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CAN SEATTLE HOLD THE LINE?

Walter Jones, Steve Hutchinson, Robbie Tobeck, Chris Gray, and Sean Locklear. These were the five starters on Seattle’s offensive line for their Super Bowl run in 2005. Jones and Hutchinson were the All-Pros, Tobeck and Gray were the crafty veterans and Locklear was the up-and-comer at right tackle. The Seahawks have never had an offensive line like that one before or (regrettably) since, which is one of the main reasons why they had never gone to the Super Bowl before and have yet to return.

Improving an offensive line that collapsed under the weight of poor play and a plethora of injuries was a key goal for the Seahawks in 2009. Offensive line coach Mike Solari instituted a zone blocking scheme that would hopefully play more to the strengths of the players they had. The Seahawks drafted Max Unger in the second round, a player who could have easily gone much higher. These moves, combined with the likelihood that the injury bug wouldn’t hit as hard this year, would hopefully rejuvenate an offensive line that has struggled since its finest hour four years ago.

Maybe this will happen, but the early returns are mixed. Rob Sims is quietly putting together an outstanding camp and could be ready to fulfil the promise he showed in his rookie season. Otherwise, however, the offensive line has not really stood out much in training camp to date. Chris Spencer is already injured again, and while the injury is minor it is a bad sign for a player that has had trouble staying healthy. Unger is playing as well as can be expected but is a rookie and is making his share of rookie mistakes. Locklear, Ray Willis, and Mansfield Wrotto have been decent at best. It would be far, far too early to make any judgements about the offensive line’s performance after one week of camp, but Seattle’s O-Line still has a long way to go to put people’s fears to rest.

Any offense in the National Football League will only go as far as the line can take it, but in Seattle’s case the play of the offensive line is especially crucial. Matt Hasselbeck may be fully recovered from the back injury that ruined his 2008 season but his chances of re-injuring himself only get worse the more he gets hit. The Seahawks also lack the home-run threat at running back and will rely on Julius Jones, T. J. Duckett, and Justin Forsett to churn out yardage on the ground. The O-Line’s zone blocking system was designed in part to help make these backs more effective. If it doesn’t work, the Seahawks will have an even harder time rushing the ball than they’ve had the last few years. Tim Ruskell bet the offense on an improved blocking scheme, healthy linemen, and one second round pick. Losing that bet would be disastrous.

Ruskell’s bet hinges on improvement on the interior of the line, which is why using a second round pick on an interior lineman like Unger made more sense than using a first round pick on a tackle in last April’s draft. The Seahawks are more secure at tackle than at the other line positions, what with Jones, Locklear and Willis. The problems lie mainly at center and guard, especially with the forced retirement of Mike Wahle. Do the Seahawks have viable starters in the interior? Can Spencer and Sims live up to their potential? How long will it take Max Unger to be ready to step in? Is Mansfield Wrotto anything more than depth? Can Ray Willis and or Sean Locklear move to guard if necessary? These questions have surrounded the offensive line all summer. After one week of camp, Seattle does not appear to be much closer to finding any answers.

Next week’s preseason game at San Diego will give the Seahawks a clearer picture of what they have to work with on the offensive line, though not a definitive one. Many fans and pundits scorn the notion of four preseason games, but a unit with so many questions that is learning a new system needs all the prep time it can get. It will take more than a week to figure out how good or how bad the O-Line really is.

It just would have been nice to have gotten a hint at the answer by now.