The Seattle Seahawks come off a disappointing and injury plagued 2008 with what appears to be an improved team that should have an excellent chance of winning the NFC West.
New coach Jim Mora Jr has some wrinkles that he is adding to the Mike Holmgren playbook and here hopes that a new shine helps some possibly fading players.
Matt Hasselbeck fought off back injuries much of last season and claims to be healthy.
He better be as Seneca Wallace returns as the main backup after some less than impressive outings as the quarterback replacement last year.
Mike Teel was drafted out of Rutgers to be the third string clipboard carrier.
Wallace brings versatility to the offense with the various things that he can do,but as a pure QB,he lacks the ideal numbers that you need from a backup quarterback.
Once again,the season could hinge on the health of Hasselbeck.
Julius Jones returns as the teams leading rusher and hopes to solidify himself there after an erratic 2008.
Jones averaged 4.4 yards a carry for a career high,but only carried the ball 10 times a game as Holmgren seemed to lack confidence in him.
Edgerrin James was signed to back up Jones and possibly take his place if needed.
James had his issues last season with the Cardinals,but played well in the Arizona playoff run,giving hope that he may have a little left in the tank.
Justin Forsett is back as the change of pace back and brings valuable special teams play.
Owen Schmitt was drafted in 2008 as the long term fullback,but one year later is the backup as Mora brings in his former Falcon starter Justin Griffith to start.
Griffith is a solid lead blocker and fair pass catcher to boot.
The Seattle strength should be the receiving corps.
Between injured players returning and two top notch acquisitions,Seattle should have little problem finding targets.
T.J.Houshmanzdeh arrives as a free agent from the Bengals and brings his excellent hands to Seattle as he looks to finally escape the shadow of the more publicized Chad Johnson.
Nate Burleson returns from injury to provide the Seahawks with a legitimate deep threat.
Deion Branch may return to form as the slot receiver,which is a role that he may be better suited for and speedy rookie Deon Butler adds to the quality of the unit.
Ben Obomanu completes the excellent group.
John Carlson had an excellent rookie season and with a similar jump in production in 2009 could become one of the top pass catching tight ends in the game.
Journeyman John Owens is the top backup,but watch for rookie Cameron Morrah's development.
Morrah surprisingly entered the draft early and could be a late round steal for the Hawks.
The offensive line is a question mark as future Hall of Famer Walter Jones continues to struggle with injuries and to cover for the ailing Jones,Seattle is forced to shuffle positions.
Jones starts when healthy at left tackle,but with his injury,Sean Locklear moves from right tackle to left,Ray Willis from guard to right tackle,rookie Max Unger from center to guard and Steve Vallos takes over at center.
With Jones,this is a pretty good line,without? We will have to see.
Former first round center Chris Spencer is also injured,so the Seattle line could improve quickly once things get better on the physical front.
Veterans Mansfield Vrotto and Brandon Frye are the backups.
Seattle attempted to fortify the defensive line by bringing in players with top of the talent that had disappointed after big contracts.
Cory Redding was acquired from the Lions in the deal that cost the Hawks Julian Peterson.
Redding has been pedestrian for the last two seasons after an excellent 2006.
Patrick Kerney attempts a return after missing nine games last season.
The 32 year old veteran still managed 5 sacks in the seven games he played and his intensity is never questioned,only his age and durability.
Darryl Tapp and 2008 top pick Lawrence Jackson will see plenty of action in the defensive end rotation as well.
Colin Cole arrived from Green Bay as Seattle attempts to replace the up the middle pass rush that was lost when Rocky Bernard signed with the Giants.
Replacing Bernard is a tough task and I doubt that Cole can completely do that,but he will need to provide some sort of rush.
Brandon Mebane was one of the few Seahawks to have a top year in 2008,showing power and potential as a future stalwart.
Mebane shows the possibility of being a future star in Seattle with continued progress.
Veteran Craig Terrill and second year man Red Bryant are the other parts of the tackle rotation.
Julian Peterson will be missed.
Peterson was sent to the Lions and took the best all around backing play that Seattle has seen in years with him.
Peterson's pass rush from the outside will be very difficult to replace,but top pick Aaron Curry will try to do just that.
Curry was rated as the top overall player in the draft and Seattle was fortunate to steal him with the fourth pick.
Tackling machine Lofa Tatupu was down a bit in production last season,but still ranked among the leagues top tacklers and Leroy Hill is solid enough at the other outside position.
Health is paramount here as the backup crew of Will Herring,David Hawthorne and Lance Laury leaves much to be desired....
The secondary took a huge hit when Pro Bowl corner Marcus Trufant went down in training camp.Trufant was placed on the Physically Unable to Perform list and is ineligible to return until after the bye week.
Josh Wilson and veteran Ken Lucas will be the starters for now with former starter Kelly Jennings as the top backup.
Wilson came along very well last season and continues to develop into a top notch corner.
Travis Fisher is the depth corner.
HURRAY! Brian Russell was released and the secondary improved with that move only.
Jordan Babineaux (who never seemed to do anything,but make big plays) will finally get his chance to start for Russell.
Seattle brought aging veteran Lawyer Milloy to backup Babineaux and hopefully teach him a few things as well.
Milloy still hits as well as any safety and was a nice pickup.
Deon Grant returns as the safety on the other side after a nice season.
C.J.Wallace backs up Grant.
Olindo Mare replaced Josh Brown better than I would have expected last season and missed just three of 27 field goal attempts.
Not sure if Mare can do that again,but it is certainly possible.
Canadian Jon Ryan is back after averaging 45 yards a boot last season.
Josh Wilson and Justin Forsett will be the kick returners again,while Forsett along with Nate Burleson and Deon Butler will all see punt return action.
I think the Seahawks will bounce back after a fluky 2008 with a vengeance.
The schedule isn't overall all that tough and I think Seattle has stepped forward and I don't see any huge steps forward from the other three division foes.
Our Prediction
11-5 NFC West Champions
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