Herndon and Jennings Battle at Cornerback

New competition in Cheney (Video)

"As the Seahawks fight the cold in Cheney, veteran Kelly Herndon and rookie Kelly Jennings have begun their battle at cornerback."

Reading Between the Lines - Notes from Camp

Mike Holmgren made a few comments today after practice that could have some implications on who makes the team. Among other things he said, "You need four safeties, you really do." That number certainly includes Ken Hamlin, Michael Boulware, and Mike Green. If Holmgren considers Babineaux both the 4th corner and 4th safety, then the team might only go with 7 DBs. Otherwise, this is especially good news for Shaunard Harts and the team will probably go with 8 DBs. It makes you think CB Jimmy Williams will have a tough time making the team unless someone has an injury.

When asked about the fullback situation, Holmgren said of Leonard Weaver and David Kirtman, "in the preseason you'll see both of those kids play a lot in games." He touched on Mack Strong being gone before too long and also said Weaver would get some action at halfback as well. Teams generally keep at least 3 halfbacks and 2 fullbacks. The Seahawks have an interesting situation where 3 fullbacks might be among the 5 best backs on the team. The fact that Weaver can play some halfback makes it at least feasible the team could go with 2 halfbacks and 3 fullbacks leaving Scobey, who can only really contribute on special teams and as a returner, out in the cold.

TE Mike Gomez impressed in practice today. He could give Will Heller a run for his money for the final tight end spot, but it seems like Heller has a decent hold on the job. However, it does not hurt that Gomez is the only other long-snapper on the roster besides J.P. Darche. Itula Mili pulled a muscle in his back or something like that during warm-ups according to Holmgren. If Mili struggles with his injury the team probably needs to bring someone else in as the backup situation behind Stevens would not be good with just Heller and Gomez. If they look to add another tight end, the team might consider adding TE Zeron Flemister, who is probably the best fit of the slim list of free agents still available.

Veteran QB?

Barring injury, It looks like fans will have to wait until next year for the team to add a veteran backup quarterback. Mike Holmgren has said that it is now too late for the Seahawks to bring someone new in. There is no reason not to take Holmgren at his word, but a veteran would need to be added if someone suffers an injury in camp.

Looking forward to next year, Tim Rattay still looks like the best fit. The list of quarterbacks scheduled to hit free agency is slim at best. It is hard to imagine Rattay will make the 53-man roster in Tampa Bay if Jay Fielder proves to be healthy. Simms and a healthy Fiedler are both locks to make the team. That leaves Tim Rattay and Bruce Gradkowski battling for the final spot. Rattay is scheduled to make $1.25 million and was really brought in as an emergency solution when Griese was injured last season. Gradkowski is a Gruden pick and he is absolutely in love with the rookie. Rattay is also scheduled to be a free agent after this season, while Gradkowski is locked into a rookie deal for sixth-round money. Rattay will probably be dropped at the final cutdown and should latch on somewhere with a one-year deal.

Craig Nall is also someone to keep in mind. Nall played behind Brett Favre in Green Bay under former Seahawks offensive coordinator and Mike Holmgren disciple, Mike Sherman. Nall does not have a ton of experience, but has put up great numbers in limited action. For his career, he is 23 for 33 (69.7%) for 314 yards with 4 TDs and no INTs which gives him a 139.4 passer rating. His most extensive work came against the Chicago first team defense towards the end of 2004 when he went 7 for 13 for 131 yards and a TD. Nall was expected to compete with Kelly Holcomb and J.P. Losman for the starting job in Buffalo. The Bills signed him to a 3-year, $4.25 million contract including a $1.3 million signing bonus. However, Nall is out indefinitely after injuring his left hamstring on July 28. He is scheduled to make $2.35 million over the final two years of his deal and the Bills will probably look to drop that salary next offseason if he remains the #3 guy.

Live Broadcasts from Camp

Seahawks.com will have live audio webcasts from camp each weekday starting at noon hosted by Tony Ventrella and Mike Kahn. They will feature live interviews with players, coaches and staff. You can launch the audio stream here or just above the top of the posts on this page throughout camp.

Mitch in the Morning on KJR 950am will be broadcasting live from Seahawks Training Camp today (7/31) and tomorrow (8/1) from 6-10am.
Click Here to Launch the Stream

Things to Watch in Training Camp

1) Punt and Kickoff Return Jobs
It looks like WR Peter Warrick should come out on top for returning punts, but CB Jimmy Williams, WR Ben Obomanu, and WR Keenan Howry are also getting a look. Along with RB Josh Scobey and RB Maurice Morris, Obomanu, Howry, and Williams are probably all in competition to return kickoffs as well. The winner of the return jobs will impact who makes the team and how many players are kept at each positions.

2) Final Running Back Spots
Shaun Alexander, Maurice Morris, and Mack Strong are firmly entrenched. Leonard Weaver should be in the lead to backup Strong at this point, but could be overtaken by David Kirtman. Performance during camp and the preseason will determine who fills that role. The Seahawks will probably only keep five running backs. Six is not impossible, but very unlikely. That means one of the fullbacks will be left out in the cold if Scobey makes the team because of his special teams play and kickoff return ability. If Alexander and Morris were both injured, Weaver would probably be the top choice to carry the ball. This gives him a little edge over Kirtman, but Kirtman excels on special teams. Weaver's ball carrying ability also makes Scobey a lot less valueable to the team. Weaver is almost certain to make the team, and the final spot should come down to Kirtman and Scobey.

3) Wide Receiver Count
Will Ben Obomanu make the team? Training camp is meant for position battles, but Darrell Jackson, Bobby Engram, Nate Burleson, Peter Warrick, and D.J. Hackett will all make the team barring injury trouble. The Seahawks might only keep five receivers, which seems like a precarious position to be in given the injury problems at the position last year. Most of those guys were slowed or missed time with injuries last season, so a sixth receiver seems like a smart use of a final roster spot. Obomanu can help his chances by contributing on special teams and winning a return job. He dropped a lot of passes during the second day of training camp, but it was windy. He is probably nervous in his first year and feeling the pressure a little bit. It was only the second day and a few dropped passes, but he will need to improve and show more of the same flashes he had in the minicamps to win one of the 53 roster spots.

4) Defensive Line Health
Defensive line play will be important in camp with all of the injuries - DE Joe Tafoya (shoulder), DT Marcus Tubbs (Achilles), DE Grant Wistrom (shoulder) and DT Rocky Bernard (knee). The team will likely keep nine defensive linemen. Eight of those spots should be locked up by DE Bryce Fisher, DT Rocky Bernard, DT Chuck Darby, DE Grant Wistrom, DE Darryl Tapp, DT Marcus Tubbs, DT Craig Terrill and DT Russell Davis. Keeping five DTs might seem excessive, but it makes sense given the injuries to Bernard and Tubbs and the ability of Terrill to remain healthy. The smaller Terrill will play more in passing situations and Davis will plug up the middle against the run. The final spot comes down to the fourth defensive end. Given DE Joe Tafoya's injury along with the collective health of the line, DE Kemp Rasmussen should have the inside edge for that spot. It will come down to the two of them, but Rasmussen's contribution on special teams might push him over the top.

5) Third Quarterback Battle
Gibran Hamdan has positioned himself to make a run at David Greene. The team cleared him to practice just three months after he suffered a broken ankle. He needs to get on the field and start showing coaches he has what it takes to surpass David Greene as the third string quarterback. It will be an uphill battle for Hamdan; he needs to play very well and avoid any setbacks coming back from his ankle injury. It is Greene's job to lose, but it should be an interesting battle if Hamdan is completely healthy. His health is still a concern though as both of his NFL Europe seasons were cut short by injury. When the #3 QB comes in, it means the top two guys have already gone down with injuries. Having a fragile guy in that spot would be unwise and Greene's 52 straight starts in college might help him retain his spot.

5) Cohesive Secondary
Ken Hamlin is back and hitting in pads starting tomorrow. The team needs him to be the same guy he was before he suffered a fractured skull in a bar fight last year. Hamlin gives the secondary an excellent hitter and a safety that plays with a lot of range. Hamlin is important to protect rookie Kelly Jennings from getting beat deep or missing tackles. If Herndon is starting, then he needs Hamlin's help over the top as well. Michael Boulware is also someone to watch coming off knee surgery. He has been playing very well in his young career, but he is still making the transition from linebacker to safety. The addition of Mike Green makes the sitaution a lot better because he can fill in very adequately at either safety spot and gives the entire unit some veteran experience to fall back on.

6) Tight End Rotation
Jerramy Stevens is coming off knee surgery and his health will be very important to success on offense. Itula Mili had conditioning problems as well as his intestinal blockage issue last season. If Stevens and Mili are both healthy and play at the level we have seen in the past, then the team is great at tight end. If there are issues, the uncertainty behind those two could be a problem. TE Will Heller should win the final spot, especially given his success making the team in Tampa Bay with Tim Ruskell as an undrafted rookie free agent. Stevens is in the final year of his contract and Mili is nearing retirement. This will be an area to watch in camp, this season, and next offseason.

Jennings Signs 5-Year Deal

Kelly Jennings signed with the Seahawks for a reported 5-years, $9.5 million. It will be interesting to hear how much Jennings deal is really worth. I am sure the $9.5 million number includes a lot of escalators and incentives. Mathias Kiwanuka, picked right after Jennings, received a 5-year, $6.96 million deal with a maximum value of $10 million if he reaches all of his incentives.

Jennings is expected to practice later today, so it looks like my assumption below was correct.

Kelly Jennings...

I am going to a wedding today that is expected to be a lengthy one with a dinner and reception to follow, then I am going out to a comedy club. I will not be back until midnight or later, so you will not find an update here if Kelly Jennings signs today. I fully expect that the team will announce the signing sometime today or tomorrow morning and he will practice on Sunday. I have heard they are very close in the negotiations, and at this point it would be a big surprise if he was not on the practice field by Monday at the latest.

Jennings Contract Update

The five players (picks 25-29) chosen directly before RB Jospesh Addai (30th overall) have all been signed now. Addai should follow suit soon with the signings of RB DeAngelo Williams and RB Laurence Maroney. The player taken before the string of signed players is CB Johnathan Joseph (24th overall). He is someone to watch because he will help determine the cornerback market. CB Antonio Cromartie (San Diego) landed a pretty fat contract for the 19th overall pick. His deal was 5 years, $12.75 million ($7.35 million guaranteed). That is a 39% increase in total money (only 13% in guaranteed money) over last years 19th selection. His contract is why I point to Jennings (31st overall) asking for around $7.6-$7.8 million, even though the players around him have signed for a little less. If Joseph signs, then Jennings should sign almost immediately. As noted before, Jennings is pretty well slotted already, and I think we will see him on the field by the end of the weekend.

Do the Seahawks Have the Best O-Line Now?

Chief's left-tackle, Willie Roaf apprised Kansas City officials that he is retiring. The Chiefs had the best offensive line in the NFL when all of their players were healthy. This definitely drops them down a notch, although the recently acquired Kyle Turley might eventually return to his pro bowl level of play once he bulks back up. The effect for Kansas City is somewhere along the lines of Walter Jones retiring for Seattle. Roaf went to 11 pro bowls in his 13-year career and anchors that line at left-tackle. Pro-bowlers RG Will Shields and LG Brian Waters are still around, so they are still one of the better lines.

The argument over who has the best offensive line in football now that Roaf is gone should come down to Pittsburgh and Seattle. It is hard not to choose Pittsburgh with three pro-bowlers in LG Alan Faneca, C Jeff Hartings and LT Marvel Smith. Seattle is definitely in the conversation with LT Walter Jones and C Robbie Tobeck, but it is tough to anoint them the best with the loss of LG Steve Hutchinson. Either way, Pittsburgh and Seattle have the two best lines in the NFL, which is why we saw both teams in the Super Bowl. The importance of offensive line play is reflected in my emphasis on it in my team previews (I have updated the Kansas City Chiefs Preview accordingly).

Virtual Cheney

Northwest FSN Live lets you experience Cheney, Washington without having to travel to Eastern Washington. The following is a nice introduction to training camp, and gives you a look at the players on a more personal level.

Seahawks settle in (Video)
"The Seahawks talk about staying in Cheney, Washington alongside the cows and other wildlife."

Slotted

The four picks directly preceding 30th pick Joseph Addai (John McCargo, DeAngelo Williams, Marcedes Lewis, and Nick Mangold) have all signed as well as the three picks directly following 31st pick Kelly Jennings (Mathias Kiwanuka, DeMeco Ryans, and D'Qwell Jackson). Addai and Jennings should be pretty well slotted at this point, and I would expect the team to come to terms with Jennings on Friday or Saturday, even if there is some balking and haggling as they iron out the details. All of the other contracts, for picks before and after Jennings, really box both sides into a small space to maneuver in negotiations.

The West Coast Offense

Some recent discussion of Bill Walsh and Mike Holmgren inspired me to address the West Coast Offense and its roots. I have been somewhat critical of Mike Holmgren, but that is called being realistic and honest. Some fans would have you think he has always walked on water after finally winning some playoff games in his 7th season in Seattle. I think Holmgren is great coach, but he was below-average as a GM. Holmgren owes a lot of his coaching success to good GMs in Ron Wolf and Tim Ruskell as well as the mentorship of Bill Walsh.

Walsh invented the concepts and principles of the West Coast Offense. He has many generations of disciples that fall into his coaching tree (shown below). Holmgren is widely thought to run the purest (closest to Walsh's original) form of the offense, as well as understanding the principles the best. Many other coaches have made their own changes to adjust to defenses, but Holmgren prefers to stick with what Walsh taught him to overcome anything a defense might throw his way. He is probably the only coach that can get away with this because he has the best grasp of what made Walsh's system nearly unstoppable.

Holmgren did not, however, develop Joe Montana. That was the job of Bill Walsh and Sam Wyche; Holmgren did not get there until Montana and Walsh had won two Super Bowls together. Wyche, Paul Hackett, and current Arizona head coach Dennis Green all learned from Walsh before Holmgren. I am not discounting Holmgren, but he owes his success to Bill Walsh, not the other way around. Many current NFL coaches fall into the West Coast Offense coaching tree without any ties to Holmgren, the same cannot be said of Walsh.



A good series of resources on the West Coast Offense from ESPN.com if you want to learn more:
Coaching Tree - Interactive version of the above chart
History - Len Pasquarelli
Popularity - Steve Young
Defending Against - John Clayton
Pros & Cons - Joe Theismann, Sean Salisbury, and Mark Malone

Fulton as Good as Done, Hamdan Good to Go

Back on June 20, I discussed Skyler Fulton taking a trip to the American Sports Medicine Institute in Alabama to test his injured shoulder. He said the strength in his shoulder was "next to nothing" following the NFL Europe season. He needed to pass strength tests before the Seahawks were going to let him practice at training camp.

It looks like he was unable to pass those tests, and the decision was made to operate on a damaged labrum in his right shoulder. Fulton will be out 4-6 weeks, but the timeframe is really irrelevant. What it means is that he will not be making the team. That leaves the door wide-open for seventh-rounder Ben Obomanu if we keep 6 receivers. Clare Farnsworth says, "the club is expected to carry five wide receivers on its 53-man roster" but that is nothing more than complete conjecture.

Five receivers are almost guaranteed to make the team: Darrell Jackson, Bobby Engram, Nate Burleson, Peter Warrick, and D.J. Hackett. A 6th and final spot would be open for another receiver if he can contribute on special teams or in the return game. Obomanu is the only real candidate at receiver for one of the final roster spots. He will be competing with the running backs and defensive backs further down the depth chart.

Gibran Hamdan passed his physical and has been cleared to practice. Tomorrow will be three months to the day since he broke his ankle playing in NFL Europe.

Related Posts:
Skyler Fulton in Alabama to Test Injured Shoulder
Obomanu Continues to Impress (you can see why some commenters choose to remain Anonymous)
Camp is About Chemistry
Injuries Will Have a Big Impact on Roster
Seahawks Young WR Update
September 2nd Battles

No Longer a Rumor: Seahawks Sign Multiple Picks

Fourth-round pick OG Rob Sims and seventh-round pick WR Ben Obomanu signed their contracts this morning, but we already knew the team had come to terms with both players. Darryl Tapp has agreed to terms also and the Seahawks report he has signed his deal.

Kelly Jennings is the lone unsigned draft pick, and things were looking good with DeMeco Ryans and Marcedes Lewis signing to provide some framing to slot Jennings contract between. However, the deal that Mathias Kiwanuka signed could cause some problems. I noted this on Seahawks Insider about three-and-a-half hours before Mike Sando did, but we think it makes it difficult for different (and somewhat opposite) reasons. Mike posits that the team might not be willing to offer the same type of guaranteed money the Giants gave Kiwanuka because he got so much, so early in the contract. I think Jennings will want considerably more in total money than Kiwanuka because he took less than he should have.

DE Mathias Kiwanuka (Boston College) was taken immediately after Jennings. He signed for 5-years at just under $7 million. The contract also includes almost $5 million in guaranteed money. My estimate for Jennings was just under $5 million in guaranteed money with a total value of $7.6-$7.8 million. Apparently Kiwi's deal has a lot of his guaranteed money early in the contract, but I fail to see how that really matters. It seems to me that all guaranteed money is guaranteed and you might as well spend it now when everyone has cap room. No matter when you guarantee the money, you get stuck paying it.

I think the problem will be the total value of the deal. Kiwanuka signed for $6.96 million, an 8.75% increase over last year's 32nd pick (although the increase in guaranteed money is 25%). The salary cap went up 20%, and it looks like most picks are signing for about 10-15% above last year's numbers. A 15% bump over last year's 31st pick (DT Mike Patterson) would put Jennings contract at $7.59 million. CB is a a higher-paid position than DT, so $7.6 million seems reasonable for Jennings.

In fact, both reasons (Mike's and mine) could make it more difficult at the same time. Let's say Jennings was asking for around $7.6 million with $5 million guaranteed and both sides were relatively close on those terms. Now Jennings might want similar early guaranteed money because of the Kiwanuka deal, and the team might not want to give him those assurances. At the same time, the Seahawks might now be less willing to meet Jennings total value demands because of the low total value of Kiwanuka's contract. It creates two points of contention with each side citing Kiwi's deal on the sticking point that is convenient to them.

Team Preview: Oakland Raiders

Oakland Raiders (4-12)
The Raiders have not won more than 5 games in a season since their Super Bowl loss following the 2002 season. Art Shell will have a difficult task turning this team into a winner. They have a new starting quarterback, but he plays a lot like the old one. Two rookies could start on defense, the new left-tackle has a quad injury, and a starting receiver wants to be traded. It should be another long season for Raider Nation.

