bowler (’05, ’06, and ’07), an outstanding leader on the defensive side of the ball, and one of the most likable Seahawks of all time. Injuries cut short his career, but this was a great player that Ruskell brought in.
Now let’s move forward to the Pete Carroll / John Schneider era and their five Pro Bowlers. Talk about a turnaround, three out of the four starting defensive backs brought in by them made the Pro Bowl this year. Safety Earl Thomas was a 1st round pick, and anyone who even casually follows the Seahawks knew he was going to make the Pro Bowl. More surprising is the success of safety Kam Chancellor, a 5th round draft pick, and Brandon Browner, a low key free agent signing. The two running back Pro Bowlers were also largely unheralded signings. The Beasty-man himself, Marshawn Lynch, was acquired by trade for a 4th round draft pick, and Michael Robinson was an inexpensive free agent signing. Lynch has also become one of the most high profile guys on the team.
Let’s also not forget that the running game and pass defense were two of the weakest links in the chain when Carroll took over. Now it’s official, they are weak no more.
The comparison I’m making here between Ruskell and Carroll / Schneider is not intended simply to disparage Tim Ruskell. Everyone already knows what a miserable failure that bastard was and how badly he screwed up the franchise. The goal here is to emphasize what an outstanding job is being done by the current Seahawks organization. Their Pro Bowl selections simply corroborate what has been widely noted: Pete Carroll and John Schneider have very good eyes for talent, as well as the ability to put that talent in a position to succeed.
True, a deep playoff run would have been much more exciting, but the Pro Bowl recognition of these five players is confirmation that deep playoff runs will not be too far behind. Go Hawks!
We apologize for such a slow stream of articles lately. There just isn't much to report at this time. Here are a few interesting reads from other blogs and sites:
Bill Schwartz of 710 ESPN Seattle makes his case for how much he thinks it will cost to retain Marshawn Lynch.
Brady Henderson of 710 ESPN Seattle says that cornerback Brandon Browner still has a chance to make the Pro Bowl on January 29.
Danny O'Neil of the Seattle Times focuses in on tight end John Carlson, who is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent (UFA) this offseason.
John Boyle of the Everett Herald reports that the Seahawks have signed eight players to futures contracts. Normally, this would not be all that exciting; but given the success of Brandon Browner this past season, who was also signed to a futures contract last January, it might be a good idea to get familiar with some of these names.
Rob Staton of Seahawks Draft Blog says that the Seahawks selecting Robert Griffin III is not as far-fetched or unrealistic as some may think.
Also from Staton: Rob offers an updated mock draft for the first round. The selected player he pairs with Seattle is the first one that I have seen like it.
Just a quick update to break the silence. According to WalterFootball.com, the coin flip between Kansas City and Seattle for the 11th overall selection has been made, with Kansas City winning the flip. Kansas City will receive the 11th overall selection during this April's draft, and your Seattle Seahawks will have the 12th overall selection. This won't affect the team all that much, although it would have been nice to select one spot higher during the draft.
As of today, there are more than 18 Seahawks players scheduled to become unrestricted free agents (UFA) this offseason. There are many key players within this group that should be retained. The challenge will be deciding which of these players to keep; the salary cap will make it difficult to retain all of them. The following, in my opinion, are the free agents grouped into "priority" categories.
Type “A” Free Agents
Marshawn Lynch, RB: This season, Marshawn Lynch became the identity of the offense with his relentless, borderline violent, running style. The offense revolves around Lynch, so without him our offensive identity would be lost once again. I think he is the most important free agent to resign, and I would love to see “Mr. Skittles” in a Seattle uniform for a few more years.
Red Bryant, DE: Bryant is the biggest starting defensive end in the NFL; losing him in free agency would be the biggest loss this offseason for the defense. Without him taking on double-team blockers and stuffing the run on the edge, our linebackers will not be able to make plays around the field as freely as they have this past season. The role of the “LEO” position, held by Chris Clemons, would also be diminished.
David Hawthorne, MLB: Hawthorne is a tremendous middle linebacker. He is essentially the “quarterback of the defense”, calling defensive formations and being a veteran leader. K.J. Wright would step into the role as MLB if Hawthorne is lost, which is not a downgrade at all. However, the resulting effect would leave two gaping holes at outside linebacker, since Leroy Hill is also a free agent.
