Looking Back on 2010, Part 1: The First Three Months

This is the first in a series of posts re-capturing the moods, debates, and plot twists of Pete Carroll's first year in Seattle.

I can't speak for all Seahawks fans, but I know many who expected almost nothing from 2010.

At the time Pete Carroll appeared in Seattle, the 'Hawks were coming off one of the most embarrassing seasons in almost twenty years. The 2009 season read like a Greek tragedy, presenting the continued decline of Matt Hasselbeck, blowouts at the hands of 3-13 teams, and the players quitting on an ungracious head coach who had neither grace under fire nor answers for the team's struggles. The defense was exposed against the toughest lineup of QB's it had seen that decade. The high-profile signings of T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Colin Cole did little to change the core problems. The draft of 2009 had returned almost nil on investment.

Worst of all, the 2009 campaign was an indictment on previous years as well, a painful wake-up call for those of us who fervently believed that the injury-ravaged 2008 season was just a fluke and that the 2007 defense would soon return. The "tired" Mike Holmgren made his exit, and the necessary health finally arrived mid-season, but no improvements came with them. Instead, it gradually became clear that years of Tim Ruskell's drafting had left the team without playmakers. Big contracts attached to underperforming players were staggering the team. Perennial fan favorites were losing their impact. Reeling from blowout after blowout, Seattle staggered to a 5-11 record and posted the second worst points differential (-172) in franchise history. By neglecting key positions and relying on expensive free agents to plug holes, the team had failed to out-race its own aging and attrition, and the team's problems were now deep in its foundation.

I remember the fan base expecting, on average, a 6-10 season. Many of those who threw in a playoff win prediction were just trying to be funny about the sad-sack NFC West. There would be no one-year turnaround, no sudden renaissance for the Seahawks, and everyone knew it. This was a rebuild.

Enter Pete Carroll.

Rodney Hudson: Best player in the Senior Bowl?

Picking late in the draft is a special torture. After having two picks in the top 14 last year, and a top 4 pick the year before, picking 25th feels a little like being the last vulture to the carcass. And, if we want Seattle's success to continue, its a feeling we had better get used to.

Rodney Hudson's performance in the Senior Bowl puts him right in the Seahawks' wheelhouse in the late first round. If smallish NFL guards are not your cup of tea, look away. But if you want a day one starter, and likely a ten year starter at guard/center, read on.

Credentials: 4-time all-ACC pick, 3 years first team. Outland trophy finalist. The list of awards goes on. He can play either guard or center, and can be expected to add 10 or 15 pounds to his frame over the next few years.

On to his Senior Bowl play.

The Brandon Mebane Conundrum

Hey, Kip here. You might remember me from Seahawks Draft Blog. I'm really tight on time this year, so I can't contribute terribly often either here or at SDB, but this is a topic I've had on my chest for a few weeks and since Brandon (Adams) asked me to contribute, I figured this would be a good place to start this topic.

When Pete Carroll brought his "Leo" defense to Seattle in 2010, it didn't officially change Seattle from a 4-3 to a 3-4 team, but in some ways, it was a step in that direction. Seattle's previous 4-3 defenses featured two pass rushing defensive ends who could perform reasonably well against the run, a pass rushing defensive tackle (known as the 3 tech), and a single gap run stuffing defensive tackle (known as the 1 tech).

Though technically still a 4-3, the "Leo" concept is a bit more unbalanced. The strong side (usually left) defensive end needs to be death to the run while also collapsing the pocket, but isn't expected to be a consistent pass rusher who generates sacks. The strong side defensive tackle, who manned the 3 tech in the previous defense, becomes a two gap player, something that is generally only found in 3-4 defenses. A two gap player does not shoot a gap, but instead directly engages a lineman and protects the gaps on both sides of him. The 3 tech role still exists, but was moved from the strong side to the weakside. Finally, you have the Leo position off the weak side end, and this is where almost all of the pass rush is generated from.

As with any scheme change, you will have players who benefit and others who suffer.

Pyramid of Value: The Defense and Special Teams

Since it's an over-simplification to classify players by just "re-sign" or "don't re-sign", I've decided to try and place each incumbent Seahawk in one of five tiers. Earlier I did a piece on the offense. Here is an explanation of my rough and very imprecise system:

Tier 1: Must-keep. Productive player, play-making, plenty of mileage left, and difficult or impossible to replace. Getting rid of them would be insane. (Example: Mike Williams)

Tier 2: Should-keep. Guys who are not necessarily world-beaters or irreplaceable, but are decent and contribute to an important spot and would only turn a mild hole into a gaping one if released. Also for over-performing role players. (Example: 2010 Ben Obomanu; 2009 Rob Sims and Josh Wilson)

Tier 3: Expendable. Good for depth or able to benefit from better health, a role change, or further development. Otherwise, quite replaceable. A Tier-2 player could find himself here if he plays a crucial position that demands better-than-average play.

Tier 4: Rookie pass. Rookies who haven't found their way into Tiers 1 or 2. No rookie is a bust after one season.

Tier 5: Should replace. Busts, non-contributing depth, and expensive underperformers. The team would most likely benefit from replacing them.


With defensive coordinator Gus Bradley retained for a third year, the pressure will be on to revive this defense from the bottom-five shaft it's spent two years in. The team claims to be focusing on the line, but too many of the back seven's problems are fundamental in nature and have nothing to do with the pass rush. This entire unit needs, and will experience, gutting.

And here is how I would rank each incumbent defensive and special-teams Seahawk from the 2010 season...



Tier 1:

Earl Thomas, FS - Despite some coverage struggles and growing pains, Thomas has stupendous range and great intensity. He makes plays all over the field. Stardom awaits with experience and an effective pass rush.


