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Thursday, August 31
Holmgren's Seahawks a work in progress

Pro Football Weekly

After the first 10 games of the 1999 season, the Seattle Seahawks were 8-2 and held a three-game lead in the AFC West. Mike Holmgren was coaching like a combination of Bill Walsh and Vince Lombardi, and Jon Kitna looked like a solid NFL quarterback. Then the Buccaneers totally shut down Kitna, giving the rest of the league a blueprint on how to stop him.

Surprisingly, Seattle might struggle this season. There's still some uncertainty at the quarterback position, plus the Seahawks don't have much speed at wide receiver, and they've gone through a major overhaul in the offseason, losing Joey Galloway, Sam Adams, Darrin Smith, Phillip Daniels and Darryl Williams among others.

Mike Holmgren is a great coach, specifically a great quarterback coach. But the combination of lack of speed at receiver and inconsistency at quarterback is going to make it tough for the Seahawks offensively. Teams are always looking to win in the upcoming season, but I'm not so sure the Seahawks aren't planning for a year down the road.

Meanwhile, injuries took their toll on other parts of the team. The result was a season-ending 1-5 meltdown and a home playoff loss to the struggling Dolphins, in which Seattle made Dan Marino look like the Marino of old. That loss came after the Seahawks backed into the AFC West title when the Chiefs blew a lead to the Raiders in the season finale.

Still, Seattle reached the postseason for the first time since 1988 and had a winning record for the first time since '90. Now, Holmgren must try to get the team back to where it was for the first 10 games of the '99 season, but that might be hard to do because Kitna was exposed and might not be good enough.

Offense
Quarterbacks: Kitna looked like a world-beater for 10 games until Tampa Bay exposed him. Now he will get a chance to show that he can adjust. If he can't, he will be no more than an NFL backup. Kitna has adequate measurable physical tools and is a smart young man. But when Tampa Bay started to put the heat on him and played with his mind, he looked indecisive and tentative and made poor decisions under pressure.

The Seahawks believe an offseason of reflection has allowed Kitna to grow into his role. He's down about 15 pounds to near 210 in an effort to improve his mobility and stamina. Neither Glenn Foley nor Brock Huard was very productive in preseason action.
Grade: C


	When Ricky Watters needs a break, the Seahawks can turn to rookie Shaun Alexander.

Running backs: By the end of last season, Ricky Watters had started to fade and looked to be an older back who could no longer carry the load alone. But he still finished with 1,210 rushing yards, all five of the team's TDs on the ground and 40 catches. Watters, who has touched the ball more than 300 times in each of the past six seasons and has rushed for more than 1,100 yards in each of the past five, might be starting to wear down.

That's why Holmgren used his first first-round pick on Alabama's Shaun Alexander, who is not only a very gifted runner but also a fine pass receiver who can catch the ball down the field going away from the line. Reggie Brown will probably share time with Mack Strong at fullback.
Grade: B+

Receivers: Christian Fauria is a supertough, two-fisted tight end who gets the job done because he is so tenacious. But he is not going to scare a defense with his receiving skills. At wide receiver, ex-Packer Derrick Mayes and former Colts first-round pick Sean Dawkins put up respectable numbers, but both were helped a lot by the system, and neither has big-play speed.

Mayes has good size, tremendous body control and outstanding hands. He can go up and over the defender to get passes put up for grabs. Dawkins' best assets are his size and long arms, which he uses well, but he is neither quick nor fast. What the team still needs is a true No. 1 receiver with speed to replace Joey Galloway. Rookies Darrell Jackson and James Williams are being counted on to play big roles.
Grade: C

Offensive linemen: The star is left tackle Walter Jones, who is one of the five or six best tackles in football. Jones is the most athletic tackle in the game and, with a little more strength and tenacity, could be the very best. He has great feet and movement skills for a 300-pounder. Left guard Pete Kendall is a tough and smart blue-collar guy who is downright nasty and scrappy. Kendall should be hungry because he is entering the last year of his contract.

Robbie Tobeck was signed away from the Falcons to start at center, but an offseason knee injury could cause him to miss part, if not all, of the season. He will still count against the salary cap, and the team might have to go back to journeyman Chris Gray at center. Gray is best-suited to be a backup.

Two of three players will start at right guard and right tackle. Todd Weiner, who might not be strong enough, and Floyd Wedderburn, who has the size, natural strength and athletic ability but needs work on pass protection, are the holdovers. First-round pick Chris McIntosh, who remained unsigned, was a terrific left tackle in college despite having average feet, but he might be an even better fit at right guard or right tackle if the change in footwork is not a problem.
Grade: C

Defense
Defensive linemen: In new coordinator Steve Sidwell's defense, Michael Sinclair will always be the weak-side end and will almost always line up outside the offensive tackle so that he has more room and freedom to rush. He had 41½ sacks from '96 to '98, including 16½ in '98, when he lined up outside of the tackle. Last season, when he often played right over the tackle, he had just six sacks. Some blame the scheme, while others call Sinclair an undersized overachiever with a great motor who learned he had diabetes last season and might be wearing down.

The strong-side end will be '99 first-rounder Lamar King, a mobile, athletic 300-pounder. Cortez Kennedy should be an effective nose tackle. He is still very quick, can be disruptive and has very good lower-body explosion.

Now that Sam Adams is in Baltimore, Riddick Parker, who lacks Adams' size and ability but has heart, or second-year prospect Antonio Cochran will start at the other tackle position. The Seahawks like Cochran's quick hands and quickness off the ball.
Grade: B-

Linebackers: Chad Brown led the team in tackles for the second year in a row, recording 117. He will be used as a strong-side 'backer, and Seattle will try to give him more chances to rush the passer because that is his greatest strength.

Anthony Simmons, who is fast, explosive and mean, but a little small to play the middle, will move to the weak side, where he could develop into a special player. DeShone Myles, who was lost for the season with a knee injury, will be replaced in the middle by George Koonce. In Green Bay last season, Koonce really slipped on the strong side and was released. The Seahawks hope he can coax another year out of his surgically repaired knee and improve their porous run defense.
Grade: B

Defensive backs: With better technique, consistency and concentration, Shawn Springs can be a great cornerback. He is quite good as is, but the Pro Bowler has too many lapses for a player with his talent. Willie Williams is an undersized but feisty corner who might be better when he plays off the receiver instead of bumping him at the line. He will be challenged by rookie Ike Charlton, who looks a little stiff in workouts but made a lot of big plays at Virginia Tech.

Fred Vinson was to have challenged as well, but a season-ending knee injury put that to rest. Reggie Tongue was signed away from the Chiefs to replace Darryl Williams at safety. Tongue has more range and tackles better, but Williams might have been more of a ball-hawk. Unlike most safeties, Tongue can cover the inside slot, which is a big plus. Sidwell considers Jay Bellamy one of the Seahawks' best defenders.
Grade: B

Special teams
Todd Peterson has only average leg strength and range, but he's very accurate inside 50 yards. Punter Jeff Feagles can be a little erratic, but he's very good at placing kicks inside the 20.

As a rookie, Charlie Rogers averaged an NFL-best 14.5 yards per punt return and 25.8 per kickoff return, and he returned a kickoff 85 yards for a score in the playoff loss to Miami. But Holmgren benched him at one point because he fumbled so much.
Grade: B+

Material from Pro Football Weekly. Visit their website at http://www.profootballweekly.com

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