Type “B” Free Agents
Leroy Hill, OLB: Depth at linebacker is already thin, so losing Hill would really sting. At the right price, I would love to see his playmaking skills back in Seattle. We had a trio of talented starters at linebacker last season, and I think it would be wise to keep the group intact for next season.
John Carlson, TE: Keeping Carlson is a luxury move. Imagine pairing him with Zach Miller next year; that tandem would surely keep opposing defensive coordinators up at night. The market for a talented tight end like Carlson will be demanding, so it will be difficult to bring him back on a reasonable contract.
Michael Robinson, FB: Robinson is a valuable member on offense, blocking for Lynch and catching passes out of the backfield when necessary. He might not have appeared to make a huge impact, but was good enough to be selected as a pro-bowl alternate this season.
Type “C” Free Agents
Breno Giacomini, OL: The offensive line was ravished by injuries once again, only this time the back-ups stepped up and filled in nicely. Giacomini was perhaps the most impressive, filling in for rookie James Carpenter; some experts think he actually outplayed Carpenter. He is good enough to actually challenge for a starting spot on the line next year, if we bring him back.
Anthony Hargrove, DT: Hargrove had a noticeable impact when he was asked to rush the passer. Heck, he even had a safety this season against the potential NFC champ New York Giants. He proved as good DT depth behind Mebane and Branch.
Atari Bigby, SS: Bigby served his role this season as a back-up, providing veteran leadership on a young, talented defense. If he is willing to accept back-up money once again, I wouldn’t mind seeing him in a Seattle uniform next year.
Matt McCoy, LB: Depth is desperately needed at linebacker. McCoy is a great special teams contributor, and knows our defensive system already. It doesn’t hurt that we could probably bring him back for cheap too.
Type “D” Free Agents
I am indifferent to Type D free agents. If I see them back, great; if not, good luck elsewhere!
Marcus Trufant: We have three young starting-caliber cornerbacks in Brandon Browner, Walter Thurmond III, and Richard Sherman. All three are younger, bigger, and less injury-prone than Trufant currently is. Trufant will only be back if he signs a relatively small contract, but I don’t see that happening.
Justin Forsett: A great guy, teammate, and runningback. It’d be great to see him back, but I think he is a replaceable player on the field
Others: OL Paul McQuistan, OL Mike Gibson, DL Jimmy Wilkerson, LB Heath Farwell, LB David Vobora.
Type “F” Free Agents – Please don’t come back
Charlie Whitehurst, QB: “Charlie, Charlie, Charlie”, “Clipboard Jesus”, “We want Charlie!” Enough said.
Raheem Brock, DE: Brock is 34, no longer productive as a pass-rusher, and repeatedly gets in trouble with the law. Enough said.
The 2011 NFL season for the Seattle Seahawks has come to a close. Although they ended up with the same 7-9 record as last season, progress has definitely been made in the Pete Carroll regime. Looking back, how did we fare this season and what’s next? Let’s take a brief position-by-position look.
Quarterback: C
An argument could be made that the quarterback position during 2011 was a mess. Tarvaris Jackson threw for 3,091 yards (20th among quarterbacks), along with 14 TD’s (22nd) and 13 INT’s (17th), hardly impressive numbers. Charlie Whitehurst started one game, and showed he’s clearly not the quarterback of the future.
I didn’t give the quarterback position an F because Tarvaris Jackson was never asked to put up Drew Brees-like numbers. Although his numbers were not impressive, Jackson was mainly asked to be a “game manager” to back the running of Marshawn Lynch, and he did that in most games this year.
Looking ahead:
Tarvaris Jackson has one year remaining on his contract 2-year, $8 million contract. Expect him to be back and competing for the starting gig next year; if anything, he would be an excellent back-up quarterback. Charlie Whitehurst is a free-agent and is likely gone. Josh Portis is a developmental player.
This April, the Seattle Seahawks hold either the 11th or 12th overall pick in the first round (pending a tie-breaker with Kansas City) and may decide to select a quarterback. Keep your eyes peeled this offseason for Seattle to possibly add a quarterback to compete with Tarvaris Jackson.
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Hi gang,
With a new year comes a new look for Seahawk Addicts. We've decided to launch a new Facebook page that'll keep you in touch with the blog as we update what's been going on with the team, through the 2012 offseason and beyond. There's a lot to be excited about in the coming months, and we want to keep our readers updated and connected as we see things progress.
Go "Like" our page and send us a friend request here.
