Hawks Are a Comin'

QB Matt Flynn Sports New Nike 2012 Seahawks Unis:

The Seattle Seahawks have always been a team that needed to literally plow their way onto the national scene in terms of coverage and recognition from the league and media. However, you won't hear any of the Seahawks players whining or bickering about that. Sleeping dogs, the Seahawks are quietly assembling a very formidable, nasty and dangerous team in the NFC West. The Seattle owner (Paul Allen) and the front office have been fairly aggressive during the free-agent frenzy this off-season, signing former Green Bay backup QB Matt Flynn and defensive edge pass rusher Jason Jones from Tennessee, offensive tackle Frank Omiyale from Chicago, offensive guard Deuce Latui from Arizona, inside linebacker Barrett Ruud from Tampa Bay and Kregg Lumpkin also from the Buccaneers. With these moves, Seattle figures to be improved in some subtle ways and drastically in particular at the quarterback position. The Seahawks were also aggressive at keeping their current nucleus of talent especially the re-signing of Pro bowl players; running back Marshawn Lynch, defensive end Red Bryant,fullback Michael Robinson and re-signing veteran linebacker Leroy Hill. All of these moves were pivotal in Seattle wanting to maintain their forward progress with consistency and players that produce on the field every game, every play. The Seahawks lost tight end John Carlson just free agency, after a sub par, low production year for a player that just never seemed to ever approach his original potential. Carlson signed a very lucrative contract with the Minnesota Vikings, but most NFL analyst believed Carlson to be the most overrated player in free agency. The Seahawks also took another casualty when their most prolific tackler, linebacker David Hawthorne, signed with the New Orleans Saints. Pete Carroll intimated that Hawthorne was never in Seattle's plans for the future. Carroll and GM Schneider stayed consistent with their major goal of getting younger, faster and more versatile and athletic. David Hawthorne was an undersized linebacker and lacked the speed and versatility that the Seahawks coveted. They decided that they would let Hawthorne go and rebuild their linebacking corps through the draft and to a lesser extent, through free agency. With the selection of linebackers; Bobby Wagner from Utah State and Korey Toomer, it looks as if the Seahawks did just that. Another defensive move that had people talking in Seattle was the reacquisition of veteran corner Marcus Trufant. Trufant was making more than $7 million per year and it was obvious that Seattle was going younger, faster and more versatile. Trufant suffered from  chronic back problems throughout the 2010 and 2011 seasons and missed the majority of the games last year. However, now being paid just above league minimum salary for a veteran, the 14 year veteran might be a useful presence to one of the youngest most talented secondary in the NFL. Kam Chancellor, Richard Sherman, Brandon Browner and Earl Thomas are turning heads all over the NFL and laying out wide receivers on every surface in every city. Three of the four Seattle DB's flew to Hawaii last year as participants in the Pro bowl. Not bad for a couple of fifth-round draft picks, a player from Canada and a 2nd year strong safety. The question is, has Seattle improved exponentially faster than last year's NFC West champion, the San Francisco 49ers?