Aaron Brooks (New Orleans) takes over for Kerry Collins. Both tend to be unreliable and make bad decisions at times, but can throw a good deep ball. It is hard to think Brooks is much of an upgrade or even brings anything different to the table. Brooks plays his best when the team is winning, but Oakland should be playing from behind a lot with this defense. Brooks struggles when pressured and the offensive line is not good.

Robert Gallery is moving from RT to LT, but he is currently on the active PUP list with a quad injury. The Raiders say they are just being cautious, so assuming he is healthy, Barry Sims will move from LT to LG, and Art Shell has declared third-round pick RG Paul McQuistan a starter. Last year’s LG Langston Walker will move over to play RT to replace Gallery. Shell, a Hall of Fame left-tackle, might be able to do something with this group, but it is hard to see this line being anything but one of the ten worst with the level of talent and all of the re-shuffling.

Brooks has a lot of weapons with Randy Moss, Jerry Porter, and Lamont Jordan. However, Moss has struggled with injuries the past two seasons and Lamont Jordan dropped passes at an alarming rate last year. Porter is not getting along with Art Shell, and he sat out practice with a calf injury the day after demanding a trade. Porter had 16 more catches than Moss last season, and Moss is really only good on deep routes and in the red zone. Porter is critical to moving the chains with any consistency. Kerry Collins had all of these weapons, but they only managed to finish 21st in total offense last year, and were dead-last in scoring offense during the second half of the season.

The defense is in much worse shape than the offense. The team finished 27th in total defense last year, and it looks like they will start two rookies: second-round pick OLB Thomas Howard (UTEP) and first-rounder Michael Huff (Texas). Huff should take one of the safety spots; probably replacing SS Renaldo Hill (Miami). The return of DE Lance Johnston (Minnesota) to go along with DE Derrick Burgess, who came over from Philadelphia last year to post 16 sacks, makes the line solid on the outside. However, DT Warren Sapp needs to remain healthy (he missed 6 games last year), especially with DT Ted Washington (Cleveland) and DT Ed Jasper (Philadelphia) gone.

The linebackers will be interesting with last year’s third-round pick Kirk Morrison in the middle and rookie Thomas Howard starting on the outside. Morrison played well as a rookie on the weakside, but it might be tough to adjust to playing in the middle (especially alongside a rookie). CB Charles Woodson (Green Bay) is gone. The Raiders added a pair of aging corners from New England, Tyrone Poole (34) and Duane Starks (32), but neither should start. Last year’s first-round pick CB Fabian Washington will, but he did not have an interception and only had 5 pass defenses (3 against Tennessee) despite starting 10 games and playing in all 16. In other words, there are questions marks all over the defense.

Art Shell might eventually be able to bring the Raiders back to respectability, but it isn’t going to happen this year. The current streak of 3 straight losing seasons is the first in Al Davis’ 43 years, and it looks like 4 straight is inevitable. The Broncos, Chargers, and Chiefs are all tough again, and Oakland is 2-16 in the division over the past 3 seasons. Art Shell and Tom Walsh will run a lot more, but I am not sure they will be successful doing it. It would be hard to imagine the Raiders winning more than 6 games in 2006, and 4 or 5 wins seems more likely.

Key Additions: HC Art Shell, SS Michael Huff (R), QB Aaron Brooks (NO), DE Lance Johnston (MIN), LB Thomas Howard (R), RG Paul McQuistan (R), CB Tyrone Poole (NE), CB Duane Starks (NE)
Key Losses: DT Ted Washington (CLE), CB Charles Woodson (GB), QB Kerry Collins, SS Renaldo Hill (MIA), DT Ed Jasper (PHI), LB Tim Johnson (BAL)

Team Preview Updates - Defensive Backs

Two important signings created some changes that I felt were important enough to update in my team previews. I updated the team preview pages, but I will summarize here.

The first, of course, is Ty Law. He is certainly a lot better than Lenny Walls (who was projected to start) and will give the Chiefs some much needed help in the secondary. That being said, they really need to get something out of first-round pick DE Tambia Hali in terms of rushing the passer. Even Surtain and Law will give up big plays if the quarterback has all day. They could be in for a season a lot like Minnesota last year - getting a lot of interceptions, but giving up a lot of passing yards and touchdowns. Law will be thrown at a lot playing opposite Surtain, but at least he will not draw the #1 receiver.

Law should end up with a lot of interceptions, but that does not mean the defense is being successful. They need to tackle better as well, but the addition of Law helps the Chiefs considerably because it addressed a glaring weakness. It would be like the Seahawks signing Law if Jimmy Williams was projected to start (with no Jennings, Herndon, or Babineaux on the team).

The other signing is FS Dwight Smith in Minnesota. His departure from New Orleans will not be felt with Josh Bullocks, Bryan Scott, and Jay Bellamy all still on the roster. It is news though for Tampa Bay and Minnesota. Tampa Bay now has to be comfortable with FS Will Allen, and I am not sure they can count on him. They will not be hurt too badly, but Smith is a perfect fit for the Cover-2.

It helps Minnesota. Darren Sharper should still be great when he moves to strong safety with Dwight Smith playing free safety. It will be interesting to see how SS Tank Williams fits in as he was acquired from Tennessee to replace SS Corey Chavous. Williams plays almost like a linebacker, and they need help there. The Vikings could go with Sharper, Smith, and Williams in their nickel package, and Williams might play some linebacker in their normal defense. They are weak at defensive end and linebacker, but strong in the secondary and at defensive tackle. It makes them strong against the run at the first level, but weak at the second level. They struggle rushing the passer, but have good cover guys. The pieces do not really fit together that well. Smith helps, but also confuses the situation a little bit.

I am going to try to knock out the other 3 AFC West Team Previews today as well. The weather has been so nice and I have been busy with other things, but I want to get them done before training camp and things starting heating up with the Seahawks.

Sonics Reaction

I meant to address the reactions to my post about the Sonics earlier, but I was not around too much over the hot weekend. I appreciate all of the comments, and it at least means you care somewhat about the team. I did not initially address the problems with the NBA, the City of Seattle, or the Sonics front office because the criticism of them is frequent and well-known.

I think the NBA is making it increasingly hard for anyone but the biggest markets to be successful. The City of Seattle is not run very well in general and certainly does not make our sports teams a priority. The front office has been horrible since Wally Walker took over for Bob Whitsitt (he did a good job for the Sonics). Walker took an NBA Finals team and drove the Sonics into the ground, starting with the signing of Jim McIlvaine. Kemp had his problems after that, but if we would not have signed McIlvaine, Kemp and Payton would have been a lot happier and we could have seen the Sonics go deep in the playoffs for a lot of years. How Walker is still around is beyond me.

My issue with Seattle (and by that I mean the fans, residents, and City) is that for the most part we seem to only care about our sports teams when they are winning. That was not always the case. If anyone noticed, Citizens for More Important Things were able to gather 23,900 signatures in support of Initiative 91 to block ANY taxpayer financing of the Key Arena renovation. That is 7,700 more people than the average attendance at Sonics home games last year. I applaud the effort by Save Our Sonics, but they were only able to get 1,000 members to sign up through 5 days.

If you do not think we need a new arena, consider the fact that Seattle ranked 9th in home attendance percentage, but only 23rd in total home attendance. It is not just about luxury boxes; we need more seats. The Sonics have not been higher than 20th in total home attendance the last 4 seasons (and I could not find data further back than that). Oklahoma City had the 11th highest average home attendance, despite hosting a transplant New Orleans team. Half of the games were sold out and they had an average of only 500 empty seats per game. It is hard to argue they do not deserve a franchise.

Having an NBA franchise is a privilege that only 32 cities in the country have. The NBA is able to exploit the situation because many places want a team and are willing to sacrifice a lot to get one, but there is a reason several groups are trying to poach the Sonics as opposed to other NBA teams. If Seattle wants to be one of the 32 teams we need to support the club with both our attendance and our tax dollars, that is just the reality.

I am a Seattle Sports Fan to the bone and I do not want to see us lose our team. I went to the Mariners 1995 one-game tiebreaker against the Angels to earn their first-ever trip to the playoffs, the Supersonics 1995-96 NBA Finals appearance against Michael Jordon and the Bulls, and the Seahawks 2005 NFC Championship game where the team earned its first-ever trip to the Super Bowl. All of those games were that much sweeter after supporting those teams through the less than great times. The NFC Championship game meant a lot more after going to every home game during the 2-14 season in 1992.

People do not seem to understand you earn the right to say "WE" won. It is not just about living in the city, but rather standing behind your team even when they stink. A sports team is like a family member for a real fan. You love them whether they are up or down, you criticize them and tell them what they need to hear when they are screwing up, but you always have their back in the end, no matter what. It does not seem like there are enough people that feel that way about the Sonics anymore. I just feel like people would be showing a lot more support for a winning team, and that is not what sports is all about.

Rumor: Seahawks Sign Multiple Picks

Rumor: Seahawks will announce signing of multiple draft picks later today or tomorrow morning. I assume this means Sims and Obomanu, but could also include Darryl Tapp.

Note: The information I was given was that the Seahawks had come to terms with multiple draft picks on Tuesday and they should sign and announce the contracts in the next day or so. This seems to be true with reports of Sims agreeing to terms, and I suspect Obomanu coming to terms just did not make the AP roundup. My guess here is that the contracts are probably not signed because of the physical location of the players, and they will complete that formality when they arrive for camp.

What's Wrong With This Picture?

It looks like Sirius was not originally planning to visit Cheney as part of their training camp coverage. However, the show The Afternoon Blitz will now be broadcasting from Seahawks camp on August 16th from 12-4pm. If you do not have Sirius, you can still listen to the broadcast on-line. You can sign-up for a free 3-day trial. If you sign-up on August 14th, you should also be able to hear the camp coverage of the Ravens and Chiefs (8/14) and the Packers and 49ers (8/15) on various Sirius shows from 8am-4pm.

The Afternoon Blitz airs weekdays from 12-4pm and they describe it as follows "Jerry Rice, Adam Schein and Solomon Wilcots take your calls and invite you to get involved in the conversation." You can also contact Adam Schein by e-mail (aschein@siriusradio.com). Recently on the show, Adam Schein asked Rice about his plans to retire with San Franciso, he said, "We have had talks about what we’re going to do this upcoming season and we’re just trying to nail down which game. I think I might have said something like maybe the Seattle game, but it’s not something that's concrete right now. But I think that would be great if we can do that. I played for the Niners. I played for Seattle. I think it would be just awesome for me to retire my jersey on that night." San Francisco and Seattle are where he started and finished his career. Even though he spent 3 full seasons with Oakland, the 49ers home game against Seattle makes the most sense because he did not leave the Raiders on the best terms.

If you are planning on going to training camp in Cheney, you might want to check out the following Training Camp Travel Guide from ESPN.com SportsTravel:

Seattle Seahawks
• Location: Eastern Washington University, Cheney, Wash.
• Camp dates: July 28-Aug. 24
• Team Web site: http://www.seahawks.com
• Training camp information | Practice schedule | Directions and parking

• Nightlife: Get thee to Spokane. More specifically, to the city's Davenport District.
• Sports bar: Heroes & Legends (825 W. Riverside Ave., Spokane, Wash. 99201; 509-747-2085). Thirty-one TVs, including one 10-foot, plasma-quality projection TV.
• Restaurant: Spencer's for Steaks and Chops (322 N. Spokane Falls Court, Spokane, WA 99201; 509-744-2372). Are you man enough for the 24-ounce porterhouse? If not, there's always the filet mignon, lobster, prime rib or the double-cut pork chop. The wine list offers more than 300 choices.
• Cheap eats: Elk Public House (1931 W. Pacific Ave., Spokane, Wash. 99204; 509-363-1973). Try the marinated pork soft tacos or 74th St. gumbo.
• Sports radio station:
-KJRB-AM -- 790 The Fan.
Features Jim Rome. Hottest show: Tom Leykis (weekdays, 5:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.)
-KXLY-AM -- 920.
Seattle Mariners radio network affiliate.
• Alternative activity: Spokane Indians (Class A Texas Rangers minor league affiliate), Avista Stadium, 602 North Havana St., Spokane Wash. 99202
Schedule | Tickets | Seating chart

Last Days for Tim Rattay and Season Tickets

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed Bruce Gradkowski to a contract. It is not big news for a 6th-round pick to sign with another team, but Tampa Bay could not trade Rattay if Gradkowski remained unsigned. The signing makes a deal for Rattay still in the realm of possibility, especially if Jay Fiedler has progressed as expected with his injury. However, time is running out.

For all you season ticket holders, I received my tickets today via UPS. They came with a 2006 Seahawks Yearbook and a "Season Ticket Holder" license plate cover, all zipped in a mesh 12th man bag/backpack. The arrival of the tickets and the start of training camp means the season is getting close...can't wait.

Monday Rundown: Ty Law, Tasered Players and More

Ty Law signed a 5-year deal with the Kansas City Chiefs. Now everyone who had not already, can finally move-on. The most interesting item will be the amount of guaranteed money in Law's contract (the terms have not been disclosed). We will find out exactly how much we weren't willing to pay him.

This is not Seahawks related, but it follows my earlier coverage of the bail-posting Bengals. DT Mathias Askew, the Bengals' 2004 fourth-round pick, ignored a request by police to move his illegally parked car and then refused to show identification. Officers tried to arrest and handcuff him, but he broke away before being tasered and charged with resisting arrest. You can't make this stuff up. He joins four other Bengals with recent off-the-field problems, as well as the inherited problems of supplemental draft choice LB Ahmad Brooks. Oddly enough, WR Chris Henry is the only one of the six not on the defensive side of the football. Askew is the oldest of the group at 24-years-old.

Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports gave the Seahawks some praise in his NFC's burning questions when he said Seattle is one of the "NFC teams that could hang with anyone in the AFC." He also says a "12-4 or 13-3 season definitely looks possible," and gives a realistic look at some other teams that will contend. He calls Seattle one of the "the big two" in the NFC along with Carolina.

MSN's FOX Sports NFL Video has been giving increasingly frequent coverage to the Seahawks, probably more than any other team. The latest piece is called Circle of Seahawks, and is about Grant Wistrom and former Seahawk Jerry Wunsch spending time with kids with cancer through the Circle of Friends program. I know we would all like to hear about the team signing a veteran quarterback, but at least we are getting stories like this about our defensive lineman instead of news that he was tasered while resisting arrest.

The Seahawks did get some legal news last week when Sean Locklear opted for a disposition hearing over a jury trial. The details of what actually occurred in the incident with his girlfriend are only known by those involved, but the news is that Locklear will avoid prosecution if he complies with the terms of his 24-month probation which includes performing community service, obtaining an evaluation, and paying court costs. According to his attorney, Locklear did not want to put his girlfriend through a public trial and was concerned that the trial would be a distraction to his team with training camp set to begin. His attorney also said that Locklear stated (presumably in court), "I apologize to all involved for what happened that night. I take full responsibility for my own actions and I look forward to putting this behind me in a positive manner."

Training Camp will open with the first full practice on Saturday, so maybe we will get back to the real football news we have been craving.

Comments...

I have been messing around with the options for allowing comments due to some spamming of the blog by an on-line sports book. Once the page reached a certain google pagerank, I think it triggered a bot to post comments saying to check out an on-line betting site. Right now I have it set so you can still make comments if you do not have a blogger account (as "anonymous"), but everyone now needs to type in the characters shown above the word verication box (as shown).

Jerramy Stevens Will Be Looking at Witten Deal

The Cowboys signed Jason Witten to a 7-year contract extension worth $29 million. If Stevens plays as expected and makes it to the pro bowl this season, he will likely be looking for that kind of money in free agency. Witten was scheduled to be a free agent after this season as well, so the signing gives Stevens some more bargaining power with one less talented tight end on the market.

The Seahawks tight end situation could get complicated with Stevens wanting a big contract and Itula Mili nearing the end of his career. The third tight end is currently a place for concern, so the situation could turn south in a hurry. I found the Witten signing a little interesting with the addition of Anthony Fasano and Ryan Hannam this past offseason for the Cowboys. They have made a big investment in their tight ends over the next four or five years.

Eric Johnson and Daniel Graham are both scheduled to be free agents as well. San Francisco wanted to move Eric Johnson, but no one was offering what they thought he was worth because of his injury last season. They might not be interested in re-signing him next year if Vernon Wells plays as expected. The Patriots are also thought to be uninclined to keep Graham with Ben Watson and Garrett Mills on the roster.

Team Preview: Philadelphia Eagles

Philadelphia Eagles (6-10)
The Eagles had dominated the NFC East since realignment, going 16-2 in the division before last year. That is over. They were 0-6 last season; Donovan McNabb's injury and the T.O. saga were only part of the problem. The defense started to show its age in a hurry and they could not run the football. The lack of a power running back and injuries along the offensive line did not help, which led them to throw the ball 63% of the time. The loss of Owens and a sub-par receiving corps means that the Eagles will need to run the ball a lot more and rely on their defense to be successful.

Before Owens got there, Philadelphia had Duce Staley and a healthy Correll Buckhalter in 2003. Staley is long gone and Buckhalter has missed the entire season three of his five years in the league (including the last two). Brian Westbrook has never carried the ball more than 177 times in a season and has missed time with injuries three years in a row. It is hard to believe second-year back Ryan Moats is the answer. He had three long touchdown runs (59, 40, and 18), but averaged 3.1 yards on his other 52 attempts last year and also fumbled 3 times (he fumbled 16 times in his final two years at Louisiana Tech). He is fast and at 5'8", 210, is basically a clone of Westbrook without his catching ability.

Last year was the first time either LT Tra Thomas or C Hank Fraley had ever missed significant time with injuries in their career (both finished the year on IR). Fraley is only 28, but Tra Thomas is 31 and his back trouble might resurface trying to support his 6'7", 349 pound frame. The Eagles locked up RG Shawn Andrews with an extension (7-years, up to $40 million) and still have former pro-bowler RT Jon Runyan. The Eagles added insurance with OT Winston Justice (USC) in the second-round and 356-pound OG Max Jean-Gilles in the fourth-round. Both players are more talented than their respective draft positions would suggest (Justice slipped for character, Jean-Gilles for conditioning). The offensive line should be one of the best in the league again.

However, McNabb does not have much to work with in the way of receivers with Reggie Brown and Todd Pinkston projected to start. WR Jabar Gaffney (Houston) is nothing special. It is hard to see how they will be successful on offense with the current group of running backs and receivers. Westbrook is a playmaker, but the offense will struggle to move the ball consistently. Did I mention Terrell Owens will no longer be available as the go-to-guy on third down? Owens picked up 32 first downs in his 7 games with the Eagles last year. For comparison Westbrook had 27 in 12 games.

