Seattle Seahawks vs. Mike Holmgren in GM Wars

The Seahawks have a lot to do this offseason, but they can’t do any of it until they have a new general manager in place. Well, the process of finding one is about to begin in earnest now that the season is over. 

And how interesting that they’re in direct competition with Mike Holmgren, the man who turned down Seattle’s low-ball GM offer in order to be The Big Show in Cleveland.

The Seahawks and Holmgren are both interested in Philadelphia general manager Tom Heckert (pictured), and the Seahawks reportedly have also asked for permission to interview Eric DeCosta, Baltimore’s director of player personnel. Heckert and DeCosta were the top two potential candidates on the preliminary list we came up with in November (before just about anyone else was talking about candidates).

The Hawks also reportedly want to talk to John Schneider about leaving Green Bay and coming back to Seattle where he served as Holmgren’s director of player personnel in 2000. Of course, Holmgren might have some interest in Schneider himself because of that connection.

Heckert, DeCosta, and Schneider are three of 10 men who listed as Seattle’s top candidates a couple of weeks ago by ProFootballTalk.com.

The Seahawks can interview any of the men now, with permission from the candidate’s team; but once the Hawks decide on a guy, they have to wait until his team’s season is over to hire him unless his team lets him go early. For now, that means the Hawks would have to wait for all but two of the 10 possible candidates.

Here’s a scouting report on the 10, with the top four reportedly the clear favorites:

Tom Heckert
Philadelphia general manager
Scouting report: Heckert has been the Eagles’ general manager since 2006, but he plays second fiddle to Grand Poobah Andy Reid, so he probably could be lured to another franchise. The Eagles are one of the top teams in the league at drafting, developing, and retaining good, young players, and they have been the most successful NFC franchise this decade.

Holmgren obviously is aware of this, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see Heckert off the market before Seattle even gets a chance to talk to him. However, if Heckert thought he would be just second fiddle again in Cleveland, he might be more inclined to come to Seattle, where he would have complete control over football operations.

Eric DeCosta
Baltimore director of player personnel
Scouting report: DeCosta, 38, has been with Ozzie Newsome for 14 years. He was Baltimore’s director of college scouting for six years before being named director of player personnel last January.

Newsome is one of the very best general managers in the NFL. He built one of the greatest defenses in NFL history and has kept it strong for most of this decade despite losing players to free agency every couple of years. DeCosta has been with him every step of the way, learning from a guy who might deserve merit in the Hall of Fame someday as a personnel evaluator if he weren’t already there as a player.

DeCosta would seem to be the clear pre-interview No. 2 choice to Heckert.

John Schneider
Green Bay director of football operations
Scouting report: Schneider has a brief history in Seattle having worked as director of player personnel in 2000 under Holmgren. That might have taken him out of the running in Seattle if Holmgren hadn’t focused on Heckert right away.

If Heckert joins Holmgren, Schneider could give DeCosta a good run for Seattle’s GM job. Schneider,38, has been around the league for 17 years, and he’s been the No. 2 guy for a while now.

The one drawback is his affiliation with Packers GM Ted Thompson, the one-time Seattle exec who hasn’t had the smoothest run in Green Bay. Schneider has been around, but he doesn’t seem to come from the same personnel pedigree as DeCosta.

Steve Keim
Arizona director of player personnel
Scouting report: Keim came to prominence with the Cardinals’ Super Bowl run last season, and a few media folks in Seattle have already pushed hard for him. He has been with the Cardinals since 1999, steadily climbing from scout to college scouting director to his current position.

He has been a key figure in building the Cardinals into the Super Bowl contender they are today, drafting Anquan Boldin, Larry Fitzgerald, Darnell Dockett, Adrian Wilson, Karlos Dansby, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, and Steve Breaston. He doesn’t have much of a track record in pro player evaluation because the Cardinals are never much of a factor in free agency, so it’s hard to say what Keim might do with Paul Allen’s deep pockets. Would he spend too freely as Ruskell did? Or would he be more judicious?

Given Arizona’s ongoing success over the past two years, Keim is now a hot commodity. Hiring him would be a double bonus for the Hawks, who would be stealing a key figure from their top division rival.

Jimmy Raye III
San Diego director of player personnel
Scouting report: Raye, the son of offensive assistant Jimmy Raye, has climbed the ladder since joining the Chargers in 1996, from scout to director of college scouting (2000) to his current position (2008). Raye and general manager A.J. Smith have put together one of the best rosters in the NFL, making them a perennial Super Bowl contender.

Raye has been part of a decade of unparalleled drafting success. Because the Chargers have drafted so well, they haven’t had to sign many free agents, so—as with Keim—it’s hard to evaluate that part of Raye’s job. Raye was looked at by the Kansas City Chiefs last offseason, so he is already starting to get some nibbles as a GM candidate.

He figures to get an interview with Seattle, if only to satisfy the Rooney Rule. But he should definitely be more than just a token candidate. His résumé is as strong as those of DeCosta and Keim and might be better than Schneider’s.

Floyd Reese
New England senior football adviser
Scouting report: Not sure why Reese was on the Seahawks’ radar, per PFT, but it wouldn’t be surprising to learn that Reese lobbied for inclusion on their list. Ever since being forced out of Tennessee, he has been angling to get back into the league, and the Patriots did him a favor as he and Bill Belichick have known each other since they both coached in Detroit in the 1970s.

Reese, 61, has been in the league for 32 years including 13 as the GM of the Oilers/Titans, whom he helped build into a contender. He was forced out in the same exact manner that Ruskell was, resigning just before his contract was up because he knew the team wouldn’t re-sign him. Reese had some good success in Houston/Tennessee, but there always seemed to be underlying conflict within that franchise. It might not have been Reese’s fault, but the Hawks have better options.

Jason Licht
New England pro personnel director
Scouting report: Licht is a Heckert protégé. He got his start in scouting with Heckert in Miami in 1995, spent 1998 with Carolina, worked with the Patriots from 1999 to 2002 and then rejoined Heckert in Philadelphia in 2003. Licht was fired by the Eagles in 2008, joined Arizona for a year and then returned to the Patriots last offseason.

