Plenty of Debate about the Direction of the Seahawks This Offseason

Posted by Matt Loede on January 14th, 2008 filed in Features, Opinions

 

Now that the offseason is officially upon us, the Seahawks seem to already have more questions than answers as they enter the offseason.  The biggest question may be the direction of the team as it relates to head coach Mike Holmgren.  Is he going to be back for 2008?  Or is he going to follow Bill Cowher last season, and Joe Gibbs and maybe Tony Dungy this year and walk away?  That might be the question that overall needs to be addressed first before the bigger question - free agents.

The Seahawks could have 12 unrestricted free agents on March 1, among them cornerback Marcus Trufant, wide receiver D.J. Hackett, offensive tackle Sean Locklear and kicker Josh Brown.  While there is no way the Hawks can keep them all, the biggest question will be which ones to make offers to before they hit the open market, and which ones to dangle out there as free agents in hoping they may come back if they don’t like what they see.

Trufant will be in high demand, with a Pro Bowl year, 8 picks and a season where he played great from start to finish.  He should be very high on the list if not at the top for players the Hawks should make offers to right off the bat.  WR Hackett is an interesting one, as he will get offers from other teams, but with 40 catches and 500 yards with 4 TD’s he is another player the Hawks should give plenty of thought into keeping around.

Then there is Brown, who has been as steady as any kicker the past few years, and has won the team plenty of games.  With numerous close games week in and week out around the league, there is no doubt that kickers mean a lot, and Brown is one of the best, even more so kicking in Seattle where it’s not always easy with the wind and the weather.

So while the team fell short of its goal of a Super Bowl, they realize that tweaking needs to be done to hold off the Cards, 49′ers and Rams in the NFC West.  Look for plenty of debate and discussion as to what path the Hawks should take in this offseason.