Seahawk Addicts
Happy 4th from Mike and Me.
Kathy! Happy 4th from us to you & Mike! Hope you're enjoying your break until training camp!
First of all, I'd love to believe that's really Mike and Kathy meaning they actually read all this laymans nonsense we put out in the blog. 
I've got to just jump into this one full force. First of all, since it was brought up, I've got a bit of a different take on the whole Hutch thing than most people. To start with consider this. If we hadn't lost Hutch to the Vikings, we would never have had the money to sign Peterson and that one signing was the cornerstone of the rebuilding of the defense. We're going to be seeing the fruits of that endeavour in full force this season. I thought Ruskell did a great job of not just lamenting the loss of Hutch but going right out and agressively pursuing Julian and arguably getting us as good an impact player for the defense as Hutch was for our offense. Tit for tat. Big loss on one side of the ball and big gain on the other. Overall, nothing lost.
The other point about Hutch was that you really have to put this into perspective when you hear claims that losing Hutch was the single event that doomed us to having a mediocre offensive line the last two seasons. I vehemently disagree! The other event that happened in 2006 that was at least equal to the loss of Hutch was Robbie Tobeck retiring. Some analysts have actually said that was the bigger loss and there is some sense to that statement. Robbie had become the consumate all pro center by that time in his career. He was totally seasoned and had been there and done that many times over. He was the best center the Seahawks have ever had for making the Oline adjustment calls at the line of scrimmage just prior to the snap. He was able to diagnose the defensive set and adjust the Seahawks's linemen and their blocking assignments quickly and accurately. That is a primary reason Spencer is still just an average center. He is reputedly getting better at it but Robbie was the master. We lost a huge part of our offensive line success when he retired and that double whammy of Hutch leaving and then Tobeck right on his heels tells the real story of our offensive line problems the last two years. Consider also that Chris Gray was in decline and with Tobeck missing, he didn't have the support next to him he had enjoyed for many years as his skills deterioated and you've got the real picture. Spencer had enough to do just to keep his head above water let alone help cover for Gray and the result was that Gray seemed to just lose it overnight after Tobeck retired. I contend that if Hutch had stayed and we didn't sign Peterson, after Tobeck retired, we would have been largely in the same boat with the offensive line and the defense wouldn't have been where they are today. Remember that Peterson has made the pro bowl every year since joining the Seahawks and is still one of the top linebackers in the league. If Alexander had been hurt as he was in 2006 and Hutch had stayed, without Tobeck, our running game likely would have been just about as anemic as it was anyway.
The Seahawks turned a corner when Hutch left but that doesn't mean we didn't start down a new street that is leading to as much success or more than we would have had by staying on the old path. It's easy to lament what you've lost and blame your troubles on one event like that and not allow yourself to see what positive things came out of the same event. That was the single event in my mind that transposed our team from a team with a very good offense and just an adequate defense to a team with an awesome defense and an adequate offense which characterizes where we are today but with the offense back on the upswing. Which is better? That can be debated but I've often heard the old adage that offense wins games but defense wins championships. I know a lot of people who haven't embraced Holmgren and his tenure in Seattle have been unhappy with what they percieved as inattention given the defense. For those fans of the other side of the ball, I think they are going to have a great year watching the Seahawks because this year, it's the defense that is going to shine and that all started with Hutch's departure.
That's been my take on the Hutch thing all along and I was one of the first to say that losing Hutch and gaining Peterson wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Then of course, I put the curse on Hutch and the rest is history.
As to the RB and WR debate and where that's all going, that's been beat to death and I've offered my opinion of that one too many times already. Holmgren and Ruskell seem to be happy with where they're at with respect to those positions and that's good enough for me. They didn't feel they needed to address those positions in the draft and that's a telling sign to me that they feel we're ok with the talent we have.
Bringing in Solari and changing the blocking scheme to the proven model that Denver has made good on for years now will in my opinion resurrect our running game and the real beauty of that scheme is that you can plug in most any good (but not necessarily great) RB and he'll tear up the defense. JJ, Mo Mo, and Duckett not to mention Weaver are all good RB's and should prosper in that system. As far as the receivers go, I've said many times before that Holmgrens WCO doesn't need a number one type of talent at WR instead depending on a bevy of receivers who are in the next tier down talent wise to all be threats along with the RB and TE to form a swarm of receivers that are impossible to cover. Hass is a master at finding the open guy and will throw to the number three or four receiver or RB/FB as quickly as the flanker or split end.