Happy new year, and here's to a fruitful offseason.
Every regular season leaves a lot of question marks for every team in the NFL, but this is an offseason that may be the most critical for the Seattle Seahawks. In just 17 weeks, we've seen a relatively green, young team transform from a raw, athletic core into a fully functional and capable football force.
The team has an insane amount of potential. A few versions of the Seahawks from recent years may have matched or even surpassed what this current incarnation of green-and-blue has in terms of talent, but the comparisons end there. Not even in the Holmgren golden age has a team been this downright hungry. These guys play like every down is their last (see Marshawn Lynch, Doug Baldwin) and hit like every opposing player outweighs them by 200 pounds (see Kam Chancellor, Earl Thomas, David Hawthorne.) The team is expertly coached on both sides of the ball, but it's that extra fire in their bellies that separates this 53-man roster from what it's been before.
All this positive thinking and forward momentum is precisely what an up-and-coming team needs going into the offseason. The road loss to Arizona to end the season may have stung a little bit, but it's a temporary wound. Like the San Francisco game, it was a hard-fought battle that ended with a loss by a field goal as time wound down. Given this squad's mindset and Pete Carroll's philosophy, those losses are going to serve as guides for how to get better.
So, that all being said -- now what? What happens in the offseason to strengthen what the Seahawks have in place already? What happens in the draft? Who are the building blocks already in place? Who is expendible? Will Kam Chancellor spend the offseason tackling freight trains in front of CenturyLink Field? Will Charlie Whitehurst take a vacation to Israel and be mistaken for someone else who really looks like him?!
I digress. Here are some thoughts buzzing around inside my head right now:
-Will Tavaris Jackson remain the starting quarterback in Seattle for 2012?
-Should the Seahawks pursue Matt Flynn? If not, what QB in the draft might be on the front office's radar?
-After a breakout season, is Marshawn Lynch the long-term solution at running back?
-Will the coaching staff be comfortable starting Brandon Browner and Richard Sherman at CB again, despite their frequently-penalized style of play?
-Is Marcus Trufant expendable? What about Mike Williams?
-How far should the team go to make sure Tom Cable doesn't get lured into a head coaching job somewhere else?
-Who will emerge next year as the "out-of-nowhere" guy on the current roster? My prediction: Ricardo Lockette.
Have at it, dear readers. It's time to play Offseason Speculation, 2012 edition.
The Seahawks' defense did their best to win this game, but sometimes Larry Fitzgerald just does his Larry Fitzgerald thing by making spectacular catches no matter how well he's covered. Seattle's sputtering offense didn't help matters, either; Tarvaris Jackson has been the good-enough-for-now QB all season, but he wasn't good enough to win this game. He wasn't able to capitalize on the time the o-line was able to give him, and he missed on multiple deep passes that could have each gone for a touchdown. Connect on those and you have a Seahawks blowout win, not a three point loss in overtime.
In case you're wondering, the Seahawks' 7-9 record will have them picking either 11th or 12th in the upcoming draft. A coin flip at this year's scouting combine will determine whether Seattle or Kansas City, who also finished 7-9, will get the 11th overall pick. Either way, the Seahawks will be picking high enough to snag some exciting first and second round talent.
Normally, a 23-20 defeat in overtime to a division rival isn't the ideal way to finish a season.
But the 2011 Seattle Seahawks had already reached their definition of "ideal" before stepping on the plane bound for the desert.
Despite finishing with the same 7-9 record as last year, the team accomplished milestones that nobody saw coming this year. I'd even go so far as to say the 2011 version of the Seahawks would destroy the 2010 version in ways that would make them deathly afraid to ever leave the house again.
And apparently, I'm not the only one who thinks so.
Clare Farnsworth says the Seahawks this year made progressions that are more important than what the record shows.
Last season, their nine losses came by an average of 21 points; this season it was by an average of 9.8 points.
Last year, the Seahawks lost games by 34 (to the Giants), 30 (to the Raiders) and 23 (to the Buccaneers) points. This year, their most lopsided losses were to the Steelers (24-0) and Bengals (34-12). In 2010, all their losses were by double-digits. This season, there were four losses by 10-plus points, but they also dropped games by two points (twice), three points (twice) and six points.
