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delve deeper into the
stat when recounting it to their viewers, listeners,
or readers.
They'll have you believe
that Super Bowl losers effectively coil up into
a ball of misery soon after watching their opponents
raise the Lombardi Trophy, that the sting of the
defeat has a major carry-over effect to the following
campaign.
And maybe it does, though
that's hardly the complete story.
Last year's Eagles had the
T.O. saga to deal with, and Donovan McNabb's sports
hernia was but one of many injuries that the team
endured. The '04 Panthers were down to their fifth
running back, and still made a late run at the
playoffs. The 2002 Rams had similar ailments,
losing both quarterback Kurt Warner and running
back Marshall Faulk for large stretches of the
season.
The Raiders' and Giants'
Super Bowl teams (both of which were trounced
in the big game) had more or less been default
entries in years when no dominant team emerged
from their conference. That they failed to reach
the postseason in the next year had less to do
with a Super Bowl hangover and more with the ever-shifting
sands of NFL parity.
Which brings us to the Seahawks.
If Seattle fails to become the first runner- up
to get back to the postseason since the 2000 Tennessee
Titans, it won't be because they lack the talent
or the desire. A team that went 13-3 and stormed
through the NFC West a year ago appears stronger
on paper heading into 2006, and the bitter taste
of its loss to the Steelers figures to strengthen,
not weaken, team resolve.
Preseason predictions for
success in the NFL are always contingent on health,
and an injury to a Hasselbeck or an Alexander
would certainly alter the landscape for Mike Holmgren's
team, just as it did for those Eagles, Panthers,
and Rams of recent vintage. But based on all available
information, Seattle looks set to break the mythical
"loser's curse" and return to the playoffs
in 2006.
Which means the pundits will
have to find themselves a new factoid for 2007.
Below we take a capsule look
at the 2006 edition of the Seattle Seahawks, with
a personnel evaluation and prognosis included
therein:
2005 RECORD: 13-3 (1st,
NFC West)
LAST PLAYOFF APPEARANCE:
2005, lost to Pittsburgh, 21-10, in Super Bowl
XL
COACH (RECORD): Mike Holmgren
(63-49 in seven seasons with Seahawks, 138-86
overall)
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Gil
Haskell
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: John
Marshall
OFFENSIVE STAR: Shaun Alexander,
RB (1880 rushing yards, 15 receptions, 28 TD)
DEFENSIVE STAR: Lofa Tatupu,
LB (104 tackles, 4 INT, 3 sacks)
OFFENSIVE TEAM RANKS: 3rd
rushing, 13th passing, 1st scoring
DEFENSIVE TEAM RANKS: 5th
rushing, 25th passing, 7th scoring
FIVE KEY GAMES: N.Y. Giants
(9/24), at Chicago (10/1), at St. Louis (10/15),
Green Bay (11/27), at Tampa Bay (12/31)
KEY
ADDITIONS: WR Nate Burleson (from Vikings),
TE Will Heller (from Buccaneers), TE Matt Murphy
(from Texans), OL Tom Ashworth (from Patriots),
DE Kemp Rasmussen (from Panthers), DE Darryl Tapp
(2nd Round, Virginia Tech), DT Russell Davis (from
Cardinals), DL Chris Cooper (from 49ers), LB Julian
Peterson (from 49ers), CB Kelly Jennings, (1st
Round, Miami (FL)), S Oliver Celestin (from Jets),
P/PK Ryan Plackemeier (7th Round, Wake Forest)
KEY
DEPARTURES: WR Joe Jurevicius (to Browns),
WR Alex Bannister (released), WR Jerheme Urban
(released), TE Ryan Hannam (to Cowboys), G Steve
Hutchinson (to Vikings), T Wayne Hunter (released),
DE Rodney Bailey (to Steelers), LB Jamie Sharper
(released), CB Andre Dyson (released), S Marquand
Manuel (to Packers), P Tom Rouen (released)
QB:
Back for a sixth season as the Seahawks starter
is quarterback Matt Hasselbeck (3459 passing yards,
24 TD, 9 INT), who led the NFC with a career-
high 98.2 passer rating in 2006, in turn earning
his second Pro Bowl citation. Hasselbeck's season
was all the more remarkable in that he was missing
No. 1 receiver Darrell Jackson for 10 games, and
was without No. 2 Bobby Engram for three. Behind
Hasselbeck is Seneca Wallace (173 passing yards,
1 TD, 1 INT), who threw his first career touchdown
pass in the regular season finale against Green
Bay last season. At some point, the team will
probably want to move 2005 third-round draft choice
and Georgia product David Greene up the depth
chart, but barring anything unforeseen, 2006 will
not be that year.