That’s a lot of bouncing around, probably too much to get much of a gauge on whether Licht is capable of running his own show. At 38, Licht is probably a little light on upper-tier experience to be seriously considered. However, if Heckert were to come to Seattle, he might try to make Licht his right-hand man.

Ruston Webster
Seattle interim GM
Scouting report: Webster has been with Seattle for three years having arrived from Tampa Bay to serve as Ruskell’s vice president of player personnel. He now finds himself serving as the team’s interim GM, although that won’t last for long.

Honestly, if the Seahawks retain him, it will say two things: (1) They are staying with the status quo, and (2) Ruskell was made the scapegoat. Nothing against Webster, who might be a good choice under other circumstances, but the Seahawks can’t promote him without looking like complete fools.

Randy Mueller
San Diego consultant
Scouting report: Like Reese, Mueller is trying to work his way back up the chain. He was Seattle’s general manager when Paul Allen bought the team, and he made a number of good moves—such as getting a first-round pick for Rick Mirer, signing Chad Brown, and drafting Walter Jones and Shawn Springs.

In 2000, Mueller left Seattle for New Orleans, and he was promptly named NFL executive of the year by The Sporting News . But his star faded quickly and he was out of the NFL by 2002, serving as an analyst for ESPN for three years. He got back into the league with Miami in 2005 but has yet to regain the power he once had with Seattle and New Orleans.

In Miami, he played second fiddle to Nick Saban and then was fired by Bill Parcells in 2007. He joined San Diego in 2008, probably hoping his affiliation with a good front office would return some of the shine to his badge. But if the Seahawks hired him it would almost seem like a return to the lost decade of the 1990s.

Trent Baalke
San Francisco director of player personnel
Scouting report: Baalke works under Scot McCloughan, who once was Holmgren’s trusted college scouting director. Baalke spent four years (2001-04) as a scout for the Washington Redskins before joining the 49ers. He was put in charge of player personnel in 2008. He is definitely more than a little unseasoned to be leading an NFL franchise.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Seattle Seahawks’ Rewind: Don’t Blame Matt Hasselbeck for This Season

 

Don’t blame Matt Hasselbeck for trying too hard.

Yeah, he’s thrown eight interceptions in the past two games – both embarrassing losses because of opponent (Tampa Bay) or deficit (38 points to Green Bay). And yes, Hasselbeck’s turnovers (nine total, counting a fumble against the Bucs) are a major reason the Hawks lost those games.

But make no mistake: This season was lost well before these last two games. Heck, these losses only help Seattle’s draft position at this point. No matter what happens next week against Tennessee, the Hawks will draft in the top 10. And if, as expected, they lose and finish 5-11, they could end up drafting as high as sixth.

A cynic might say this season was lost when Jim Mora took over as coach. Or when he hired an inexperienced defensive coordinator and an underwhelming offensive coordinator.

Or perhaps this season was lost when Hasselbeck suffered broken ribs against San Francisco in Week Two.

Or maybe it was lost when Seneca Wallace failed to pull out a home victory against an extremely beatable Chicago team in Week Three.

Or it might have been lost when the Hawks laid an egg at home against Arizona in Week Six. Or when the line was down to its fifth left tackle by Week Eight.

It certainly was lost with a team-record seven road losses, most by blowout margins—34-17 in Indianapolis, 38-17 in Dallas, 35-9 in Minnesota, 34-7 in Houston, and now 48-10 in Green Bay.

And it was definitely lost when Mora and his coordinators failed to figure out how to use their personnel (they still haven’t).

But don’t blame Hasselbeck for trying to make up for a lost season, for attempting to make something happen on a discombobulated offense that features an inconsistent offensive line, no feature running back, receivers who can’t get open half the time and a coordinator who has failed to use his personnel properly.

You wanna replace Hasselbeck? With what? Mike Teel? That’s hilarious. With a first-round pick? You’ve got a 50-50 chance of that working out—in about three years.

No, despite his last two ugly games, Hasselbeck is one of the few good things about this team. Lost in the season-worst blowout in Green Bay was the fact that Hasselbeck became the Seahawks’ career leader in passing yards, overtaking Dave Krieg.

The point? Hasselbeck has been this team’s leader for most of this decade. Get rid of him and this team will be leaderless heading into the next decade.

Hasselbeck is guilty only of trying too hard to fix a broken offense, of trying to do what his coordinator has not been able to do.

In Week Two, he was trying to finish off an excellent drive with a touchdown by running for the goal line. Instead of diving for the end zone, he went down in a fetal slide and was cracked in the ribs by Patrick Willis. That ruined a good chance of beating the 49ers in San Francisco as the Hawks usually do.

It also ruined a winnable game against Chicago the next week as Wallace showed he does not have the chops to win as a starter in the NFL.

Three weeks after breaking his ribs, Hasselbeck came back to lead a shocking 41-0 demolition of Jacksonville that gave the Hawks’ fans a false sense of just how good the team was now that Hasselbeck was back.

The next week, the offense set franchise futility records in a 27-3 loss to Arizona—a game in which the battered offensive line let Hasselbeck get pummeled again and again. Then Hasselbeck hurt his throwing shoulder while making a tackle after an interception against Dallas in Week Eight.

Hasselbeck has been pounded all season, and the bad shoulder has limited his ability to throw deep. But he has tried. Sometimes too hard.

Last week against Tampa Bay, he trusted Deion Branch far too much. Three of Hasselbeck’s four interceptions came on passes he threw to Branch, and the receiver did nothing to try to break any of them up.

This week, Hasselbeck threw four more picks. One came when he tried to abort a pass but the ball slipped out and right into the arms of linebacker A.J. Hawk.

Another pick came when the quarterback’s pass was tipped at the line of scrimmage and T.J. Houshmandzadeh fell down in the end zone, allowing Atari Bigby to catch it. The two others were simply forced throws as Hasselbeck tried to make something happen after his team had fallen behind.

Hasselbeck said he’s “looking for answers.” But isn’t that the job of offensive coordinator Greg Knapp? His offense has gone backwards since the start of the season, getting worse by the week.

