The seeds of the Seahawks’ 2007 regular season were planted during the month of March.
Free agency brought a pass rusher (Patrick Kerney) and two veteran safeties (Deon Grant and Brian Russell) that had an immediate impact and helped take Seattle’s defense to the next level.
Just as important was the one who got away.
When guard Kris Dielman turned down the Seahawks’ lucrative offer and returned to the San Diego Chargers, it left Seattle with a glaring weakness. Dielman has had a Pro Bowl season, while the Seahawks’ running game has struggled to get off the ground.
Like every remaining team that doesn’t have Tom Brady throwing to Randy Moss, the Seahawks enter the playoffs with a few issues. The running game is at the top of the list.
The Seahawks ranked 20th in the NFL in rushing yards per game (101.2) and 22nd in yards per carry (3.8). They haven’t had a 100-yard rusher since Shaun Alexander hit the century mark in Week 3.
Only when coach Mike Holmgren went to the two-headed attack that saw Alexander and Maurice Morris split carries did Seattle’s running game show any semblance of a rhythm.
Over the past two weeks, the Seahawks have averaged 155.5 rushing yards per game, as compared to 93.4 over the first 14 games of the regular season.
“As I said at the time, it couldn’t get any worse,” Alexander said after Seattle had 167 rushing yards in Sunday’s season finale. “So we’re doing little things and taking steps.”
Injuries have been part of the problem, as Alexander has struggled with wrist and knee problems that have improved in recent weeks. But the biggest factor has been a subpar blocking scheme that has seen both guards — second-year player Rob Sims and veteran Chris Gray — struggle at times.
Among the other concerns as the Seahawks prepare for Saturday’s playoff opener against Washington:
n Hit-or-miss pass rush: While rushing the quarterback has been a strength in Seattle’s victories during the regular season, it was too often a weakness in losses. The Seahawks had 40 sacks in their 10 victories, compared to just five in the six losses. The worst culprit has been here-today-gone-tomorrow Kerney, who got all of his NFC-best 141/2 sacks in victories. Seattle was 8-0 when Kerney had at least one sack and 2-6 when he didn’t.
n Allowing long runs: While the Seahawks’ run defense has been solid for most of the season, it has been plagued by an occasional long run. Steven Jackson (St. Louis), Cedric Benson (Chicago) and DeAngelo Williams (Carolina) all busted off long touchdown runs this season, while Atlanta’s Warrick Dunn set up a touchdown with a 38-yard scamper.
n Special teams: If it’s not one thing, it’s another. Kicker Josh Brown has found his rhythm since long snapper Jeff Robinson was added to the mix last month, but now the coverage teams are struggling. A big key to Seattle’s kick coverage could be the health of captain Niko Koutouvides, who missed the regular-season finale due to a knee injury.
n Short yardage: When it comes to Seattle’s struggling run game, this is the biggest area of weakness. Sunday’s game against Atlanta showed signs of hope, but both of the Falcons’ starting defensive tackles were out with injuries.
n Competition: Not since Week 1 have the Seahawks faced an NFC team that will be in the playoffs. Only Tampa Bay and AFC contender Pittsburgh were on the Seahawks’ schedule this season. The last time Seattle played a team with a winning record was Nov. 4, when the Cleveland Browns (10-6) beat the Seahawks in overtime. Seattle’s last win over a team that finished better than .500 was in that Week 1 win over Tampa.
n A dud finish: It’s easy to dismiss Sunday’s 44-41 loss to the struggling Falcons, but that game did leave a few reasons for concern. Hopefully for the Seahawks, the defensive performance had more to do with a lack of incentive than anything else. Anything close to that kind of effort on defense Saturday could result in a one-and-done appearance in the playoffs.
The good news is that the Seahawks have more assets than concerns heading into the postseason. With a thriving passing game, an opportunistic defense and a huge homefield advantage, the Seahawks should go into Saturday’s playoff opener as the favorite.
But there are also plenty of stumbling blocks that could end Seattle’s season earlier than expected.
Note: Coach Mike Holmgren gave the players Monday off. The team will practice today — Tuesdays are typically the players’ day off — as part of an altered schedule because of the Saturday game.
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