I don't know why I'm getting so psyched about nabbing a dud like Patrick Kearney, or why I'm getting so utterly pissed off because Denver stole Daniel Graham away from us, or why people I've never heard of from Tampa Bay and Jacksonville are generating buzz for the upcoming football season that starts six months from now.
In case you don't know what the fuck I'm talking about - or who the fuck these jackasses are - don't worry about it. It's Free Agency in the NFL right now, and apparently the Seahawks are getting their asses kicked.
Or not, considering the schlubs out there on the market nowadays.
You've got Kearney, a white Defensive End, who's supposed to be a rich man's Grant Wistrom (though, that'll probably mean he's still a poor man's Any Black Guy To Play The Game Ever). We got him! Well, aren't I amazed. The downside here is that we're overpaying a guy who's gonna come in and get us 6 sacks next season. The upside is that he's another body to throw into the rotation. Our team got massacred by injuries last season, so a big body is a big body. Plus, there's a potential upside for 12 sacks, so Fingers Crossed!
You've got Graham, a tight end drafted the same year as Jerramy Stevens, who was obsolete on his team the very next season when the Patriots drafted ANOTHER tight end and made HIM the starter. I'm pissed we didn't get him because I so desperately hate Stevens with a bloody passion. I'm elated we didn't get him because I don't think we need to overpay for a tight end we could draft in the sixth round this year who'd be just as good.
Other points of concern: Offensive Guard, and every secondary position. Since we missed the boat on that guard from San Diego (who took less money so he could deal with less rain, I shit you not), my guess is that we might sign a cheap, second tier free agent, pick some guy up in the draft (giving us four guards, including up-and-comer Sims and old-and-moldy Gray) and let 'em battle. Odds are, though, the line will remain unchanged until injuries start killing us.
As for the Secondary. Trufant will be back. Kellys Herndon and Jennings should be back (I think). Hamlin is testing free agency and who knows if we're getting him back. Sure, he makes 1-2 stupid plays per game, but he's got a lot of fire and energy and he's a young leader on that defense. Boulware will be back, but that guy's the biggest crapshoot I've ever seen. Mike Green is supposed to be able to step right in and be a starter, but he's yet to play a game that I've ever seen, so who knows there? The point is, we're thin, and we could always use more bodies back there. While the odds are against us being as decimated as we were last year, you've seen the consequences of the Seahawks not being deep in the secondary. I'll give you two examples, each resulted in the ending of our last two seasons with a loss instead of a win:
Super Bowl XL - Third String Safety Pruitt Burned For Long Touchdowns (plural)
NFC Divisional Round Game - Two Backup Corners As Starters, Two Reserves Playing In Their Second Game This Season, Burned For Long TD Pass & Not Getting Bears Off The Field When It Counted
It's easy to sit around and hope we have a productive draft and hope that the players will work to keep our team good for years to come, but we have a closing window, my friends. The Seahawks aren't getting any younger, and it's one of the hardest things to do in sports: Keep A Championship-Calibre Team In Contention. The Rise of the Seahawks saw us getting to the Super Bowl, which ultimately means we're on the decline now. We've got one or two more legitimate seasons left before the other NFC West teams start to catch up to us. The 49ers are better than we thought, Arizona's always a team on people's radar, and as long as St. Louis has their offensive nucleus, they're a threat.
This is it, we need this season to be the one. Hasselbeck needs to be an all pro, Alexander needs to run as hard as he did when he came back at the end of last season, the receivers need to come up with clutch passes, and the defense needs to remain stout. If we run into another slew of injuries again, you might as well begin the process of writing us off as a rebuilding team. Obviously, not right away, but we're only going as far as Hasselbeck and Alexander will take us. Let's just see how many runs they've got in them.