State of the Union: Seattle Seahawks

When's the last time something went right for Seattle? Was it Nirvana getting big and making it a music scene? It had to be. They seem to constantly be getting screwed over. The Supersonics hadn't won anything since 1979 before their fans went through the heartbreak of losing them, and now it's official that the Seahawks were jobbed in Super Bowl XL. It was a fact that was painfully obvious to Seattle faithful, but to bring the point out again while they can only hope for mediocrity only twists the knife further.

Even though this should be a building year, there is hope for the future in Seattle. They drafted Earl Thomas who should help a secondary that was ranked 30th in the league against the pass. Aaron Curry, the stud linebacker out of Wake Forest two years ago, was mostly injured last year (in fact it's hard not to find a player on this defense that wasn't hurt at some point). He has a concussion right now, so he isn't participating in camp, but with 1st string help around him and a revamped scheme he has the chance to bounce back and be the star he should be. He and Lofa Tatupu can make this linebacking unit scary (along with Leroy Hill who's frightening in general. Leroy!).

Pete Carroll looks to surprise in his return to the NFL, but I doubt it. It's one thing to run a pro-style offense when your talent is better than everyone else's, it's quite another to do it when everyone's on even footing. I could have gone to USC, called plays Madden-style, and still probably come away with a 7 win season. He seems to be banking his quarterbacking future on Charlie Whitehurst, but so far he hasn't been anything special in camp. He's making a more mobile offense for a guy who's old and coming off a slew of injuries. Sounds like a great idea. Sign me up for the Seattle Bandwagon.

Offensively it's hard not to weep. When Julius Jones (who I never thought was very good) is your starting back and he was worried that Lendale White would take his spot. That can't be a good sign. That's no slight to White. I love a fat running back. The fact is that if someone is already off the roster, trying to catch on in Denver due to a strange string of injuries, he shouldn't have ever been mentioned as a potential starter. At QB, the report is that Hasslebeck is looking healthy and mobile in the new offense that requires him to run outside the pocket more often. They say Whitehurst isn't challenging him for the starting role and Matt looks great heading into the season. Maybe with Russell Okung coming in to protect his left side he'll have some help and Golden Tate will look good as a rookie, but as a whole I'm not buying this. Doesn't this happen every year? Older QB looks good in offseason after injury, team gets excited, fans start to believe, then week 2 he's rolling around on the turf like the weird kid in the sandbox. Don't get your hopes up 'Hawks fans. You always get screwed. That's your place in the world.

Update: Justin Forsett is set to get the majority of first team carries at running back. Whether he'll fit well in this system is anybody's guess, but together with Leon Washington they should make a decent tandem. Improvement on Julius Jones, but not exactly dominant. Remember again Seahawks fans: low expectations.