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2008 Team Report: Seattle Seahawks

Quarterbacks

Starter: Matt Hasselbeck
Backup(s): Seneca Wallace, Charlie Frye

Starting QB: Matt Hasselbeck finished the 2007 season with a playoff run, a spot in the Pro Bowl and the most fantasy points of his career. The team once again ranked in the top 10 in all major passing categories. By almost every measure, he had a successful 2007 campaign. Even with the departure of WR D.J. Hackett in free agency and the possibility of Deion Branch entering the 2008 season injured, Hasselbeck can produce quality fantasy numbers. The names of his targets do not matter as he averaged 230 pass yards, 19.5 completions and 1.59 TDs versus .89 INTs per game over the last five seasons. In 2007, he had nearly 4,000 passing yards on 563 attempts and 28 passing TDs against only 12 INTs. Those numbers demonstrate exceptional decision-making ability. While injuries have caused him to miss a few games over the years, he is not considered a significant injury risk. Heading into his 10th season, Hasselbeck appears to be in the prime of his career and should remain in the top tier of fantasy QBs.

Backup QB: In his fourth year with the Seahawks, Seneca Wallace is entrenched as Matt Hasselbeck's immediate backup. He provides a more mobile threat than Hasselbeck, which is an advantage in Mike Holmgren's West Coast Offense, but he lacks Hasselbeck's size, accuracy and decision-making ability. The Seahawks run a complicated offense, and Wallace handled it well when he replaced an injured Hasselbeck for four games in 2006. Most important, his fantasy numbers were starter-quality in all four games. If Hasselbeck is hurt, Wallace is good insurance for both the team and your fantasy squad. Charlie Frye arrived in Seattle in 2007 following a trade with Cleveland. He will remain the third-string QB this year as the learning curve for this offense is steep.

Running Backs

Starter: Julius Jones
Backup(s): T.J. Duckett, Maurice Morris, Justin Forsett [R]
Fullback(s): Owen Schmitt [R], Leonard Weaver

Starting RB: An All-Pro RB in 2005, Shaun Alexander suffered consecutive underachieving and injury-marred seasons in 2006 and 2007. The Seahawks released him in April. The problem appeared to be a lack of motivation. To replace him, the team signed a player looking for redemption: Julius Jones. While nominally the starter for Dallas in 2006 and 2007, backup Marion Barber outplayed Jones. With Seattle he will be looking to prove he deserved the starting role he had with the Cowboys. Despite an ineffective running game, the Seahawks stuck with it. They ran the ball 430 times ranking them 17th in rush attempts. Jones has a great burst and runs well in space and between the 20s. He is a bit undersized so he gets bogged down when running between the tackles and he lacks power to push through tacklers. He is a very good receiver out of the backfield. Despite obvious skills, Jones will have competition for touches and likely a short leash too since the Seahawks have a deep group of backs. Maurice Morris could see as many, if not more touches depending on how the early season pans out.

Backup RBs: Over the last two years, Maurice Morris received plenty of chances to prove he should be the main man in Shaun Alexander's absence. He failed to impress and his statistics were underwhelming. Though he is a physical clone of Julius Jones and owns a similar burst, he lacks vision and lateral quickness. Also, he is not as elusive or as polished a receiver as Jones. This offseason the team signed T.J. Duckett from Detroit. He has the size and power to be the team's short-yardage specialist. He could fill in if Jones is injured or ineffective, but Duckett has never been an every-down back. His greatest impact could be in taking goal-line touches away from Jones. Justin Forsett was drafted in the seventh round this year. He is another smallish player with burst and good hands.

Fullback: With Mack Strong retired, the team needed to replace aggressiveness, blocking and smarts in their backfield. They drafted the perfect player in Owen Schmitt. He is a classic throwback fullback (6'2", 250 lbs.) aching to hit someone. As a ball carrier or as a lead blocker, he will never be driven backwards. Imagine Larry Csonka -- or a bigger, slower version of Marion Barber -- and you have Schmitt. Weaver is mostly a pass-catching specialist.

Wide Receivers

Starters: Courtney Taylor, Nate Burleson
Backups: Bobby Engram [inj], Deion Branch [inj], Logan Payne, Jordan Kent

Starting WRs: For Nate Burleson, 2007 was a bit of a revival. Though he had only 50 catches, he averaged 13.9 YPC and caught nine TDs to rank in the top 30 fantasy receivers. Burleson has speed and big-play ability after the catch, but he must be more consistent and drop fewer targets if he is to fulfill the role of Matt Hasselbeck's top target. With injuries to Deion Branch and Bobby Engram, Burleson has the opportunity to be one of the most productive receivers in the NFC; but it's not something we can count on until we see him produce. While Burleson's starting spot is cemented, it's anyone's guess who starts on the other side of the formation. Right now, it appears Courtney Taylor has done enough to distance himself from his roster mates. Taylor is the Seahawks tallest receiver; unfortunately, he has almost no in-game experience.