I tell you right now and you can take it to the bank. The Seahawks are alright with respect to offensive talent and are going to be a more than adequate offense this year much better than the last two years have been. The defense is likely a top five defense and will be giving offensive coordinators nightmares this season as they put relentless pressure on the QB, erect a brick wall in the middle of the line to stop the running game, and let loose a couple of the quickest outside linebackers in the league to chase down plays around the ends. If by chance the QB does find the barest moment of time to throw the ball, he's going to find Trufant and Jennings inside the jerseys of his receivers and have to make a very quick decision whether to run for his life, risk the interception and throw anyway, throw the ball away, or play the deer in the headlights routine until he gets separated from his head. Any of those options are good for Seattle.
Happy 4th of July to all my brothers and sisters in Seahawk land and rejoice that we're only three weeks away from the start of daily doses of football news and exciting revelations from this team that eveyone says is such a mystery at this point. Ain't it great to be a football fan.
Great points, Billt!!! I see it the same way as you. This is going to be a great year. One of my favorite things is watching young talent grow and prosper - I think we will be treated to that.
Of course the reason why the defense was not mentioned is because this article is for fantasy football.
Nice work Billt.
I'll need some time to add $.02 to that, and I'm BBQ'ing right now, so I hope to revisit that later.
In passing I want to offer yes, the upgrade to the "D" was worth Hutch.
Now the fab 4 will kill a LOT of teams until they adjust, then JJ will rock.
It's all good, and have a safe and same 4th.
I wonder if I'm the southernmost hawk fan down here in Ventura Co,. CA ??
play ball!
Okay, I've had a couple of margaritas, so I'll post before I have another. (Isn't it one tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor?)
My two boyfriends on Sirius NFL said the other day that any team with an elite quarterback and an elite DE are almost unstoppable. I think we have both. The wide receiver situation will take care of itself. The RB situation? Our offense is much more suited to Julius Jones' talents than Dallas' was.
I think we'll be just fine.
-S
"I wonder if I'm the southernmost hawk fan down here in Ventura Co,. CA ??"a
Well, I'm a Seahawks fan in San Diego so I'd have to dispute that!
Hey Doug,
My ex-wife lives somewhere deep down in Mexico and she's a huge Seahawk's fan so I guess you'll have to learn a little Spanish and move way South to claim that honor.
I'd love to hear what else you could add to the Hutch legend. I sure run up against a lot of fans who just flat claim that Ruskell blew it and that ruined the team for the last two years but I think that's a way oversimplification of how it really was. Hutch was a huge catalyst for the team when he left and Ruskell was as stunned by the posion pill as all of us were.
I've never blamed Ruskell for what happened because I thought he tried to treat Hutch with respect by letting him find his true worth so he felt appreciated. No one had ever used a poison pill before in a transition tag contract so he wasn't really thinking there was any danger in using that tag. I don't think he was trying to save any money either. Afterall, Hutch's contract was going to cost megabucks and he knew it. Whether that contract came off the transition tag or the franchise tag didn't make any difference unless Hutch was going to not sign a contract and just play under the tag for the year. I don't think Ruskell thought that was going to happen. If he franchised him, no other team would make an offer and Ruskell wanted to find out how much he was worth on the open market so they could set Hutch's value value and get the contract done. Supossedly, Hutch knew that Ruskell was going to use the transition tag and didn't say anything about feeling disrespected by that move until after it had been done. Hutch was just looking for a scrapegoat for his actions with the poision pill is the only thing that makes sense to me. Ruskell rarely agrees pay a guy whatever he's worth with no negotiation but in essence that's what he offered Hutch. Go get other offers and satisfy yourself we're giving you top dollar and it's done.
We all know how it turned out but how can you claim Ruskell did anything wrong? He learned a lesson just as the other 31 GM's learned that same day which was that the transition tag is flawed and has a loophole a team can take drive a Mack truck through if they want to play dirty. A lot of GM's have avoided using that tag because of that one incident and any one of them could have made the same mistake before they all realized the pitfall. It was unfortunate that it was Ruskell who had a player with an agent unscrupulous enough to use it and a player who wanted to move.
Ruskell showed great poise and quick thinking under fire by changing directions on a dime and signing Peterson within a very short time after they let the deadline pass on Hutch. That day, Ruskell turned a sows ear into a fine purse. That's the guy I want handling my team. It was obvious that he had a backup plan in place and was ready to implement it. He was prepared to handle the outcome of the situation and the Seahawks have emerged two years later as one of the more dangerous team's in the NFC and overall better than in 2005 but we'll have to wait to prove that assertation. My 32 years of watching them team says this year feels better approaching it than ever before. I think Holmgren will be vindicated for everything he's done here in Seattle in his last campaign.