Right away, the strides this defense has made are immediate and obvious. The secondary gave up far fewer big plays, even with season-ending injuries to its two starting cornerbacks, Marcus Trufant and Walter Thurmond. John Schneider and Pete Carroll's choice in personnel depth stood out brightly when CBs Brandon Browner and Richard Sherman stepped in and performed admirably for being so green. Browner went on to become a Pro Bowl alternate, finishing the season with six INTs and 220 total yards on interceptions.
Let's see Kelly Jennings put up those numbers.
The improvements in the ground game were also paramount to the team's strides this year. Marshawn Lynch became the first Seahawk running back to reach 1,000 yards since Shaun Alexander in 2006, totaling 1,204 yards and 12 touchdowns. Sunday was the only time in the past 10 games where Lynch didn't hit paydirt.
Lynch also amassed 63 rushing first downs, and broke four runs of 20+ yards, with his longest being 47. Nothing against Justin Forsett, but this season revealed who the Seahawks' true feature back should be. Leon Washington continued his electrifying special teams play, reaching 1,084 total kickoff return yardage.
All this was with an offensive line that barely had time to gel before the shortened offseason ended, and with a brand-new line coach in Tom Cable who had a very young group to work with. Cable's efficiency as a coach should not go unheralded, as this is a system that is undeniably effective.
The emergence of big-play receivers also bolstered the offense in 2011. Two names come to mind first: Doug Baldwin, who, as an undrafted free agent, led the Seahawks with 51 grabs, 788 yards and four touchdowns; the other is Ricardo Lockette, a guy that I saw in training camp and preseason as being a deep threat of the future. Lockette hauled in a 61-yard touchdown pass against the Cardinals on Sunday, and with excellent size (6'2") and 4.2 speed, we could be looking at our very own version of what Victor Cruz turned into for the Giants this season. It's just a shame that Lockette only was moved to the active roster because of injuries late in the season.
It's actually weird to think this team, who is so wildly different in so many ways than what it was last year, posted the same record for the second straight season. On paper, it might seem a disappointment. But in watching every single game this year, what's changed this team goes deeper than what the numbers show.
Pete Carroll's philosophy and coaching style is working. It shows in the players' attitudes and swagger -- before, during and after they take the field. There's a newfound fire in their collective bellies, and it won't stop burning. Go back and watch tape of the Seahawks under Jim Mora in 2009 (if you can stomach any of that). That's the spitting image of a team that quit on its coach. That's the polar opposite of what we have in this rebuilt roster going into January 2012.
The difference is shocking.
And with no impending lockout on the horizon, as was the case last year, the Seahawks have a full offseason ahead of them to plan, practice and prepare for what comes next.
“This game is going to help us in the long run,” Pro Bowl free safety
While most of us are busy stumbling our way through National Hangover Day, the Seahawks will be in Phoenix to beat up the Cardinals. This game is almost a mirror match, although the Seahawks come out slightly ahead in the comparison:
Both teams lost most of their games in the first half of the season (2-6 for Seattle, 1-7 for Arizona), then turned things around and won most of their remaining games (5-2 for Seattle, 6-1 for Arizona).
Both offenses rely heavily on their run games, with the Seahawks being the superior team on the ground. When it comes to passing the ball, the Seahawks' Tarvaris Jackson may not be the QB of the future but he's good enough to keep the job until something better comes along, while the Cardinals are still trying to decide which horse they should back, Kevin Kolb or John Skelton. Skelton doesn't look all that impressive under center, but he's proven surprisingly good in the clutch, with four of his five victories as a starter coming on game-winning drives in the fourth quarter. Kolb, on the other hand, is injury-prone, overpriced, and prone to making back-breaking mistakes. Decisions, decisions.
The real strength of these teams are their defenses. You guys already know how great the Seahawks' defenders have been this year, so I'll just say they have the better defense and leave it at that. Arizona isn't as far along in retooling their defense as Seattle is, but their players (an interesting mix of promising young guys like DE Calais Campbell and solid-but-aging vets like S Adrian Wilson) finally got the hang of defensive coordinator Ray Horton's Dick LeBeau-type defensive schemes in the latter half of the season. Give 'em a full offseason of practice and some shiny new additions in the draft and free agency, and the Cardinals' defense could really become something special. Y'know, special, like the Seahawks' defense already is.
Playoff berths are not at stake for either team, but divisional bragging rights are. The winner will finish second in the NFC West with an 8-8 record, while the loser has to settle for 7-9 and third place. It's time to end the season on a high note.
SEA! HAWKS!