The list of failures is long:

**He hasn’t made the right moves with the line

**He hasn’t used John Carlson nearly enough

**He hasn’t used Justin Forsett enough

**He hasn’t integrated Deon Butler into the offense ahead of Branch

**He has called bizarre third-down plays

**He has used Seneca Wallace at the wrong times and failed to get the most out of Wallace

With the exception of Forsett, every player on offense has underachieved. But at least Hasselbeck has tried. And you can’t blame him for that.

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Drama Swirls Around Embarrassingly Bad Seattle Seahawks

There was more drama before and after the Seahawks’ embarrassing loss to Tampa Bay on Sunday than there was during the game.  With the team and Mike Holmgren engaging in a they-said-he-said tete-a-tete and with coach Jim Mora almost publicly lobbying to keep his job.

 

Holmgren turned down an offer by the Seahawks on Saturday, and it turns out it happened pretty much the way we thought it did .

 

The team told Steve Kelley of The Seattle Times that it offered Holmgren total control of the team as president at a price of $3 million per year. Holmgren then told Kelley both of those statements were false and that he turned down the offer because he was not going to have the kind of control he coveted— that is, the power to hire the general manager and decide on the coach. Too many other people would have a say in the GM, and CEO Tod Leiweke apparently told Holmgren that Mora was off limits for 2010.

 

So while Leiweke described their talks Friday as “respectful” and Holmgren said they “conclude these discussions as friends,” it’s quite obvious they disagreed on more than one aspect of the talks. And that’s why Holmgren will not be coming back to Seattle.

 

Meanwhile, someone probably needs to tell Mora that he will be coming back, because after one of the Seahawks’ most pitifully embarrassing losses in their entire history, the coach sure seemed like he was making a case to keep his job.

 

Mora stressed that the Seahawks were a four-win team last year and are trying to rebuild a “broken” team with new offensive and defensive systems.

 

“It’s not easy,” he said.

 

But it sure shouldn’t be as hard as the Seahawks are making it.

 

They were a four-win team in 2008 because they were missing nearly their entire starting offense for much of the season. They really were a nine-win team that had five wins stolen by injuries.

 

This team should have been a nine-win team, too, but injuries cost them a game in San Francisco and very poor offensive play cost them home games against Chicago and Tampa. The offense actually has gotten worse as the season has progressed. The line has been the big culprit, but the receivers have joined the club recently, with Deion Branch capping off his horrible four-year run with the team by helping Matt Hasselbeck throw three interceptions Sunday (Hasselbeck’s fourth came on a busted screen play).

 

Mora might be coming back, but perhaps offensive coordinator Greg Knapp shouldn’t be.

 

Knapp has been very inconsistent— sometimes dialing up creative plays, but largely failing to help protect Hasselbeck. He should have changed his line configuration a month ago. He should have used more misdirection plays. He should have found ways to use tight end John Carlson to help Hasselbeck. He should have been playing rookie Deon Butler over Branch.

 

The zone blocking scheme has been a total bust, resulting in the two worst single-game rushing performances in franchise history. It’s time to scrap that horrible experiment and go back to the power-man scheme the Hawks previously used.

 

A coach’s job is to make the sum of the parts better than they are individually, and Knapp certainly has not done that. His offense looks worse now than it did at the start of the season. In fact, the last time this offense looked good was Oct. 11 in a 41-0 home win against Jacksonville.

 

How about bringing back Gil Haskell, who was Holmgren’s coordinator and is a man Hasselbeck is very comfortable with?

 

A new offensive coordinator is just one of the things this team needs if it is going to avoid taking a plunge into an on-field depression akin to the one the Seahawks suffered through in the early 1990s, when they won just 14 games in three seasons under Tom Flores.

 

This team isn’t as bad as Flores’ 2-14 team from 1992, but it is every bit as bad as his 6-10 clubs that followed. With nine wins over the past two seasons, the Seahawks are in as deep a hole as they have been in since Ken Behring ran the franchise into the ground a decade and a half ago.

 

Holmgren is not going to come to the rescue, if he even could. But the Hawks will find a new GM to rebuild the parts of the team that need it, and then it will be up to Mora to prove he is not as bad a coach as many fans think he is.

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Don’t Cry if Mike Holmgren Isn’t the Seattle Seahawks’ Guy

When Seahawks CEO Tod Leiweke basically fired general manager Tim Ruskell two weeks ago, Leiweke was immediately asked about the possibility of former Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren returning to that role.

His reply: “I’m just not going to go there. I’m not going to talk about that today. I will tell you that there’s going to be a process.”

And that tells you all you need to know. Led by their headhunters in New York, the Seahawks will continue their methodical search and find the best candidates. They will not be hurried by the fact that the Cleveland Browns are apparently hot-to-trot for Holmgren or that Holmgren reportedly is eager to find a new gig by Christmas.

Holmgren obviously would like to come back to coach Seattle, and a cynic would surmise that he is using the beleaguered Browns as a way to motivate the Hawks into stepping up the process.

But it doesn’t appear as though Leiweke is going to accommodate Holmgren, despite the wishes of a legion of loyal fans who think Holmgren deserves the right to once again run the team he once took to the Super Bowl.

Talking to KJR after Ruskell was fired, Holmgren acknowledged the possibility that Leiweke might not want to bring him back, saying, “The people on the team have to want you. The situation has to be right, the opening has to be right. And so that’s why I’ve tried to just keep an open mind and not get too emotional about it.”

Fans shouldn’t get emotional either, because there are plenty of other options out there, some who might be better than Holmgren.

Among the men we previously mentioned as possible candidates, the best would seem to be Philadelphia’s Tom Heckert, Baltimore’s Eric DeCosta, and Indianapolis’ Tom Telesco.

The News Tribune has touted Arizona’s Steve Keim, and TNT’s Eric Williams came up with his own list of candidates a couple of weeks after we put ours out (with Heckert and DeCosta the only duplicates).

The bottom line: There is more than one way to win, which means there is more than one man who could do the job right. Holmgren is the sentimental choice of fans, but he might not be the best choice.

 

IT’S ABOUT TIME

While that situation continues to play itself out over the next few weeks, the Seahawks also have a season to play out. And they finally are going to make some moves that should have been made weeks ago.

The problem: These aren’t the only moves that should be made.

Yes, Max Unger is finally moving to center, as we called for weeks ago. And Chris Spencer is being pushed by untested guard Mike Gibson, who could be a diamond in the rough as left tackle Brandon Frye was earlier this season before he suffered a neck injury.

