When the NFL lockout was lifted, John Schneider wasted no time on picking up the phone. The direction of Pete Carroll's philosophy has been to go young and big so Schneider took that in mind and signed some very talented players who are in their prime of their careers.
The first move was to cut loose Matt Hasselbeck. Hasselbeck has been our QB for a decade and my first reaction was heartbreak. He has truly been the best QB Seattle has ever had on and off the field so how could we let him go? The answer was that Matt is just getting too old and he is on the downside of his career. Pete also wants to see what he has in Whitehurst as well as Tarvaris Jackson who are in their 20s and could have a future with the team for more than a couple years. As painful as it is to see Hasselbeck go, it's a decision that I am seeing as the logical move now.
Tarvaris Jackson has been deemed the Hawks' starting QB because of his familiarity with Darrell Bevell and the offensive schemes he runs. I like the idea considering the time frame we are dealing with post-lockout. Tarvaris has athletic abilities us Seahawk fans have not seen in a very long time. He brings the ability to escape the pass rush in case our rookies on the line can't protect and he also has a cannon for an arm. The reason Tarvaris gets bad reviews in my opinion is his inaccuracy at times and the fact that he doesn't look confident when he drops back in the pocket. That said, Tarvaris has been putting up the same completion rate as Hasselbeck has been these recent years. Tarvaris will bring excitement and youth to the QB position and I hope he becomes a leader because that is a characteristic all QBs should have.
John Schneider also added some serious weapons for Tarvaris. So much so, that Tarvaris will be accountable for how well this offense puts up points on the board. Tarvaris has Lynch to hand the ball of to or throw to Sidney Rice, Big Mike Williams, Golden Tate, Kris Durham, Ben Obomanu, John Carlson, and Zach Miller. I mean, that's some serious firepower right there and we're also going to see a whole new offensive line.
Another big signing was Robert Gallery. Many knew this was going to happen since the move to sign Tom Cable as the offensive line coach but to know it's official is great news. Gallery brings stability to a very young offensive line that includes two rookies, 2nd year player Okung, and 3rd year player Max Unger. Gallery knows how Tom Cable likes to run his offensive line and the attitude he expects so Gallery brings the extension of Cable's thoughts to the line on the field for every play. I think we are going to finally see our offensive line maul the opponent's defensive line and continue on to the second level of linebackers instead of struggling to open up holes for Lynch to get 2 yards.
I mentioned Zach Miller as a pickup for Seattle and I can't believe that a player of his caliber and age was still available to be signed. The guy is a top 5 tight end in this league, 2010 pro bowler, and only 25 years old. I love this move and Zach Miller could flourish under this new scheme that will include him in a lot of plays. It does leave me wondering what the Hawks will do with John Carlson who is also a good tight end. Do we run a lot of plays with two tight end sets? Do we trade him? There's rumors of John Carlson being packaged in a deal for Osi Umenyiora flying around.
All in all, this has been a great offseason for the Seahawks so far and you have to like the young talent being brought in. You can tell by these moves how hard the front office is working to get the best deals and the best players to fit the philosophy Pete is running that will lead us to a consistent championship contender. Also, by just checking ESPN, you have to like the news of the 49ers losing their key free agents recently and the Rams being inactive for the most part.
ChatSports' Seahawk Notes:
Brandon Mebane on being signed
Carroll on John Carlson's new role
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