MARSHAWN: GET YOUR BUTT UP TO THE VMAC

Marshawn Lynch's Quirky Side Must Take A Break, But Not Marshawn

The Seattle Seahawks are going through the second phase of their Organized Team Activities (OTA’s) this time with players and coaches on the field together.  Two years ago the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) agreed on between the NFL owners and the NFL players Association (NFLPA), changed the way that the off-season programs would be constructed, allowing players more personal time during the off-season and among other changes, eliminated “2-A-Days” requiring players to practice both in a morning session and an afternoon session.  Primarily veterans are opposed to the longer training camp and more strenuous practice sessions, but the NFL owners and coaches are finding the new CBA training schedule to be limiting and prohibitive to putting together a team ready for the preseason contests as well as the first regular-season football game in September.  The players… They’re loving the shorter practices and extended off-season.  Especially one particular Seahawks running back, the truculent and interview resistant Marshawn Lynch.  Lynch has always been a bit camera shy, or probably more accurately, he hates the media and getting an interview with him is harder than tackling him in the defensive secondary.

The Seahawks have one of the most formidable and deep rosters in football this year and several NFL sources have picked Seattle as an early favorite to win Super Bowl XLVIII in New Jersey.  ESPN rated Seattle number one in their power ranking system before free agency, before the NFL draft and now after all the preseason events off the field have concluded, the Seattle Seahawks are still sitting on top of the transparent hill of greatness, according to media sources online, in newspapers and magazines and most NFL television programs.  There is however, an argument brewing on who is actually the better football team, the Seattle Seahawks or the San Francisco 49ers.  Both teams play in the NFC West which has turned from worst to first regarding the league strength of all for division teams.  It was just two years ago that the NFC West was considered a dismal mess of mediocre football and regarded as subpar with the rest of the NFL divisions in both conferences.  A lot changes in a short period of time in the NFL and the NFC West is no exception to that rule.  From top to bottom, NFC West teams are of the most bruising and physical teams in football and their offensive power is now unmatched by any division in football.  The Seattle Seahawks put up 150 point ingest a three-game span, slaughtering the Cardinals 58-0, then brutalizing the Buffalo Bills in Toronto 50-17 and then embarrassing the rival 49ers at CenturyLink field in a total domination beating 42-13.  However, things are tightening up in the NFC West and in a real hurry.

Last season, the St. Louis Rams had a 4-1-1 record in the division, losing only to the Seahawks in Seattle in the last game of the season.  The Arizona Cardinals started the season winning four straight games and looking every bit a tough team defensively and as long as Larry Fitzgerald is running down the field, their offense is always dangerous.  However, the Cardinals playing without a true starting quarterback faltered down the stretch losing ten of their last eleven games.  The 49ers, however, were the best football team in the NFC West for the 2012 season if you consider simply their win-loss record.  They won eleven games, lost four and tied the Rams taking the West division by one half game over the Seattle Seahawks.  The 49ers also advanced through the NFC West playoffs representing the NFC in Super Bowl XLVII.  The Seahawks had a fantastic season as well, winning eleven games and losing only five, including an undefeated season at home in Seattle (8-0) in front of their most valued 12^th man, all 65,000 strong at CenturyLink Field.  It was a bittersweet season for the Seahawks who lost the division championship by one half of a game, even after throttling the champs 42-13 in Seattle sending the 49ers back to the bay with their tails between their collective legs in shame.

But now it’s a new season and all for NFC West teams are much improved and that’s bad news for the rest of the NFL.  There isn’t a weak team in this division and with the additions of; veteran QB Carson Palmer in Arizona, veteran WR Anquan Boldin in San Francisco, and rookie sensation WR Tavon Austin in St. Louis, the Seahawks are going to have their hands full trying to regain their superiority in the NFC West division.  It’s safe to say that all for teams in the division have bolstered their rosters significantly through the draft and in signing key players through the free agency market.  All four teams are well coached and their players all compete with pride game in and game out.

