Interesting Seahawks' rumors...

[MigratingOsprey]

he will though ... no way he sits out the season ... in fact I doubt he misses a game because of this

the RB market is soft and having your image twisted into someone who sits out games can be coupled with the rushing title gripe and paint a picture that will hurt his value even more (not to mention his chances at getting the title this year.......)

it's very rare for a high profile guy to sign the tender before camp ... right now they have to wait until mid july to even start contract negotiations again

there has been no talk from anyone about shaun holding out into the season ... everyone says they won't sign because they want a long term deal or trade ... but it's rare that they don't

 

[pete]

i still don't understand how anyone would say seattle is falling apart ... i can understand stagnant .. but they really haven't had any net losses this year

also this is the same rumor that has gone on at another time

as i've stated in the past i wouldn't be shocked if the hawks moved alexander ... but it doesn't make sense to trade him for just a 3rd round pick

they aren't going broke this year .. it's not like they must cut a lot of salary

even with shaun's tender, they can do alright

this would be a foolish move for the Jags not to make, as long as they have the cap space

The concensus seems to be that Seattle will still win the division, but I voted for Arizona. They will have the best defense in this division, hands down. I see Seattle taking a step back and Arizona taking a big step forward in 2005.


Tuesday, May 17
Vote: NFC West Preview
SportsNation

Thank you for voting. See below for the results from across SportsNation.

Your responses in bold text below.


1) If the Seahawks fail to make the playoffs this season, should Mike Holmgren be fired?

70.3% Yes
29.7% No

2) Is Kurt Warner an upgrade from Josh McCown at quarterback for the Cardinals?

42.4% Yes, considerable upgrade
41.3% Yes, a minor upgrade
10.3% I'd rather have McCown
6.1% They are equal

3) The 49ers were 0-10 against teams outside the NFC West last season. How many games will they win outside their conference this season?

66.9% 1 or 2
22.8% 3 or 4
6.8% 0
3.5% 5 or more

4) What kind of rookie season do you expect from 49ers QB Alex Smith?

47.3% He's going to keep things from getting any worse
36.6% He's going to be in for a long, long year
13.5% He's going to make this team respectable
2.5% He's going to turn this team around

5) The Rams were 8-8 (.500) last season. How will they finish this season?

39.3% Over .500
35.9% .500
24.8% Under .500

6) Which NFC West team improved the most this offseason?

56.2% Arizona (Kurt Warner, Antrel Rolle)
20.2% Seattle (Andre Dyson, Jamie Sharper)
15.3% San Francisco (Mike Nolan, Alex Smith)
8.4% St. Louis (Dexter Coakley, Alex Barron)

7) Who will win the NFC West?

41.0% Seattle
30.4% Arizona
23.6% St. Louis
5.0% San Francisco

Total Votes: 23,029

 

[BACH]

i still don't understand how anyone would say seattle is falling apart ... i can understand stagnant .. but they really haven't had any net losses this year

Well, I kinda agree with you.

Last year many experts had the Seahawks as a legit superbowl contender, and while they were in the play-offs they clearly couldn't match e.g. the Eagles (Who were the other big NFC contender before the season started).

I don't think the Seahawks are falling apart, but I don't see any improvement either - starterwise. But the team has lost a lot of depth this off-season, which could cost a game or two.

Last year the Seahawks underperformed and maybe should have won a couple of games more. Add this with the loss of depth and you have the Seahawks finishing with about the same record (10-6 or 11-5).

I think they'll win the division, but I'll doubt they'll go deep into the play-offs.

 

[MigratingOsprey]

honestly this season is a big ??? for me

I actually think they improved depth across the board, while keeping the offense consistent and changing the starting faces on the defense

however while I don't think they are any worse than last season, i'm not sure if they are much better ... it all depends on how the new faces on D come together

the D will determine if this team is a 7 win also ran, a 9-10 win semi contender (like last year) or an 11-12 win legit team

definitely expectations are lower this year ... but don't confuse analysts saying the hawks are not a superbowl contender anymore with an actually downgrade, when the reality is they weren't a superbowl contender last year

 

[JeffGollin]

I actually think they improved depth across the board, while keeping the offense consistent and changing the starting faces on the defense...definitely expectations are lower this year ... but don't confuse analysts saying the hawks are not a superbowl contender anymore with an actually downgrade, when the reality is they weren't a superbowl contender last year
There's much truth in what you say, but taking a few steps back for a second and taking an objective look at the 'Hawks, the perception - at least from my vantage point - is that (1) they were positioned to make a run for the NFC title last year, but got undermined by injuries and (2) won't be as good (at least on paper) going into the season as they were a year ago.

But I think the one thing we all forget is that talent "on paper" is, perhaps 40% - 60% of what determines the outcome of a given season. Injuries, breaks, chemistry and other intangibles comprise the rest. So anything can happen - good and bad.

 

[ajcardfan]

I think the key to the Seahawks season is how much the players there continue to play hard for, and not tune out, Holmgren. They are at a tricky point there IMO. I thought there were signs last season Holmgren was losing the team. He'd get all ticked and red faced at the dumb mistakes, start barking, and the team wouldn't rally, they just continued to collapse. This happened more than once, so maybe the tuning out has already begun. There's little doubt Holmgren would be fired for a poor season, so if the Hawks ever reach a point like being 2-4, or 5-6, there's a good chance the wheels will fall off because guys will start playing for themselves rather than sacrificing for the team or trying to save Holmgren's job.

I think Martz is in the same spot, but even more so. He's a jerk, and his players know he'd gladly throw any of them under the bus to deflect criticism from himself.