Backup WRs: In 2007, Bobby Engram became the oldest WR in NFL history to have his first 1,000-yard receiving season. Whether a backup slot receiver or a starter, Engram has been a reliable veteran option for years. This season will be no different, provided he comes back from a shoulder injury that will sideline him until the team's bye week (Week Four) more than likely. The Seahawks spent a lot of money and draft picks on Deion Branch and he has yet to pay off. He has not played a 16-game season for the Seahawks. He has not topped 1,000 yards receiving or 5 TDs even once in his career. Last year, he didn't reach 50 catches or 700 yards and scored only four TDs. He then suffered an ACL injury in the playoffs that will potentially sideline him for all of 2008.

Tight Ends

Starters: John Carlson [R]
Backups: Will Heller, Jeb Putzier

Seattle has desperately tried to find a reliable receiving threat, but the tight end position has been a revolving door. To change that, the Seahawks traded up in the second round to select John Carlson from Notre Dame. Carlson was Seattle's No. 1-rated TE. They did not make that move for a backup player -- he is expected to compete for a starting role. Carlson finished with the second-most receptions in school history, which is good since the team has a need for receivers. Carlson is a leader and a self-motivated player who could step right into a prominent role. Will Heller had an unremarkable 2007 campaign and is mostly a blocker. The team signed Jeb Putzier, who demonstrated some receiving skill when with the Denver Broncos, but has been a forgotten man the last two years in Houston.

Place Kicker

Brandon Coutu [R], Olindo Mare : Coutu and Mare will compete to replace the departed Josh Brown. Coutu did well consistently throughout his career at Georgia. He hit 53 of 66 on field goals. His long filed goal each of the last three years was over 50 yards. He did not miss a single PAT attempt. During his junior season Coutu tore a hamstring while attempting an onside kickoff, and missed the second half of the season. He continued to do well on placekicking his senior year, although his kickoff results declined. Mare has struggled on field goals the last two years, hitting 26 of 36 (72.2%) in 2006 and 10 of 17 (58.8%) in 2007. Last year he suffered a groin injury in camp. He later dislocated his hip, missed the final three games and was placed on injured reserve. He had hip surgery during the off-season. Always very solid on kickoffs, last year he had 15 touchbacks despite only handling kickoffs in 11 games.

Kick and Punt Returners

Kick Returners: Nate Burleson; Josh Wilson

Partway through 2006, WR Nate Burleson was doing quite well on punt returns, and the team decided to let him handle both returner roles. In 2007 he had the most kickoff returns of any player on the team (27 returns, 21.9 avg., 1 TD). If he has a starting WR role this year, he could see a decrease in special teams work. CB Josh Wilson is most likely to be next in line. He did well on kickoff returns in college at Maryland, and had the second most returns for the Seahawks last year (14 returns, 27.5 avg., 1 TD).

Punt Returners: Nate Burleson; Bobby Engram

While kickoff returns are typically more lucrative in fantasy scoring, Nate Burleson's punt returns were a key factor in his fourth place finish in fantasy returns in the NFL last year. He was first in the NFL in the number of punt returns (58) and in total punt return yardage (655). He has scored a TD in three of the last four years. There's always very reliable and effective WR Bobby Engram. Since joining Seattle in 2001, he has averaged 11.1 yards and scored twice on his 69 returns.

Offensive Line

Projected Starters: LT Walter Jones, LG Mike Wahle, C Steve Vallos, RG Rob Sims, RT Ray Willis
Key Backups: LT Porkcho Womack, C Chris Spencer, OG Mansfield Wrotto, RT Sean Locklear

Commentary coming soon.

Team Defense

The Seattle defense rode career seasons from DE Patrick Kerney and CB Marcus Trufant to a solid fantasy finish last season. Though the team finished near the league-average in yardage allowed, they allowed a stingy 18.2 points per game and turned in well above-average sack and turnover numbers. The defense returns all 11 starters in '08. The pass-rush should remain formidable with OLB Julian Peterson and DE Darryl Tapp being major contributors along with Kerney. There is continued big-play potential with Trufant and ball-hawking safeties Deon Grant and Brian Russell in the secondary. After a top-five season in many scoring formats, the Seattle defense may not come cheaply, but they're certainly worthy of the investment as a probable top-10 unit.

Defensive Line

Starters: DE Patrick Kerney, DE Darryl Tapp, DT Brandon Mebane, DT Craig Terrill
Backups: DE Baraka Atkins, DT Howard Green, DE Lawrence Jackson, DE Jason Babin, DT Red Bryant

Starting DL: Kerney more than justified his monster 6-year, $39.5mm contract. The long-time Falcon was a Pro Bowler and runner up for Defensive Player of the Year award to Bob Sanders, with a personal and NFC best 14.5 sacks, career high 5 FFs (as many as previous three seasons combined) and career second best solo tackle mark. Kerney may have worn down at the end of the season and was completely shut out of the box score in the heartbreaking playoff loss in Green Bay. DEs are reliant on their wheels, and similar to RBs, can enter no man's land in their early to mid-30s. Though Kerney has always relied more on his overall game, motor and sheer relentlessness for sacks, and could be relatively more resistant to the ravages of Father Time. Tapp is short for a prototypical DE at 6'1" but not small at a listed 270. He also set a career high in sacks with 7 (from his rookie 3 sacks), though more than half came in a 4 sack outburst against the injury-stricken OL of the Rams. A greater rotational role may have been signalled by the addition of prized 1st rounder Lawrence Jackson. Brandon Mebane was a rookie third round revelation with a bright future.