Is clear who rules the NFC West division however.  The San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks have dug deep trenches in their resolve to dominate the best division in football.  Gone are the days of the former great rivalries; Patriots vs. Ravens, Redskins vs. Cowboys and Giants vs. Eagles and Packers vs. Bears.  The greatest football rivalry in the NFL has become the Seattle Seahawks vs. the San Francisco 49ers.  This has become a game to put on your calendar, twice.  Whether or not this game is in Candlestick or the deafening noise of CenturyLink Field, these teams show up with giant resentment toward each other and a loyalistic sense of allegiance to their head coaches who clearly don’t care for each other.  It’s personal, and that’s the way these gridiron warriors play from the first whistle, until the last.  Pushing and shoving often starts before the flip of the coin and neither of these teams will flinch, showing absolutely zero apprehension or fear.  Both the Seahawks and the 49ers look forward to this game more than any other on the schedule.  Where, when or whether or not the game is televised nationally, simply doesn’t matter to these players. They could line this game up in a gravel pit, with tree branches for goalposts, and car headlights to illuminate the field, and it wouldn’t matter.  It’s a battle for the West title and all bets are off, and rules are relevant, if you can get away with it.  The coaching rivalry goes back to the Pacific coast conference when Pete Carroll led his USC Trojans against Jim Harbaugh and his Stanford Cardinals.  The two games between these two Titans of the NFC are going to be bruising, physical and hard-hitting.  Lots of ice baths and bandages will be waiting for both the Seahawks and 49ers after the decisions of these games have been made and the outcome of each will be crucial along their path to the playoffs.

Now, my main point of this column comes into view.  As these two teams prepare for the upcoming season, every bit of planning and practicing becomes more crucial and every repetition and every bit of focus gained or lost makes a difference for the opportunity to execute each play and each potential defensive stop or take away.  So, why is Marshawn Lynch sitting at home in his Oakland hometown while the rest of his football team is hard at work preparing to take on the best football teams in the NFL, hopefully on the way to an NFC championship and a chance for a home-field playoff advantage?

Several radio hosts have discussed the implications of Lynch choosing not to participate in the voluntary OTA’s currently taking place in Seattle.  Apparently, this is nothing new for the probable running back who just posted his career-best in yards gained from scrimmage.  Many have suggested that Marshawn has earned the right to be absent from these conditioning events.  His personality is a bit quirky and of course his success over the last three years can’t be denied, but the difference between great running backs and Super Bowl champion running backs is the willingness and the ability to do what other players can’t or won’t do.  It simply a matter of drive and desire and when a player decides to sit in his living room while his compatriots sweat and work at the training facility in Renton, it looks bad for him, the coaching staff and the football teams desire to be the best.  I don’t care if Marshawn has terrible back spasms and can’t work out with the team.  He needs to get off his butt and get onto a plane and fly up to Seattle to be with his teammates, even if all he does is show his face as a sign of solidarity and resolve to take this team to a higher level than the night they stood on the sidelines in Detroit at Super Bowl XLI the lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers.  This football team is hundreds of times better than that Super Bowl football team and I contend that it is better coached and better quarterback led then that team in 2005.

Here’s the question?  Is Frank Gore working out with his teammates in their voluntary workout in Santa Clara?  How about Adrian Peterson in Mankato, Albert Morris in Richmond, Doug Martin in Tampa, Steven Jackson in Flowery Branch, or DeMarco Murray in Oxnard?

These are the questions that Marshawn Lynch should be asking himself and he should be answering by showing up at the involuntary conditioning OTA at the Renton training facility with the rest of his Seahawks teammates.  It’s time for Marshawn Lynch being a veteran leader that he is and when a rookie running back like Christine Michael says that he can’t wait to get to training camp so that he could learn from one of his idols, that’s the moment that should have stirred something inside of Lynch and college him to get off the sofa in his Oakland estate and acted like the leader that he should.

It’s time for the rest of the Seattle Seahawks and Lynch to decide if they are ready to take the next step and take separate them control of the NFC West and answer the calls and expectations of the rest of the football nation expecting the Seahawks to represent the NFC and Super Bowl XLVIII. 

WHAT'S IT GOING TO BE PETE AND JOHN?

Curiosity is killing Seahawks fans with just eight days before the 2013 NFL Draft

Seattle Seahawks Prepare For Draft

Seattle Seahawks have big questions to answer as the NFL draft approaches, now just nine days away.

Seahawks general manager John Schneider has made an indelible mark on the Seattle franchise taking just three years to turn a disintegrating roster back into a team poised to battle for another division title and now great expectations to do much more.

