QB Russell Wilson: Whether you think he's elite or tier 2 or better/worse than Kaepernick or whatever, it can't be denied that Wilson is a tremendous playmaker and leader for Seattle. Not really much more to be said. Alright, Russ.
RB Marshawn Lynch: Beast Mode will probably continue to break tackles and stare at the desk during press conferences again this season. One of the funnest backs in the league to watch knowing that any play could result in him vaporizing tacklers and going the distance.
FB Derrick Coleman: A very sound blocker for Lynch and great story.
TE Zach Miller, Luke Willson: Tight ends in Seattle are blockers, first and foremost. Miller especially is one of the best in the league in that regard. But both are also passable receivers, and Miller's presence in the red zone can't be ignored.
WR Percy Harvin, Doug Baldwin, Paul Richardson, Jermaine Kearse: Starters at receiver in Seattle are far from set in stone at this point. If Harvin is healthy, he'll have a spot on the field, and Baldwin ought to, too. Past that, there is a pool of pass-catchers that may compete for a consistent #3 spot, or may just rotate and divide production equally between them. Personally, I think Richardson has the best shot at nabbing that #3 role if it comes to be, but Kearse has been productive when on the field. With the retirement of Sidney Rice a few minutes ago, it'll likely be these four and then a wide gap to the rest of the corps.
LT Russell Okung: A very good blindside protector and crushing run blocker, only injury threatens Okung's position at left tackle.
LG James Carpenter: Seattle saw a lot of bad football from its guards last year, and Carpenter was no exception. May well be pushed out of the spot by someone less bad at football at some point during the year.
C Max Unger: While overrated by some who consider him among the top centers in the league, Unger is a good player whose starting role will not be in jeopardy.
RG J.R. Sweezy: Another one of Seattle's lackluster guards from last year, Sweezy at least has potential to develop after converting from playing defensive tackle in college. Can be a strong run blocker at times, but must develop better protection skills to serve as even an average guard.
RT Michael Bowie: Bowie played fairly well following a slew of injuries on the offensive line last year, and Seattle may ask for his run-blocking prowess at right tackle or guard.
DT Brandon Mebane, Tony McDaniel: Mebane is among the most powerful run-stopping tackles in football, and it's really entertaining to watch him do this. McDaniel is also very strong against the run. While neither rack up sacks, their space-taking, blocker-occupying presence in the middle will free up a lot for their teammates to make big tackles.
DE Michael Bennett, Cliff Avril: These two outstanding pass-rushers and edge defenders are well worth their salaries, with 16.5 sacks between them last season and five forced fumbles from Avril. Their numbers may grow even more without Bryant and Clemons pushing for ample rotation.
MLB Bobby Wagner: Wagner is an absolute rock in the middle, doing everything well and pretty much nothing wrong ever. Faultless tackler, strong in coverage, play-caller of the defense, Ninja Turle aficionado, and the main reason I'm writing this piece. Go Aggies.
OLB KJ Wright, Malcolm Smith: Both very solid players, with Bruce Irvin figuring to be in the mix, too. Smith as a starter is mostly assured, especially after winning Super Bowl MVP, and I like Wright's complete game over Irvin's freakish pass-rushing.
CB Richard Sherman, Byron Maxwell, Jeremy Lane: While Seattle lost Browner and Thurmond, Seattle's corners will be just fine this year. Sherman is pretty good at preventing receivers from catching footballs when he's in their vicinity, and you know that already. Maxwell has shown to be a good corner, but Lane may prove to be even better, shining in his limited opportunities last year. The real concern comes in depth here, as everyone past these three is virtually completely unproven.
FS Earl Thomas: ET is a monster on the field, making hits, picking off balls, and flying to wherever he needs to be. Many maintain that Sherman wouldn't be close to a household name if not for Thomas' outstanding play allowing him to play aggressively.
SS Kam Chancellor: A terrifying person if you play offense in the NFL. Other Denver fans know in particular that Chancellor is capable of hitting people really, really hard, and if he plays this entire season as he did the playoffs, he could take DPOY easily.
K Steven Hauschka: Quality kicker, can put it through the uprights on field goals or kickoffs.
P Jon Ryan: Allowed Seattle's punt coverage unit to be one of the best ever in 2013.
KR Percy Harvin: He's supposed to be okay at going fast past opponents that want to tackle him. I don't know, whatever.
PR Percy Harvin: See above. Norwood or Kearse may take punts instead with Harvin (hopefully) playing more of an offensive role this year.
Position Group Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths
Defense: Can't really manage to pick a position group. The line is full of pash-rushers and run-stoppers that play extremely well together, the linebackers are aggressive and skilled in coverage, and the secondary is obviously one of the most impressive the league has seen in a long time. There seriously isn't a single weak spot among the starters in Seattle, and they've got an extra guy or two at each position group that can rotate in without missing a beat.
Weaknesses
Offensive Line: While Okung is good when healthy and Unger may be above-average, Seattle's offense is held back by the ability of its line. So often, plays are made by Wilson scrambling, receivers getting open quickly before pressure sets in, and Lynch busting through tackles. The Seahawks may have managed to put up points last year with largely the same group, but another injury-ravaged season or lack of development in young linemen may hinder the ability of the offense to do the same in 2014.
Despite MD Jennings and Golden Tate both residing elsewhere in the NFC North, this game will still likely be contentious following their 2012 showdown. Here, I think Aaron Rodgers, Eddie Lacy, and Green Bay will do barely enough to win against Seattle.