Backup DL: The Seahawks envision 1st rounder Lawrence Jackson playing several important roles. At the least he will be able to spell the aging Kerney and undersized Tapp (who both may have worn down at the end of the season) in a rotation, as well as shift inside on passing downs, similar to how the Giants Justin Tuck was deployed so successfully in the Super Bowl. Jackson has a very well rounded and developed game, and his college body of work included 30.5 sacks as a four year starter for powerhouse USC. He could be talented enough to encroach on Tapp's snaps and push him into a more situational pass rushing role (where he may be better suited). Atkins and former 1st round Texans bust Babin provide depth on the outside. If the Seahawks can push the right buttons with Texas A & M rookie "Red" Bryant, he has the potential to be a massive space eater that enables LB Lofa Tatupu to roam more freely to the ball carrier.

Linebackers

Starters: MLB Lofa Tatupu, LOLB Leroy Hill, ROLB Julian Peterson
Backups: WLB D.D. Lewis, MLB David Hawthorne, SLB Lance Laury

Starting LBs: Julian Peterson is without a doubt one of the greatest athletes at the LB position and overall in the NFL (a Julius Peppers-like freakish physical specimen). He once lined up in a game for the 49ers on the DL, at LB and in the secondary. The playmaking serial Pro Bowler had 9.5 sacks in 2007 (19.5 past two seasons), adding 2 INTs and 4 FFs. Though he turns 30 this season, Peterson continues to play extremely fast and is one of the most explosive pass rushing LBs in the game, after Shawne Merriman and DeMarcus Ware. When Seattle presciently moved up in the 2nd round of the 2005 draft to snare Lofa Tatupu, the move was ridiculed by some scouts and personell-types, but three consecutive Pro Bowls later, Seahawks GM Tim Ruskell got the last laugh. Though he has more athleticism and playmaking ability than he may generally be credited with (4 sacks as a rookie, with 4 INTs and 3 FFs last season), his best attributes fall into the intangibles category. The former Trojan exudes leadership, has a superior work ethic and character, intensity and toughness, an off-the-charts football IQ and Mike Singletary-like telepathic instincts. With Hill, the defense sports arguably the top LB trio in the league. If he weren't overshadowed by the brilliant Tatupu and Peterson, Hill would get more recognition (7.5 sacks as a rookie and 3 FFs in 2007).

Backup LBs: Lewis is a former UFA that started 18 games in his first five seasons for the Seahawks. After losing his job to Hill, he bounced to Denver but was cut there last season. He won't see the field much as long as the talented Hill is healthy. Herring is a 2007 5th rounder from Auburn with decent size (6'3" 235) but limited athleticism and playmaking ability. He wasn't battle tested much, as his playing opportunities were sparse. Laury also provides depth on the strong side. If one of the starters were to go down for an extended period, there would be an appreciable dropoff in talent.

Defensive Backs

Starters: SS Deon Grant, FS Brian Russell, CB Marcus Trufant, CB Kelly Jennings
Backups: CB Kevin Hobbs, FS C.J. Wallace, CB Josh Wilson

Starting DBs: Heady vets Grant (SS) and Russell (FS) were outstanding free agent additions that combined to stabilize the secondary, which suffered through some coverage lapses in recent years. The 29 year old ex-Jaguar/Panther Grant has good size at 6'2" 215 and added much needed experience. He was rarely out of position and didn't let many plays get behind him. Grant has good ball skills and has never had less than 2 INTs in a season (3 in 2007). Nothing has ever been handed to former UFA Brian Russell in his NFL career, but he is an underrated defender that has gotten the most out of his ability by giving maximum effort. Like Grant, Russell has the football smarts, savvy and discipline to usually be where he is supposed to. Though not a standout athlete in any particular attributes, he has a solid all around game. Grant and Russell have the versatility and positional flexibility to be used interchangeably (both have played SS and FS). Trufant's timing was excellent, parlaying a career best season into a lucrative extension (6 yr. - $50 mil.). He was in the top 5 DBs in both solo tackles (78) and INTs (7) in 2007. The former 1.11 pick in the 2003 draft has emerged as one of the top CBs in the league, and has helped tip the balance of power in the NFC West in Seattle's favor (despite some formidable divisional WR talent). Jennings has good coverage skills, but didn't make any plays on the ball (no INTs). He is undersized (5'11" 180) and will never be a hammer in run support.

Backup DBs: The 2007 2nd rounder Wilson didn't make as big an impact as anticipated, but playing CB in the NFL can have a steep learning curve for rookies. On the plus side, Wilson can contribute as a special teams weapon with dangerous kick return skills.

Last modified: 2008-08-31 23:35:40