The Eagles will have to rely on their defense more than they would like. The addition of DE Darren Howard (New Orleans) and first-round pick DT Brodrick Bunkley (Florida State) will help the defensive line, but DE Jevon Kearse is not the player he used to be. The secondary suffered last year after CB Lito Sheppard's injury, but they struggled as a unit (especially in man-to-man coverage) the entire season, which was a bit of a mystery. It would not be a stretch to say CB Sheldon Brown, FS Brian Dawkins, SS Michael Lewis, and Sheppard are all among the ten best players on the team. MLB Jeremiah Trotter is great against the run, but is really the only linebacker worth mentioning (LB Shawn Barber projects to start after being cut by Kansas City). This defense should bounce back from a subpar performance last year, but it might not be enough to counter the problems on an offense that also lost its coordinator Brad Childress (Minnesota).

To say Philadelphia is the same team that went to NFC Championship game in 2002 and 2003 before Terrell Owens arrived is false. Some key players are a lot older and it does not look like they have the running backs to pound the football. McNabb might be glad Owens is no longer with the team, but he will miss him on the field. The good news is that he is the only notable departure. Defenses have no reason to respect the run and McNabb could be in for another year of punishment. He threw a lot of balls into the ground last year to avoid sacks, and we might see more of the same this season. If McNabb gets hurt, then the Eagles do have a very capable backup in Jeff Garcia (Detroit). However, Garcia might be tough to keep healthy. The Eagles would realistically be very lucky go 3-3 in the NFC East. They might already be out of the picture by Thanksgiving and it will not get any easier after that. Their final six games are at Indianapolis, Carolina, at Washington, at the Giants, at Dallas, and Atlanta.

Key Additions: DE Darren Howard (NO), DT Brodrick Bunkley (R), QB Jeff Garcia (DET), LB Shawn Barber (KC), WR Jabar Gaffney (HOU)
Key Losses: WR Terrell Owens (DAL), OC Brad Childress (MIN), QB Mike McMahon (MIN)

Does Seattle Deserve the Sonics?

Normally I would not stray from the Seahawks to discuss the Sonics here, but the fact that our NBA team was just sold and could be on the way out of town seems worth discussing, especially given what happened with the Seahawks and Ken Behring 10 years ago.

I find the outrage over the Sonics sale a little bit curious. First of all, if you did not attend a Sonics game last season, then quit complaining because you have no credibility. You can watch the Oklahoma City Sonics on TV. I understand some people might support the team in other ways, but if you are going to be outraged by the team leaving town then you should have gone to at least one game. Some people might say it is too expensive and they cannot afford to go to a game, but that is a weak argument. I saw a set of 4 tickets sell for 99 cents on Ebay this past season. If it is not worth it to you to go see a crappy Sonics team play some other crappy team and sit in the cheap seats then you are not a real fan and have no place getting all upset about the team skipping town.

What happened to Seattle sports fans? Success has spoiled us. Real fans are the people that sat in the third deck of the Kingdome and cheered the Mariners to their first ever winning season under Jim Lefebvre in 1991 with Alvin Davis, Harold Reynolds, and Dave Valle. Or the people that tried to will Rick Mirer to success and then stood up and fought when they tried to move the Seahawks by going to games and showing they cared. The Kingdome was pretty empty before Behring tried to move the team. We bought a second set of season tickets in the upper deck for $10 a seat and could barely give them away.

Don't get me wrong, Seattle still has some great fans. However, it has largely become a bunch of front-runners. No one cares about the Sonics because of the success of the Seahawks and Mariners. That is how it was 10 years ago when no one cared about the Seahawks because of the Sonics and Mariners. If you only support your team when they are winning, then you are the worst kind of fan. It would be better if you just stayed home and let the real fans enjoy the success when it comes.

If the Sonics do not have a fan base that steps it up and shows that it cares about keeping the team to support it through the tough times, the Seattle does not deserve an NBA team. It is tough for the small group that does support the team, and they should blame the rest of the city instead of Howard Schultz. He could have sold the team for $75 million more, but chose not to because that group was definitely going to move the team. If Schultz sacrificed $75 million to at least try to make a difference in keeping the team in Seattle and you could not spend $10 on a cheap ticket, then why should he draw the criticism?

The fans in Oklahoma City supported the transplant New Orleans Hornets in an unbelievable way last season. That city probably deserves a team more than Seattle. If you are outraged about the Sonics leaving town then shut your mouth, go to a game, buy a jersey, show the new ownership that Seattle really cares about basketball and will support it. If fans had done this earlier, they could have kept Schultz from selling the team or might have at least inspired another wealthy Seattle native to make an offer on the team. Being a fan is about standing behind your team through losing seasons and hard times, not about jumping on the bandwagon when the team is successful and abandoning it when the good times end. The Seahawks faithful kept the team in Seattle 10 years ago, and it will be interesting to see if the Sonics have the same kind of support. If they do not, then Seattle does not deserve an NBA team.

Training Camp Preview: Quarterbacks

Things have been surprisingly quiet on the veteran quarterback front since the June minicamps ended. Tampa Bay might not be willing to part with Tim Rattay until after Training Camp or the Seahawks could not even be interested. Any deal for a veteran QB should happen this week or probably not at all. If nothing transpires we are looking at Matt Hasselbeck, Seneca Wallace, David Greene, Gibran Hamdan and Travis Lulay.

Hasselbeck and Wallace are obviously locks to make the team, and a veteran addition would take up the final roster spot. As it stands, the battle for the #3 job will be between David Greene and Girban Hamdan. When camp opens on July 29, it will be 3 months to the day since Hamdan broke his ankle. If he is healthy, then it could be an interesting competition with Greene apparently underachieving to this point. Hamdan missed valuable time in passing camp, and it is hard to know if Holmgren's comments on Greene were cause for concern or meant to light a fire under the second-year player.

The problem for Hamdan will be that Matt Hasselbeck and Seneca Wallace will get the majority of action in training camp and the preseason to make sure they are ready to go, and he will have limited opportunities to make up ground on Greene. Travis Lulay will not get much action in camp, but he could find his way to the practice squad or to NFL Europe along with his former center at Montanta State, Jeff Bolton. Lulay faced lesser competition in Division I-AA and got away with a lot of "sand lot" football using his athleticism to make plays. He has the arm to make all of the NFL throws, so he could eventually make his way to the regular roster with some development, but not this year.

Darryl Tapp's and Kelly Jennings' Paydays

The Texans signed Charles Spencer, the 65th overall pick in the draft, to a four-year, $2.2 million contract. That includes a signing bonus of $610,000 with minimum base salaries for the next four year of $275,000 (2006), $360,000 (2007), $445,000 (2008) and $530,000 (2009). Spencer is one of the two lineman I referred to in my previous post that were picked up at the top of the third-round. Spencer projects to start for Houston, and is considered one of their key rookies.

Darryl Tapp, the 63rd overall pick should be in store for something very similar - maybe a little bit higher signing bonus. Spencer's cap number for 2006 is $427,500. If Tapp had a $700,000 signing bonus, his cap number would be $450,000. The Texans swift signings help set the market for the Seahawks with Seattle picking at the bottom of each round, and Houston picking at the top of the following round. The signing of second-round pick (33rd overall), OLB DeMeco Ryans helps set the market for 31st overall pick Kelly Jennings as well. The Texans reportedly signed Ryans to a four-year, $5 million contract. Given all of the signing to date, I would project a 5-year, $7.8 million deal for Jennings with just under $5 million guaranteed, or something very close to that.

This is a great time to point out an economic study, The Loser's Curse: Overconfidence vs. Market Efficiency in the National Football League Draft by Cade Massey (Fuqua School of Business, Duke University) and Richard H. Thayer (Graduate School of Business, University of Chicago). It contends that lower draft picks are actually worth more. It has been mocked on ESPN.com's Page 2, but the basic point seems painfully obvious to me. Take the Seahawks for example, Darryl Tapp and Kelly Jennings will earn somewhere between $7 and $8 million combined over the next 4 years. Top pick, Mario Williams, will earn an average of $9 million per season for the next 6 years ($54 million total). For the Texans to get the same value for Williams as the Seahawks will from Tapp and Jennings, his contribution on the field needs to be worth about six or seven times as much as that of the Seahawks top two picks over the next four seasons.

Mario Williams contract initially has $21.75 million in guaranteed money that jumps to $26.5 million next spring with an option the Texans are expected to exercise. The contract also includes bonuses, incentives and escalators totalling $8.1 million, which would make the deal reach $62.1 million over 6 years. Williams will make $47.25 million over the first four years of the deal before any bonuses. Between $5 and $6 million of the $7 or $8 million Jennings and Tapp will receive over the next four years should be guaranteed money. Len Pasquarelli details the specifics of Mario Williams contract (ESPN.com Insider is required to view the article).

The Seattle Seahawks Select Mario Williams...

What would the Seahawks have done with the first pick in the NFL draft? The Houston Texans certainly drew a lot of criticism when they selected defensive end Mario Williams with the #1 overall pick in this year's NFL draft, passing over running back Reggie Bush. I am part of the group that thinks the Texans made the right move, and I think the Seahawks would have made the same choice.

I might argue that Houston should have taken a look at LT D'Brickashaw Ferguson to protect David Carr, but Gary Kubiak wants to install a zone-blocking scheme like the one that was so successful in Denver, and the unit is more important than any individual. Kubiak grabbed two offensive lineman at the top of the third round and he should be able to get those guys to perform.

The five most important positions on a football team are quarterback, left tackle, defensive end, cornerback, and wide receiver. The Texans already have QB David Carr, WR Andre Johnson, and CB Dunta Robinson, all taken with top ten draft picks. DE Mario Williams should give them the fourth piece of the five part foundation of a football team.

The Texans have an underrated, dynamic running back in Domanick Davis. In 3 years, Davis has 36 starts with the Texans. He was slowed and missed five games with a knee injury last year. Despite that and playing behind a bad offensive line, Davis has amassed 3,195 yards and 23 touchdowns on the ground. He is also a threat in the passing game with 154 receptions for an additional 1,276 yards and 5 touchdowns. In short, the Texans do not really need Reggie Bush as long as Davis bounces back from his knee injury.

Second-year player Vernand Morency is also on the roster. The 24-year-old was taken near the top of the third-round and has the potential and skills as a runner and receiver to eventually be a starting caliber back in the NFL. They added Antowain Smith this offseason as well. Smith is not special, but has started 11 games the past two seasons in fill-in duty for two last place teams, the Titans and Saints. He averaged 4.3 yards per carry with 815 yards and 5 touchdowns in his starts (1,383 yards and 7 touchdowns total). The team could still trade for Michael Bennett (Saints) or re-sign Jonathan Wells (still a free agent) before the season. In the four games Wells saw significant action last year, he had 393 total yards and 4 touchdowns. In 2004, he had 210 yards and 2 touchdowns in two games.

The Seahawks would have been in a similar situation with MVP Shaun Alexander and capable backup Maurice Morris on the roster, and defensive end as one of the team's biggest needs for the future. Mario Williams would have been a perfect addition to a defensive line that prides itself on having the league's best pass-rush. As the next few months unfold, the Texans might look even smarter. If you have read the details of the New Era Sports & Entertainment scandal, you know that Reggie Bush is not the good guy he projects to the public. If anything he is a master of managing his image.

The Saints are probably in for a holdout from Reggie Bush. It could be short, but it looks like it has all the makings of a drawn out ordeal with Bush demanding more money than Mario Williams. Bush should be great, but he will have difficulty in the NFL cutting back against the speed he will face from every defensive player. His small frame might not be up for the beating of regular duty in the NFL either. He held up in college, but also played alongside LenDale White who got the tough yards and goal-line carries. Bush is an electrifying player and will put fans in the stands, but Kubiak and Houston want to win, and Mario Williams was the smarter choice.

Seahawks Offensive Line Ranked #1

Gregg Rosenthal of Rotoworld.com ranks the Seattle offensive line as the best in the NFL despite the loss of Steve Hutchinson. I am not sure they are the best unit in the league, but they are certainly one of the best. He says that "Seattle had more success running to the right side behind Sean Locklear and Chris Gray last season." I do not want to make it a habit to criticize someone that praises the Seahawks, but that is not a smart thing to say. No one in their right mind should think anyone did a better job run-blocking last year than the duo of Walter Jones and Steve Hutchinson.

Strictly by the numbers, on a per play basis, the Seahawks did better going to the right than they did to the left, as indicated by Football Outsider's breakdown by lineman. KC Joyner also recognized Sean Locklear as the league's best run-blocker last season (ESPN Insider required).

The numbers are obviously influenced by a number of things, such as the insistence on running to the left-side when the Seahawks needed a yard or two. Even when converting on third and short it would hurt the average yards per play. With defenses keying on the left-side, it makes sense that the Seahawks would catch them off guard and break some long runs to the right or that defenses would be overcompensating for the strong left-side and the right would be more vulnerable.

Overall, Rosenthal does make a good point that the right-side was also very good. Hutchinson will be missed, but the depth of the line will soften the impact a great deal, and Seattle will once again have one of the league's best offensive lines. A more balanced line could lead to a less predictable offense that might keep defenses guessing.

Seahawks Fans Becoming Patriot Fans?

We all know the Patriot fans that go crazy anytime anyone has anything negative to say about the New England Patriots. Saying that Miami might win the division or anything short of proclaiming the Patriots the inevitable champions has the Pats fans up in arms and clamoring about being disrespected. It is getting dangerously close to the point where you could replace "New England" with "Seattle" and "Patriots" with "Seahawks" in the above sentences. Every writer, analyst, and expert is picking the Seahawks to win the division. They say it might be closer than last year, and they are probably right. Does anyone really think the most likely scenario is the Seahawks winning the division by 7 games again? I have not heard anything short of the Seahawks being at least one of the top contenders in the NFC.

Seahawks fans need to get used to the idea that people think we are good. Everyone does not have to pick the Seahawks to win the Super Bowl or even the NFC. There is a good chance we will not do either. Do I want us to? Yes. Is the team good enough to? Yes. But so are a handful of other teams and someone can pick another team without it being disrespectful and negative.

We are actually getting to be worse than the Patriot fans. The Seahawks did not win a playoff game for 20 years before last year and earned the right to be looked at as the team that perennially disappoints. Things are changing now that they finally got it done, but if they do not perform this year, people will think last year was a fluke. The Seahawks need to consistently win in the playoffs if they want to stop being overlooked - if we only win playoff games every 20 years, then we will always be the forgotten team. The Patriots at least earned the right to complain when someone did not pick them to win it all by winning 3 Super Bowls in 4 years.

Would it be stupid and disrespectful for someone to pick the Seahawks to miss the playoffs? Yes, but no one is doing that. Let's not become like the annoying Patriot fans, at least not until we win a couple of Super Bowls or at least win playoff games at a better rate than once every 20 years.

Matt Hasselbeck on MSN's FOX Sports Video

Matt's hustle back (FSN Northwest Video)
"Seahawks QB Matt Hasselbeck discusses his excitement for the upcoming season. Plus, hear how his offseason was different following a trip to the Super Bowl."

He discusses Nate Burleson, minicamp, the offensive line without Hutch, and the shorter offseason. Nothing too exciting, but worth a look.


Holmes-y the Clown
It is not related to the Seahawks, but I found Santonio Holmes attitude toward Ben Roethlisberger as disconcerting as his arrests. Roethlisberger (as quoted by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) on Santonio Holmes:

"I gave him my numbers, told him to call me, and when he got into trouble, I called him a bunch of time and left a bunch of messages for him, and he has never called me back, so I don't know how to take it.
"If he wants me to help him and wants me to take him under my wing, I'll do that, but it is his call, now, not mine. The ball is in his court, so to speak, but I think he'll be OK and, hopefully, he'll get to camp and get his head screwed on straight."

Team Preview: Kansas City Chiefs

The Seahawks will play their old AFC West rivals starting with a Week 8 trip to Arrowhead. The road games against Kansas City and Denver figure to be some of the toughest on the schedule. The two teams combined to go 15-1 at home last year.

Kansas City Chiefs (10-6)
The Herm Edwards era begins in Kansas City this season. He is a good coach, but Edwards might get a little too much credit for taking the Jets to the playoffs three of his five years in New York. He was 19-13 in his first two seasons after taking over the team that Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick built, but then went 20-28 in his final three years with two losing seasons. The team was 29-19 the three years before he took over in 2001, and had not had a losing season since 1996. He will benefit equally from inheriting the offense Dick Vermeil and Al Saunders assembled. However, it will be up to Edwards to improve a troubled Kansas City defense.

The offense should be fine with Larry Johnson and Trent Green leading the way even without Priest Holmes, but they might miss offensive coordinator Al Saunders (Washington). Johnson scored 17 touchdowns and averaged a ridiculous 150 rushing yards over the final nine games last season after taking over as the starter. If he kept that pace up for an entire season he would finish with over 2,400 yards and 30 touchdowns. Trent Green is no slouch, throwing for over 4,000 yards the past three seasons. The receiving corps is led by all-world TE Tony Gonzalez, but they have a questionable group of wide receivers, led by Eddie Kennison, Samie Parker, and Dante' Hall. The departure of Marc Boerigter (Green Bay) and Chris Horn (New Orleans) make an already weak unit even weaker. With QB Todd Collins following Al Saunders to Washington, the situation behind the 36-year-old Trent Green is scary with 33-year-old journeyman Damon Huard and injury-prone rookie Brodie Croyle as the only other options.

The success on offense starts up front where Kansas City has arguably the best offensive line in the league. LT Willie Roaf, RG Will Shields, and LG Brian Waters are all perennial pro-bowl selections. Age and health is a conern. Roaf (36) missed six games last year with hamstring trouble and Shields (35) seriously considered retiring due to back pain, but they talked each other into returning for at least one more year. C Casey Wiegmann (33) and RT Josh Welbourn (33) are both getting up there in years as well, but if everyone stays healthy, no line is better than this unit. Injuries forced Gonzalez to stay in and block last year, hurting his production. FB Ronnie Cruz has some big shoes to fill with FB Tony Richardson leaving for Minnesota.

The real concern for this team is the defense, a unit that ranked 25th overall and 30th against the pass last season, hardly the improvement they expected after finishing 31st overall and dead last against the pass in 2004. Gunther Cunningham is in his third season since taking over as defensive coordinator, a postion he also held from 1995-1998 before a two-year stint as the Chiefs head coach and three years as an assitant head coach in Tennessee. His units have not produced the results Derrick Thomas, Neil Smith, James Hasty, and Dale Carter did for Cunningham and the Chiefs in the late '90s, but he is hoping that changes this year. However, the addition of CB Patrick Surtain, SS Sammy Knight, and LB Kendrell Bell did not fetch the desired results last year. The Chiefs signed some less-heralded defense players this offseason, and CB Lenny Walls (Denver) figures to start. CB Ty Law (New York Jets) remains a possibility, but the biggest addition to this point is rookie DE Tamba Hali (Penn State) who should help out a pass-rush that only generated 29 sacks last season. The Chiefs also released starter CB Eric Warfield (New England), so maybe they are hoping for some addition by subtraction.

