In our first glance at the Seahawks upcoming year, I focused on the offense. Now, I’ll take a look at some of the issues facing the defensive side of the ball.
1 Who will win spots on the defensive line?
You’d rather have too many talented guys than too few. That’s definitely the case for the Seahawks defensive line this season.
Patrick Kearney and Darrell Tapp will anchor the end positions, along with first-round pick Lawrence Jackson, who as of now remains unsigned.
The defensive tackle position is one that may have the most competition of any on the team. It’s unclear if Rocky Bernard may have fallen out of favor with his off-season arrest, but if he’s back, he should hold down one spot. The ‘Hawks also signed Larry Tripplett in the off-season, who will compete for reps with the oft-injured Marcus Tubbs, Brandon Mebane, Howard Green, gigantic four-round pick Red Bryant and the steady Craig Terrill.
The good side of this? Plenty of depth.
2 Will Lofa Tatupu face any additional discipline after his DUI arrest?
It’s unclear if Tatupu will face discipline from the team after pleading guilty to a DUI earlier this month. If Tatupu isn’t suspended by the team for at least a game, it’s likely that the league may step in and punish the middle linebacker further.
Knowing Mike Holmgren, I’d expect Tatupu to be on the sidelines for Seattle’s opening game in Buffalo.
3 Is Marcus Tubbs ready to contribute to this team?
Tubbs so far has failed to live up to the potential that made the Seahawks select him with the 23rd overall pick in the 2004 draft. Often injured, it will be a big plus for the Seahawks if Tubbs can become a big contributor like he was in 2005, when Seattle played in the Super Bowl.
Each of his last two seasons have ended with a trip to injured reserve.
And finally, the universal question:
4 Can the Seahawks get it done in coach Mike Holmgren’s final year?
On paper, the Seahawks looked much improved over last year’s squad. But the games aren’t played on paper, so you can look at perceived weaknesses from last year and see if the team tried to improve on it.
The Seahawks running game was awful. So they brought in two new backs and a new offensive line coach, along with Mike Wahle to solidify the line. They brought in depth on the defensive side of the ball. They have young receivers ready to go. The secondary looks to be strong again this year.
The motivation of Holmgren’s pending retirement has to be on the players’ minds. Many of them got their first chance from the coach, notably quarterback Matt Hasselbeck. The Seahawks look like the team to beat in the NFC West. Come playoff time, expect to see Seattle in the mix.
Joel Willits is the sports reporter for the Bellevue Reporter. He can be reached at 425-453-5045 or at jwillits@reporternewspapers.com.