I'll look forward to hearing from you and reading your perspective Doug.
Well,
I'm glad that there are Hawk fans down here too. I moved here 26 years ago, but have remained a loyal Seattle fan. I was deeply saddened by the Sonics recent moves, I still remember Sikma, downtown, JJ and DJ and big ole lonnie Shelton, slick watts and such... I'll still follow them wherever they go to see KD and Green develope into whatever they become.
Also, a quick shout out to the M's !
All of a sudden they are the last team anybody wants to play as they have nothing to lose anymore, and are finally playing loose and relaxed ball.
I knew the GM and coach were toast a loooong time ago. Isn't it interesting how a coach and a GM create an atmosphere the players react to? Sometimes this atmosphere kills a team (M's) and sometimes this atmosphere creates something special.....HAWKS.. I hope Mora learns how to maintain this aura from Holmy, if anything else. Leadership is an extremely fragile skill to master, and it's difficult to do correctly. Lots of people know fundamentals and plays, X's and O's, but to be able to get the players to buy into the system and be a living part of it is difficult.
Now Hutch, Peterson, the running game, the "D", Rusky, the poisen pill...*sigh*
Bill, you have done a yoemans job of gathering fact and presenting a solid dose of reality, so I'm not going to try to add anything to your perspective, rather I will talk about the dynamics a year to year can bring.
The 05 Hawks were one of those rare blends of perfection that don't just keep repeating themselves. That was a special team and the boys were so robbed by the officials in order to ensure the "Bus" got the ring so everyone in TV land would be proven right. The Hawks were the dominant team that day and had the officials just let the game happen we would have owned that game, but...
So anyways, did Hutch destroy the offense by leaving? NO. One man can't make or break a team. Just as Bill outlined, a lot of different subtle thigs occurred at the same time, which got the ball rolling. Tobeck (sp?) was probably the main piece, as it illustrated the difficulty of playing center. It's not all about being big and strong, but rather being smart enough to recognize what the "D" is doing and to make the proper call. Spence and Sims aren't exactly small and weak, but they were young and dumb and in the NFL, that equals a bad day for the RB's (Shaun)
SA got an up front and personal look at the significance of that point. That's another reason to be excited about this year. Spence is 3 times smarter, "Brick Whale" has a touch of experience at LG, Sims is twice as smart and twice as big and strong, and the Lock will be fine. Not to mention Jeb and Carlson replacing the anemic Pollard.
The point of bringing in the TE into the equation is that our favorite Assclown played TE that same year and while he might not have been the greatest blocking TE in history, he was indeed a major threat as a receiver (at least in the oppositions eyes, right before he dropped the ball, but I digress here..hehe)
Anyways, the loss of that threat alone allowed the "D" to stack the box just that much more against poor Shaun.
I'm probably very alone in this thought, but I bet Shaun would have had a decent year had he remained with all of our upgrades, but JJ will be the benefactor of these upgrades.
Hutch was good, but our system also made him good too, as it was a two way street. Is he as dominating in Minn? Hard to tell cuz AP is tearing it up.
Now, the other side of the coin is the "D"
JP was the beginning of a complete overhaul, and now look what we have. I can't wait for this year, and if it plays out anywhere close to what I'm thinking...ooooh baby!
The main point is the DT position. Remember the game against Chicago where we couldnt even come close to slowing their big DT down, and he just destroyed us? That is what I'm hoping we bring this year with Tubby, Mebane, and now Red. That centerpoint of attack will radiate out and multiply exponentially. Extra help will be needed to protect the middle, which will free up the DE's which will free up the LB's and so on. In other words, it could be a fun year for the D. This in effect completes Bill's point, which is that while we did lose a great player on the "O", it started the growth of a dynamic "D" which is still paying dividends and ultimately could bring us the SB win.
Well, back to work painting the wifes office...
Have a good weekend all.....
Thats a very good point about the DT's Doug. They not only stuff the run but push the guards and center back into the pocket, making the QB feel uncomfortable. I feel that DT was our only defensive weakness last season. If Tubbs comes back we could have one of the better DT rotations in the league. Tubbs and Mebane will stuff the run, and Bernard and LoJack go in on passing downs. Hopefully Bryant will contribute but I don't want him to be rushed into action to soon.
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