The Chiefs will have a high-powered offense, but the defense could struggle again. The tackling effort against Tiki Barber and the Giants in Week 15 essentially cost them a playoff spot in 2005. Barber benefited from repeatedly horrendous attempts at tackling (if you could call it that) and ended up with a team-record 220 yards on 29 carries. At least five Chiefs missed tackles on a 41-yard Barber touchdown run, and Sammy Knight let Amani Toomer slip away for a 31-yard score after having both arms on him.

The loss of Tony Richardson and Al Saunders, the backup quarterback situation, and the health of the offensive line are all legitimate concerns on offense, but improvement on defense should be the focus of the Chiefs. It will be necessary if Kansas City wants to make the playoffs with good Denver and San Diego teams also in the division. This aging Chiefs team needs to get it done this year because time is running out for a lot of the key players on the roster.

Key Additions: DE Tamba Hali (R), CB Lenny Walls (DEN), DT Ron Edwards (BUF), DT James Reed (NYJ)
Key Losses: OC Al Saunders (WAS), FB Tony Richardson (MIN), QB Todd Collins (WAS), WR Chris Horn (NO), WR Marc Boerigter (GB), Eric Warfield (NE), LB Shawn Barber (PHI)

Is Ty Law the Next Nate Odomes?

People who really want us to sign Ty Law should remember Nate Odomes. Only true Seahawks fans will, but fans in Buffalo certainly remember him. He made the key interception on a pass from Warren Moon in "The Comeback" during overtime to set up the game winning field goal. It was during the 1992 Playoffs when Frank Reich led Buffalo to an overtime win after trailing the Houston Oilers 35-3 (the largest comeback in NFL history). Buffalo went on to win the next two games and make it to the third of their four consecutive Super Bowl appearances.

It was not as if Odomes only made one great play for Buffalo. He had 26 career interceptions, and 19 in his final three years in Buffalo. In 1993, Odomes co-led the NFL with a career-high 9 interceptions. He went to the pro bowl in both 1992 and 1993 and played in four Super Bowls for the AFC East Buffalo Bills. That doesn't sound like Ty Law at all, does it?

He signed with the Seahawks following the 1993 season when he was 28. The Seahawks gave him a big contract and he was injured in the preseason two straight seasons, got paid, but never played a down for the Seahawks. He played one more year in 1996 for the Falcons in which he only appeared in 7 games and did not record an interception, then retired.

Ty Law is an above-average corner and certainly improves the defense in the short-term, but his level of play could decline quickly or the 32-year-old could easily get injured. He is also a me-first player. He is not an obnoxious locker-room cancer, but the two most important things to him are his money and earning a spot in the Hall of Fame. The team is third at best. Law has always been a risk-taker and he will gamble wherever he is next year, getting more interceptions and padding his career numbers, but also getting burned more. Part of the reason he got 10 interceptions last year was that people threw at him a lot.

If we sign Ty Law and are unable to re-sign Marcus Trufant or Ken Hamlin because of it, where does that leave our secondary in terms of covering the young Arizona receivers for the next 5 or 6 years when Ty Law has retired?

Glad Bengals are Not Seahawks

This time of year is very slow for football news and it has been especially dead surrounding the Seahawks. We could not be luckier. Imagine if you were a Cincinnati Bengals fan. In the future, Bengals Orange might refer to the orange prison jumpsuits many players could be wearing instead of the orange Bengals jerseys.

It started in December for the Bengals when last year's third-round pick WR Chris Henry was arrested for possession of marijuana. Henry pled guilty and spent 28 days in a drug rehab program. He has been arrested a total of four times in the past seven months. In a January incident outside an Orlando night club, he was charged with possession of a concealed firearm, a third-degree felony in Florida, punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine. Herny kept things going on June 3 when he was charged with speeding and operating a vehicle under the influence (OVI), registering a .092 blood alcohol level. He was arrested again in mid-June for an April incident in Kentucky in which he allegedly provided alcohol to three women aged 18, 16, and 15. The 18-year-old initially accused Henry of rape, but later confessed it was consensual sex after inconsistencies in her story. Henry has been ordered to avoid alcohol and to have no contact with minors or his bond will be revoked and he will be jailed. His trial date is set for September 26, two days after an important Week 3 game against division-rival Pittsburgh.

Rookie LB A.J. Nicholson, the Bengals' fifth-round pick out of Florida State, was also charged with a crime on June 3. His offense was grand theft and vandalism. He was held in jail while awaiting an appearance before a judge. Nicholson and Fred Rouse (recently dismissed from the Florida State football program) are accused of breaking into the apartment of former teammate Lorenzo Booker, the current Florida State running back. $1,700 worth of electronic equipment is missing, and blood was found at the scene where the burglar broke a window. Rouse confessed to the crime and stated that Nicholson cut his hand breaking the window to gain access to the apartment. Blood was also found on the front doorknob of the nearby home of Nicholson's girlfriend. Florida State had previously suspended Nicholson in late-December and sent him home from the Orange Bowl after he allegedly sexually assaulted a woman at the team hotel, although no charges were ever filed. Last summer he pled no contest to a DUI charge from February 2005. A June 2005 charge of resisting arrest was dropped by the state attorney's office. Florida State did not suspend him following either of those charges.

It does not stop there as the Bengals' third-round pick, DE Frostee Rucker was charged with two counts of spousal battery and vandalism on June 20. The charges stem from an alleged fight between Rucker and his girlfriend in late August at USC. His girlfriend reports a history of abuse. Some of her friends followed the couple after a disagreement and allegedly viewed the fight, then encouraged her to report the incident. Rucker was charged with rape when he was 13 by an 11-year-old. The case was thrown out when several "character" witnesses stood up for him including someone saying he had potential to play football at the collegiate level. He was also accused of sexually assaulting a fellow student-athlete at Colorado State as well as exposing himself to another female during a class. That is what led him to join USC after being dismissed from Colorado State. The Bengals knew of the incident and possible charges when they drafted him in April.

If you thought that was all, nope. The Bengals' 2005 second-round pick Odell Thurman has been suspended for four games for a violation of the NFL's substance abuse policy, which means he has violated the policy 3 times since he was drafted one-year ago. The middle-linebacker was one of five finalists for 2005 rookie-of-the-year. Seahawks' middle-linebacker Lofa Tatupu was also up for the award, which went to RB Cadillac Williams of Tampa Bay. The Seahawks took MLB Tatupu with the the 45th overall pick, and Thurman went 48th overall to Cincinnati. Many people considered Tatupu a reach, but it looks like the Seahawks got the better end of that deal by picking a solid person and good leader.

The latest news on Odell Thurman comes on the heels of the Bengals selecting LB/DE Ahmad Brooks from Virginia in the supplemental draft; giving up a third-round pick in 2007 to acquire him. Brooks was known as an lazy, underachiever and had ballooned up to 286 pounds at one point. He was dismissed from the Virginia football team by coach Al Groh for repeated violations of unspecified team rules, and reportedly failed several drug tests. He has trimmed down to 260 and his agent claims his client has successfully passed five independently administered drug tests in the past three months.

Cincinnati has turned into a complete joke of a franchise at this point. They now have off-the-field problems with their 2nd and 3rd round picks last year, and their 3rd and 5th round picks this year. Why should they think Ahmad Brooks will be any different? When Thurman comes back from his suspension, they are going to line-up two guys with a history of failed drug tests next to each other. Nicholson is also a part of that line-backing corps. Brooks might also play defensive end in pass-rush situations, the same position as Rucker. I wonder if anyone will be violating a directive not to associate with known felons during games or practices. All of the players could be subject to suspension under the NFL's personal conduct policy.

Tim Ruskell's insistence on high-character players becomes increasingly comforting on a nearly daily basis when you hear about other teams' picks being arrested. Maybe that will help us avoid wasted picks like Koren Robinson in the future. I am happy to be a Seahawks fan right now and we should be glad that the last couple of weeks have been relatively news-free because most of it is not good at this time of year.

Shaun Alexander Wins Two ESPYs

Shaun Alexander won the ESPYs for Best NFL Player and Best Record Breaking Performance. The event took place tonight, but will not air on ESPN until Sunday at 6pm PST. He beat out Peyton Manning, LaDanian Tomlinson, Brian Urlacher, and Steve Smith for Best NFL Player. He was up against Ben Roethlisberger (youngest QB to win Super Bowl), Mike Metzger (125 foot Back Flip over fountains at Caesar's Palace), and Kalen Pimentel (18 strike outs in Little League World Series) for Best Record Breaking Performance.

While in L.A. for the ESPYs, Roethlisberger, in his first interview since the June 12 accident, told ESPN that he was told by people at the scene, "...that I was literally seconds, maybe a minute away from dying because I slit a vein or artery in my mouth or my throat and it was draining blood right into my stomach and luckily the paramedic noticed it and stopped it or else I would have had too much blood in my stomach."

ESPY Host Lance Armstrong won Best Male Athlete, which Alexander was also nominated for along with LeBron James, Albert Pujols, and Vince Young. Bill Cowher won Best Coach/Manager and the Steelers won Best Team. Antwan Randel El was up for the GMC Professional Grade Award for his touchdown pass in the Super Bowl.

Alexander will be the featured guest on Jim Rome is Burning tomorrow on ESPN at 1:30pm PST. NFL Network is also showing the Seahawks Road to the Super Bowl and the NFC Championship Game tonight at 8pm and 9pm PST, respectively.

Seahawks Schedule for Microsoft Outlook

Given that Paul Allen co-founded Microsoft, it is not a surprise that the Seahawks have made their schedule available to import into Microsoft Outlook. If you want to import it into your calender, then you can follow the intructions below (duplicated from the Seahawks site) or follow the link above.

1. Click here to download the 2006 Seahawks schedule.
2. When prompted to Open the file or Save it, click on Save and save the file to your computer.
3. In Outlook, click on the File menu, then click on Import and Export.
4. Select Import an iCalendar or vCalendar file (.vcs), then click Next.
5. Click to select the vCalendar file that you saved in step 2 (Schedule2006.ics), and then click Open.

Shaun Alexander Doesn't Miss AFC West

Shaun Alexander is in Denver to promote his new book, Touchdown Alexander. When asked if he misses the AFC West he told the Denver Post, "Not at all. I had two years in that thing. Get us outta there! It was like, you get geared up to play the Broncos, and then the next week it was the Raiders. And then the next week it was the Chargers, and then the Chiefs. These boys hit every week." It might feel a little bit like the old days for Alexander and the Seahawks this season as they play all of their former AFC West foes. However, Kansas City and Oakland do not have the defenses they once did. There is also a rumor that former San Diego linebacker Junior Seau, could return to the AFC West for Oakland if he does not retire.

Accurately Remembering the Past

Mike Holmgren is an excellent head coach. He joined the Packers in 1992 and went 9-7 in his first season, just missing the playoffs with a team that was 4-12 the previous season. He then won at least one playoff game in five consecutive seasons (1993-1997), something only John Madden has also accomplished. He took the Packers to the Super Bowl the final two years of that stretch, winning one of them. Now that he has taken the Seahawks to the Super Bowl, the general sentiment is that he did something similar in Seattle which is simply not the case.

Mike Holmgren has been with the Seahawks for 7 years, but he did not execute a well-thought out plan to get his players in place and make a run for the Super Bowl. Holmgren took over a better team in Seattle than he did in Green Bay. The Packers were 10-22 the two years before Holmgren, Seattle was 16-16. The official record of the Seahawks was 8-8 in 1998, but the team would have been at least 9-7 if not for a Vinny Testaverde "touchdown" on a run where he did not even make it to the one-yard line (this play was later used to advocate reinstatement of instant reply in the NFL). The team would have been 9-6, and fighting for a playoff spot in the final week of the season against a Denver team that had already wrapped up home-field-advantage. However, at 8-7, they were already statistically eliminated, so the game was meaningless for both teams and Seattle was extremely deflated knowing that the Testaverde call cost them a chance at the team's first playoff appearance since 1988. If not for the bad call it is likely the Seahawks would have defeated the Broncos (who had nothing to play for), finished 10-6 and gone to the playoffs. Dennis Erickson would not have been fired, and consequently Holmgren would not been hired.

Mike Holmgren proceeded to take the Seahawks to playoffs in his first season, going 9-7. However, you could argue that he did worse than the possible 10-6 record the previous season. The 1999 team was also mostly made up of Erickson's guys and they started the season 8-2. Holmgren backed the team into the playoffs going 1-5 down the stretch. He then led the team to a 6-10 record in 2000, the worst season since Tom Flores was head coach. Holmgren did not make it to the playoffs in either of the next two seasons either. He had amassed a 31-33 record in his first four years, identical to Erickson's (not correcting for the Testaverde call). If it was not for what he had done in San Francisco and Green Bay, Holmgren probably would have been fired as well. Erickson actually did better than Holmgren considering the team was 16-32 in the three seasons before he got there, Ken Behring was trying to move the team, and the Kingdome was falling apart. It was Erickson that revived football in Seattle.

Holmgren can blame some of his struggles on his GM, himself. He was relieved of his Executive Vice President/General Manager duties following the 2002 season. He certainly can coach, but he had several failures as General Manager. It was Dennis Erickson that drafted the Seahawks best player, Walter Jones. It was Mike Holmgren that could not come to terms with him in 2002 leading him to miss the first two games of the season (both losses) and the team finished 7-9. Erickson also drafted Joey Galloway who had 4,122 receiving yards and 41 touchdowns in his four seasons under Erickson. It was under Holmgren that he held out for 101 days in 1999 and then left the team. It was Erickson that drafted Anthony Simmons and brought in Chad Brown for their productive seasons in Seattle, but under Holmgren that they were re-signed to contracts that led them to be released in cap moves.

With six first-round choices in his first four seasons, Holmgren drafted Lamar King, Chris McIntosh, and Koren Robinson. He also drafted Shaun Alexander, Steve Hutchinson, and Jerramy Stevens. Three picks were busts and Stevens was not a regular starter until his fourth season. For comparison, Erickson had five first-rounder picks in his four years with the team: Joey Galloway, Pete Kendall, Shawn Springs, Walter Jones, and Anthony Simmons. Jones and Springs both went to the pro bowl with the Seahawks, Galloway was an alternate twice. Kendall has been a regular starter all 10 of his seasons (5 with Seattle) in the NFL and is still starting (for the Jets). Simmons started for the Seahawks for several seasons and had 361 tackles in his first three seasons as a starter (his 2nd-4th seasons in the league).

Many people now equate Holmgren's trade for Matt Hasselbeck to the move to pick up Brett Favre. Holmgren should definitely be credited with developing Brett Favre, but it was GM Ron Wolf that brought him to Green Bay. Wolf wanted to draft him the previous season with the Jets (where he was GM in 1991), but Favre was taken by the Falcons one pick earlier. The next year, Wolf (as new GM in Green Bay) made a deal with Atlanta for Favre, but he failed a physical due to a degenerative hip condition. Wolf overruled the doctors and went through with the trade anyway. Part of the reason Holmgren left Green Bay was to show he could be successful without Wolf, which backfired when he struggled as the GM of the Seahawks.

Favre was successful in Green Bay in his first season with 18 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. He went 8-5 as the starter after Don Majkowski was injured in the third game (Favre won that game as well, but did not start). So it was an injury that actually led Holmgren to put in Favre. I am not discrediting what Holmgren and Favre did together, but Holmgren did not make the decision bring Favre to Green Bay or make him the starter (until after an injury).

It was Holmgren who decided to bring Matt Hasselbeck to Seattle and make him the starter. Hasselbeck is certainly an excellent quarterback now, but Holmgren probably rushed to make him the starter in 2001 when he went 5-7 as a starter with 7 touchdowns and 8 interceptions forcing Holmgren to turn to Trent Dilfer. Hasselbeck was only reappointed as starter in 2002 after Dilfer was injured and the Seahawks went 7-9 that year. Holmgren was trying to force Hasselbeck to be an immediate success like Brett Favre. Things eventually worked out, but it took some time and that was not Holmgren’s plan. Holmgren had two losing seasons and zero playoff victories in his first six years with the team.

Mike Holmgren was also responsible for the cap problems caused by Chad Brown, Anthony Simmons, Bobby Taylor, and Koren Robinson (who was a disaster in general). Tim Ruskell entered; Brown, Simmons, Taylor, and Robinson all exited. The team then signed Bryce Fisher, Kelly Herndon, Andre Dyson, Chuck Darby and Joe Jurevicius. Ruskell added Lofa Tatupu and Leroy Hill in the draft, as well as Chris Spencer and Ray Willis. All of a sudden the defense was good and the team was in better shape with the salary cap with depth along the offensive line for the future. It was also Ruskell that released Chris Terry, re-signed Robbie Tobeck and kept Chris Gray from signing with San Francisco. The 13-3 record, two playoff victories, and Super Bowl appearance might have more to do with Ruskell.

Holmgren was never able to put together a team in Seattle that won a playoff game. The team that made the playoffs in 1999 was mostly made of players Erickson and Whitsitt put together. Holmgren did not make it back to playoffs again until 2003 when Bob Ferguson took over his duties as GM. Marcus Trufant, Ken Hamlin, Seneca Wallace, Marcus Tubbs, Michael Boulware, and Sean Locklear were all drafted under Ferguson. Holmgren is a great coach to be sure, but he has only been successful with someone more capable as General Manager (Wolf, Ferguson, Ruskell).

We can be happy with where the team is now and the coaching job Mike Holmgren is doing without giving him false credit for the past or pretending our recent success was the result of Holmgren being patient while putting all of the pieces in place in his first six years.

It was Erickson that took a last place Seahawks team and restored them to respectability during the most tumultuous period in team history. We will never know, but if not for the Testaverde call, Erickson could have been 10-6 and made the playoffs in 1998. Where would the team be now if he was given 7 more seasons to build the team? We might not have made it to the Super Bowl, but we might have won a playoff game before 2006.

Qwest Field to Add Comprehensive Display System

The Seahawks and Qwest Field have a deal with LG CNS Co. (a South Korean systems integration company) for a comprehensive display system to be installed by March 2007. The company will reportedly provide 400 square meters of commerical LED screens for the outer walls, the VIP lounge and the lobby. They will also install 100 plasma and liquid crystal screens throughout the stadium. Qwest Field is already one of the nicest in the league and this upgrade will give it a state-of-the-art video system. The team also recently announced plans for a 200,000 square foot, state-of-the-art training facility overlooking Lake Washington to be ready in the summer of 2008. It will be interesting to see what Peter Callaghan thinks of the new video system.