RB:
Shaun Alexander (1880 rushing yards, 15 receptions,
28 TD) answered all remaining questions about
both his ability and desire last season, when
he led the league in rushing and set the NFL single-season
record for touchdowns. In March, the 29-year-old
three-time Pro Bowler was rewarded with an eight-year,
$62 million contract that is expected to keep
Alexander in Seattle for the remainder of his
career. Maurice Morris (288 rushing yards, 1 TD),
who notched the first 100-yard game of his four-year
career in a blowout of the Texans last October,
will again spell Alexander. Josh Scobey figures
to make the team as a return man for the second
straight year. At fullback, Mack Strong (78 rushing
yards, 22 receptions) begins his 13th season on
the active roster. Backup fullback Leonard Weaver
(80 rushing yards, 1 reception) suffered a high
ankle sprain in the team's final preseason game,
perhaps opening the door to rookie David Kirtman
(5th Round, USC) to make the roster.
WR/TE:
After being limited due to injuries to Darrell
Jackson (38 receptions, 3 TD) and Bobby Engram
(67 receptions, 3 TD) last season, the Seahawks
made a point of upgrading this area in the offseason.
That upgrade comes in the form of Nate Burleson
(30 receptions, 1 TD with Minnesota), who started
just nine games last season due to injury but
turned in his first career 1,000-yard season in
2004. At just 25, Burleson has a chance to be
a permanent fixture in the Seahawks lineup for
years to come. Jackson missed the entire preseason
following knee surgery, but is expected back for
the regular season. The fourth receiver will be
D.J. Hackett (28 receptions, 2 TD), a 2004 fifth-round
draft pick who proved himself as a backup last
year. Peter Warrick (11 receptions) is clearly
not the same player who caught 79 balls for the
Bengals in 2003, but will probably remain on the
roster as well. Seventh-round draft choice Ben
Obomanu (Auburn) and ex-Dolphins practice squad
member Maurice Mann were believed to be fighting
for the sixth and final receiving job as the preseason
concluded. The Hawks have a problem at tight end,
as Jerramy Stevens (45 receptions, 5 TD) was expected
to miss the start of the regular season with a
knee injury, and his would-be replacement, Itula
Mili, was shelved indefinitely by a knee problem
of his own. Ex-Buccaneer and Dolphin Will Heller
(1 reception, 1 TD with Miami) might be the team's
Week 1 starter, and former Texan Matt Murphy (2
receptions with Houston) could be kept on for
insurance.
OL:
The Seahawks suffered a major blow to their offensive
line when three-time Pro Bowl guard Steve Hutchinson
was lured away by the Vikings in a tricky free
agent maneuver. Minnesota tendered Hutchinson
an offer that required him to be the highest-paid
player on the offensive line, knowing that Seattle,
which was already paying handsomely for perennial
Pro Bowl left tackle Walter Jones, would be unable
to match it (the Hawks used the same tactic to
lure Nate Burleson from Minnesota). Stepping into
Hutchinson's spot at left guard will be Floyd
"Pork Chop" Womack, who has served mostly
as a backup at tackle and guard during five years
with Seattle. The rest of the line remains intact
with center Robbie Tobeck, right guard Chris Gray,
and right tackle Sean Locklear all coming off
seasons in which they started 16 games. Chris
Spencer, a 2005 first-round draft pick who is
being blocked by the veteran Tobeck, fellow holdover
Ray Willis, and ex-Patriot Tom Ashworth figure
to be among the reserves. The team will also have
to find a spot for fourth-round pick and guard
Rob Sims (4th Round, Virginia Tech), who will
otherwise be subject to waivers.
DL:
Seattle quietly led the NFL with 50 sacks in 2005,
and welcomes back nearly all of the d-line principles
that helped spark that performance. Ends Bryce
Fisher (47 tackles, 9 sacks) and Grant Wistrom
(52 tackles, 4 sacks) and tackles Rocky Bernard
(52 tackles, 8.5 sacks), Marcus Tubbs (40 tackles,
5.5 sacks) and Chuck Darby (30 tackles, 2.5 sacks)
all had their pass rushing moments a year ago,
and all return. Craig Terrill (18 tackles, 2 sacks),
who appeared in each of the team's 16 games a
year ago, is also back. The prominent newcomers
up front are end Daryl Tapp, a second-round draft
choice out of Virginia Tech who had 10 sacks as
a Hokie in 2005, and tackle Russell Davis (5 tackles
with the Cardinals), a five-year starter in Arizona
who missed 13 games with a torn biceps last season.
