Strengths:
The Seattle Seahawks feature a dominating running game, led by Shaun Alexander, which is complemented by a solid passing game. Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck has had an up-and-down season in which he threw for 3,382 yards with 22 touchdowns and 15 interceptions, but he has looked sharp over the last four games of the regular season.
Weaknesses:
The Seahawks were among the most inconsistent teams in the league this year. They move the ball well between the 20s, but struggle to punch the ball in when they get in the red zone. And on defense, they can be down-right horrible.
Seattle sported the 26th-ranked defense in the league, surrendering more than 350 yards per game, but they ranked among the league leaders at creating turnovers. However, they give up as many big plays as they make, which won't get them far in the playoffs.
Overview:
Seattle walked away with the NFC West crown simply because there was very little competition in the division. In a normal season, they probably would have not qualified for the playoffs, and I'll be very surprised if they win more than one game while their in. They just don't have the defense to compete with the better teams.
I expect head coach Mike Holmgren to attempt to protect his fragile defense by feeding the ball to Alexander as much as possible to try to control the clock. However, I doubt they will be able to mask the deficiencies on the defensive side of the ball for long, which will probably lead to an early exit from the post-season.
Team Roster:
Offense
4 Trent Dilfer QB
8 Matt Hasselbeck QB
15 Seneca Wallace QB
37 Shaun Alexander RB
32 Kerry Carter RB
44 Heath Evans RB
20 Maurice Morris RB
38 Mack Strong RB
84 Bobby Engram WR
82 Darrell Jackson WR
80 Jerry Rice WR
81 Koren Robinson WR
89 Jerheme Urban WR
87 Taco Wallace WR
14 Jason Willis WR
83 Ryan Hannam TE
88 Itula Mili TE
86 Jerramy Stevens TE
52 Jean-Philippe Darche C
61 Robbie Tobeck C
73 Wayne Hunter OT
71 Walter Jones OT
75 Sean Locklear OT
77 Floyd Womack OT
70 Jerry Wunsch OT
62 Chris Gray OG
76 Steve Hutchinson OG
Defense
78 Antonio Cochran DE
97 Brandon Mitchell DE
56 Chike Okeafor DE
96 Grant Wistrom DE
99 Rocky Bernard DT
95 Rashad Moore DT
93 Craig Terrill DT
90 Marcus Tubbs DT
98 Cedric Woodard DT
50 Solomon Bates LB
94 Chad Brown LB
57 Orlando Huff LB
58 Isaiah Kacyvenski LB
53 Niko Koutouvides LB
59 Tracy White LB
21 Ken Lucas CB
42 Kris Richard CB
24 Bobby Taylor CB
23 Marcus Trufant CB
27 Jordan Babineaux S
34 Terreal Bierria S
28 Michael Boulware S
26 Ken Hamlin S
33 Marquand Manuel S
Kicker/Punter
3 Josh Brown K
13 Ken Walter P
Coaching Staff
Mike Holmgren – Head Coach
Gil Haskell – Offensive Coordinator
Ray Rhodes – Defensive Coordinator