The San Francisco 49ers have made several moves of their own, adding big-name players from free agency to their roster. The risky move of signing (out of work) Randy Moss may or may not return dividends depending on how much gas there is left in his tank and if he can become a team player or a locker room distraction. The Niners signed Mario Manningham, formerly of the New York Giants, but how he will mesh with QB Alex Smith will be the factor that will determine whether or not that was a significant acquisition or just another mediocre producer. Manningham is a solid receiver, but he had Eli Manning throwing to him and even then, his numbers weren't exactly staggering. Smith is more of a game manager and less likely to light up the Frisco airways with high-yield numbers the way that Manning did in New York. SF also had a somewhat unpredictable draft 2012, but more about that later. I think that 2011 NFC West champions are woefully unprepared for the caliber of team that Seattle is going to field in 2012. Jim Harbaugh has made it very clear that he's not exactly sold on the talents of his starting quarterback of last year. In fact, Harbaugh and the San Francisco front office spent a considerable amount of effort trying to woo Peyton Manning to the Bay Area, despite going 13-3 with Smith under center. As I mentioned, the Niners head coach made no secret of their dissatisfaction with Smith's performance on the field. Early on, just after Indianapolis released Peyton Manning, the 49ers made little or no overt effort to bring him in for a workout or even discussing any interest in the former Colts QB. All signs pointed to Denver, Miami, Washington, Tennessee and to a lesser extent, Seattle the more obvious places likely to sign him. But, San Francisco stayed quiet, sort of waiting for the dust to settle a bit to feel out Manning for what he wanted in the long run. Then, reports on ESPN indicated that somewhere out of the blue, the 49ers had Manning work out for them in an almost clandestine meeting in an undisclosed facility. With San Francisco within a muffed punt of the Super Bowl last year, it looked to be a likely place for Manning to land if he was hoping for another shot at a Super Bowl ring. The 49ers had one of the most active and dominant defenses in football last year and are going to return all 11 defensive starters for the 2012 campaign. Also, San Francisco had one of the better offensive line squads to protect a quarterback, like Manning, with little mobility and significant history of injuries late in his career. They already brought in help at the receiver position with Randy Moss and Mario Manningham and have one of the best tightends in football in Vernon Davis. Perhaps one of the most attractive aspects of the 49ers team is the focus on the running game. In Peyton Manning career, he has never boasted the best running game to complement his ability to throw the ball. The 49ers are already stacked at the running back position with  gutsy, workhorse Frank Gore, up and coming runner in Kendall Hunter, recently acquired big man Brandon Jacobs from the Giants and if that's not enough, they drafted LaMichael James, one of the fastest players in the NFL draft out of Oregon to play a change-up runner who catches the ball well and has a slashing style that would make an excellent change of pace runner to contrast Gore, Hunter and Jacobs. It started out looking like a very attractive place for Manning to round out his career. Decent weather, and a team seemingly poised for a Super Bowl appearance and with the addition of Manning, the sky was the limit. However, it was just too little too late for the NFL's most valuable free agent to become a 49er and immediately after Manning made his intentions known that he would be  a Bronco, the Niners were in a veritable quarterback pickle. Free agent Alex Smith was hoping for San Francisco to offer him a long-term contract and a vote of confidence that the former Heisman trophy winner was indeed their quarterback of the future. He wasn't happy about the way his team was treating him after a relatively successful season, taking the 49ers to the playoffs and running away in the West with the 13-3 season and a division title. The 49ers appeared to be a team on the verge of competing for a Super Bowl perhaps and it looked like they didn't have a quarterback at all, aside from backup QB Colin Kaepernick, the very raw and untested quarterback they drafted to hopefully replace Smith, and soon. At the time that Peyton Manning made his decision that he had chosen Denver public, Alex Smith was scheduled to fly to Miami for a workout and meeting and then on to Seattle to meet with the Seahawks, who had just missed out on a meeting with Chad Henne a few days earlier after he signed in Jacksonville. Luckily for the 49ers, the Dolphins low-balled  Matt Flynn, and he was on his way back to Seattle to sign a three-year contract with the Seahawks. This left the 49ers back in the position to eat crow and sign Alex Smith, despite his feelings that the team still didn't really give him the respect he felt he deserved. The truth? Neither the 49ers nor Alex Smith had many options, so they kissed and made up. Good deal for San Francisco? Good deal for Alex Smith? This will remain to be seen. I don't think either club or player are completely satisfied with the way things turned out.?

How will the NFC West shakeout after all this off-season activity? Who knows? However, I don't think the San Francisco 49ers will be prepared for the improvement that the Seahawks have made over the off-season. The Niners will still have a very good defense, but it is the exact same offense as last year without improving anywhere. Seattle ended the year very strong and confident and have improved in many areas necessary to compete with the best teams in the NFL. Alex Smith performed to his potential last year. He avoided making mistakes and managed the game. That's it. You didn't win any games for San Francisco, he just didn't lose the games for them. Sometimes, that's enough; just ask Brian Billick and Trent Dilfer. Dilfer wasn't the kind of quarterback that was going to carry a team on his back and win Super Bowl MVP's. Baltimore had an elite defense that made plays that put their opposition in constant chaos and crisis. Trent Dilfer was a smart guy, with a weak arm and very little mobility. He didn't light up the scoreboard and didn't break any passing record on the way to the Ravens Super Bowl season. In fact, the Baltimore Ravens at a very non-flashy offensive team that included a very good running game out of Jamaal Lewis and Priest Holmes, a good wide receiving corps with Quadry Ismail, Jermaine Lewis and tightends Shannon Sharpe and Ben Coates. The Ravens had a Stellar offensive line in front of those runners featuring Jonathan Ogden in Orlando Bobo. However, it was their defense, a swarming defense that took the Ravens all the way. This was one of the most complete description football teams in the history of football. This elite defenses squad included players such as the legendary linebacker Ray Lewis, LB Jamie Sharper, S Rod Woodson, and Mammoth run stuffers,Tony Siragusa. San Francisco has a very good defense, but in no way are they anything like the 2000 Baltimore Ravens. Alex Smith is going to have to get more production through the air and do more than just managing games and not making mistakes. I think Alex Smith is tapped out and we've seen his best and I don't think it's going to be enough to keep the 49ers on top in the West.They didn't get that much better, and some might even think they didn't get better at all. In the NFL, if you don't get better, you fall behind. It's not good enough to just stay AS good as you were last year, because every other team is struggling to get better and with free agency and draft selections each year, you can go from worst to first in one year. The Denver Broncos did it in the AFC West. They got better and the majority of the reason was good defensive play and a real bona fide leader under center. Say what you want about Tim Tebow, but the man is a good football player. Better than that, he is a great leader and inspires everyone around him and helps raise their game even higher creating a super atmosphere for players to reach their potential, and not just on the offensive side of the ball. Denver's defense was being beaten badly week in and week out until Tim Tebow joined the starting Broncos offense. If possible to get better and FAST.

