In most areas, the Seattle Seahawks didn't disappoint. The passing offense was better than expected even with a myriad of injuries. The defense played tough, combining a strong pass rush with a dangerous secondary to be effective. Even the kicking game was a big success -- Josh Brown hit career-highs in field goals made and attempted and the team landed three touchdowns on returns. Just about every 'Hawk met or exceeded expectations.
Except Shaun Alexander.
Considering that he was coming off an injury-shortened 2006, expectations were such that Alexander would defy the rule of 30-year-old running backs and provide his usual punch. Through three weeks, it looked just like that -- Alexander had two 100-yard rushing games and two touchdowns after three weeks. But then Alexander became completely incapable of running strong despite receiving every opportunity. After his hot three-game start, Alexander had 217 yards over five games (averaging under three yards per carry) with no touchdowns and no plays for 20 or more yards. A knee sprain and a broken left wrist were revealed as possible causes for Alexander's lack of stats, coupled with less-than-ideal healing of his broken foot from last season. After three games off, Alexander returned and only had one game with more than four yards per carry.
The domino effect of Alexander's inconsistent play brought a maelstrom of Fantasy success to Seattle's other players. Maurice Morris saw the most playing time of his career and performed pretty well, totaling nearly 850 yards and staking a claim to the starting job in 2008. And Seattle's receiving corps got more of an opportunity to make plays with the running game hurting, but those goodies went mostly to Bobby Engram, who had a career year, and Nate Burleson, who scored nine touchdowns. That's because injuries to Deion Branch and D.J. Hackett -- the projected starting receivers from the start of the season -- gave Engram and Burleson playing time.
But no Seahawk had a better year because of Alexander's decline than Hasselbeck, who posted career highs in attempts (562), completions (352), yards (3,966) and touchdown passes (28). Those totals pushed Hasselbeck to a top-10 Fantasy QB finish, not to mention a great, consistent season. In a year where some owners got lucky with Tom Brady while others struggled with the likes of Marc Bulger, Hasselbeck was a steady option.
Defensively, Seattle's acquisition of DE Patrick Kerney made all the difference for them. Kerney was a steady pass-rush force that teams had to use multiple blockers on. When he did break through, Seattle's secondary, led by CB Marcus Trufant, benefited plenty. Seattle's defense gave up 31 touchdowns through the regular season and was among the league leaders in sacks and interceptions.
Looking to 2008
A lot of people will look at Hasselbeck's big 2007 season and say, "That's my guy in 2008." That shouldn't necessarily be the case.
Seattle runs the west-coast offense, which means not only plenty of passing, but a sound running attack as well. The reason for Hasselbeck's big year statistically was because they didn't run the ball nearly as much as in the past, affording Hasselbeck such an opportunity. Whether Shaun Alexander is back in Seattle or not, the Seahawks won't be so ill prepared to be an effective running team in 2008. Peel back all the excitement on Hasselbeck, Engram and Branch. In fact, in Branch's case the excitement should be very limited since he tore his ACL in the club's Divisional Playoff game at Green Bay and isn't expected to start the 2008 season. If there is a guy to be excited about, it's Nate Burleson, who should spend the offseason refining his game coming off a promising 2007 season. He's likely to start the year ahead of Branch on Seattle's depth chart, especially if WR D.J. Hackett leaves via free agency.
All that said, Hasselbeck is still a No. 1 Fantasy QB in 2008, but don't expect him to match his '07 totals.
As for Alexander, the vet will enter 2008 at the ripe age of 31. That's old for running backs, but it's not necessarily the only indicator of impending doom. Our research finds that when a runner racks up eight full seasons of work (around 2,600 carries or so), he deteriorates. Alexander isn't quite there yet, so there might be some game left in him. If Seattle agrees, they'll pay his $6.75 million salary. If not, then he'll be cut or dealt, and it should be considered a sign that the Seahawks aren't convinced he'll be good. If they don't believe it, neither should you.
The defense should be fine up front (only DT Chuck Darby is a free agent) but face a potential problem if CB Marcus Trufant leaves via free agency. A Trufant-less Seahawks team would look far more appealing to opponents, so keeping him in house will be the top priority this offseason. It might mean using the franchise tag on him, which means that reliable placekicker Josh Brown might leave for greener pastures.
Ultimately, the Seahawks should be a competitive bunch in 2008, Mike Holmgren's last season as head coach. They should compete for at least the NFC West title, but might have problems if they have to go on the road in the postseason like they have in the past.
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