NFL 2013 Preview - Seattle Seahawks

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS                                                               

Head Coach: Pete Carroll

2012 Record: 11-5-0 (2nd in NFC West)

New Players: DE Cliff Avril; DE Michael Bennett; WR/KR Percy Harvin; DL Tony McDaniel; CB Antoine Winfield; QB Brady Quinn.

Gone Elsewhere: RB/KR Leon Washington; QB Matt Flynn; DL Alan Branch; WR Ben Obomanu; DL Jason Jones.

Offense: The one-two punch of running back Marshawn Lynch and quarterback Russell Wilson make the Seahawks tough to defend.
Lynch had his best ever season as a pro player in 2012, going for 1,590 yards on the ground (5.0 ypc average) and scored eleven touchdowns.

QB Russell Wilson

Wilson passed for 3,118 yards with 26 touchdowns andn only ten interceptions along with rushing for 489 yards (5.1 ypc average) and scored four rushing touchdowns.

Marshawn Lynch

The fact that Wilson was even the starter was surprising enough, but he put up awesome stats and that sent expensive free agent QB Matt Flynn packing his bags to the Oakland Raiders. Backing up Wilson this season will be Brady Quinn.
Along with that dynamic duo on offense, Seattle has Rob Turbin (354 yards
rushing) and rookie draft pick Christine Michael (Texas A&M)  adding depth to the running game, which finished third in the NFL last year, averaging 161 yards per game.
The wide receivers corps may be depleted this year as newcomer Percy Harvin (62 receptions for 677 yards and three TD with the Minnesota Vikings) is out possibly for the entire season with a knee injury while last season's team leading receiver Sidney Rice has had knee issues that has him seeing a specialist. Rice caught 50 balls for 748 yards and seven touchdowns.
Doug Baldwin (29, 366, three TD), Golden Tate (45, 688, seven TD), rookie draft pick Chris Harper (Kansas St.) and tight end Zach Miller (38, 396, three TD) are the other options for the passing game.
The line is set with center Max Unger, guards James Carpenter and Paul McQuistan and tackles Russell Okung and Breno Giacomini.

Defense: The Seahawks are ferocious defenders who will punch opponents in the mouth and then laugh about it.
The 'Hawks were a plus-13 on turnovers thanks in part to 31 takeaways (13 fumble recoveries and 18 pickoffs) which is a trademark of their opportunistic defense.
Up front in the 4-3 set will be tackles Tony McDaniel and Brandon Mebane. The ends are Red Bryant and free agent addition Cliff Avril, who registered 9 1/2 QB sacks with Detroit last year. Another sack master is end Chris Clemons, who had 11 1/2 sacks in 2012. Bruce Irvin (who is suspended for the first four games this year) added eight sacks as well.
Linebackers include Bob Wagner in the middle with Malcolm Smith and K.J. Wright on the outside. In reserve roles will be Mike Morgan, Heath Farwell and rookie Ty Powell (Penn State).
The secondary is one of the best in the NFL with safties Earl Thomas (three interceptions) and Kam Chancellor. The cornerbacks are Richard Sherman (eight INT) and Brandon Browner, who are both big and physical against opposing wideouts. Browner had three picks a year ago.
Seattle finished fourth overall on defense, yielding 306 yards a game, which included 103 on the ground and 203 passing yards allowed. Seattle was the stingiest scoring defense in the NFL in 2012, allowing just 245 points.

OUTLOOK: With their chip on the shoulder attitude and a strong defense, the Seattle Seahawks are a physical team that likes to mix it up and that is what Head Coach Pete Carroll likes to see.
If Russell Wilson plays like he did in his surprising rookie year, the team will be strong on offense once again because they already have Lynch in the backfield running the ball.
The problem might be the depth at wide receiver with the top two players out with injuries as the season opener approaches.
The defense is solid and barring injury, should be among the best in football once again this season.
It all adds up to another winning season for the Seahawks, but they will not be catching anyone off guard this season.
Figure on a 10-6 record for the team with a wild card playoff spot the likely outcome. How well they finish in the regular season will depend on division play, especially against the San Francisco 49ers. The Seahawks have a chance to have a very special season.

2013 SCHEDULE

Sept. 8- at Carolina
Sept. 15- vs. San Francisco
Sept. 22- vs. Jacksonville
Sept. 29- at Houston
Oct. 6- at Indianapolis
Oct. 13- vs. Tennessee
Oct. 17- at Arizona
Oct. 28- at St. Louis
Nov. 3- vs. Tampa Bay
Nov. 10- at Atlanta
Nov. 17- vs. Minnesota
Nov. 24- BYE WEEK
Dec. 2- vs. New Orleans
Dec. 8- at San Francisco
Dec. 15- at NY Giants
Dec. 22- vs. Arizona
Dec. 29- vs. St. Louis