Also, coach Jim Mora put Sean Locklear on notice at left tackle, demanding that Locklear play with more toughness.

Actually, Mora said the entire line needs to play more like mean and tough “dirtbags,” which is true. It might help if the Hawks went back to a power blocking scheme rather than the finesse zone scheme, which this group obviously has not mastered.

In the end, the Hawks will realize what some of us already know: Locklear is better suited to play right tackle and they have to find a new left tackle.

This is the line the Seahawks should be starting right now: LT Damion McIntosh, LG Rob Sims, C Max Unger, RG Ray Willis, RT Sean Locklear.

As for the receiver situation, it’s unfortunate it has taken a high ankle sprain by Nate Burleson to give rookie Deon Butler the looks he needs. Butler should have replaced Deion Branch as the third receiver weeks ago. Now Branch becomes the starter, and Butler will be No. 3.

Keeping Branch ahead of the rookie is really a matter of misplaced respect for a guy who has done little to earn it over the last three years. The Hawks will look even more foolish if they let Branch go after this season. Of course, with Burleson slated to be a free agent, the Hawks might actually need to hold on to Branch—at a much cheaper price than $5 million, of course.

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Seattle Seahawks’ Rewind: Jobs on the Line

On the Seahawks’ first offensive play against Houston, Sean Locklear let Matt Hasselbeck get sacked. On the second play, Ray Willis had a false start, and then Chris Spencer botched the snap.

Yeah, the Seahawks’ offensive line still stinks, and coach Jim Mora has finally joined the rest of us in being fed up with it. Offensive coordinator Greg Knapp inexplicably has not done anything to fix the unit, so Mora apparently has decided to make some executive decisions.

The result: Spencer is most likely headed to the bench—finally. As we have written many times already, Spencer is a complete bust. He showed it again against Houston, as he was consistently unable to get the snap to the quarterback—whether it was Hasselbeck or Seneca Wallace—and didn’t seem to recognize a single blitz as Hasselbeck was pummeled over and over by the Texans.

It really is an indictment on Knapp that he hasn’t taken more control of his offensive personnel. He should know that Spencer is horrible. The guy can’t stay healthy, he can’t read defenses, he can’t make the right blocking calls, he can’t run block, he can’t pass block. Simply put, he’s a first-round bust.

Apparently, Mora just figured that out, telling reporters after the 34-7 blowout loss to Houston: “We’ve got a center that’s trying to snap with his left hand because he’s got a cast on his right hand. He’s had that on for what seems like forever. I’m not quite sure why he still has a cast on his hand—but he does. That is a factor. We see it affecting our shotgun snaps, affecting a lot of our running plays. The timing on offense has to be crisp, and when you can’t get the snap to the quarterback you’ve got no chance in getting a successful play.”

It’s amazing it has taken this long to figure out how bad Spencer is. It is well past time to move Max Unger to center, where he figures to start next year anyway. This season is lost, and the Hawks should have moved Unger weeks ago .

Mora has to be disappointed that Knapp didn’t deal with the issue earlier. Now the head coach is going to force the move, which isn’t a good sign for Knapp. It’s also not a good sign for line coach Mike Solari, who has not been able to get this group of linemen to adjust to Knapp’s preferred zone blocking scheme. The Hawks should scrap that system and go back to the man-power blocking they had practiced for so many years before this group of coaches arrived.

“I’m not happy at all with the way our offensive line is playing,” Mora said. “And we’re going to take an extremely hard look at that in the next two days, and…if there are changes to be made, we’ll make them even at this late stage of the season.”

These changes should be made right now.

1) Move Unger to center and bench Spencer. Unger is the future of the position and can use the remaining three games to get used to playing center in the NFL. He should have been moved there a month ago.

2) Move Sean Locklear to right tackle. That is his best spot. He has not been good at left tackle. On the first play against Houston, he stood there as rookie linebacker Brian Cushing charged right past him and sacked Hasselbeck. Locklear has been beaten far too much and needs to be replaced. For now, that means putting Damion McIntosh back at left tackle.

3) Move Willis inside to right guard, where he has played in the past and is probably better suited. He has been very inconsistent at right tackle this season. He had three false starts against Houston.

Next weekend against Tampa Bay, the line should look like this: LT McIntosh, LG Rob Sims, C Unger, RG Willis, RT Locklear. That configuration would surely perform better than the one that has been letting Hasselbeck get his butt kicked ever since Locklear returned to left tackle. Heck, any line without Spencer will naturally be better.

LINING UP REPLACEMENTS

As for the future of this unit, it’s time to rebuild around Unger. The Seahawks MUST use one of their first-round picks on a new left tackle. They also should add another lineman, either in the first or second round. And they need to try to add a guard in free agency.

On the surface, it looks like there will be a good class of free-agent linemen. But before everyone gets excited about the 2010 free-agent prospects, let’s understand the rules.

First of all, it looks very much like there will be no new collective-bargaining agreement within the next three months. Among other things, that means players would need six years of service to qualify for unrestricted free agency. And teams would be allowed to designate two franchise players. Add all of that up, and it means there would be very few good free agents available.

The top six-year free agents the Hawks might be interested in if they aren’t franchised: OG Stephen Neal (New England), OG Bobbie Williams (Cincinnati), OG Eugene Amano (Tennessee), RT Cornell Green (Oakland).

Some of the notable guys who are scheduled to be restricted free agents: OG Jahri Evans (New Orleans), OG Logan Mankins (New England), LT Jared Gaither (Baltimore), OG Evan Mathis (Cincinnati), OG Chris Chester (Baltimore), RT Jeromey Clary (San Diego), OG Deuce Lutui (Arizona).

Most of those guys figure to get high-level tenders, meaning the player would cost first- and third-round picks in addition to the big contract. The Seahawks don’t have a third-round pick (they used it to get Unger in the last draft), so they aren’t going to be in the market unless they can swing a trade for one of those linemen instead.

However the Hawks do it, the line next year should look like this: LT: First-round pick LG: Sims, free agent or rookie C: Unger RG: Willis, free agent or rookie RT: Locklear

DO WE TRUST GUS?