Since head coach Pete Carroll and John Schneider took the helm in 2010, guiding the Seahawks franchise back to the glory years of yesteryear, they have made over 300 player transactions removing the overpaid, aging veterans and replacing them with fast, athletic, physical, and above all, versatile players.  One of the main focuses that coach Carroll brought with him to Seattle was a clear, specific ideology of how to assemble and develop a collection of men with a common goal of winning and being willing to do the big and small things that losing football teams aren't.  His plan was not simply stocking the roster with the best athletes available.  Instead, his aim was to find special athletes with unique skill sets that he could work with and to develop, building a team of athletes that fit into his brand of the game.  More importantly; coach Carroll and like-minded GM Schneider, have dedicated themselves to seek out young men who can fully buy into a philosophy of always competing and a way of thinking positively and following a specific plan of action that will always lead to success in not only the game of football, but in life.

One of the players that literally caused Carroll and Schneider's philosophy to swerve, was the opportunity to sign one of the most game changing, dynamic and versatile players in football today.  Percy Harvin became an unrestricted free-agent this year, and the Seahawks made sure that it wasn't for long.  John Schneider cut his teeth under the mentorship of long time Packers general manager Ted Thompson.  Thompson believed that you build a championship football team, not by signing several high-priced, high profile superstars, but by targeting special players in the college draft that fit within a narrow scope of desired characteristics and abilities that's fit a certain construct for your football team. Thompson wanted to compile, through the draft, a team built with young, dynamic players that, (with a high level of certainty), will become special in some way and (like Schneider) not necessarily measurable talent of the more objective, tangible tests like; 40 yard time, vertical jump, broad jump, shuttle time and benchpress. For Carroll and Schneider, Percy Harvin was that exception to the rule.  That exception cost the Seahawks this year's 1st and 7th round picks and their 2014 3rd roundpick.  In addition to the draft selections, training for and signing Harvin will cost Paul Allen $67 million over six years.  There are certain incentives in the totality of that contract, but the way that Harvin plays it wouldn't be surprising if he didn't earn every penny of it.  The Seahawks only guaranteed $32 million of the contract, but that is still a huge chunk of money and a lot affecting Seattle's salary-cap limit.  The point I'm trying to illustrate, is that with a coach and general manager that don't believe in spending your way to a championship, they must have believed that Percy Harvin is one special, dynamic and versatile football player that could very well catapult Russell Wilson and the Seahawks offense to a lethal level higher than the Seahawks have ever achieved before. Yesterday, the website "Bleacher Report" created a list of the top rated wide receivers in the NFL for 2013.  The only wide receiver right higher than Percy Harvin was the $140 million man, Calvin Johnson, widely believed to be the best pure athlete in the game.  Number two on that list is the Seattle Seahawks newest receiver, 26-year-old Percy Harvin.  If you only go by this very unscientific list of talented, dangerous, dominant, game changing wide receivers in the NFL, Harvin isn't overpaid.

The Seahawks front office duo weren't through surprising the football world with bold moves in acquiring free-agent talent.  Just a few days after shocking most everyone with the Harvin trade, the Seahawks made another aggressive move in signing the highest rated defensive free-agent available, pass rushing defensive end Cliff Avril.  Then, one day later Michael Bennett, another pass rushing defensive end, highly regarded for defensive teams looking for a strong D lineman was snatched up by the Seahawks.  But, the free-agent stingy Seahawks still weren't through.  A few days later another free-agent defensive end, Tony McDaniel, was signed to a contract with the Hawks.  At this point, it was expected that Seattle would sit and quietly wait for the college draft, just two weeks away.  NOT! Schneider and Carroll decided to make it a "Fab 5" by going after and out negotiating the Patriots, 49ers, Redskins, Lions and even the Minnesota Vikings for the services of, Antoine Winfield, the best slot corner in the game today.  Winfield played the last nine seasons in Minnesota, who badly wanted him back, but were forced to release him due to his $7.25 million salary he was expected to make in the final year of his contract. The Vikings offered him more guaranteed money than the Seahawks or any of the teams trying to sign Winfield, but he chose Seattle, moving himself and his family to the Pacific Northwest and the chance to play with the most complete football team in the NFL and an opportunity to challenge for an NFL championship.