NFC South Preview

Finishing Order
1) Carolina Panthers
2) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
3) Atlanta Falcons
4) New Orleans Saints

Carolina certainly looks like the team to beat on paper. They may not be as good as everyone thinks they will be and Tampa Bay did win the division last year. However, the experience of Jake Delhomme over Chris Simms and the talent on the offensive should make the difference. If not, then the schedule might with Tampa Bay playing Seattle and Chicago. It could even keep the Bucs from making the playoffs with three strong teams in the NFC East. Atlanta collapsed down the stretch last year and that negative momentum might carry into this season. They also face a brutal schedule this December and it is hard to think they stand a chance if Michael Vick remains as inconsistent as he has been in the past. The undersized defensive line does not help either. New Orleans is probably better than most people think, but the problems with the offensive line, defensive tackles, and linebackers should ensure they finish last in a tough division.

Team Preview: New Orleans Saints

New Orleans Saints (3-13)
It is easy to dismiss the Saints after last year's performance. However, it was the team's first losing season since 2001, when they went 7-9. New Orleans had a lot to deal with last season due to Hurricane Katrina, and injuries to Deuce McAllister and Joe Horn didn't help the situation. The Saints did not really have a home field, and it showed with the league's worst home record, 1-7. The Saints return to the Superdome this year and have sold nearly 55,000 season tickets (a new club record). They will be looking to put 2005 behind them and a new head coach, starting quarterback, and electrifying playmaker with help. Sean Payton has been cleaning house and it will probably take at least another offseason to get all of the pieces in place.

The offense boasts one of the most impressive groups of players at the skill positions in the NFL. They added Drew Brees (San Diego) to replace Aaron Brooks (Oakland); they also added Jamie Martin (St. Louis) to back him up. It is hard to judge the seriousness of Drew Brees' shoulder injury. San Diego may have let him go because of concerns over it, but it also provided them with a convenient opportunity to get Philip Rivers and his $40.5 million contract off the bench. Reggie Bush (USC) and Michael Bennett (Minnesota) join Deuce McAllister in the backfield, and they still have Joe Horn and Donte' Stallworth at receiver. Bennett could be traded as soon as Bush signs and McAllister shows he is fully recovered from his torn ACL. The team sill has Aaron Stecker as a capable third running back. Stallworth could also be on his way out because of his attitude, but he was one of the only bright spots on the Saints' offense last year leading the team in yards from scrimmage with 240 more yards than any other player. TE Zach Hilton (6'8") is reportedly an underrated pass-catcher, and Brees will try to turn him into the next Antonio Gates, but he might have preferred TE Boo Williams (New York Giants).

The glaring problem with the offense is the line. LeCharles Bentley (Cleveland) is one of the league's best centers and was the best offensive lineman to change teams this offseason after Steve Hutchinson. The Saints also gave LT Wayne Gandy to Atlanta in a trade. They clearly feel Gandy can no longer play, but they did not do much to replace him or Bentley. 2005 first-round pick Jamaal Brown played well at right tackle as a rookie and he will fill the hole at left tackle. They signed the guy Bentley is replacing in Cleveland, C Jeff Faine, but he is big downgrade. RG Jermane Mayberry went to the pro bowl in 2002, but his best years are behind him. They need to replace Brown at right tackle and it is unclear if Jon Stinchcomb will be up to the task after missing 2005 with a knee injury. They have some talent on this line, but all the changes will hurt the continuity. The Saints could not pass on Reggie Bush, but OT D'Brickashaw Ferguson might have helped this team more in the short-term with McAllister and Bennett already on the roster.

The defense has problems of its own on the line, but it has nothing to do with DE Darren Howard leaving for Philadelphia. DE Will Smith is a star on the rise and has 16 sacks over first two seasons. On the other side they have DE Charles Grant who had 27.5 sacks in his first three seasons before an off-year in 2005 (2.5 sacks). With Howard gone, both will play more. The problem is with the tackles. Sean Payton shipped the sixth overall pick of the 2003 draft, DT Jonathan Sullivan, to New England for WR Bethel Johnson. Sullivan was an underachieving menace and lived up to his reputation almost immediately with New England. Twenty days after being traded he was pulled over for running two stops signs. When asked if he had any weapons, Sullivan handed the police officer a hand gun. He was charged with a seat belt violation, running the stop signs, playing loud music and possession of marijuana. The team is better off without Sullivan, but that does not make them any better on the interior of the defensive line.

The linebackers are not good either. Payton sent MLB Courtney Watson to Buffalo for fourth-string TE Tim Euhus. Watson was no longer welcome in New Orleans for the same reasons as Sullivan. He was charged with a DWI last October; he had a beer bottle in his cupholder and was "combative" according to the police report. Like Sullivan it is a case of addition by subtraction. Anthony Simmons could start for them after being out of football last year. WLB Scott Fujita (Dallas) is with his third team in as many years and they are trying to move Colby Bockwoldt to the middle. If that doesn't work, then last year's fifth-round pick Alfred Fincher will play middle linebacker and Bockwoldt will stay on the strongside putting Simmons on the bench. They also added Joe Vitt (the interim head coach in St. Louis) as the new linebackers coach and LB Tommy Polley (St. Louis) who might start. The secondary is not bad. They are set at safety with Dwight Smith, Josh Bullocks, Bryan Scott (Atlanta), and Jay Bellamy. CB Mike McKenzie is the best player in the secondary, but CB Fred Thomas leaves something to be desired.

New Orleans needs to fix the problems with the offensive line before they can be successful on offense. Drew Brees did well behind a less than stellar line in San Diego, but this line is worse. The weakness of the defense up the middle will not help them stop anyone from running the football, especially in their own division and in the games against the NFC East and AFC North this season. This will be a rebuilding year for Payton and they should finish last in the division. However, the team is moving in the right direction and could be pretty solid in the near future.

Key Additions: QB Drew Brees (SD), RB Reggie Bush (R), QB Jamie Martin (STL), RB Michael Bennett (MIN), LB Scott Fujita (DAL), LB Tommy Polley (STL), FS Bryan Scott (ATL)
Key Losses: OC LeCharles Bentley (CLE), QB Aaron Brooks (OAK), OT Wayne Gandy (ATL), DE Darren Howard (PHI), RB Antowain Smith (HOU), DT Jonathan Sullivan (NE), LB Courtney Watson (BUF), TE Boo Williams (NYG)

Team Preview: Atlanta Falcons

Atlanta Falcons (8-8)
The Falcons have missed the playoffs every other year since the team drafted Michael Vick in 2001. Vick is looking for another successful even numbered year, but Atlanta will always struggle with consistency as long as he is the starting quarterback. Matt Schaub is not a playmaker like Vick, but #7 is anything but consistent and the Falcons never know what they are going to get. The Falcons should be better this year, but it is hard to know if they can keep up with Carolina and Tampa Bay. It will largely depend on how Vick performs in the big games. He came up with two horrible performances in key road games at Carolina and Chicago last December when they were in a tight race for the division lead. He threw two interceptions in each game with no touchdowns and completed less than 50% (48.6% and 40.6%) of his passes, finishing with passer ratings of 39.1 and 25.8, respectively. The Falcons benefited in 2002 and 2004 from easier schedules due to sub-par finishes in 2001 and 2003, which might help again after finishing third in the division in 2005.

Some of Vick's struggles can be blamed on Atlanta not having a true #1 receiver, but it has not been because of a lack of looking. The Falcons thought the solution was Peerless Price, but it seems his success in Buffalo was due to Eric Moulds drawing double-coverage. The projected starters this season are 2005 first-round pick Roddy White and 2004 first-rounder Michael Jenkins. Vick and White have been working together all offseason and people expect a big year from him. If not, the blame might need to fall on Vick who only seems to be able to complete passes to Alge Crumpler. In Schaub's only start last season he was 18 of 34 for 298 yards with 3 touchdowns and no interceptions while filling in for an injured Vick. He led two fourth quarter touchdown drives and completed a 2-point conversion to tie the Patriots with 3:52 to go (after trailing 28-13 through three quarters). The defense allowed Brady to march down the field and Vinatieri kicked a game-winner with 17 seconds on the clock, but Schaub's performance showed what he might be capable of if given a chance.

Only New Orleans and St. Louis allowed more rushing yards in the NFC last year, but Atlanta hopes some new faces will correct that. MLB Ed Hartwell will be back from injury. They traded for FS Chris Crocker (Cleveland) and signed SS Lawyer Milloy (Buffalo) in free agency, so they should be much stronger up the middle in theory. However, no one in the NFL besides Houston was worse against the run in 2005 than Cleveland and Buffalo. The addition of Jon Abraham (New York Jets) will help the pass-rush. However, the 258-pound Abraham joins a defensive line with no starters over 300 pounds, making it difficult to stop the run at the line of scrimmage. LB Keith Brooking is a tackling machine, but he is not a run-stuffer. The secondary should be solid with the new safeties and CB DeAngelo Hall. Jimmy Williams (Virginia Tech) was a steal in the second-round and might have been the most physically gifted corner-back in this year's draft class. If he does not have any behavior problems, he will benefit from having fellow Virginia Tech alum DeAngelo Hall as a mentor and should be a quality starter in the near future.

The running back situation is excellent with Warrick Dunn, T.J. Duckett, and third-round pick Jerious Norwood (Mississippi State). The offensive line took a shot when LT Kevin Shaffer signed a 7-year, $36 million contract with the Browns. The Saints basically gave away 35-year-old LT Wayne Gandy when they traded him to Atlanta for S Bryan Scott and a late-round 2007 draft pick. If Gandy could still play, they would not have traded him to a divisional rival. The only positive is that Michael Vick is left-handed, so Gandy will not be protecting his blindside. Atlanta has a chance to contend for a playoff spot, but it will depend on their ability to run effectively on offense and stop the run on defense. They will also need clutch performances from Vick in December if they are in the hunt. They play at Washington, at Tampa Bay, then Dallas and Carolina before closing at Philadelphia. Atlanta could be battling all of those teams for a playoff spot, and a repeat of last year's collapse down the stretch seems likely.

Key Additions: DE John Abraham (NYJ), FS Chris Crocker (CLE), SS Lawyer Milloy (BUF), CB Jimmy Williams (R), RB Jerious Norwood (R), OT Wayne Gandy (NO)
Key Losses: OT Kevin Shaffer (CLE)

Team Preview: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (11-5)
Tampa Bay lost their starting quarterback, Brian Griese, halfway through the season and still hung on to win the NFC South last year. Griese led the team to a 5-1 record before getting hurt and Chris Simms went 6-2 down the stretch after losing his first two starts. He should be a lot better this season after an offseason of preparing to be the starter. Jay Fiedler (New York Jets) is a capable backup if anything happens to Simms. Cadillac Williams was not at 100% in Simms first two starts as he was coming back from the hamstring injury he suffered in Week 4. Gruden overworked the rookie, feeding him the ball 88 times in the first three weeks including 37 carries in Week 3. He should have learned his lesson and would be wise to spell Cadillac with Michael Pittman more often this year.

The biggest weakness for Tampa Bay is their offensive line, but the group overachieved last season. All five starters return with RT Kenyatta Walker re-signing, and they should really benefit from the continuity. Gruden plugged in Anthony Davis at left tackle last season even though he was originally an undrafted free agent and had never started a game. He played well, but might have contributed to Gruden's tendency to run so much in the first three weeks with uncertainty protecting the the quarterback's blindside. Simms is left-handed, so the right-side is more important now and RG Sean Mahan and RT Kenyatta Walker were probably the two best lineman on the team last year. The Bucs know the line needs help and they took OG Davin Joseph (Oklahoma) and OT Jeremy Trueblood (Boston College) with their first and second-round picks. Joseph should start at some point this season, probably earlier than later. They also added OG Toniu Fonoti (Minnesota) and OT Torrin Tucker (Dallas) in free agency for depth. With four additions and five returning starters, they are definitely moving in the right direction.

Joey Galloway should get more help in the receiving department this year. Michael Clayton struggled with injuries and went through a sophomore slump last year, which is fairly common for receivers. He had a poor work ethic and carried some extra weight; both contributed to his various injuries. He slimmed down and has been a more regular participant with the team this offseason. He could easily bounce back and live up to the promise he showed as a rookie when he had 80 catches for 1,193 yards and 7 touchdowns despite not starting the first three games. The team got a big target with 6'4" Maurice Stovall (Notre Dame) in the third-round and also added the often-troubled WR David Boston (Miami).

Boston became obsessed with his body and added a detrimental amount of bulk after a brilliant start to his career. He was one of the most feared receivers in the league after grabbing 98 balls for 1,598 yards and 8 touchdowns in 2001 with Arizona. For those keeping score, that is more yards than Steve Smith had last season. A knee injury cut short his 2002 campaign, but did not stop him from signing a huge 7-year, $47 million free agent contract with San Diego prior to 2003. He was traded to Miami for a sixth-round pick after run-ins with Schottenheimer, but played well in 2003 with 70 receptions for 880 yards and 7 TDs in 14 games (Doug Flutie and a struggling Drew Brees were throwing to him). He suffered another knee injury and tested positive for steroids in 2004 with the Dolphins. He is trying to revive his career in Tampa Bay, which certainly worked out for fellow Ohio State alum Joey Galloway. No one expects Boston to return to his pro bowl form of 2001, but he could make an impact.

There is not much to talk about regarding Tampa Bay's defense. It is largely unchanged and will be one of the best in the league again with Derrick Brooks, Simeon Rice, and Ronde Barber leading the way. Age will eventually catch up to them (they are all over 30), but it does not look like it has yet. FS Dexter Jackson signed with Cincinnati, but he was not a special player. If they do not feel comfortable with FS Will Allen, Dwight Smith (New Orleans) is a very real trade possibility. New Orleans is looking to deal him and he spent his entire career in Tampa Bay before signing with the Saints last season. He returned two interceptions for touchdowns with Tampa Bay in Super Bowl XXXVII. Ironically, Dexter Jackson also had two interceptions and was the game's MVP. Jackson's interceptions impacted the game more as Smith returned both after Tampa Bay had already jumped out to a 27-3 lead.

Tampa Bay should look a lot like the team that finished strong last year behind the arm of youngster Chris Simms and the legs of Cadillac Williams. Simms struggled in big games at Texas, but he was decent last year against a good Washington defense in his first NFL playoff game. He did throw two interceptions, but he completed 65.8% of his passes and ran for a score in a tough 10-17 loss. The biggest difference from last season will be an improved offensive line and a more mature Chris Simms and Cadillac Williams. Considering they lost their starting quarterback midseason, Tampa Bay might have been even better than their 11-5 record last year. Simms inexperience is a valid reason for concern, but if he plays as well as he did last year, Tampa Bay could challenge Carolina for the division. Tampa Bay did go into Carolina in Week 14 last year and beat a Panther team with a healthy De'Shaun Foster 20-10. They do have a harder road with games against Seattle and Chicago (like the Giants), while Carolina gets St. Louis and Minnesota.

Key Additions: QB Jay Fiedler (NYJ), OG Davin Joseph (R), OT Jeremy Trueblood (R), OG Toniu Fonoti (MIN), OT Torrin Tucker (DAL), WR David Boston, WR Maurice Stovall (R)
Key Losses: QB Brian Griese (CHI), FS Dexter Jackson (CIN)

Team Preview: Carolina Panthers

Carolina Panthers (11-5)
Carolina should be one of the best teams in the NFL this season. However, they could likely face many of the same injury issues that have plagued them the past two years. Last season, the injuries did not catch up to the Panthers until the NFC Championship game, but they were a big part of the 7-9 season that followed the Super Bowl XXXVIII loss to the Patriots. If Carolina can avoid major injuries, they will be as tough to be as anyone in the league.

Last season, Steve Smith had one of the best years for a wide receiver in recent history. He would be hard pressed to repeat that performance, especially after defensive coordinators have had the entire offseason to come up with schemes to stop him. He was held to 34 or less yards six times last season (including the NFC Championship game), so that should give them somewhere to start. Smith racked up 903 yards in the first half of the season, but his production dropped off considerably to 660 yards for the final eight contests. Many people are expecting Keyshawn Johnson to free up Smith even more, but that might not be the case.

Steve Smith ranked first in both short and medium passes, but only 27th in deep passes. Keyshawn has always been slow and was near the bottom of NFL receivers with 11.8 yards per catch last year. Much of Smith's success came on short catches that he turned into long gains. Johnson actually allows opposing defenses to shade the safeties toward Smith because they do not have to worry about Keyshawn beating them deep. Steve Smith has the speed to be the deep threat, but that is not what he excelled at last season and his height can be a factor. A breakout season from the speedy Drew Carter (6'3") would help Smith more than the addition of Keyshawn. It will be interesting to see how Dan Henning uses the receivers and if there is enough room for the egos of both "Me-Shawn" and Smith.

The success of the team is largely tied to their success running the football. Keyshawn Johnson should make an impact in the running game where he excels as a down-field blocker. The offensive line has become one of the better units in the league. Former Green Bay Packer LG Mark Wahle (signed as a free agent last year) went to the pro bowl in his first season with the Panthers. RT Jordan Gross has lived up to expectations as the eighth overall pick in 2003. The Panthers added one of the league's better centers this offeseason when they signed Justin Hartwig (Tennessee). The only question mark is the unproven RG Evan Mathis who should replace RG Tuten Reyes (Buffalo). Delhomme should have time to pass behind this line, and they will open plenty of running lanes for the Panthers' backs.

De'Shaun Foster begins the year as the starter with Stephen Davis gone. Foster is extremely injury-prone and has missed time every season because of it. He sat out his entire 2002 rookie year due to injury as well as most of 2004. He broke his ankle in the playoff win at Chicago last year. First-round pick Deangelo Williams and converted fullback Nick Goings will back him up. Williams comes with his own durability issues. An MCL tear cut his sophomore season short and he broke his leg in the 2004 GMAC Bowl as a junior. He was overworked at Memphis, carrying the ball 623 times for 3,912 yards over his final two seasons, and he might take a beating in the NFL at 5'9", 214. Goings is more than capable if called upon, but changes the offense considerably. If Foster and Williams can stay healthy, the Panthers are in great shape, but to think they will is somewhat foolish.