Gus Bradley has not had a good rookie year as a defensive coordinator. The high-energy coach came to Seattle on the recommendation of highly respected defensive guru Monte Kiffin, but Bradley has struggled to put his players in positions to make impact plays.

The Seahawks have been respectable against the run, but they are one of the worst pass defense teams in the league. Yes, they need a quality pass rusher who can beat single blocking, and they need a playmaking safety. But in the absence of those things, Bradley has failed to find ways to pressure opposing quarterbacks.

He had to be mortified that his defense surrendered 336 yards passing to Matt Schaub in the first half. His defense also has been incredibly undisciplined; the unit’s 87 penalties going into Week 14 were the fourth most in the NFL. And the defense’s 18 takeaways were in the bottom third of the league.

Another indictment of Mora’s defensive staff: Rookie Aaron Curry is regressing. He got burned by the 49ers’ tight ends last week, and this week he had just four tackles, plus penalties for unnecessary roughness and offsides. And then he got hurt.

The guy has so much promise, but it’s up to the coaches to get it out of him. They asked him to do far too much earlier in the season, partly because of injuries to Lofa Tatupu and Leroy Hill. But the coaches obviously were too ambitious with him.

CAUGHT KNAPPING

After a week in which there was plenty of talk about tight end John Carlson’s lack of involvement in the passing game, he scored Seattle’s only touchdown against Houston. After catching just four passes in his past four games, he caught three against Houston.

Mora said last week that Carlson was not getting clean releases off the line, but his lack of production is probably more a result of poor blocking that disrupts timing and the fact that he has been called on to help protect more often.

In Week 13 against San Francisco, Knapp said, two of the first four passes were supposed to go to Carlson, but blocking breakdowns messed up the plays.

“We’re trying to get him involved more, but I never want to get to the point where we’re forcing the issue,” Knapp said last week. “So we can only do so much by game plan, but if the quarterback doesn’t have it, I don’t want him to force the throw and get a turnover.”

The Seahawks are not only playing the wrong center right now, they are playing the wrong De(i)on at receiver. Deion Branch continues to get more chances than rookie Deon Butler, an NFL-ready wideout who should be getting more time.

It’s hard to imagine Branch being back next year—unless he takes a big pay cut. But Butler figures prominently in the passing game’s future and should be playing more now – just like Unger. Another personnel mistake by Knapp.

With both of his coordinators struggling this year, Mora needs to evaluate them in the offseason and decide whether they are the right guys to help this team win. So far, neither has been impressive.

 

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Only a Fool Would Replace Matt Hasselbeck With a First-Round Pick

The three biggest football questions in Seattle over the past week have been: (1) Who is going to replace Tim Ruskell as the Seahawks’ general manager, (2) is UW junior quarterback Jake Locker going to turn pro, and (3) will the Seahawks’ new GM draft Locker in the first round if he does turn pro?

Of course, all of the Seattle SeaDawgs (those hybrid Seahawk/Husky fans) want the Hawks to draft Locker. Others want them to pick Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford or Notre Dame junior Jimmy Clausen.

Then there’s Texas senior Colt McCoy and everyone’s Florida dreamboat, Tim Tebow.

There is much debate about which quarterback is the best, but it doesn’t really matter: The Seahawks shouldn’t be looking for a QB in the first round.

More than a few fools want to replace Hasselbeck, which makes no sense at all. Why in the world would the Seahawks get rid of their franchise quarterback and kill any chance at all of making the playoffs for at least the next two or three years? How asinine would that be?

Seriously, it’s hard to fathom just how football stupid someone has to be to suggest that the Hawks would be better off with some unproven rookie punk instead of a three-time Pro Bowl quarterback who arguably was the MVP of the NFL in 2005 and still has plenty of football left.

Those shortsighted fans actually think it’s Hasselbeck’s fault that the offense has struggled this season, and they argue that he gets hurt too much and should be replaced with a younger quarterback.

The reality is: The offense stinks because the offensive line is horrible and because new coordinator Greg Knapp has not dialed up the right plays consistently enough.

Hasselbeck has almost no time to throw most of the time, and the lack of a running game makes his job even harder.

As for the injury question, the reality is: Hasselbeck is a remarkably tough quarterback who has always played through all manner of pain. In 2001, he hobbled his way through a bad first season in Seattle with a pulled groin and separated shoulder, among other ailments.

In 2005 and 2006, he played with a torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder. In 2006, he missed four games with a sprained knee after a borderline cheap shot.

Over the years, he also has played with bruised thighs and ribs, broken fingers, a sore arm, a banged-up elbow and a strained oblique, among other injuries.

Last year, a herniated disk in his back forced him to miss nine games, and there was admittedly some concern about whether he could come back this year, simply because it was a mysterious and potentially serious problem.

But he has proven his back is fine, and he has played most of this season with broken ribs and a sore throwing shoulder (caused, of course, by the incredibly poor blocking).

Hasselbeck is a tough SOB, and the Seahawks have done him a disservice by not protecting him properly the past couple of years. (That, more than anything, is the main reason Ruskell was fired, because it is the main reason Seattle has not won.)

Put a decent line in front of him again, and you’ll see the Hasselbeck who went to three Pro Bowls from 2003 to 2007 (and would have gone to a fourth in 2004 if his receivers hadn’t dropped a zillion passes).

Hasselbeck is signed through next year, when he will be 35. He should be good for 3-4 years beyond that, and the Hawks should sign him to an extension after this season and not worry about finding a replacement. (If they want a new quarterback, they can find a backup who can actually win a game when called upon. Seneca Wallace obviously is not that guy.)

As for that silly first-round QB idea, Seahawks fans should know that drafting a quarterback in the first round is a crapshoot. Just look back at the franchise’s three first-round busts from the Ken Behring years (Kelly Stouffer in 1988, Dan McGwire in 1991, Rick Mirer in 1993).

Hawks fans also should know that it is quite possible to find a quarterback without spending a first-round pick.

The three best passers in franchise history came out of nowhere: Jim Zorn was picked up off waivers in the franchise’s inaugural year, Dave Krieg was an undrafted free agent who led the team to the playoffs four times in the 1980s and Hasselbeck was a former sixth-round pick acquired in a trade with Green Bay in 2001.