I could go on and on, tossing up all sorts of statistical prowess for each of the new Seahawks acquisitions, but trust me… The Seahawks have made some of the best moves for a football team that I have seen in a very long time.  Not only have PC & JS negotiated to bring some of the best players in the NFL to come to Seattle, they've done it in a manner that won't hamstring the franchise for years to come like you see from so many other teams that go after a prize regardless of the cost or how the future will be affected.  Percy Harvin notwithstanding, Seattle's signings have been done in a very economical manner, inking Cliff Avril, Michael Bennett, Tony McDaniel and Antoine Winfield to short, very team friendly contract.  This is a football team that recognizes its nucleus of talent and has planned in earnest to avoid as much lost a free agency as is humanly possible in today's game where money is kingpin and team loyalty is a vanishing phenomenon.  Even the Percy Harvin signing was a controlled risk.  The Seahawks have seen the effects of Harvin being overused and under protected and they plan to eliminate those scenarios that caused him to sacrifice his body in the name of gaining every inch possible.  Some of the instincts of Harvin may be impossible to train out of him, but it is possible to utilize him in a manner that gives him more open field to run and less risk of putting him in the countless unprotected receiving lanes that he was subject to so many times while in Minnesota.  Harvin hasn't been seriously injured before, just sustaining a high ankle sprain last year while he was in Seattle traveling with his team then, the Vikings.  He has also had a history of debilitating migraine headaches, keeping him off the field for nonfootball related reasons.  Harvin has reportedly been treated by a physician for his migraines and has gone two seasons without suffering any of these chronic and acute headaches.  There have been scattered reports also that Harvin was a malcontent in Minnesota, having sideline arguments with other players and Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier.  He is a fierce competitor and was unhappy with, not only the play of quarterback Christian Ponder, but also the erratic and unstructured play calling of Minnesota's offensive coordinator, Bill Musgrave and head coach, Frazier.  The complicated dynamics that were present in Minnesota, while Harvin was there, just aren't a problem in Seattle with the Seahawks.  I would be much more concerned if he were going to a team with an inexperienced and ineffective quarterbacks with poor leadership skills and the complication of a combined separation of philosophy between head coach and offensive coordinator  However, Harvin playing for Pete Carroll who has a history of simply removing players that don't fit his philosophy of football and with an up-and-coming quarterback like Russell Wilson who is a tireless worker, a meticulously prepared and fiercely competitive quarterback who is never outdone by anyone on the field or in the film room, I don't worry about Harvin's competitiveness outdoing anyone on this football team.  Minnesota is a team without an identity right now.  They have a fantastic running back in Adrian Peterson, but he is more of a player who leads by example, not one to take a player aside and bring him back into the team fold with one common goal of winning football games.  One of many leaders on the Seahawks team is capable of straightening out Percy Harvin if the need was ever presented.  Max Unger, John Moffitt, Michael Robinson, Bobby Wagner, KJ Wright or any of Seattle's for defensive backs are completely confident and carry the weight of an impact leader that can put any player in his place immediately on or off the football field.  Seattle has a clear and definite leadership nucleus and Russell Wilson is at the head of the class, naturally.  Seattle presents an accomplished head coach who carries an air of authority and a clear philosophy. They have a clear leader and performer at quarterback and a team with a clear identity and common goal of excellence and the expectation of success against every team in the NFL, home or away.  Seattle also has three familiar characters for Harvin, Sydney Rice, Antoine Winfield and Darrell Bevell, the offense of coordinator in Minnesota when Harvin was still with the Vikings.  Bevell understands Harvin and knows how to use his tremendous ability and versatility to create mismatches with every single team that Seattle will face this season.  This gives you a sense of security for the draft picks lost and the $67 million potentially spent bringing Harvin to Seattle.  On any other team, I think I would feel more nervous about bringing a player who has had issues with his former team.

So, where do the Seahawks go from here and what are their needs in terms of personnel to fill any potential weaknesses or lack of depth in their lineup?  This is the burning question that coach Carroll and GM Schneider will be evaluating as the college football draft approaches on April 25.  Again, Seattle won't have their natural draft selection in the first round (25th overall), so they will turn their focus to their second round pick (56th overall).  The Seahawks aren't completely without need.  Like every other team in the NFL, the Seahawks would like to improve in some areas and replaced players they have lost through free agency or players that just weren't able to get the job done for one reason or another.  The first thing for PC and JS would be to evaluate every position on the team and determine whether or not it is prudent to fortify starting positions with existing roster players, or if they need to address each situation aggressively through the draft or with veteran free-agents after the draft has concluded.

