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FIVE SEAHAWKS WHO NEED TO IMPROVE IN 2008

The Seattle Seahawks have a lot of questions as they head into the 2008 season. They also have plenty of potential. Recently ESPN’s NFL Live crew picked Seattle as a team that could challenge for a Super Bowl, and while preseason hype is worth about as much as a $5 gas card, the fact that any national pundit would put “Seahawks” and “Super Bowl” in the same sentence is surprising. The Seattle Seahawks do have the potential to reach Super Bowl XLIII, but only if they can improve upon their performance of the past few seasons. The Seahawks in 2006 and 2007 were good but not great, and GREAT is what they will need to be if they want another crack at the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

Seattle was not a big-time spender in the free agent market this year but they did make moves to rebuild their moribund rushing attack and shore up the offensive line. Hopefully these free agent moves will pay off. Yet the Seahawks also need more out of several players and coaches who have been with this team for longer than one offseason. As training camp slowly approaches and players and coaches take their last vacation until next winter (hopefully mid-February), here are five Seahawks in particular who need to step up their game in 2008 if Seattle has any chance at another Super Bowl run:

Rob Sims

Much has been written about Seattle’s offensive line struggles last season, and Tim Ruskell can’t be criticized for ignoring the problem. Ruskell signed Mike Wahle to fill Sims’ old spot at left guard and hired Mike Solari to coach the O-Line and bring a zone-blocking scheme to a unit that could use some fresh tactics. Sims has switched from left guard to right guard—a position he has never played before—and more than anyone else represents an offensive line that failed to live up to its potential in 2007.

Sims was initially upset about losing his job at left guard, yet he was lucky that his performance last year didn’t earn him a full-time spot on the bench. Sims often looked hesitant, confused, and ineffective to the point where Mike Holmgren had to substitute Floyd Womack just to give Matt Hasselbeck some protection. To Sims’ credit, he has grown accustomed to the idea of playing right guard. He has grown in other areas as well, putting on 10 pounds of muscle and gaining strength. Sims played well in his rookie year and his regression in 2007 is all the more puzzling for it. If he can regain and then better the form he showed two years ago, Seattle’s offensive line should look much better this season.

Nate Burleson

It took a 91-yard punt return touchdown against the Rams in 2006 for Nate Burleson to go from free agent bust to viable contributor. Burleson had two return touchdowns in 2007, but added another nine in the passing game and began to show his playmaking abilities on offense as well. Barring injury, Nate Burleson will be one of Seattle’s starting wide receivers in 2008 and, according to team insiders, has looked better in minicamps than ever before. The timing could not possibly be better.

Seattle’s questionable situation at wide receiver will end up throwing young players like Ben Obomanu and/or Courtney Taylor into the spotlight, but the pressure will be even greater for Nate Burleson. Burleson has shown good speed and elusiveness after the catch, but drops were a problem for him last season. In order to be the kind of receiving threat Matt Hasselbeck will need in 2008, he needs to improve his consistency to the point where he is as reliable a target as Bobby Engram is. With Branch out with a knee injury and a receiving corps that is light on experience (or in Engram’s case, a little too heavy on experience), it will be up to Burleson to step up and be Seattle’s primary weapon at wide receiver.

Darryl Tapp

Defensive line coach Dwaine Board described Tapp as a “rolling ball of butcher knives” last season, and with Bryce Fisher’s subsequent trade Tapp was given the opportunity to start at defensive end for the bulk of the year. The results were disappointing. Other than a four-sack game against the St. Louis Rams and the JV offensive line they were fielding at the time, Tapp failed to make much of an impact in 2007. Seattle’s pass rush largely lived and died with Patrick Kerney; when Kerney was held in check, the undersized Tapp often failed to pick up the slack.

The Seahawks did Tapp a favor by selecting Lawrence Jackson in the first round of this year’s NFL Draft. Assuming Jackson can work his way into the defensive end rotation, he will be able to spell Tapp and keep him fresher as the season wears on. Tapp appeared to wear down considerably towards the end of the 2007 season, and the lack of a quality defensive end to spell him when he needed a break was a big reason why. Regardless, Tapp needs to step up and make more of an impact in his third season. Seattle had too many games in which they failed to sack the quarterback, and every single one of those games was a loss. Patrick Kerney can’t do it by himself and who knows how much of a pass rush Jackson will be able to provide his first year. Tapp needs to fulfil his potential.

Josh Wilson

Cornerback is probably the toughest position for a rookie to come in and learn, and as a result Wilson’s struggles during his rookie year are understandable. Regardless, Seattle probably expected a bit more out of Wilson than they got, the rookie’s kick return touchdown in St. Louis notwithstanding. Many had Wilson pegged as nickel back last year, but he struggled early and often and dropped past Jordan Babineaux on the depth chart. Now, with the surprising play of Kevin Hobbs, Wilson could face even more competition for the nickel back position.

Seattle’s pass defense took a quantum leap forward in 2007 thanks to a Pro Bowl performance by Marcus Trufant and the addition of safeties Deon Grant and Brian Russell. But the last few years have proven that teams cannot have too many cornerbacks, and the Seahawks are going to need a strong presence at corner in a division that features Anquan Boldin, Larry Fitzgerald, and Torry Holt. Trufant is a lock at one starting position and Kelly Jennings is the odds-on favorite for the other one, but the competition for spots behind them is wide open. Seattle needs a good nickel back and Wilson has the most talent of the bunch. He just needs to prove that last year was only the result of rookie struggles and not a sign of impending bust-hood. Additionally, with Nate Burleson starting at receiver you can bet Seattle would love to have somebody else running back kicks. Wilson did it once before, could he do it on a full-time basis in 2008?

Bruce DeHaven

Seattle’s special teams coach must have been chomping down Rolaids like cashews last year. Sure, Nate Burleson had two return touchdowns and Wilson had another, but those three returns were literally the only things that went right for the special teams in 2007. The less said about former long-snapper Boone Stutz the better, and Tyler Schmitt looks like an adequate replacement at the position, but Seattle’s kicking game is up in the air ever since Josh Brown followed the money to St. Louis. Anyone questioning the value of an accurate kicker should take another look at the Hawks-Giants game from 2005. Should Seattle go with the veteran Olindo Mare or take the younger, yet potentially better rookie Brandon Coutu? The wrong choice could come back to bite the Seahawks right when they least expect it.

Almost as important as solidifying the kicker position is figuring out what’s wrong with kick coverage. Fans may have oohed and ahhed about Josh Brown’s ferocious special teams tackles last season, but the fact that the kicker has to tackle anybody is a pretty serious sign of trouble. Remember the Bryant Westbrook punt return that just about cost Seattle the Eagles game? Kick coverage and punt coverage are still serious areas of concern that Bruce DeHaven has to address in 2008. Special teams rarely wins games for you but it often loses them. Getting a competent long-snapper was a step in the right direction, but this unit still desperately needs improvement.