If that isn’t argument enough against picking a quarterback in the first round, remember this: Half of all first-round quarterbacks fail. And this year’s class is overrated across the board.

Locker might have the best potential of them all, but he’s just learning how to throw the ball accurately. He needs to either play a senior year of college or sit for a couple of years in the NFL.

To throw him in right away, especially behind a bad line, would be asking for him to get hurt and/or fail so badly that he would lose confidence and be destroyed the way Tim Couch and David Carr were.

As for the others, Clausen is probably the best passing quarterback, but his leadership ability is questionable. Can you trust him to run an NFL team? Bradford has a bad shoulder, which will hurt his draft position and make him a question mark until he proves otherwise.

Tebow still doesn’t know how to throw; he is a running college quarterback who appears destined to fail in the NFL (or else become an erratic, poor-passing QB on the order of Michael Vick, Daunte Culpepper and Vince Young). The jury is out on McCoy, who is incredibly inconsistent and might fail in a pro system, too.

None of those quarterbacks should be drafted in the top half of the first round, and you could argue that not one of them is first-round worthy at all. Of course, that won’t stop multiple teams from taking them in the first round.

Just don’t expect the Seahawks to do it. They already have a quarterback.

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Tim Ruskell Is Seattle Seahawks’ Scapegoat, Jim Mora’s on Hot Seat

Well, there you have it, Seahawks fans: your 2008-09 scapegoat.

Tim Ruskell is gone. And Jim Mora is officially on the hot seat for 2010.

CEO Tod Leiweke told reporters that Mora will be back next year. But, if Ruskell’s departure confirms one thing, it’s that Mora has to win or he’s most likely out.

Whether the new general manager is Mike Holmgren or someone else, Mora will have little leeway. Leiweke seemed to make that clear by stressing that the team had not won enough in the last two seasons and had to do much better than eight wins in 27 games.

Ruskell took the fall for that deteriorating record, and he certainly deserves blame for a few things: poor first-round draft picks, a few bad contracts and—most of all—letting the offensive line deteriorate so badly that it is the main reason the Seahawks are not a playoff contender.

Of course, Ruskell haters also can thank him for drafting Lofa Tatupu, Leroy Hill, Aaron Curry, John Carlson, Josh Wilson, Brandon Mebane, and Justin Forsett, finding David Hawthorne, and keeping Tatupu, Hill, and Marcus Trufant.

So, while the Hawks have their weaknesses—the offensive line, pass rusher, and safety—the cupboard is not totally bare.

But what’s next?

Leiweke said the team will conduct a self-audit to decide the best course.

“We’ll spend the next couple weeks anyway doing a pretty thorough evaluation of the good, the bad, and the ugly,” he said. “And out of that, we’ll come away with an assessment of this football team, and then be in a much better position to identify what the characteristics are we’re looking for in a new leader.”

Leiweke indicated that he doesn’t think the franchise needs wholesale changes, and he said of the new general manager, “We’re not going to join them; they’re going to join us.”

“I don’t think this is a franchise that has to go out and beg someone to come here. I think this is a really strong and unique opportunity. So we’re going to find somebody who fits our prerequisite model of what we see as success going forward.”

Leiweke tried to quiet rumors of Holmgren’s imminent return by saying the team would go through a deliberate process.

“We’re going to do a thorough audit of this football team,” he said, “and we’re going to be very, very careful going forward to ensure that we find just the right person to lead the organization.”

But Leiweke’s final words sure seemed to leave the door open for Holmgren. Talking about interim GM Ruston Webster being a candidate for the full-time gig, the CEO said, “Stability is something that we’re trying to push for, so that’s true with scouts and all other parts of the organization.”

That seems to indicate that not too much will change beyond the man in charge of the football operation. And that would seem to bode well for Holmgren, who has some things in his favor.

A lot of “star gazers” are stumping for a Holmgren/Jon Gruden pairing or guys like Parcells or Bill Cowher or Mike Shanahan. That’s all a bunch of nonsensical whimsy. Other than possibly Holmgren, none of those guys are coming to Seattle.

And, really, it doesn’t matter who the GM is as long as he understands the No. 1 priority next offseason is completely rebuilding the offensive line, because the failure to do that is the main reason Ruskell is gone.

 

Ruskell’s Replacement Candidates

If the Seahawks decide to look outside the franchise, here are some possible candidates for general manager:

 

Tom Heckert, Philadelphia

Heckert is the Eagles’ general manager, but he plays second fiddle to Grand Poobah Andy Reid, so he probably could be lured to another franchise. The Eagles are one of the top teams in the league at drafting, developing, and retaining good, young players. Heckert would certainly be worth a look.

 

Eric DaCosta, Baltimore

DaCosta, 38, has been with Ozzie Newsome for 14 years. He was Baltimore’s director of college scouting for six years before being named director of player personnel last January. Newsome is one of the very best general managers in the NFL. He built one of the greatest defenses in NFL history and has kept it strong for most of this decade despite losing players to free agency every couple of years. So, why not check out his protege?

Ed McGuire, San Diego

McGuire has been with the Chargers since 1998, and became GM A.J. Smith’s No. 2 man in 2008, in charge of player contracts and football administration. The Chargers have done a great job of assembling talent this decade, and McGuire’s experience under Smith would seem to make him worth considering.

 

Tom Telesco, Indianapolis

Telesco is the Colts’ director of player personnel, a key figure in one of the top personnel departments in the NFL. The Colts always seem to have players ready to replace too-expensive free agents, and the unknown Telesco has been a key part of Bill Polian’s operation.

 

Kevin Abrams, N.Y. Giants

Under GM Jerry Reese, the Giants have put together a solid roster. As the assistant GM and chief contracts guy, Abrams has been a key to making the pieces of the financial puzzle fit. He probably would need a strong personnel man to help him, but Abrams comes from a successful personnel department.

 

Doug Whaley, Pittsburgh

Whaley, a former scout for the Seahawks, is Pittsburgh’s director of pro personnel—a position once held by Tom Donahoe and Tom Modrak before they went on to bigger things. The Steelers have long been excellent judges of talent, so the 37-year-old Whaley would be worth a look on that pedigree alone.