Linebacker is the position that stands out most as the position Seattle needs to address before the regular-season begins.  Leroy Hill is probably not going to be offered a contract after so many off the field problems and the fact that he is now 30 years old and has very little tread left on his tires, so to speak.  KJ Wright has engraved his name on the left outside linebacker (Sam), while the inside linebacker (Mike) is in good hands with Bobby Wagner having such a sensational rookie year at that position. That leaves the (Will) or left weak side linebacking spot open for competition.  Down the stretch and in the playoffs, Malcolm Smith gained more playing time on the field and did an admirable job against the run, but his coverage skills needed to be improved.  Mike Morgan also had increased backup play, but proved to be more of a backup and special teams player.  So, it seems that Ken Norton Jr., the Seahawks linebacking coach, would like another bookend linebacker the quality of Wright and Wagner to finish the set.  There are many good outside linebackers in this year's draft and I think that is where the Seattle Seahawks will choose first when the 56th pick comes along.  The Seahawks have 10 selections in the draft, but very few places on the roster where a rookie could fit in to the 53 man group at the end of training camp.  Therefore, I think it's highly probable that the Seahawks will make an attempt to trade up in the draft and get a player may feel that could help them get over the hump this year, if they haven't already.  Jumping back into the first round is costly, but I could see Schneider pulling off some tricks to get closer to the front of the second round.  There are a few linebackers I believe Seattle has in their crosshairs and most of them are expected to be picked in the early second round.  Players like;  Arthur Brown from Kansas State, Khaseem Greene from Rutgers, Cornelius Washington from Georgia and Jamie Collins from Southern Mississippi.  It is possible that Seattle could still pick in all offensive lineman if the right players there or more likely, a speedy wide receiver who can play flanker and a receiver outside the numbers.  Seattle lacks a real legitimate downfield threat that can take the top off the defense, creating open lanes in the intermediate portion of the field where Percy Harvin, Golden Tate, Sidney Rice and Doug Baldwin and tight end Zach Miller excel the most. The Seahawks are likely to draft (not necessarily in this order) linebacker×2, defensive end×2, wide receiver×2, offensive tackle, cornerback, safety and quarterback.

In my experience, I've learned that it is futile to try to figure out what John Schneider and Pete Carroll are going to do with their draft selections.  As I mentioned earlier, they warned the press and fans that they would likely not be very aggressive in the free-agent market this year, only to have them outdo everyone in the NFL in terms of success, and only second in numbers to the Miami Dolphins.  One thing I think is safe to say, Seattle got better after their acquisitions of; Percy Harvin, Cliff Avril, Antoine Winfield, Michael Bennett, Tony McDaniel and a couple of other players picked up along the way, WR Brett Swain, DB Will Blackmon and former basketball player signed to play tight end, Dan Fells.  The Seahawks roster was already considered a Super Bowl contender before bringing a single free-agent to the roster.  John Schneider made some great additions and he did it in a manner that doesn't drown the franchise in huge contracts for years to come.

Seattle has a lot to do on the field, and most of us already know that, now it's time for them to go through a long training camp and season, then we can start thinking about what will happen in postseason.  Right now, the Seahawks goal is to win the NFC West and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.  One of those things is required for Super Bowl and the latter?  Well, that just makes things a lot more homey for our Seattle Seahawks to take us all to the next level.  The 49ers look like a very good team again this year, and I wish the media would already attempt to put Seattle in the Super Bowl before the ever get a chance to finish the regular season.  Everyone remembers the so-called "Dream Team" in Philadelphia.  After Vince Young declared them the greatest, they proceeded to go 8-8 with no trip to the playoffs at all.  I don't want to see that happen to the Seattle Seahawks, but something tells me that the leaders on this football team and coaching staff will avoid those pitfalls.  Vince Young didn't know it at the time, I imagine, but he sent out a warning to every team in the NFL that you don't count your chickens before they've hatched.