Tier 2:

Raheem Brock, DE - Coming off a rotational role, Brock had a career year and turned out to be a surprising force off the edge. He's already older than Patrick Kerney was when he hit the wall. If affordable, Brock offers versatility against both run and pass.

Pyramid of Value: The Offense

When it comes to evaluating a player's worth to a team, I have trouble breaking players down into just "sign" or "don't re-sign". It isn't that simple. Some players' value depends on scheme, others' on age, others on price, still others on the talent around them. Some guys need further time to grow, others have injuries to heal from. It also matters how important the player's position is, and how hard the position is to fill. There are plenty of players whose worth to a team isn't summed up in "he's good" or "he's bad".

After thinking about it a while, I decided to try sticking players into a five-tiered system of value. Here's how it works.

Tier 1: Must-keep. Productive, play-making, plenty of mileage left, and difficult or impossible to replace. Getting rid of them would be insane. (Example: Mike Williams)

Tier 2: Should-keep. Guys who are not necessarily world-beaters or irreplaceable, but are decent and contribute to an important spot and would only turn a mild hole into a gaping one if released. Also for over-performing role players. (Example: 2010 Ben Obomanu; 2009 Rob Sims and Josh Wilson)

Tier 3: Expendable. Good for depth or able to benefit from better health, a role change, or further development. Otherwise, quite replaceable. A Tier-2 player could find himself here if he plays a crucial position that demands better-than-average play.

Tier 4: Rookie pass. Rookies who haven't found their way into Tiers 1 or 2. No rookie is a bust after one season.

Tier 5: Should replace. Busts, non-contributing depth, and expensive underperformers. The team would most likely benefit from replacing them.

The biggest X-factor here is new offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell and how he views our personnel. He is supposedly going to retain much of Seattle's scheme, but judging from his time with the Vikings, he's also likely to emphasize the run game, call plays less rigidly, and get creative with his weapons. And as usual, Carroll's competition mantra makes it harder for almost any player to lock down a spot on the roster, which might drop a few players down the pyramid a bit.

And here is how I would rank each incumbent offensive Seahawk from the 2010 season...

Thoughts on the Knees of Seattle's Defense

LB Lofa Tatupu has undergone successful arthroscopic surgery on both knees, the Seahawks announced Thursday. (I wonder how it gets announced when a surgery is unsuccessful.)

Those knees have been an increasing source of concern for the Seattle defense in recent years, and are a crucial player in its future. This is now the third year in a row that Seattle's "defensive quarterback" has been slowed by injury, first with a knee in 2008, then with a fluke pectoral injury cutting short his 2009, and then seeing Tatupu grit through 2010 and playing very much like he had two bad knees.

That's no small matter. Tatupu's decline has been quiet, his struggles much less spectacular than others' on this defense, and so less noticed. But it's huge. Tatupu has lost the punch with which he used to pop fullbacks, instead getting swallowed up on blocks and losing tackles far too often. His burst and agility have suffered, making him less effective on blitzes and coverage. He's lost a ton of speed; he looked painfully slow even in his biggest play of 2010, a 26-yard pick six of Carolina QB Jimmy Clausen. Even his concentration seems to be suffering; he drops too many interceptions and bites more and more on misdirection and play-action. And the broken tackles are continuing to pile up, mounting in the form of long, inexorable drives in which nothing happens to disrupt the momentum of Seattle's opponents.

Tatupu simply hasn't been effective since 2007's defensive banner year, and a number of theories have been tossed around to explain Tatupu's regression. Part of it is the extra weight that Tatupu put on a few years to ago in order to withstand blockers and heavier ball carriers, robbing him of some of his agility in the process. Such weight would naturally wear down a smaller LB like Tatupu, placing extra load on those knees. His size is a big part of the reason he had so many detractors before 2005's season, when he seemingly silenced his critics with precocious instincts and field leadership.

Welcome to 17 Power!

My name is Brandon Adams. If you were to Google me, you would probably find either a child actor or a prominent poker player. Neither is me.

As a former Seattle resident, I am a rabid fan of the Seattle Seahawks. Although I live in Montana and have had the privilege of attending only five Seahawks games in person (and only two of those at Qwest Field), I am no less obsessed with following the 'Hawks and no less opinionated about their players, coaches, and organization. I enjoy debating and writing long-winded opinions on the 'Hawks when the fit seizes me - and I get a lot of fits, hence this blog.

With Pete Carroll's first season as head coach behind us, and with what might be Matt Hasselbeck's final season with the team in the books, a lot of questions are floating around concerning the team's future - and that of the NFL itself.

With a long lockout possible this year, I wanted to create a place for educated discussion for fans to enjoy over the offseason. It's sort of a survival bunker for the long offseason that might be longer than usual. I'd like to think I have a small amount of football knowledge and a little perspective to go with it, and I'm not afraid to post unpopular opinions, so it could be interesting - especially with others around to prove how wrong I am. (I do know some guys who are much better writers than me, who will hopefully be joining in as contributors.) I hope to build a community of you fellow fans here as well, to bring more information into the mix and help celebrate that chip-on-the-shoulder underdog movement that is the die-hard Seahawks fan.

And there is no shortage of interesting topics to bandy about from the 2010 season. From the importance of QB play, to how significant run defense really is, to what makes a "deserving" playoff team, 2010 posed them all and then some. Say what you want about our 2010 season, but it wasn't a boring one. And with Pete Carroll's penchant for competition and endless roster moves, we are fans of a team that can be exciting even in the offseason.

Check back often, tell your friends, and feel free to post with any thoughts, opinions, or accusations of heresy you might have. This is the place to be during the long wait for more Seahawks football.

And just for good measure, with reason neither given nor needed:



GO 'HAWKS!