 

Howie Roseman, Philadelphia

Roseman is a former contracts guy who was promoted to vice president of player personnel in 2008. At that time, Reid said, “Howie has demonstrated a sharp eye for talent evaluation along with a knack for creative draft and free agent strategies.” He would need a strong personnel man, but Roseman has learned from the successful strategy of Reid and Heckert.

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Forget Mike Holmgren and Give Seattle Seahawks Some New Linemen

The ongoing scuttlebutt about Mike Holmgren possibly returning to Seattle in some Grand Poobah role sure seems like crazy talk.

The Seahawks have already determined their course, and it involves Jim Mora leading this team for at least the next year. It’s almost impossible to envision them altering course so drastically by bringing back Holmgren—whether to replace president Tim Ruskell (pictured left) or to be put in a role above a new general manager, yet below CEO Tod Leiweke (pictured right).

Leiweke aligned himself firmly with Ruskell when he hired him in 2005, so he surely will be hesitant to give up on him unless he decides the team would take too much of a PR hit by keeping him. Owner Paul Allen and Holmgren have a good relationship, but it’s hard to imagine that the ailing Seahawks owner, who has non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, is taking much of a hands-on approach to his football team these days.

Add the fact that Holmgren’s record as a personnel guy is no better than Ruskell’s , and it’s hard to see why so many people want Holmgren back and why the Seahawks might think that would be a good idea.

Mora is going nowhere, and Ruskell is coming off perhaps his best offseason in charge of the team. The best thing to do is to ride it out with them next year and see if they can get the Hawks back to the playoffs in the last year of Matt Hasselbeck’s contract. If the Seahawks aren’t on the way back up next year, Leiweke can blow up the team starting in 2011.

So what do Ruskell and Mora need to do to make this a playoff team in 2010?

Recreate the Offensive Line

Max Unger should replace Chris Spencer at center now so he gets experience for next season. Then Ruskell must find two new starters—a right guard to replace Unger and a left tackle to replace Sean Locklear. The ‘Hawks also need better interior depth, so they need to draft a guard who is better than the backups they have, possibly one to replace Rob Sims. That’s three new linemen.

Oklahoma State’s Russell Okung is considered the top tackle in the draft, but unless the Hawks are in the top five again, they probably don’t have a chance at him. But other top-15 tackles include Oklahoma’s Trent Williams, USC’s Charles Brown, and Rutgers junior Anthony Davis. The Seahawks could easily end up with one of them. Iowa’s Bryan Bulaga could be had late in the first round.

Considering the state of the ‘Hawks’ offensive line, two first-round tackles wouldn’t be the worst idea. But one is the bare minimum. If Ruskell doesn’t take a tackle in the first round in April, you can fire him on the spot.

However they do it, the line next year should include three new linemen, in addition to Locklear, Unger, Ray Willis and maybe Sims, with Walter Jones and Brandon Frye long shots to return. Mansfield Wrotto and Steve Vallos make it only as deep reserves.

The bottom line, so to speak, is this: The Hawks simply have to stop harboring injury-prone linemen and instead build a sturdy line of talented big men. It’s time to cut the cord with Spencer and maybe even Sims. Locklear should get one more chance—and only one—to stay healthy and be productive.

Ruskell’s strategy of trying to develop fourth-round picks has failed. It’s time to remake Seattle’s line with high draft picks and a good, young free agent.

Find a Playmaking Safety

Many people want the Hawks to take USC’s Taylor Mays in the first round, and Tennessee’s Eric Berry is a stud, too. But they might be gone before Seattle picks. And neither is worth combining both first-round picks (including the one Seattle got from Denver last April) to trade up, especially when the Seahawks also must find a new left tackle and could use help on the defensive line.  

The Seahawks might look to free agency for a young safety. A number of young veterans could become free, so the Hawks should see whether they can find upgrades for Deon Grant and Jordan Babineaux that way. However they do it, they must find a playmaking safety.

Replace Patrick Kerney with a Guy Who Can Rush the Passer

Kerney is washed up and should be let go, especially considering he is due to be paid over $5 million next season. It’s ridiculous that the Seahawks are paying him $7 million this year (he’s counting $10 million).

The Seahawks could use that money for someone who can still get to the passer. Odds are they will need to find a pass rusher in the draft, though, because most of the free agents are on the wrong side of 30, and the Hawks have been there, done that with Kerney and Grant Wistrom.

Add a Young Running Back

This is a lower priority than the offensive line, safety, and pass rusher, but the ‘Hawks certainly could use a good, young running back. The best guys are Clemson’s C.J. Spiller, Georgia Tech junior Jonathan Dwyer, and California junior Jahvid Best. Spiller and Dwyer are viewed as top-10 talents.

Beyond them, it’s a pretty average RB class, though. The Seahawks’ best shot at one might come in the fourth round.

Ideally, the Seahawks will do their best New England imitation and trade down to acquire picks in the second and third rounds (since they surrendered their 2010 third to get receiver Deon Butler last April). If they can move down, they potentially could end up with five picks in the first two rounds. In a perfect world, that would net two offensive linemen, a safety, a running back and a pass rusher.

That’s what Ruskell has to do to give Mora the kind of team that can get back to the playoffs—and save the jobs of the coach and general manager.

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The Seattle Seahawks’ David Hawthorne Question (and Answer)

The standout play of linebacker David Hawthorne in his first three starts has a lot of people wondering and/or planning what to do with him next year when Lofa Tatupu is healthy again.

Some people think the Seahawks might consider moving to a 3-4 scheme so as to get both Tatupu and Hawthorne on the field with Leroy Hill and Aaron Curry.

Other what-have-you-done-for-me-lately have even suggested that Hawthorne replace Tatupu as the starter. And others have said the Hawks should trade one of the middle linebackers.

So what should the Seahawks do? Change schemes? Bench one ’backer? Trade one?

The answer: None of the above. The Hawks should just keep what they have, with no changes in 2010.

The 3-4 is not an option. Jim Mora has always been a 4-3 coach, and the Seahawks will remain such. Plus, the Seahawks have spent too much time putting together 4-3 personnel. They have undersized ends and linebackers and no tackle who could play the nose and take on double teams.