The same can be said of DT Kris Jenkins. He has missed most of the past two seasons and might not be the player he was before the injuries. Even without Jenkins, the Panthers have one of the best defensive lines in the league. DT Maake Kemoeatu (Baltimore) joins DE Julius Peppers and DE Mike Rucker. The Panthers also added DT Damione Lewis (St. Louis) for depth and as insurance for Jenkins. MLB Will Witherspoon (St. Louis) was a leader and will be missed. The team also lost starters LB Brandon Short (New York Giants) and SS Marlon McCree (San Diego). The linebacking corps will not be as good, but the secondary is still in great shape with FS Mike Minter, CB Ken Lucas, and CB Chris Gamble. CB Richard Marshall (Fresno State) was an excellent value pick near the end of the second-round and will help make up for the loss of CB Ricky Manning Jr. (Chicago) in the nickel.

The Panthers look good on both sides of the football, and the defense should be one of the best in the league. On offense, the impact of Keyshawn Johnson remains to be seen and the health of De'Shaun Foster will be a factor. No one is talking about it, but the loss of Stephen Davis could really hurt the short-yardage offense, especially around the goal-line. Davis scored 12 rushing touchdowns last year - 9 of them came from the one-yard line and the longest was 11 yards. Foster only has 4 career rushing touchdowns. Steve Smith could have a significant drop in production and still make the pro bowl, but Carolina needs someone else to step up and give the offense balance or defenses will key on him like Seattle did in the NFC Championship game. The Panthers should win their division, but will have a hard time getting one of the top two spots in the NFC with a much tougher schedule than either Chicago or Seattle.

Key Additions: DT Maake Kemoeatu (BAL), C Justin Hartwig (TEN), RB Deangelo Williams (R), WR Keyshawn Johnson (DAL), DT Damione Lewis (STL), LB Keith Adams (PHI), CB Richard Marshall (R)
Key Loses: LB Will Witherspoon (STL), LB Brandon Short (NYG), SS Marlon McCree (SD), RB Stephen Davis (ret), CB Ricky Manning, Jr (CHI), DE Brenston Buckner, OG Tuten Reyes (BUF)

NFC East Preview

Finishing Order
1) Washington Redskins
2) Dallas Cowboys
3) New York Giants
4) Philadelphia Eagles

Washington and Dallas did more to improve than the Giants. Philadelphia has some major problems at the skill positions and will struggle to hold serve with the other three teams. I give Washington the slight edge over Dallas based on concerns about the offensive line and keeping Drew Bledsoe healthy. They should be alright, but the Redskins are better upfront and the defense has more continuity and experience. There is nothing especially wrong with the Giants, but they could easily lose to Chicago and Seattle and that could be the difference between first and third with the other teams playing considerably weaker opponents.

If Carolina can dominate Tampa Bay and Atlanta in the NFC South, this division could grab both wild-card spots. The NFC East teams get to play both Tennessee and Houston in addition to Jacksonville and Indianapolis (without Edgerrin James) in the AFC South. The NFC South has tougher games against Baltimore and Cleveland plus Pittsburgh and Cincinnati in the AFC North. The NFC West and NFC North are still relatively weak after Seattle and Chicago, and it would be moderately surprising if either division generated a wild-card team.

Team Preview: Washington Redskins

Washington Redskins (10-6)
The Redskins were as active as any team this past offseason, adding key players on both offense and defense. They also brought in Al Saunders from Kansas City to run the offense, signing him to a 3-year contract worth more than $2 million per year. They gave Gregg Williams a 3-year, $7.8 million deal to stay as defensive coordinator. If the Redskins struggle, it would be hard to blame it on the coaching staff with Joe Gibbs running the whole show.

Al Saunder's began his coaching career as a receivers coach, and Daniel Snyder picked up some new weapons for him. The Redskins added WR Antwaan Randel El (Pittsburgh) and WR Brandon Lloyd (San Francisco). That should give Mark Brunell a lot of options to go along with Santana Moss. Moss accounted for 44.3% of the team's receiving yards last season (only Steve Smith had a higher percentage with 44.8%), but Brunell will not have to rely on him as much. Randel El would not have been effective as a #2 receiver, so the addition of Lloyd was important and it allows Randel El to fill a similar role to the one he had in Pittsburgh. Brandon Lloyd looked like a special player at times in San Francisco and now he has a quarterback that can at least get him the ball. Mark Brunell, much like Drew Bledsoe, should benefit from all of the weapons at his disposal, including Clinton Portis. If Brunell goes down, QB Todd Collins will back him up. Collins is nothing special, but he played under Saunders with Kansas City in 1998 and again from 2001-2005 and was needed with the departure of QB Patrick Ramsey (New York Jets).

It does not hurt that Washington has one of the best offensive lines in the league; arguably one of the the top five. LT Chris Samuels went to the pro bowl and RT Jon Jansen was one of the league's best at his position last year, even though he played with two broken thumbs. He missed 2004 with an Achilles injury, but he should not be considered injury-prone as he has started all 16 games in his other six NFL seasons (including last year). RG Randy Thomas is also above-average at his position. The tight end situation further bolsters the line with the addition of Christian Fauria (New England). Fauria allows Mike Sellers to move back to fullback on a permanent basis, and they still have talented H-back Chris Cooley.

The defense let LB Lavar Arrington (New York Giants) go when he bought his way out of his contract to become a free agent. Arrington was a playmaker, but Gregg Williams decided he was too much of a risk-taker and he was already being marginalized. Mark Brunell might not be too happy that he landed in the same division. LB Rocky McIntosh (Miami-FL) was an excellent pick in the early second-round (he was Washington's only pick in the first 4 rounds). The Redskins clearly targeted McIntosh and gave up a lot to trade up and get him. The Jets traded the 35th overall pick to Washington for the 53rd pick, a sixth-round pick in 2006, and the Redskins second-round pick in 2007. The Redskins also plucked LB Andre Carter from the 49ers in free agency, who will play defenisve end in the 4-3. LB Marcus Washington and DT Cornelius Griffin are good players, and DE Philip Daniels can still play.

The biggest addition on defense should be SS Adam Archuleta (St. Louis). The Redskins should have one of the best secondaries in the league with FS Sean Taylor, CB Shawn Springs, and last year's first-rounder CB Carlos Rogers. All four of the aforementioned players are in fact former first-round picks.

The Washington defense should be even better than they were last year (9th in both total and scoring defense). With the additions on offense, it is not hard to see why many people think the Redskins will go deep in the playoffs. They finished second in the NFC East last year, but were the only team to make it to the divisional round of the playoffs and might be the most improved team in the divison (along with Dallas). Washington has an easier schedule than the Giants with games against Minnesota and St. Louis, but Dallas will probably have an easier time with Detroit and Arizona. The NFC East will be the toughest division in football, but Washington has as good of a chance as anyone to win it.

Key Additions: OC Al Saunders (KC), WR Brandon Lloyd (SF), SS Adam Archuleta (STL), LB Andre Carter (SF), WR Antwaan Randel El (PIT), LB Rocky McIntosh (R), TE Christian Fauria (NE), QB Todd Collins (KC)
Key Losses: LB Lavar Arrington (NYG), QB Patrick Ramsey (NYJ)

Tight End Situation

The reason Ryan Hannam left was money. Seattle and Hannam both wanted him to stay. However, Dallas gave him a 4-year, $5 million deal including a $1.25 million signing bonus, while the Seahawks offered him a $500,000 signing bonus. Stevens is scheduled to hit free agency next offseason, and if he plays this year like he finished last season, he might find his way to the pro bowl and be asking for that type of money. Itula Mili is scheduled to make $1 million this season, and $1.2 and $1.5 million the next two seasons. Mili might only have one or two years left, but he has held most of the tight end receiving records for the Seahawks. There was just not enough money for all three guys. Dallas could face the same problem this coming offseason when Jason Witten hits free agency with Hannam and 2nd-round pick Anthony Fasano also on the team.

Hannam brought some interesting things to the table and is better than any our or third TE prospects now, but he was not an exceptional blocker (although clearly better than Stevens or Mili). He is a downgrade in that department for Dallas from Dan Campbell (who went to Detroit in free agency). Will Heller is probably comparable to Hannam in the blocking department. Hannam was undersized and more of an H-back at 6'2", 248. His biggest strength was his ability to get down the field (to block on the second level and in the passing game). Heller is built more like Stevens at 6'6", 265 and is not nearly as fast as Hannam. He can probably make more of an impact around the line of scrimmage and in the red zone. He is a hard-worker and made the team for Ruskell in Tampa Bay as an undrafted rookie free agent.

The Seahawks will need to address the tight end situation next offseason, especially if Mili is cut or retires. The free agency pool is fairly deep with Jerramy Stevens, Jason Witten, Eric Johnson, and Daniel Graham all set to be on the market. However, the potential draft pool is very weak at this point and it could be a lot like 2005 when only 8 TEs were taken. That year Heath Miller was the first TE off the board at #30, none were taken in the 2nd, then two went in the 3rd, none in the 4th, one in the 5th, and then two in both the sixth and seventh. Clark Harris (Rutgers) or Matt Spaeth (Minnesota) could be options that are both decent receivers and blockers.

Team Preview: New York Giants

New York Giants (11-5)
The Giants are coming off a very solid season last year, but they were embarrassed in a 23-0 home loss to Carolina in the playoffs. They did not make too many adjustments on offense and should have the same 11 starters. The biggest offensive addition is second-round pick WR Sinorice Moss (Miami-FL). Moss will line up in the slot and gives Eli Manning another option. Those waiting for Eli to mature into his older brother are misguided. Eli Manning has the potential to develop into a one of the better starters in the NFL, but he will never be an especially accurate passer and does not have the same meticulous approach as Peyton. He struggled with his consistency in the second half last season, and it will probably be something that plagues him his entire career.

Tiki Barber is still the offensive leader of this team, and if they feed him the ball 357 times again (not to mention his 54 receptions), he is bound to get injured or at least wear down by the end of the year. The offensive line has no one special, but four of them will be entering at least their third year together. The line has improved each year due to the continuity. The one exception is Kareem McKenzie (last year was his first season), but he is one of the better right tackles in the league.

The defense gets a huge lift with LB Lavar Arrington (Washington). He was too much of a risk-taker for Gregg Williams in Washington, but he should fit in nicely as a playmaker in New York. Opposing quarterbacks cannot be looking forward to Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora getting help from Arrington in the pass-rush. The team also added DE Mathias Kiwanuka (Boston College). He will not start, but the Giants will rack up a lot of sacks if you add him to the aforementioned players as part of a third-down blitz package.

The secondary was a weakness last year, and the Giants addressed that in free agency. They swapped CB Sam Madison and CB Will Allen with the Dolphins; both have had durability and consistency issues. Madison was once a shutdown corner in this league, but the 32-year-old does not always bring his best anymore. Overall, Madison and Allen are probably equal players in skill level. However, Madison excels is his man-to-man cover skills (a weakness for Allen), which is what the Giants need from a corner. The Giants will play tight man-to-man coverage and depend on their excellent pass-rushers to put pressure on the quarterback. It would have been a huge lift if CB Will Peterson (retired) could have come back from his injury problems. FS Will Demps should help improve the secondary, but Demps is not that great in coverage and certainly benefited from playing alongside SS Ed Reed and LB Ray Lewis in Baltimore. The rest of the defensive unit is just average with the exception of MLB Antonio Pierce. Overall, the defense should be improved and will be near the top of the league in sacks.

The Giants should be a better team than they were last season, especially on defense. It might take the secondary awhile for all the new faces to get on the same page. If an offensive line can counter their blitz or a quarterback can scramble to avoid it, then they might be vulnerable to the big play. However, they were a good team last year and will be again. The backup quarterback situation is bleak with Rob Johnson (Oakland) and Tim Hasselbeck. Their biggest enemy is the schedule. The reward for finishing first in the division is a matchup with Chicago and a trip to Seattle for the second straight season. Washington gets Minnesota and St. Louis, Dallas draws Arizona and Detroit, and Philadelphia plays San Francisco and Green Bay. It will be hard for New York to win the division unless they can consistently beat the rest of the NFC East.

Key Additions: LB Lavar Arrington (WAS), CB Sam Madison (MIA), FS Will Demps (BAL), WR Sinorice Moss (R), DE Mathias Kiwanuka (R)
Key Losses: CB Will Allen (MIA), CB Will Peterson (ret)

Giving KC Joyner His Due

For those who do not know, KC Joyner is a writer for ESPN Insider and is known as the football scientist. He also has a book called Scientific Football with a new 2006 edition coming out soon. He watches every play of the entire year, grades every aspect on specific criteria, and then compiles all of the data into player rankings in different categories.

His analysis provides a new, interesting perspective on some things that no one else can quantify. He also uses some statistics that are better than the traditional ones. For example, he uses TYPCA (total-yards per catchable attempt) to measure receivers. This is more indicative of receiver success than yards per catch or yards per attempt because it factors in drops without penalizing a receiver for uncatchable balls thrown his way. Sometimes the statistics get to be a little too much and need to be considered in context, but Joyner definitely brings something unique to the table.

I think his statistical and meticulous approach gives him some unique insight. Maybe I appreciate it because I noted the same things, but in a recent chat session on ESPN SportsNation, Joyner pointed out two things that other writers seem to ignore. Namely, Edgerrin James and the Cardinals success depends on their offensive line and Keyshawn Johnson is not a deep threat, so he might not help things open up for Steve Smith as much as people think.

Most writers seem to focus on the signings that make news, like Edgerrin James and Keyshawn Johnson, and not pay attention to how the pieces fit together with the new teams. I think this goes for Steve Hutchinson as well. I am not underestimating him as a blocker, but the whole "poison pill" issue with his contract generated a lot of news and seemingly more emphasis on how much his loss will affect the Seahawks. If we would have simply not matched his deal, the sentiment might have been more along the lines of Minnesota overpaying for a guard, and people would not overlook the depth of the Seahawks offensive line as much.

Team Preview: Dallas Cowboys

Dallas Cowboys (9-7)
The success of the Cowboys on offense depends on whether or not they can protect their 34-year-old quarterback, Drew Bledsoe. The offense line has the potential to be one of the better units in the league if they can avoid injuries, but age is a factor for them as well. The team did let LG Larry Allen (34) leave in free agency, but San Francisco overpaid for him. LG Kyle Kosier (Detroit) is a downgrade, but his youth is a big positive. The line should feature at least two starters over 30 with LT Flozell Adams (31) returning from injury and RG Marco Rivera (34), but both players went to the pro bowl in 2004. Along with Kosier (27), C Al Johnson (27) and RT Rob Pettiti (24) give the line some youth. They also brought in 31-year-old tackle Jason Fabini (New York Jets), who might start at RT and has had success at LT in the NFL if Adams has injury problems again. Overall, they should be alright this season unless they get hit with two major injuries, but the Cowboys need to add youth and depth to the offensive line in the very near future.

Terrell Owens might be the single biggest offseason signing in 2006. Whether or not you like the guy, he is the best overall receiver in the NFL. Owens has the strength to dominate defensive backs underneath and the speed and moves to get deep. He will make the tough catches over the middle and his versatility makes it a nightmare for defensive coordinators to take him out with a coverage scheme. Owens might eventually meltdown, but he should be on his best behavior this season and should score at least two touchdowns in both games against the Eagles (who now have both Donovan McNabb and Jeff Garcia). Terry Glenn will face single-coverage on every play this year, and it should look a lot like it did when Alvin Harper and Michael Irvin were in Dallas. The Cowboys also added two tight ends, Anthony Fasano (Notre Dame) with a second-round pick and Ryan Hannam (Seattle) in free agency, to go along with pro-bowler Jason Witten.

Julius Jones is back from a high-ankle sprain that slowed him last year. He is joined by the surprising second-year player Marion Barber in the Dallas backfield. Jones has been injured in both of his first two seasons, but Barber showed he can play if called upon. Dallas could have one of the best offenses in the league with so many weapons. The key is the health of Drew Bledsoe, which depends on the health of the offensive line. If Tony Romo and Drew Henson have to play, Dallas could be in trouble.

The Dallas defense should improve in their second year in the 3-4. DE Greg Ellis was not happy with the change, and is upset they are now asking him to play some linebacker. Ellis is not feeling good about his job security and it is easy to understand why. The Cowboys received excellent play last year from OLB DeMarcus Ware and DE Marcus Spears, both first-round picks in 2005. The team is also high on 2005 fourth-round pick DE Chris Canty. They took OLB Bobby Carpenter (Ohio State) in the first-round this year and added 26-year-old ILB Akin Ayodele (Jacksonville) in free agency. None of this is good news for Ellis, but it is all great news for the Cowboys. DT Jason Ferguson is a good player in the middle, and DT La'Roi Glover (St. Louis) was let go because he did not fit well in the new scheme. The Cowboys might put Ware, Carpenter, Ayodele and Ellis all on the field with Ferguson, Canty, and Spears to get the best personnel on the field. That requires Ellis, who is still an excellent player, to line-up at outside linebacker and either Carpenter or Ware to play inside.

The Cowboys are solid in the secondary as well with SS Roy Williams leading the way. CB Terence Newman stepped up his play last season. CB Aaron Glenn proved he can still play last year, but will mostly likely end up as the nickel corner. SS Roy Williams is one of the league's best safeties in run support, but does not excel in coverage. FS Keith Davis and CB Anthony Henry are nothing special, but are not liabilities either. The defense should be able to put a lot more pressure on the quarterback this year, which will help the secondary out considerably.

Dallas has a solid team at every position. K Mike Vanderjagt (Indianapolis) is a huge upgrade over the likes of Jose Cortez, Billy Cundiff, and Shaun Suisham. The defense is young and on the rise with talented players that fit the scheme. If the offensive line can stay healthy and keep Drew Bledsoe upright, the Cowboys will be one of the best teams in the league. The addition of Kyle Kosier and Jason Fabini, as well as Fasano and Hannam, should make that much more likely.

Key Additions: WR Terrell Owens (PHI), LB Akin Ayodele (JAX), LB Bobby Carpenter (R), K Mike Vanderjagt (IND), OG Kyle Kosier (DET), OT Jason Fabini (NYJ), TE Ryan Hannam (SEA), TE Anthony Fasano (R)
Key Loses: OG Larry Allen (SF), WR Keyshawn Johnson (CAR), DT La'Roi Glover (STL), TE Dan Campbell (DET).

Seahawk Salaries

I took the time to compile the salary data for all of the Seahawks currently under contract. It shows each player and their corresponding base salary for all of the remaining years on their contract. This does not include any rookies, as none of them have signed.

Viewable webpage:	Seahawk Salaries
Downloadable MS Excel file:	Seahawk Salaries

Point-Counterpoint: NFC Championship Game

A rematch of last year's NFC Championship game seems very likely. Several analysts, however, believe that this year Carolina will come out on top. The points they make give a decent explaination of what went wrong last year for Carolina and how things could be different this season. However, I posit that if a rematch does occur, the circumstances should be much as they were last year.