I don't do predictions for the Seahawks winning or losing, or exactly who they will pick in the draft or whether or not they will win the Super Bowl.  I will however give one prediction…

Pete Carroll and John Schneider are somewhere in the world rubbing a crystal ball, shaking a magic eight ball, laying down taro cards and laying hands on the Ouija board.  How else could they be this accurate picking players in the draft after the first round?  This is all too sophisticated for a rabbits foot or crossing fingers, besides… Everyone knows those things don't work, right?

NFL LAYOFFS: WHO STAYS? WHO GOES?

With the Seahawks bringing on so much talent through free agency and with 10 selections remaining for Seattle in the upcoming college football draft, who will be the odd men out?

The Seahawks ended the 2012 season with a few holes in their roster and some work to do in the off-season to determine where the replacements or improvements could be made.  Seattle's first glaring weakness after losing to the Atlanta Falcons in their second postseason game in Georgia was focused on the pass rush.  Playing without Chris Clemons on the right end shown to be a major weakness for the Seahawks.  Seattle's defense tallied zero sacks on Atlanta's Matt Ryan and there were few hurries even made by the Seahawks.  This is the primary reason that the Seahawks lost that game and no one knows it more than GM John Schneider and head coach Pete Carroll.

So, the duo decided to bring in some defensive line help and they did it in incredible fashion.  Their first signing for defensive line help was former Detroit Lion defensive end Cliff Avril, the number one rated defensive player in free agency.  Schneider didn't waste much time signing Michael Bennett a day later, Bennett being another high-value defensive pass rushing lineman.  A few days later, Schneider brought in defensive tackle from Miami, Tony McDaniel, a huge presence in the middle of the line at 6'7" and 300 pounds.  The question is now, what will Seattle do in the draft and if they bring in a couple of hotshot defensive lineman as rookies, what will happen to some of them role players who either didn't play much last year or didn't play at all.    Jaye Howard was a fourth-round selection in the 2012 draft, but showed a disturbing lack of effort and preparedness to play at the pro level.  Motor problems had followed him through college at Florida State, but Seattle's front office thought his talent potential could be coached and honed to work at the pro level.  So far, the jury's out on Howard.  He has the talent, but not the motor… So far.  Greg Scruggs, another 2012 draftee for Seattle and showed some real promise later in the season playing a large role while Red Bryant was nursing a sore injured foot and in the last postseason game of the season, Scruggs filled in for pass rushing phenom Chris Clemons.  With as many great free-agent and the potential addition of more defensive line help from the draft, Scruggs and Howard are going to have to elevate their performance this off-season and through training camp to find a spot on the 53 man roster and it will be a daunting task considered the additions just through the free-agent period.  shortly, they will be more competitors for the D line after draft selections are collected by Schneider and Carroll.

Seattle will also have to make decisions in the defensive backfield.  The Seahawks have hands down the best defensive secondary in football.  With Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor at the free and strong safety positions, Brandon Browner and Richard Sherman holding down the corners, that leaves; Jeremy Lane, Walter Thurmond, Byron Maxwell, Winston Guy, D'Shaun Shead and now the newly signed veteran, Antoine Winfield.  Again, the Seahawks will draft for depth at the position and that means there will be cuts to players who have established themselves to a certain extent with the starters.  Walter Thurmond is a great corner, but is also injury prone.  Byron Maxwell is a young player, but also has struggled with some nagging injuries.  In 2012, Jeremy Lane proved to be a godsend, holding down the right corner spot as Brandon Browner served his four-game suspension for testing positive for the performance-enhancing drug, Adderall.  Toward the end of the year, Winston Guy got some playtime, but his performance was questionable, but he also missed part of the season for violating the league's substance abuse policy on performance-enhancing drugs.  There are going to be some difficult cuts to be made for Pete Carroll this off-season. Some of the existing players on Seattle's roster are good enough to start, but injuries have caused them to play inconsistently.  I think Jeremy Lane and Antoine Winfield are the most safe to make the 2013 roster, but for Maxwell, Thurmond, Guy, Shead and Jeron Johnson, they will have to fight and compete to stay around on a team with this much talent.