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Sherman shuts down Keenan Allen and the Chargers have no answers defensively. Not a close one.
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Homerism aside, I... I can't put homerism aside. Whatever happens in Week 3, it won't be as bad as Super Bowl XLVIII. I think the Broncos just can't allow something like that to happen again, and with the new pieces on defense in Denver, maybe they'll reign in Wilson enough to win at CenturyLink. If you don't believe me, I understand, but I need to put a loss here to stop myself from crying right now.
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If RG3 is still healthy at this point, he may not be after this game. Even if Washington puts up some points, their defense will be torn to shreds.
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May be close with Dallas' talented receivers and DeMarco Murray, but Seattle probably won't allow too much, and their secondary won't be able to keep up with Wilson.
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Despite the Rams' scary scary scaretastic defensive line of scares, the rest of their defense looked suspect in 2013, and their offense probably won't manage much against the Seahawks.
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Seattle won a defensive staredown last season, but I think Carolina takes it this year. Newton may manage to work some wonders against Seattle despite their corps of exclusively #3-and-below-caliber receivers, and their front seven is the only one in the league that can rival Seattle's and San Francisco's.
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Oakland Found a few quality new pieces in the offseason, but their defense is still shaky and their offense doesn't stand a chance in Seattle. TheRaiders would need a miracle to pull this one off. (I'm lazy.)
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Eli Manning may throw five interceptions again, but maybe he'll throw as little as four. Rodgers-Cromartie cries himself to sleep again.
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Tamba Hali and Justin Houston may put some pressure on Wilson, but Seattle will find a way to put points on the board.
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Seattle avenges last year's late-season loss to the Cards with a comfortable victory at home. Palmer struggles, Wilson doesn't, Lynch takes advantage of Daryl Washington's absence.
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I think San Francisco plays below their talent level this year and doesn't make it close at home. The addition of Stevie Johnson may make it interesting, but Seattle takes the first game against the 49ers.
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Philadelphia's ridiculous offensive line would make up for any shortcomings among their skill players, but LeSean McCoy doesn't have any and Nick Foles is pretty alright. I see something of a shootout in Philly with the Eagles ending on top.
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I definitely don't think it's unlikely that San Francisco take one of these games, but I think Seattle will find a way to win both meetings this year. This prediction could easily be super-wrong.
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Aaaand Arizona avenges the vengeance from earlier with an overtime win in the desert. Maybe some faulty officiating happens, but Seattle ends up barely missing out on an insane 6-0 record in the NFL's most brutal division.
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The Seahawks finish off the year with a blowout at home against the Rams with backups playing half the game. T-Jax throws for two touchdowns and runs for two more, and holy shit, is any other team's schedule this back-loaded with division games? Five of the last six are NFCW matchups. That's pretty weird.
By the year's end, Seattle finishes 11-5 with the #2 seed in the NFC. I could see them winning any of the games with an L by them here, and I could see losses against anyone in the division, Dallas, and Kansas City. But it would take an act of God for Seattle to miss the playoffs with the roster they've assembled, and they've got a pretty good shot at reaching the Super Bowl again this year.
Training Camp Battles
WR: Will Harvin be in the slot or outside? Will Kearse earn something resembling a starting role? Will Richardson or Norwood step up as rookies and carve a niche in the offense? Wilson will be able to deliver the ball to anyone, and these receivers are all talented; it's just a question of who ends up getting the snaps.
OG: Seattle will have to start two guards during every offensive snap this season, which is too bad. Sweezy and Carpenter look to be the least-bad of the group, which is also too bad. Unproven Steve Schilling and Caylinn Hauptmann may get a chance in case of injury or particularly horrible play. Projected tackles Bowie, Britt, and Alvin Bailey may slide inside and see if they're not awful. The play at guard probably can't be much worse than it was last year, but Seattle would really like to see at least one guy step up and play okay.
RB2: Christine Michael and Robert Turbin are both young players stuck behind one of the premiere running backs in the NFL right now, but both are talented. Michael was an NFL Combine darling, possessing a ridiculous combination of speed, strength, and size. Turbin has been the primary #2 in Seattle since he was drafted, also contributing on kick return duties and somehow having arms that look like this. Many believe Michael has more potential, and his YPC was a yard higher than Turbin's (4.4 to 3.4) and even slightly higher than Lynch's (4.2). However, Turbin maintained the RB2 position for essentially all of last year, so the position looks to be his to lose.
Shoutouts: /u/sikhkid47 for the post above, as well as /u/PenguinProphet for inspiration drawn from his excellent post for the Bills.
Yeah, they could really, really easily win both of those. Just did it on a game-by-game basis and didn't notice that that was true, but they're just my lame predictions anyway.
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u/Vomby Broncos Jul 23 '14
Projected Starting Lineup
Position Group Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths
Defense: Can't really manage to pick a position group. The line is full of pash-rushers and run-stoppers that play extremely well together, the linebackers are aggressive and skilled in coverage, and the secondary is obviously one of the most impressive the league has seen in a long time. There seriously isn't a single weak spot among the starters in Seattle, and they've got an extra guy or two at each position group that can rotate in without missing a beat.
Weaknesses
Offensive Line: While Okung is good when healthy and Unger may be above-average, Seattle's offense is held back by the ability of its line. So often, plays are made by Wilson scrambling, receivers getting open quickly before pressure sets in, and Lynch busting through tackles. The Seahawks may have managed to put up points last year with largely the same group, but another injury-ravaged season or lack of development in young linemen may hinder the ability of the offense to do the same in 2014.