Point: Home field advantage was very important for Seattle, and things will be different in Charlotte.
Counterpoint: Carolina plays four games against the NFC East. They also have to play Atlanta and Tampa Bay twice in the tough NFC South. Seattle gets to play the NFC North and the weaker teams in the NFC West twice. Seattle does play the tough AFC West, but that includes a game against Oakland. Carolina plays the equally tough AFC North with much improved teams in Baltimore and Cleveland. The Panthers also play Cincinnati and Pittsburgh late enough in the season that any injury issues with Roethlisberger and Palmer should be resolved. Even if the Panthers are the most talented team in the NFC, their schedule will make it difficult to lock up home field advantage.

Point: The lack of another quality receiver allowed the Seahawks to key on Steve Smith.
Counterpoint: Jake Delhomme always locks on to one receiver. When Smith was hurt in 2004, it was Muhsin Muhammad. There might not be enough room for the egos of Smith and Johnson; and Me-shawn could be a disruptive force if Delhomme is not just throwing him the damn ball. Johnson is a quality receiver, but he is slow and not someone who can stretch the field. Johnson could be more disruptive than helpful and is not the type of recevier that Carolina really needs to open up the field for Steve Smith.

Point: Nick Goings and Jamal Robertson severely handicapped the running game and offense in general. A healthy De'Shaun Foster or Deangelo Williams makes the Carolina offense much more dynamic.
Counterpoint: Stephen Davis is gone, and with De'Shaun Foster it is a question of when, not if, he will get injured. That leaves Carolina with rookie Deangelo Williams. At 5'9", 214, he is small and could take a beating over the course of a full season in the NFL. He also comes with his own durability issues. "He has suffered a broken foot that cost him most of his sophomore season in high school, a knee sprain that cost him two games as a freshman in 2002, a season ending MCL tear in his left knee vs. Cincinnati in 2003 and a broken leg in the 2004 GMAC Bowl. He already has a lot of mileage on his legs," according to Scouts, Inc. Even if Williams can stay healthy, the Panthers could be relying on a rookie to perform in an important game. The Panthers could easily find themselves playing Nick Goings and Jamal Robertson again. Last year's third-stringer Rod Smart is also no longer with the team.

NFC North Preview

Finishing Order
1) Chicago Bears
2) Detroit Lions
3) Minnesota Vikings
4) Green Bay Packers

The Chicago Bears are the only team in the division without a new head coach. The offense will continue to struggle in the passing game, but should be a little better than they were last year. Many people will not agree with my assessment of Detroit, but that team has a lot of talent and I expect big things out of the new coaching staff. Minnesota could do some good things on offense, but the team would have benefitted from a hard-nosed coach like Rod Marinelli, instead of Brad Childress. The Vikings, like the Lions, are one of least disciplined teams in the NFL. Chicago, Detroit, or Minnesota could win this division depending on how things play out. Chicago did not do much as far as personnel, but they signed their draft picks quickly and already signed one key player (Hillenmeyer) to an extension. They might take a step back next season if they cannot keep Nathan Vasher, Lance Briggs or Thomas Jones. However, the Bears should still be the best team in a weak division this season.

Team Preview: Green Bay Packers

Green Bay Packers (4-12)
Brett Favre is back for another season with the Packers, but he could be in store for another tough year. The team traded WR Javon Walker (Denver), but he was injured in the season opener last year. Brett Favre still has the dependable Donald Driver and Robert Ferguson. The team also claimed Rod Gardner off waivers late last season. Gardner had 8 touchdowns and 1,006 yards in 2002. He started 61 games over his first four season with Washington. Brett Favre always seems to get the most out of receivers with lesser talent, and he has an adequate group to work with. The Packers also selected a big-play guy in WR Greg Jennings (Western Michigan) in the second-round. The team has running backs Ahman Green, Najeh Davenport, and Samkon Gado all back from injury, but they did lose third-down back Tony Fisher (St. Louis) in free agency. Overall, the skill position players are average. The Packers probably have the most talented trio of tight ends in Bubba Franks, Donald Lee, and David Martin.

The big problem for Green Bay is the offensive line. The team let both guards (Marco Rivera and Mark Wahle) leave last year in free agency. Rivera went to the pro bowl in 2004 with Green Bay and Wahle earned a trip to Honolulu with the Panthers last season. They have solid tackles in LT Chad Clifton and RT Mark Tauscher, but the interior of the line is a mess. New offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski is trying to implement the zone-blocking schemes that Denver has used for years. Jagodzinski was successful using those schemes as the offensive line coach in Atlanta the past 3 seasons, but he had a lot more talent to work with. The team is currently planning to use second-round pick LG Daryn College (Boise State), 2005 fifth-rounder RG Junius Coston, and 2004 seventh-round choice C Scott Wells as starters. In short, this could be the worst line in the league.

It is misleading to say the Packers had the #1 pass defense last season. They did allow the least passing yards per game, but only because they were so often behind and could not stop the run. Defensive coordinator Jim Bates also left after being passed over for the head coaching position, which could have been a mistake. Bates went 3-4 as the interim coach in Miami two years ago and the Miami players lobbied the front office to keep him. The defense somewhat overachieved last season given the talent level and the onslaught of turnovers from Mike McCarthy's offense. The team did take some steps to make the defensive unit better. CB Charles Woodson is a big upgrade if he can stay healthy, even if they did overpay him. If Marquand Manuel plays like he did last year in Seattle, then the secondary should be solid with CB Al Harris also in the mix. Green Bay is planning on keeping 2005 second-round pick Nick Collins at free safety and putting Marquand Manuel at strong safety, making the team strong in coverage, but the run defense could suffer.

DT Ryan Pickett (St. Louis) might help out the defensive line. His play was inconsistent for the Rams, but he is talented and might benefit from a change of scenery. First-round pick LB A.J. Hawk (Ohio State) should make an immediate impact as a playmaker. However, Hawk is a lot like fellow LB Nick Barnett in that both have the potential to be engulfed by bigger lineman when the opposing offense commits to blocking them. DE Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila is the best player on defensive and has the speed to rush the passer effectively. The entire defense is fast and the new additions should make them solid in coverage. However, the defensive line is not very good and the team should be very soft against the run again.

The Packers signed some good players in free agency, but they did not really address the biggest problem on either side of the ball (the offensive line and rush defense). Brett Favre will be vulnerable to pressure up the middle and opposing offenses will run it down their throat until they prove they can stop the run. The loss of K Ryan Longwell (Minnesota) could also prove costly with K Billy Cundiff (Dallas, Tampa Bay) replacing him. The run game will improve if the running backs can stay healthy, but they should not have much room to run behind that line. The only way Green Bay will be successful on offense is if Jagodzinski pulls off a miracle with the young interior lineman. The Packers should struggle again this season for the same reasons they did last year.

Key Additions: CB Charles Woodson (OAK), SS Marquand Manuel (SEA), LB A.J. Hawk (R), DT Ryan Pickett (STL), WR Greg Jennings (R)
Key Loses:: K Ryan Longwell (MIN), RB Tony Fisher (STL)

Team Preview: Detroit Lions

Detroit Lions (5-11)
Somehow Matt Millen has managed to keep his job in Detroit despite leading the organization to a 21-59 (.263) record in his 5 years as CEO, which is the worst in the NFL over that span. His first choice as head coach, Marty Mornhinweg, went 5-27 in two years. He then handed the team to Steve Mariucci, who did not exactly have control of the Terrell Owens-Jeff Garcia situation in San Francisco, only to fire him midseason last year (probably to save his own job). Millen also kept Joey Harrington around for too long, and inexplicably drafted a wide receiver with a top-10 overall pick 3 years in a row. Millen seems to have made some better decisions this offseason, and the Lions might be a lot better than most people expect.

The team clearly lacks discipline and leadership. Rod Marinelli and Mike Martz are committed to changing the attitude of the team, and have shown they are not pulling any punches. The players actually filed a grievance with the union against Marinelli saying the April minicamp drills were too physical. Marinelli and Martz have not backed down, however, and Mike Williams was twice sent home from minicamp for not practicing hard enough. Charles Rogers would probably be cut if it did not mean a charge of over $8 million against next year's salary cap. If Rogers and Mike Williams do not respond, the team seems content to use Corey Bradford (Houston), Scottie Vines, and Eddie Drummond to complement Roy Williams. Bradford is a capable second receiver, while Scottie Vines plays hard and is underrated. Vines started 11 games last season and had 40 catches with only 3 dropped passes. Martz plans to use the speedy Drummond as an Az-Zahir Hakim type player.

The offense also got rid of Joey Harrington and signed two of the better free agent quarterbacks in Jon Kitna (Cincinnati) and Josh McCown (Arizona). The last time Jon Kitna was a regular starter, he led the Bengals to an 8-8 record in 2003 (the team was 2-14 the season before). McCown went 9-10 as a starter the past two seasons in Arizona, while the rest of the starters were 2-11, so both players have decent track records of success with bad teams. The Lions signed 29 players in free agency, including 15 newcomers from other teams. Like Kitna and Bradford; none of the players are special, but they are hard-working guys that Marinelli hopes will assist in changing the team's mentality.

The offense also has a dynamic back in Kevin Jones. He broke out in the second half of his rookie campaign, rushing for 906 yards in the final 8 games. He struggled last year, but much of it can be attributed to starting the season without FB Cory Schlesinger due to injury and then struggling with his own injuries once Schlesinger returned. The offense could be very successful under Martz with Kitna running the show and Roy Williams and Kevin Jones as playmakers. The offensive line should be better under Martz as well. The team has a good LT in Jeff Backus, and LG Ross Verba (Cleveland) can still play. C Dominic Raiola is a decent player and RG Damien Woody went to the pro bowl in 2002. Kelly Butler struggled at RT last year and could be benched in favor of Rex Tucker (St. Louis) who has worked with Martz before.

The defense still needs work, but Marinelli spent 6 years in Tampa Bay and should be able to get the most out of what he has to work with in implementing the Cover 2 scheme. DT Shaun Rogers is one of the best tackles in the league and DE James Hall is a good player. If Marinelli can get youngers DT Shaun Cody and DE Corey Redding to play up to potential, the defensive line could be pretty good, especially against the run. First-round pick LB Ernie Sims (Florida State) will make an immediate impact at linebacker, and second-round pick Daniel Bullocks (Nebraksa) could push for playing time at free safety. SS Kenoy Kennedy played well last year. The defense still has major concerns with Fernando Bryant starting opposite Dre Bly at cornerback, and the team will struggle to generate a pass-rush.

Detroit has more talent than most people realize, and the key for this team will be if Marinelli can successfully change the attitude and work habits of the younger players. Marinelli had success on defense in Tampa Bay and Martz was the architect of a superb offense in St. Louis as a coordinator. If those two can put the pieces together, then Detroit has the chance to turn things around in a major way. It will be interesting to see how Martz meshes with the conservative Marinelli. Detroit has the potential to be the surprise of the NFC (or at least the NFC North), but it might realistically take a full-year under the new coaching regime for everything to come together.

Key Additions: HC Rod Marinelli (TB), OC Mike Martz (STL), QB Jon Kitna (CIN), QB Josh McCown (ARI), LB Ernie Sims (R), FS Daniel Bullocks (R), WR Corey Bradford (HOU)
Key Loses: QB Joey Harrington (MIA), QB Jeff Garcia (PHI), DT Dan Wilkinson

Team Preview: Minnesota Vikings

Minnesota Vikings (8-8)
Much has been made of the offseason personnel battle between the Vikings and the Seattle Seahawks. It actually dates back to last offseason when both clubs were trying to sign QB Brad Johnson. Fittingly, Minnesota will look a lot like Seattle this year, at least on the offensive side of the ball. Brad Childress served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach under Andy Reid (Mike Holmgren's quarterbacks coach in Green Bay).

The Vikings biggest acquisition this offseason was All-Pro LG Steve Hutchinson (Seattle). With C Matt Birk returning from injury and Bryant McKinnie at left tackle, Minnesota should have one of the better lines in the league, especially if Hutchinson's leadership has an impact on the rest of the unit. The right side leaves something to be desired. Childress brought OG Artis Hicks with him (via a draft day trade) from Philadelphia, and he should start at RG. The Vikings also added FB Tony Richardson (Kansas City). This is all good news for the new starting halfback Chester Taylor (Baltimore). Taylor has played well when given the chance, and can catch the ball out of the backfield. This will be his first time as a featured back, and it remains to be seen if he can hold up for an entire season. They lost Michael Bennett (New Orleans) in free agency, but he did not really fit with the scheme Childress is planning to implement.

Daunte Culpepper was traded to Miami, leaving the fate of the offense in Brad Johnson's hands. Johnson played well last season, going 7-2 as the starter, and he has led a team to a championship. However, he will be 38 in Week 2, making it a risky proposition to rely on him. WR Nate Burleson signed with Seattle as a restricted free agent, but the team still has Koren Robinson, Marcus Robinson, and last year's first-round pick Troy Williamson. Relying on KoRo as a the number one receiver could prove risky as well. For the Vikings to be successful, Childress has to remain committed to running the football to take some pressure off of Brad Johnson, something that Philadelphia did not do last year for McNabb. Ironically, if Johnson goes down, we will again see QB Mike McMahon (Philadelphia). McMahon had a 55.2 passer rating last year (his career rating is 55.1), but at least he knows the offense Childress runs.

The Vikings are a bit of an enigma on the defensive side of the ball, in the sense that they should be better than they play. The defensive line is solid with the two huge tackles, Kevin Williams (6'5", 311) and Pat Williams (6'3", 317), dominating the middle. The secondary should be exceptional with Antoine Winfield and Fred Smoot as the starting corners and Darren Sharper at free safety. However, it would be difficult to find a corner back that got burned more often than Smoot did last season. The secondary lost nickel corner Brian Williams (Jacksonville), and a leader in SS Corey Chavous (St. Louis), but the linebackers remain the biggest weakness of this defense. However, the Vikings added SS Tank Williams (Tennessee) who plays almost like an extra linebacker. Chavous is better than Williams, but the linebackers need a lot more help than the other DBs. The Vikings are hoping first-round pick OLB Chad Greenway (Iowa) can provide that as a starter in his rookie year. In addition to Chavous (4th-leading tackler in 2005), the team also lost last year's 2nd-leading tackler Sam Cowart (Houston) in free agency.

Minnesota has a chance to contend for the division crown. However, the defense needs to play consistently. Specifically, the secondary needs to live up to their respective salaries. They intercepted the ball a lot last season, but gambled too much and allowed opponents to move the chains on third and long much too often. The offense has the potential to do some special things in the running game, but a group of somewhat suspect receivers and a 38-year old quarterback could limit them, especially in the important matchups with the Bears and their remarkable defense. Minnesota's schedule is actually easier than Chicago's if you do not include the games they play against each other. Minnesota had a lot of turnover on both sides of the ball as well as in the front office and the coaching staff, so the team could take some time to put it all together. Chicago may have been somewhat complacement, but should at least benefit from continuity.

Key Additions: LG Steve Hutchinson (SEA), RB Chester Taylor (BAL), FB Tony Richardson (KC), LB Chad Greenway (R), SS Tank Williams (TEN)
Key Losses: QB Daunte Culpepper (MIA), SS Corey Chavous (STL), WR Nate Burleson (SEA), RB Michael Bennett (NO), LB Sam Cowart (HOU), CB Brian Williams (JAX)

Team Preview: Chicago Bears

The Seahawks play 3 of their first 6 games against NFC North opponents, including a Week 4 game in Chicago against the second best team in the NFC last season.

Chicago Bears (11-5)
Last year, the Bears rode their defense to a first place finish in the NFC North and a second place finish in the NFC. They will have to do that again if they want to be successful in 2006. The Bears return all 22 starters from last season, and lost absolutely no one in free agency (not just no one important, no one period). The only departures were SS Mike Green (traded to Seattle) and CB Jerry Azumah (retired). Azumah was a good nickel back, but the Bears added CB Ricky Manning Jr. (Carolina) to fill that role, and CB Dante Wesley for depth (also from Carolina). Manning Jr. has some pending assault charges against him, but his case will probably get continued until next offseason. The Bears did not get much in return (a 6th round pick) for Green, but the team had already decided to move in another direction with SS Mike Brown and FS Chris Harris.

To cover their bases, they used the first of their two second-round picks (they did not have a first-round pick) to add SS Danieal Manning (Abilene Christian). Manning can play both safety positions (and corner, if necessary) and, like their other second-round pick, WR David Hester (Miami-FL), he can make an impact in the return game. Hester was once thought of as a "Heisman Hopeful" and can theoretically play WR or CB. He will never be good enough to play on the defensive side of the ball for Chicago, and will most likely be used almost exclusively as a return specialist. The Bears added WR Alex Bannister (cut by Seattle because of injuries) to bolster their special teams unit, and also re-signed third-string RB Adrian Peterson, who has been a standout special teams performer.

The question marks for Chicago are all on the offensive side of the football. Deciding on a starter between Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson is a nice problem to have, and it gives them two excellent options running the ball. There is less certainty in the passing game. The biggest addition is QB Brian Griese (Tampa Bay). Griese was 5-1 as a starter in 2005 before having his season cut short by injury. Rex Grossman will be the starter to begin the season, and could improve greatly. Dating back to his days at Florida, he has had to learn a new offensive system each season, which is something he does not have to do this year. The team still has Kyle Orton, who went 10-5 as the starter last season.

After Muhsin Muhammad, it is hard to figure out who else will be catching passes for Chicago. Youngsters Mark Bradley and Justin Gage are the leading candidates to start opposite Muhammad. It was a little surprising that Chicago did not address their need for pass-catchers in the draft, but their game is running the football and playing solid defense. The Bears could also do better than Desmond Clark at tight end. If Muhammad were to suffer an injury, the Bears offense could be in trouble with defenses keying on the run even more.

For the most part, the Bears are an unchanged team from last season. The defensive and special teams units should be some of the best in the NFL. However, the offense will struggle in the passing game again, and that makes it harder to run as well. For the Bears to be successful, the defense will have to be great again. The contract status of LB Lance Briggs and CB Nathan Vasher is a little disconcerting. The team just re-signed LB Hunter Hillenmeyer to an extension, and the team needs to lock up Briggs and Vasher as well.

The Bears should be about as good as they were last year, but that might not translate into the same results. Minnesota took some major steps to improve on offense, especially in the running game. Rod Marinelli will try to toughen up the Lions and Mike Martz should improve that offense considerably. And Brett Favre is back for at least one more season. The rest of the division could catch up to Chicago in a hurry, and the Bears are only one-year removed from a 5-11 season in 2004. They do get to play the easiest schedule in the NFL (their opponents had a combined record of 114-142 in 2005), so that might help them have another winning season. The Bears seem content to follow the same formula that was successful last season, but complacency does not usually lead to success in the NFL.