Linebacker will be a very competitive position for Seattle during training camp this season.  KJ Wright and Bobby Wagner are both solid starters at the Sam and Mike positions, but the Will Linebacker well be very competitive.  Last year Leroy Hill and Malcolm Smith split time on the right side.  Leroy Hill will likely not be offered a contract after his brushes with the law and the fact that he doesn't fit the athleticism necessary to play on a Pete Carroll defense.  Malcolm Smith played well, but was totally outshined by Wagner and Wright.  The Seahawks will be addressing the outside linebacker position on the right immediately in the draft, I believe.  There are several good linebackers in this draft class and I believe it is without a doubt the most glaring spot that needs to be filled with a stud linebacker like; Cornelius Washington or Khaseem Green who are both athletic freaks that totally falling to the Pete Carroll model of the great outside linebacker.  There are others, but I think those two are definitely on the Seahawks radar as possible picks in the second round.  If it looks like the player that the Seahawks want will be snatched up before they select at the 56th pick in the second round, don't be surprised if Schneider and Carol don't pull off some sort of way of moving up in the second round or even into the first round to get their man.  Other linebackers who contribute on special teams might be able to make this roster based on their physical style of playing on kickoff and punt coverage.  Health Farwell has made his living on special teams as has Mike Morgan, another linebacker who has also put in some time on the defense.  All of these players are hard workers and won't give up their spots on the roster easily; Kyle Knox, Allen Bradford, and Korey Toomer will be battling it out to stick, also.  Likely, the players who will likely remain are; Malcolm Smith, Mike Morgan and HeathFarwell as backups, before the draft.  After the draft, who knows?

Wide receivers on this football team will have to struggle to stay around Carroll's roster this year.  Percy Harvin will be a lock as well as Golden Tate and Sidney Rice. However, the slot position will be a fierce competition.  If Doug Baldwin can return to his healthy body and his pass catching form of 2011, he will also stay on the roster, but the Seahawks fully intend to solve any pass receiving problems through the draft and shortly after the draft when some players may not make it on with other teams.  Phil Bates, Brett Swain and Charly Martin will be hopeful backups and Stephen Williams, Brian Walters and Jermaine Kearse are also longshots to make the roster.  This will be a very interesting position to watch during the draft and especially during training camp.  Pete Carroll and Darrell Bevell intend to open up the playbook more for Russell Wilson which means more of an aerial game.  Not a ton of change, after all, this team makes its way down the field on the legs of Marshawn Lynch, combined with Russell's aerial attack.  It's still going to be a physical team running the ball up the gut.

Running back is mostly set for the Seahawks, however I do look for them to pick up one or two more running backs in the draft or shortly after.  There are a lot of quality running backs in college and therefore there will be a lot of undrafted ball carriers that have a lot of skill.  Right now, it's Marshawn Lynch taking the bulk of the carries, but also look for Robert Turbin and Michael Robinson to get more touches than before.  Beast Mode is still the man with the rock!

Finally, special-teams players.  Clint Gresham is the teams only long snapper and well make the roster based on that niche skill.  He's also a decent blocker and makes nice tight spiral snaps for the punter and holder for place kicking services.  The punter, Jon Ryan, could have been the teams MVP a couple of years ago.  He has a master and pinning teams inside the 10 yard line and has nothing to worry about losing his job, unless his hamstring injury last year persists.  The placekicker position is not resolved as of now.  Steven Haushcka, will likely not return to Seattle. A 50 yard field goal was an adventure for him and the Seahawks are going to need every point they can muster in the NFC West where games could be quite close and in those games a kicker is a coach's best friend, until after the game.  Carson Wiggs was a rookie last year, but might be ready to take the next step with the Seahawks.  He is a free agent and has the seal of approval from Pete Carroll and Jon Schneider, so far.  If Seattle doesn't trade is picks, you could look for Seattle to take a kicker in the seventh round with perhaps their final selection.  Seattle possesses three fourth-round selections.

So, you can see that the Seattle Seahawks have very few holes to fill and many players are going to find themselves out of work this coming August.  It's a shame, but this is the business of which they have chosen… It is tough and it is competitive and not everyone will still have a job.

11 of 11 Seahawks offensive starters in 2012 are returning for the 2013 Season.  Nine of 11 starters… This is a packed football team and with five new free-agent signings, this will only make it more difficult.  Seattle Washington has become a destination for great football players