This brings me to the Seattle Seahawks and what they have done during the off-season to get better. First of all, Pete Carroll and John Schneider created a plan. They decided what they wanted to do in free agency and what they wanted to accomplish in the draft. The Seahawks wanted very much to get younger, quicker, faster, more athletic and more versatile at as many positions as they could or needed. David Hawthorne wasn't big enough, athletic enough, fast enough for versatile enough… GONE. Atari Bigby wasn't young enough, or versatile enough… GONE. John Carlson wasn't fast enough, versatile enough or athletic and he was inconsistent… GONE. Robert Gallery wasn't young enough, fast enough or athletic enough… GONE. Anthony Hargrove was a young enough, fast enough, athletic enough or versatile enough… GONE. Aaron Curry wasn't versatile enough and was inconsistent… GONE. Marcus Trufant wasn't young enough, fast enough… GONE (signed temporarily at minimum wage and probably will not stay).

Seattle went into the off-season knowing that they needed to improve at the quarterback position, defensive end, linebacker and left guard and needed depth in the defense of secondary. How did they do according to plan?

In the first round they elected the best pure pass rusher in the country (Bruce Irvin). In the 2nd round they took one of the best tackling inside linebackers after Luke Kuechly, who wasn't available at the 12th (Bobby Wagner). Then, they drafted one of the best and most versatile players in the draft, a quarterback that impressed everyone in the country, but wasn't considered tall enough to warrant a third-round selection(Russell Wilson). Then, the availability of a tough, punishing runner from Utah State made it possible for Seattle to get depth at the running back position reducing the wear and tear on Marshawn Lynch (Robert Turbin). Then Seattle selected a player to give them more depth, speed and youth on the defensive line in(Jaye Howard). Next they added big time speed, versatility and depth to the linebacker position with (Korey Toomer). They also selected 2 players in the later rounds to possibly add depth to the secondary giving Thomas, Chancellor, Sherman and Browner another set of coverage backs that are fast, athletic and versatile with(Jeremy Lane/Winston Guy). Seattle started with 6 selections in the draft, but through some shrewd dealing, they ended up with 10 pics. To round out the 10, the Seahawks selected another defensive end (Greg Scruggs) and a special project player in JR Sweezy, a defense end with great speed and agility that will hopefully make a fantastic transition to offensive guard. Sweezy is 300 pounds and runs the 40 yard dash in just 4.86 seconds… JR Sweezy's 40 time is faster than Dontari Poe's time at the combine. Poe is considered an athletic freak by most talented experts because of his enormous 343 pound frame and sub 5 sec. 40 yard dash speed. Albeit, Dontari Poe is 43 pound heavier than Sweezy, that is still a jaw dropping statistic for a man over 300 pounds.Just like Poe, Sweezy is  very nimble on his feet and has stayed healthy throughout his career. He could be a great asset if the Seahawks coaching staff is successful at the planned conversion. Sweezy is also a great young man with an impeccable character off the field and great competitor on the field.

The Seattle Seahawks look to be a very unusual team and likely a nightmare to match up against, no matter whether you are on the defensive side of the ball or the offense. I can't wait to see what becomes of this year's Seattle Seahawks team.

All in all, it has been a very unique and crazy off-season for the NFL. From the Peyton Manning lottery to the Tim Tebow circus act coming to New York and the nonstop hoopla of the 2 outstanding college quarterbacks entering the draft: Andrew Luck of Stanford and Heisman Trophy winner, Robert Griffin III of Baylor. This off-season has seen the ugliness of the New Orleans Saints bounty bowl pulling back the veil of violence that has most certainly perpetuated in nearly every franchise locker room in the NFL. If that wasn't bad enough for the Saints, New Orleans general manager was accused of using bugs or other electronic monitoring systems to listen opponents locker rooms and coaches headsets. This accusation was however uncorroborated and unproven, but regardless… It added more fuel to the fire and in the wake of the Saints head coach Sean Payton suspended for an entire season and defensive coordinator Gregg Williams suspended indefinitely by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. In addition, a team wide investigation was performed to determine if any specific players could be positively identified for taking cash payoffs to specifically injure opposing players. Then there is the drama created by Darrelle Revis calling New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick a "jerk" on a radio show and accusing Tom Brady of acting without class. Mark Sanchez in New York totally patronizes new fellow teammates Tim Tebow as if he is there for nothing more than helping him work out in the gym, not actually there to compete for a starting job as the Jets QB. Sanchez is also having to act his way out of hating Santonio Holmes after being openly and publicly criticized by the wide receiver on and off the field.  The Minnesota Vikings narrowly escaping a franchise relocation to Los Angeles. Joe Flacco blasting his mouth off on radio calling himself "The best quarterback in the NFL." This has just been one controversy after another and Commissioner Roger Goodell has been at the center of most of this ongoing list of Sagas. Goodell is aging faster than Barack Obama these days. Can you imagine if Pete Rozelle would have had to cope with all of this ridiculousness? He's rolling over in his grave right now.

Lastly, and most sobering: Junior Seau commits suicide shocking everyone in the country, football fans and non-fans alike. This has been the most unusual NFL off-season I've ever witnessed. It has been entertaining, that's for sure… Junior Seau's death notwithstanding. RIP Buddy