Key Additions: QB Brian Griese (TB), CB Ricky Manning Jr. (CAR), SS Danieal Manning (R)
Key Losses: SS Mike Green (SEA), CB Jerry Azumah (ret)

NFC West Preview

Finishing Order
1) Seattle Seahawks
2) St. Louis Rams
3) Arizona Cardinals
4) San Francisco 49ers

The Seahawks should win the division. It probably won't be by 7 games again, but it should still be by a comfortable margin. Depending on how fast the new coaching staff can right the ship in St. Louis, the Rams should finish just ahead of the Cardinals. Arizona did not do much outside of signing Edgerrin James. The Cardinals had more problems last year than the ineffectiveness of Marcel Shipp and J.J. Arrington. For starters, it would have helped either of those backs if they were not being tackled as soon as they were handed the ball. If either Kurt Warner or Edgerrin James suffer a serious injury, Arizona might find themselves battling San Francisco for third in the division. If those two can stay relatively healthy, Arizona has a chance to push St. Louis for second. Arizona's outlook would improve considerably if they signed Ty Law.

I would not expect double-digit wins or a playoff birth from anyone other than Seattle. San Francisco has been horrible the last two seasons, and might not be any better than they were last year. The entire division benefits from getting 3 games a piece against Oakland, Detroit, and Green Bay. That alone should guarantee that St. Louis, Arizona, and San Francisco will post a better record than their combined 15-33 mark last season.

Team Preview: Seattle Seahawks

Seattle Seahawks (13-3)
The Seahawks won the NFC West last season by an almost embarassing 7 game margin. If the division race had been more competitive, the Seahawks might have been given more respect. Needless to say, Seattle was far superior than the rest of the division in 2005. The Seahawks were not without problems as starting free safety Ken Hamlin missed most of the season with a fractured skull suffered outside of a nightclub. The secondary suffered additional injuries with starting CB Andre Dyson missing 6 games and nickel corner Kelly Herndon missing the final 4 games of the regular season. The team's top two wideouts also missed time. Darrell Jackson played in only 6 games due to a knee injury and Bobby Engram also missed 3 games with sore ribs.

The Seahawks lost All-Pro LG Steve Hutchinson to the Minnesota Vikings in free agency, and the team might be second guessing the use of the transition tag, instead of just franchising him. However, if any line in the league can absorb the loss of a pro bowl starter, it is Seattle. They added RT Tom Ashworth (New England) and tried to add depth when OG Rob Sims (Ohio State) fell to them in the 4th round. The Seahawks also have Floyd "Porkchop" Womack on the roster. It remains to be seen how well Seattle can cope with the loss of Hutchinson, but even if the offensive line is not as good as it was last season, it should still be one of the best in the NFL.

Other notable losses were WR Joe Jurevicius (Cleveland) and FS Marquand Manuel (Green Bay). Jurevicius and Manuel played key roles in the absence of Darrell Jackson and Ken Hamlin. The team added WR Nate Burleson (Minnesota) to bolster the receiving corps and Ken Hamlin looks like he will be back to resume his duties as the starting free safety. TE Ryan Hannam (Dallas) skipped town for more money, but Itula Mili should be back after missing last year with an intestinal blockage. The team also elected to release CB Andre Dyson (NY Jets). First-round pick CB Kelly Jennings (Miami-FL) will attempt to replace him in the starting line-up. The defense added one of the league's best playmakers in OLB Julian Peterson (San Francisco) as well as the huge DT Russell Davis from Arizona (6'4", 306). Second-round pick DE Darryl Tapp (Virginia Tech) could also press for playing time as a speedy pass rusher.

The Seahawks lost some excellent players in free agency, but countered those losses with free agents and solid draft picks that are expected to contribute right away on defense. The biggest concerns going into the season are filling the void at left guard and the play of the secondary with rookie Kelly Jennings and Ken Hamlin's return from his head injury. The addition of Burleson, a healthy Jackson and Engram, along with a fully-recovered Peter Warrick could make the wide receiver group one of the deepest in the league, even if they do not have a bona fide star. Peterson, Davis, and Tapp should improve an already young and talented defense.

The Seahawks have some questions marks, and could be in trouble if Hamlin is not able to play (although it seems increasingly likely he will be fine). It would make fans feel a lot better if the team could sign a veteran QB as insurance in case Matt Hasselbeck goes down with an injury. The team would be hard pressed to win the NFC West by 7 games again, but does have a solid shot to repeat last year's 13-win effort.

Key Additions: OLB Julian Peterson (SF), WR Nate Burleson (MIN), DT Russell Davis (ARI), CB Kelly Jennings (R), OT Tom Ashworth (NE), DE Darryl Tapp (R)
Key Losses: LG Steve Hutchinson (MIN), WR Joe Jurevicius (CLE), FS Maruqand Manuel (GB), CB Andre Dyson (NYJ), TE Ryan Hannam (DAL)

Team Preview: San Francisco 49ers

San Francisco 49ers (4-12)
It is kind of hard to believe, but the 2005 49ers did double their win total from the previous year. Unfortunately that only amounted to two more wins. The worst part of it all is those two wins were the last two games of the season, which probably cost them Reggie Bush. At least it saved them from the disgrace of having the #1 overall pick in the draft for the second-year in a row. It might have been all for the best if TE Vernon Davis plays as expected. The San Diego Chargers finished 4-12 in 2003, but rebounded to go 12-4 the following season when Antonio Gates came into his own. Remember, the Chargers went 17-31 in LaDanian Tomlinson's first three seasons (2001-2003) despite his 42 touchdowns. Gates did take a year to adjust to football when he came in as an undrafted free agent, but it was the emergence of Gates (and Drew Brees) in 2004 that corresponded with the Chargers success. That being said, the Chargers were 8-8 the year before going 4-12, while the 49ers were 2-14.

Oddly enough, the best offseason news for the 49ers might have been the NFL's decision to allow quarterbacks to "prepare" footballs before the game. Much was made of the slick balls (and Alex Smith's small hands) last season. If the 49ers are to have any success, Smith needs to improve his protection of the football. He threw 11 interceptions and fumbled the ball 11 times, while only completing 1 touchdown. The best offseason move the 49ers made was to trade for Trent Dilfer. At this point in his career, he is willing to serve as a mentor to Alex Smith and should aide in the young quarterback's development.

The 49ers have been the worst team in the NFL over the past two seasons with 6 combined wins. The only other teams that combined for single digit wins in 2004 and 2005 were Oakland and Tennessee (both with 9). And it is hard to see how the 49ers got better outside of the addition of Vernon Davis and a year of development for Alex Smith. They added LG Larry Allen, but overpaid the 34-year-old when they signed him to a 2-year, $10 million contract. The 49ers lost OT Anthony Clement (NY Jets), who might be comparable to Allen at this point in his career. They still have TE Eric Johnson, but both he and Vernon Davis are below-average blockers. The 49ers also lost stud FB Fred Beasley to Miami.

OLB Manny Lawson (Florida State) was a great pick at #22 overall, but he hardly makes up for the loss of both OLB Julian Peterson (Seattle) and OLB Andre Carter (Washington - Note: he will play DE in their 4-3 scheme). When healthy, Peterson is one of the league's biggest playmakers on defense. The 49ers did add speed receiver Antonio Bryant (Cleveland), but lost Brandon Lloyd (Washington) who has the potential to be special with a quarterback that can get him the ball. The 49ers nabbed CB Walt Harris from the Redskins (they released him), but they also lost once-promising CB Ahmed Plummer to retirement. It seems like every addition the 49ers made was met with a loss that was at least as big, or bigger.

It is hard to imagine the 49ers winning many games when their best players after a struggling second-year quarterback and a rookie tight end are probably C Jeremy Newberry and SS Tony Parrish. RB Kevan Barlow has talent, but is extremely soft for how big he is (6'1", 238) and Frank Gore has shown some flashes of his potential, but who is going to block for them with Beasley gone. Eric Johnson played well in 2004 when he was healthy, but missed all of last year with an injury and will be a free agent after this season. DE Bryant Young can still play at 34, but he is starting to show his age, and might show it a lot more this season. It gets even worse when you realize that the one thing Jeremy Newberry, Tony Parrish, Bryant Young, Larry Allen, and Walt Harris all have in common is that they are on the wrong side of 30, with an average age of 32.

Overall, this team is still bad and is not really getting any better. They should get some help next year with another early first round draft pick. Now that the team finally has some cap room to play with (roughly $8.5 million after they sign their rookies), the strategy this year should be to identify the talented, young players to build on going forward. They can use the extra money this year to lock up some key components, while giving them some more freedom to spend next year's cap on signing some key free agents. The 49ers might be lucky to match last year's win total. They do have home games against Oakland and Green Bay, and road matchups with Detroit and New Orleans. If they can find a way to split with Arizona, then they might be able to manage 5 wins, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

Key Additions: TE Vernon Davis (R), QB Trent Dilfer (CLE), OLB Manny Lawson (R), WR Antonio Bryant (CLE), CB Walt Harris (WAS), OG Larry Allen (DAL)
Key Losses: OLB Julian Peterson (SEA), WR Brandon Lloyd (WAS), OLB Andre Carter (WAS), FB Fred Beasley (MIA), QB Ken Dorsey (CLE), CB Ahmed Plummer (ret)

Team Preview: St. Louis Rams

St. Louis Rams (6-10)
The St. Louis Rams begin the Scott Linehan era this year. Mike Martz is gone and it looks like Marshall Faulk is almost certain to retire. This is a year for the Rams to reinvent themseleves on offense. Jim Haslett takes over as defensive coordinator and will try to simply invent a defense in St. Louis. The Rams needed a fresh start and the coaching changes should at least help them move in a new direction.

One thing the Rams have in their favor is a solid offensive line. They took 3 offensive lineman in the first four rounds of last year's draft, which should start paying dividends this year. Orlando Pace is still one of the best left tackles in the NFL and 2005 first round pick Alex Barron is developing into a solid right tackle. C Andy McCollum (36) and LG Adam Timmerman (34) are getting up there in years, but they provide experience on the interior. The team has its choice of two more 2005 draft picks, Claude Terrell and Richie Incognito, at right guard. The Rams also added Todd Stuessie (Tampa Bay) in free agency for depth. The Rams no longer have one of the best lines in the league, but the current group easily ranks in the Top 10 or 15 in the NFL. The biggest concern on offense for the Rams is staying healthy, so having a good line is paramount.

Marc Bulger, Isaac Bruce, and Torry Holt all missed time with injuries last year. The Rams had to turn to rookie 7th-rounder Ryan Fitzpatrick when backup QB Jamie Martin (New Orleans) also went down. The team added 13-year vet Gus Frerotte to backup Bulger. Frerotte went 9-6 in 15 starts for the Dolphins last year (where Linehan was his offensive coordinator), including wins in the final 6 games of the season. If Bulger should get injured, Frerotte can step in and give the Rams a chance to win. Isaac Bruce is nearing the end of his career if he is not there already, but the Rams have two capable young receivers in Kevin Curtis (60 rec, 801 yards, 6 TD) and Shaun McDonald (46 rec, 523 yards). Both were restricted free agents, but the Rams made Kevin Curtis a $1.573 million qualifying offer, which would have required a first-round pick as compensation if he signed elsewhere. It was a bit of a surprise that no one tried to lure away McDonald who they only offered $721,600 (requiring a fourth-round pick).

The biggest change on offense will come from the sidelines. Linehan has vowed to use less spread-type formations and pound the ball with Steven Jackson (6'2", 231). A ball control offense should help the defense stay a lot fresher than they did when Martz was running the pass-first "Greatest Show on Turf." A commitment to running the ball will also keep defenses from blitzing as often, which should help keep Bulger upright. As a former offensive coordinator, Linehan is also an offensive minded coach, but the team will definitely do things a lot differently. The Rams still have a lot of talent at the skill positions and a solid offensive line. The scheme should help them avoid injuries better and releive some of the pressure on the defense. The team also drafted two talented tight ends, Joe Klopfenstein (Colorado) in the 2nd round and Dominique Byrd (USC) in the 3rd round. Utilizing the tight end is something Mike Martz never did, and it should help in the running game as well as in pass protection. The Rams also brought in Tony Fisher (Green Bay) who should help pick up the blitz and contribute as a pass-catcher out of the backfield on third down.

Jim Haslett inherits a defense that ranked 30th in yards allowed and 31st in points allowed in 2005. The adversity he faced with Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans should help him deal with this disaster of a defense. The team lost a leader in SS Adam Archuleta (Washington), but added a comparable SS Corey Chavous (Minnesota) to replace him. Corey Chavous has already taken a leadership role in mentoring RB Steven Jackson in the film room. According to Len Pasquarelli, he has been teaching Jackson "how to read different defensive fronts, how to discern where the overload might be, or from where a blitz might be coming, and where a cutback lane might develop for him." The Rams also added a natural leader in MLB Will Witherspoon (Carolina) and drafted an absolute burner in CB Tye Hill (4.38) with the 15th pick in the draft. Although he is small (5'9", 185), he is tough and willing to come up in run support and tackle. Chavous, Witherspoon, and Hill should help toughen up a soft defense.

The biggest change on defense will be the front four. Leonard Little is the only holdover with Ryan Pickett (Green Bay), Damione Lewis (Carolina) and Tyoka Jackson (Detroit) all departing in free agency. It was not a stellar group; Pickett was inconsistent, Lewis never lived up to expectations, and Jackson was showing his age. However, St. Louis did little to replace them. The only real addition was La'Roi Glover. He did not fit the 3-4 scheme in Dallas, but now he is reunited with former head coach Jim Haslett. Glover had 25 sacks in his two seasons under Haslett in New Orleans. The rest of the defensive line is nothing to brag about. After Witherspoon, the rest of the linebackers are weak. Chavous and Hill are the only players worth mentioning in the secondary that will struggle to improve on last year's effort when they allowed 26 passing touchdowns (only San Francisco and Tennessee allowed more).

The Rams will continue to be a strong offensive team, especially if they can stay healthy. The Rams will improve on defense (it would be hard not to) if Haslett can bring some toughness to the unit, and Linehan can successfully install a run-oriented offense. It will take awhile for the new coaches to make an impact, and the defense still doesn't have the personnel to be anything more than below average. The Rams will not challenge Seattle for the NFC West crown, but have a good chance to finish second in the division again (note: St. Louis has never finished worse than second in the realigned NFC West).

Key Additions: HC Scott Linehan (MIA), DC Jim Haslett (NO), QB Gus Frerotte (MIA), MLB Will Witherspoon (CAR), SS Corey Chavous (MIN), DT La'Roi Glover (DAL), CB Tye Hill (R), TE Joe Klopfenstein (R), RB Tony Fisher (GB).
Key Losses: SS Adam Archuleta (WAS), QB Jamie Martin (NO), RB Marshall Faulk (ret), DT Ryan Pickett (GB), DT Damione Lewis (CAR), DE Tyoka Jackson (DET).

Team Preview: Arizona Cardinals

I thought I would take some time during the slow season to preview some other teams. Arizona is thought to be our biggest challenge in the NFC West, the first team we play at Qwest this season, and the first alphabetically, so I figured it was a good place to start.

Arizona Cardinals (5-11)
The Arizona Cardinals enter their third season under Dennis Green. The team has been an unimpressive 11-21 under Green the past two years. After a 6-10 season in 2004, analysts were quick to assume Arizona would rise to the top of the NFC West. Following a 5-11 season last year, they are once again predicting drastic improvement from the Cardinals. The Cardinals should improve this year, but the addition of Edgerrin James alone will not vault this team into the playoffs.

The addition of James should help balance an offense that ranked #1 in passing and #32 in rushing in 2005. However, Arizona did little to address their offensive line in the offseason. They signed Milford Brown (Houston) to start at right guard, but he came from one of the few lines worse than Arizona's last year. Second-round choice Deuce Latui could develop into a solid player in the future, but he is not expected to make an impact this season. The biggest addition could be a healthy RT Oliver Ross who struggled with injuries much of last season. All things considered, Arizona will once again have one of the worst offensive lines in the league trying to protect an old, fragile Kurt Warner and open holes for an aging Edgerrin James.

Arizona still has a scary offense with Edgerrin James, Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald. James should force teams to respect the run a little bit more, but he has never been a threat to break the long one, so defenses will force the Cardinals to prove their offensive line can give him room to run. Third-round pick TE Leonard Pope is a good blocker and receiver and should help in both the running and passing game. However, neither Kurt Warner nor Dennis Green have been known to utilize tight ends effectively. Matt Leinart should be a steal at #10, but it will take him at least a year to develop. Like Carson Palmer, he would be served best by sitting on the bench for a year and absorbing the pro game. It may prove to be a mistake letting Josh McCown go in free agency. He was the starter for nine of the eleven wins the past two seasons in Arizona (9-10 in 19 starts), while the other Arizona QBs went 2-11 during that stretch. Arizona was willing to fork over $18 million over 3 years for Warner, while McCown found a home in Detroit paying him $6 million over 2 years.

To their credit, Arizona did finish 8th in overall defense last season However, they were 27th in scoring defense, which would suggest the offense simply gave opponents a short field to work with. Dennis Green did little to address the problems on defense. The biggest free agent addition was DT Kendrick Clancy from the NY Giants. He is should be decent, but he represents a step back from Russell Davis, who signed with Seattle in free agency. Davis was hurt half of last season, so a healthy Clancy could help somewhat. The toughness and size of Davis helped DT Darnell Dockett play better, but Clancy is undersized and the Cardinals will be soft up the middle. Dennis Green waited until the fourth round to draft a defensive player, and he chose underachiever DT Gabe Watson from Michigan. CB Antrel Rolle (8th overall pick in 2005) missed most of last year with a knee injury and it has been acting up again recently. If Arizona wants to win now, they would be wise to use their $11.5 million in cap space to add Ty Law to their group of aging veterans (Kurt Warner and Edgerrin James).

Overall, the Cardinals should be better than they were last year simply because of the huge upgrade at running back. Other than that, there is no reason to think the defense will be any better or the offensive line with be able to protect the QB. If and when Kurt Warner gets hurt, Matt Leinart will not be successful, especially behind a poor offensive line (see: Alex Smith) and John Navarre has a career passer rating of 43.9. Arizona is at least two offensive lineman and a couple of defensive difference makers away from being able to challenge Seattle for the top spot in the NFC West. As it stands, Arizona might find themselves 3rd in the division for the 3rd straight year.

Key Additions: RB Edgerrin James (IND), OG Milford Brown (HOU), DT Kendrick Clancy (NYG)
Key Losses: DT Russell Davis (SEA), QB Josh McCown (DET)