Davis, who missed must of the preseason with an
injured foot, was in danger of being cut, as was
holdover Joe Tafoya (29 tackles, 1 sack), who
missed camp time with a bum shoulder. New Seahawks
Kemp Rasmussen (17 tackles with Carolina) and
Chris Cooper stood to gain if Davis and Tafoya
were excised.
LB:
After enduring a revolving door at linebacker
in 2004, the Seahawks received some consistency
at the position last season, and were better for
it. Middle linebacker Lofa Tatupu (104 tackles,
4 sacks, 3 INT) was a Pro Bowler as a rookie,
and should only get better. Another rookie, Leroy
Hill (72 tackles, 7.5 sacks), wreaked havoc as
a pass rusher on the strong side. D.D. Lewis (62
tackles) was hardly a weak link on the weak side,
but the Seahawks had a chance to upgrade there
and did. Julian Peterson (82 tackles, 3 sacks
with 49ers), a two-time Pro Bowler who no longer
fit the scheme in San Francisco, is among the
league's elite players at his position and was
a monster in the preseason. He'll thrive over
the course of a full season in Seattle. Lewis
will provide the Hawks an experienced backup,
and Isaiah Kacyvenski (20 tackles), Niko Koutouvides
(12 tackles), and Kevin Bentley (31 tackles) will
help mainly on special teams.
DB:
The Achilles heel of the Seattle defense a year
ago was the secondary, and the team made efforts
to upgrade this area. The Seahawks used their
first- round draft pick on cornerback Kelly Jennings
(Miami (FL)), and signed ex- Bears safety Mike
Green (39 tackles, 1 INT with Chicago), though
Green will miss the entire season with a broken
bone in his left foot suffered during training
camp. Jennings and holdover Jimmy Williams (33
tackles, 2 INT) will back up incumbent cornerback
starters Marcus Trufant (64 tackles, 1 INT, 1
sack) and Kelly Herndon (54 tackles, 2 INT), who
need to be more consistent and make more plays.
Michael Boulware (73 tackles, 4 INT, 2 sacks)
returns at strong safety, and the free safety
will likely be Ken Hamlin (26 tackles), who appears
all the way back after missing the final 10 games
of 2005 with a broken skull suffered an incident
outside of a Seattle-area nightclub last season.
Holdover Jordan Babineaux (74 tackles, 3 INT)
represents insurance for Hamlin, and can also
back up either corner position. Either former
Jet Oliver Celestin (21 tackles with Jets) or
holdover Etric Pruitt (7 tackles) will likely
be the final defensive back kept.
SPECIAL
TEAMS: Five different players have punted
for Seattle in the regular season over the past
two years, prompting the team to use a seventh-round
pick on 6-foot-3, 253-pound Ryan Plackemeier (Wake
Forest) to handle those duties. Plackemeier averaged
47.2 yards per punt as a senior at Wake, and can
also kick off and hold for Josh Brown (18-25 FG).
Brown was a solid 5-of-8 on kicks of over 50 yards
last season. Peter Warrick (4.8 punt return avg,)
and Josh Scobey (22.5 kickoff return avg.) are
both in line for return duties this season. Montreal-born
J.P. Darche will begin his seventh season as the
Seahawks' long-snapper.
PROGNOSIS:
Those who might pick the Seahawks to fall off
the pace after last year's Super Bowl run will
have trouble backing up that prediction with anything
resembling logic. Seattle still has elite-level
talent on both sides of the football, and the
addition of players like Burleson, Peterson, Jennings,
and Plackemeier mean this team should be better,
not worse. Also, significantly, the Seahawks are
still a member of the NFC West, where there is
not a legitimate challenger to their supremacy.
Once again, Seattle should roll through the West
and set themselves up for a first-round bye and
home playoff game or two. Once in the postseason,
they'll be susceptible to defeat at the hands
of a Carolina or perhaps one of the heavies in
the NFC East. But a trip back to the Super Bowl
should remain as a realistic goal well into January.
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