The 3-4 requires 300-pound ends and a 330-pound nose man, and the Hawks have only three linemen who fit that mold—Cory Redding (6’4″, 295), Craig Terrill (6’2″, 295), and Colin Cole (6’1″, 330).

Redding will be a free agent, while Cole does not command double-teams consistently. The Seahawks would have to revamp their entire D-line.

As for benching Tatupu, that’s the same silly talk that came from people who thought Seneca Wallace should replace Matt Hasselbeck at quarterback.

Like Hasselbeck, Tatupu is a three-time Pro Bowl player, and he’s the proven quarterback of the defense. He has just had a bad run of injuries the past two seasons and will have to prove he can stay healthy in 2010, just as Hasselbeck has had to prove it this year.

Meanwhile, Hawthorne has only three starts to his credit. Granted, he has done some amazing things in each of those starts. In the first one, against Chicago, he tallied 16 tackles—15 of them solo—and intercepted a pass. In the second one, two weeks ago in Dallas, he had eight tackles, two sacks, and a forced fumble.

Last week against Detroit, he had nine tackles (eight solo) and two interceptions. That’s some impact play.

People are rightfully excited by the quick development of the man who was undrafted out of TCU last year. But even Hawthorne acknowledges that Tatupu is partly responsible for his play.

“With a guy like that in your corner, you’ve got to succeed,” Hawthorne told reporters after his two-pick performance last Sunday. “Lofa is like a quarterback out there, and teams know that. You can’t out-think him. And I’m trying to get to that level.”

If Hawthorne performs at his current level the rest of the way, his value will be sky high after the season, and the Hawks could possibly get something for him.

But he has so little experience, it’s hard to imagine many teams willing to give up much more than a third-round pick for a guy who once was undrafted and who has barely played.

Unless they could pull a first-round pick for him, the Seahawks should just hold on to Hawthorne for another season. The Seahawks own his rights for at least the next two years, as an exclusive free agent in 2010 and a restricted free agent in 2011.

Given that Tatupu has not been healthy the past two seasons, the Seahawks really need to see him return to health in 2010 before they consider possibly moving Hawthorne.

If Tatupu doesn’t make it through 2010 and Hawthorne plays well again, the Hawks will have a ready replacement for a guy they will then have to jettison for being too injury prone.

In the meantime, the Hawks can enjoy his emergence in 2009 and have great insurance in the middle for 2010 and possibly 2011. And Mora and defensive coordinator Gus Bradley would love to have the problem of figuring out how to use both Tatupu and Hawthorne.

They just won’t be making a permanent move to the 3-4 or benching Tatupu.

Check out NFL Week 10 picks and midseason grades Outside The Press Box .

 

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Seattle Seahawks Are Still Rebuilding the Line That Walter Jones Built

The anticlimactic announcement Wednesday that future Hall of Fame left tackle Walter Jones will not play this season comes as no surprise.

And it won’t be a surprise if he doesn’t play again after a remarkable 12-year run (1997-2008) during which he became one of the greatest linemen ever to play the game. 

If Jones retires before next season, he will be the Seahawks’ second no-brainer Hall of Famer and join Steve Largent in the shrine in 2015. But, as coach Jim Mora said, it’s not time for a career eulogy yet.

It is time, however, to figure out what the Seahawks are going to do about their offensive line going forward.

With Jones seemingly done, the Seahawks are down to one player remaining from the dominant unit that led them to the Super Bowl in 2005.

Steve Hutchinson, Robbie Tobeck, and Chris Gray are all gone. Sean Locklear is the only one left, and even he is not playing right now.

When team president Tim Ruskell signed Locklear to a five-year extension last year, the Seahawks put financial escalators in it in case Locklear played a certain number of snaps at left tackle. It was the carrot for Locklear to strive to be Jones’ replacement.

Unfortunately, Locklear simply cannot stay healthy. He has missed 13 games since becoming the starting right tackle in 2005. He lasted only one game on the left side this season before he got injured again, and who knows how much longer his latest ailment, a high ankle sprain, will keep him out?

The Hawks found a capable replacement in Brandon Frye, but he got hurt, too. Then Kyle Williams failed so miserably that the Hawks brought in Damion McIntosh, who now will get his turn for as long as Locklear remains out. 

Add the loss of left guard Rob Sims for several weeks, and the early-season injury of center Chris Spencer, and it has simply been deja 2008 all over again.

If Ruskell’s succession plan for the 2005 unit had worked out, the Seahawks’ line at this moment would be Locklear, Sims, Spencer, right guard Max Unger and right tackle Ray Willis.

Ruskell planned on Locklear and Spencer being the anchors of the line into the next decade. Sims and Willis were serviceable finds in the mid-rounds. And Unger is now part of Plan B, since left guard Mike Wahle retired before camp and Spencer has not been healthy or effective enough to be counted on.

At some point, the Hawks still might end up with Locklear, Sims, Spencer, Unger and Willis on the field together. But even if that happens, it’s bound to fall apart again.

Like Locklear, Spencer and Sims have missed multiple stretches of games over the past four years, and the Seahawks would be wise at this point to not count on any of them for the future.

Unger, who is signed through 2012, seems to be the only guy who fits into the future plans, ideally replacing Spencer at center. Willis is signed only for one more season, and he still has to prove he’s worth keeping beyond that.

If there is not a new collective-bargaining agreement between the NFL and its players by next March, the Seahawks will retain the rights to Spencer and Sims, who would be restricted free agents instead of unrestricted. But owning their rights does not mean the Hawks should count on them for the future.

Locklear, who is signed through 2012, is a decent player, but he just can’t stay healthy, and the Hawks have to come up with a good backup plan for the games he misses…or just find a better starter. Frye might be that guy, if his neck injury isn’t career-threatening.

But if there’s one thing the Seahawks have learned, it’s that they cannot count on injury-prone linemen to carry them.

After this season, Ruskell absolutely MUST find three linemen to give this team depth and healthy, good players.

He needs to draft a tackle with one of the Seahawks’ two first-round picks, and he has to add a starting guard and another tackle through the draft or free agency.

By finally putting emphasis on the most important unit on any team, maybe the Seahawks will finally rebuild the line that was once anchored by the best tackle in the game.

Check out the Seahawks’ road ahead .

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

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