With the combine taking place this past weekend and with players’ stock rising and dropping, NFL teams got a better picture in how they will be drafting this April and in turn who they will seek via free agency. With the Seattle Seahawks drafting 12th, this combine definitely gave the team a better idea of what direction they should be heading in. Of course many Seahawks fans want the team to make a big move and get that sexy player to build the team around, and that would be ok if Seattle was in complete rebuilding mode like the Indianapolis Colts or the Minnesota Vikings. Seattle is not in the same position as those teams and should use them as examples of not putting all your eggs in one basket.
The Seahawks have a lot going for them this offseason. They have a young core that is solid, the right amount of draft picks and plenty of cap space. Since the season ended for the Seahawks, all that I have been hearing is how the team should try to find a way to draft Robert Griffin III or sign Peyton Manning and I say no to both of those transactions. In order to get RGIII, Seattle would have to pull off a trade similar to that of New Orleans in 1999, when they traded all of their picks for Ricky Williams. It took the Saints seven years to recover from that trade and Seattle cannot afford to set themselves backwards for seven years. Peyton Manning is a future hall of fame quarterback and was one of the greatest players to ever play, but that was two years ago, and coming off a serious injury, it does not make any sense for any team to even consider him. I personally believe Manning is a bad fit as a player for the Seahawks, especially being an outdoor team that plays in the elements. Back to his injury; former Seahawk great Mack Strong was on the Bob & Gros show on 710 ESPN Seattle this week and he does not believe Manning would be able to play another down in the NFL. His words should shed some light on the fans here in the Northwest, as this is a man who suffered the same injury.
Those two transactions are the two most obvious that Seattle should not seek, but there is another popular player Seahawks fans are enamored with and that is QB Matt Flynn of the Green Bay Packers. Flynn performed admirably in the season finale against the Detroit Lions, where he threw for 480 yards and 6 touchdowns in the game. However, Kevin Kolb was also considered a can’t miss player last year, as he put up some really good numbers in Philadelphia and in 2008, Matt Cassel led the New England Patriots to an 11 win season. But have they really performed like players that can single handedly lead their teams to the playoffs? Now I know many fans are probably thinking, how could we not go after these players and be stuck with Tarvaris Jackson? I am in no way saying that he should be our starting quarterback for the next five years. It is very easy to look at the quarterback as the only position to improve upon and going all in on, but fans must remember that football is the ultimate team sport and that is what truly makes the game great; no one player is above the team and therefore, Seattle should continue bringing in personnel that makes the team better.
The Seahawks’ strength is defense, ranked 9th in the league in total defense in 2011. However, as good as they were last season, there was still a huge flaw and that was the team’s lack of ability to get to the quarterback and apply pressure. This is why Seattle should use their first round pick to answer this problem and to add some depth. With Seattle’s draft position in the first round, the player that comes to mind is DE Melvin Ingram of South Carolina. Ingram is highly regarded as one of the best pass rushers, if not the best in the draft, and as a player that is versatile and could do almost everything that is needed of a defensive lineman. Even before he became a starter in 2011, he still showed the ability to get to the quarterback, posting 9 sacks and 11 tackles for loss in 2010 as a backup. Ingram’s combine results also showed how athletic and strong he is and that he is a player that can excel in either the 3-4 or 4-3 system.
The rest of the draft is where it gets interesting for the Seahawks. The second round is where they should be able to find their quarterback of the future, Brock Osweiler of Arizona State, Kirk Cousins of Michigan State or Nick Foles of Arizona. All three quarterbacks have the ideal size of being a signal caller in the NFL, with Osweiler at 6’7” and 240 lbs, Cousins at 6’3” and 205 lbs and Foles at 6’5” and 240 lbs. Perhaps the most athletic of them all is Osweiler, but Cousins helped his stock by completing his throws very efficiently and is right now being compared to T.J Yates of the Houston Texans. Although Foles struggled a bit at the combine, he may be the best fit for what Seattle wants to do on offense. Foles is more athletic than people want to give him credit for and has a strong arm, making him a good down the field thrower. Seattle has a very good offensive line and will use later picks to create depth there and so Foles will be protected, where he would not have to be a scrambler and with the running game Seattle will have, there will be plenty of play action calls that his arm will be ideal for.
The third round of the draft could be critical to Seattle’s 2012 season. With the Leroy Hill more than likely not coming back and David Hawthorne possibly leaving, Seattle will need to find another linebacker at this spot and that should not be a problem, as Seattle has shown the ability to develop linebackers in their system. Bobby Wagner of Utah State is a player that Seattle should really consider drafting in the third round, as he is a versatile linebacker that could play both inside and outside in a 4-3 system. The rest of Seattle’s draft will be used for adding depth.
Even with Seattle having the opportunity to draft well, there are some free agents that the team should really consider, including some of their own. Seattle has the luxury of having over $35 million in cap space and with the players available, the Seahawks really can do some damage. Obviously they would want to re-sign Marshawn Lynch first and foremost, as he is the driving force of what Seattle wants to do on offense. Once Lynch has been signed, Seattle needs to continue with building their pass rush and Mario Williams should be a priority. Williams is the perfect 4-3 defensive end and has been a player that has been healthy until the last two seasons, but nothing significant, considering he has averaged about a sack a game since his rookie season.
With Seattle not overspending on a quarterback in free agency, they will have enough money to add some quality pieces to help either their rookie quarterback or Jackson. The team should highly consider adding another receiver to go along with Sidney Rice and I believe Laurent Robinson would be the perfect guy to line up on the other side of the field. Robinson has good vertical speed, he is fluid in and out of his breaks, has solid hands and best of all, is from the region. With a solid group of receivers, Seattle should consider adding another tight end to either compliment Zach Miller and create a 1-2 TE combo punch like the Patriots or just be their new TE if Miller does not return to his previous form. Therefore, Seattle should strongly look at Fred Davis who played for the Washington Redskins last year and had a very good season. Even with these additions, Seattle should still have enough money to bring back ILB David Hawthorne, as long as he is willing to re-sign for under $3 million this season. The Seahawks have the option of working out a good deal with Red Bryant or using the franchise tag to buy some time with contract negotiations.
An offseason that includes bringing back Marshawn Lynch, Red Bryant, David Hawthorne and adding free agents Mario Williams, Laurent Robinson and maybe even Fred Davis is a darn good one, especially with their draft picks. These personnel additions and not having to give up that much or lose many players have simultaneously improved their offense, along with their already stellar defense. There will of course be many fans that look at these transactions and not see the sexy quarterback addition and think how is it possible that the Seahawks get better and for those fans, I only say look at history. The Washington Redskins won three Super Bowls with three different quarterbacks, including a third stringer, the Ravens won with Trent Dilfer, New England won three Super Bowls when defense and running was their priority and have not won since Tom Brady has been putting up record setting numbers, the Colts only won one Super Bowl with Peyton Manning and Dan Marino never hoisted the trophy. With the media putting so much emphasis on one position, it is easy to forget that football is the one sport where all the parts of a team play a vital role and thus for Seattle to win that Super Bowl they should continue to build on what they already started.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
