2006 Seahawks: Seagulls Eating Alka Seltzer
by Robert Ferringo - 08/02/2006
Jesus, I can vouch for the Super Bowl Hangover.
After the orgy of gambling, girls, Glenlivet and gorgonzola that accompanied Super Sunday it's a given that the next morning I was lying in a puddle of piss with a fist full of fifties. I mean, the tension of that game - Seattle driving for a "meaningless" touchdown against Pittsburgh, a score that would have blown the cover for, oh, just about everyone outside of a few thousand tree-huggers in Washington - was so fierce that the resident coke head at the party almost burst a blood vessel. Or did he? I was so drunk I don't remember.
I just remember the score was 21-10. And that I covered.
Oh. Wait. That's not what you meant by Super Bowl Hangover? You meant the one that says that the past 11 Super Bowl losers didn't even make their conference championship game the next year. Right. I gotcha. I can vouch for that one as well.
The Seahawks are primed for a fall. Don't get me wrong, they were a strong team in 2005. They ran the ball and they stopped the run. Mike Holmgren was scheming, Matt Hasselbeck was an assassin and Shaun Alexander was a fantasy geek's wet dream.
But they also had a weak schedule, were poor on the road, and had a mediocre defense. They played in the worst division in the league, got a first-round bye, caught an exhausted Washington team in the divisionals and then a haggard Carolina club in the conference title game. Basically, everything broke their way.
It won't happen again.
Listen, I'm not saying they're not good. The principles from last year's team have all returned and their division is still, well, Arena League-esque. But success in the National Football League is a strange phenomenon. It's like a solar eclipse or a threesome with two models: the situation needs to be perfect and it just kind of happens.
I don't know if Seattle can stay motivated, or if they have the heart and hitting ability, to make that demanding, distressing trek back to the Big Show. But I think they know they can't. That's why they bitched so loud and so long about the shoddy officiating in the Super Bowl. They knew that was their only chance. A real, tough team sucks it up and says, "Next year we won't leave it to the officials."
They didn't. And they won't get a chance to.
Here's Doc's 2006 Seattle Seahawks Preview:
2005 Record: 15-4 (10-0 home, 5-4 road)
2005 Rankings: 2nd offense (13th pass, 3rd run); 17th defense (25th pass, 5th rush)
2005 Against the Spread: 11-7-1 (8-4 home, 3-5-1 road); 11-8 vs. total (4-6 h, 7-2 r)
2006 Odds: 13/1 to win Super Bowl, 4/1 to win NFC, 1/3 to win NFC West, 10.5 is wins O/U
2006 Strength of Schedule: 29th (.457 opp. win %)
Returning starters: 20 (10 offense, 10 defense)
Key stat: The Seahawks had the second-fewest turnovers and were the second-least penalized offense in the league.
Key acquisitions: Julian Peterson, LB (from S.F.); Tom Ashworth, OT (from N.E.); Nate Burleson, WR (from Minn.); Mike Green, S (from Chicago); Kelly Jennings, CB (draft).
Key departures: Steve Hutchinson, OG; Andre Dyson, CB; Joe Jurevicius, WR; Marquand Manuel, S; Jamie Sharper, LB.
Offense: Despite the loss of Hutch, last season's No. 1 scoring offense (28.2 ppg) is still in good hands. Hasselbeck is efficient and their receiving corps is improved with Burleson and a healthy Bobby Engram. Don't expect Alexander to duplicate his record-setting numbers, but as long as they stay committed to the run (sixth in attempts as 32.4 per game) they can move the ball at will. Oh, and Pork Chop Womack will be just fine filling in for Hutchinson.
Defense:The secondary is still in shambles. Manuel and Dyson left, Mike Boulware had his knee scoped and they don't know what they'll get out of Ken Hamlin after he was nearly beaten to death. They may end up starting a rookie in a division boasting four All-Pro caliber receivers. Peterson gives them their first marquee defender since Cortez Kennedy. He's a special player. The front seven should remain stout against the run.
X-factor: Overconfidence. Even Hasselbeck has said he's worried. How do you tell a guy like Alexander that he can get better?
Outlook: Their division is improving, but the Seahawks still have the advantage. They're a very good team, but not a great one. They have five trying road trips and that could cost them a home playoff game.
Questions or comments for Robert? E-mail him at robert@docsports.com or check out his Insider Page here.