2007 Roster vs. 2006 Roster

I caught part of this discussion on the Mitch in the Morning show today where Mitch Levy and Steve Sandmeyer were figuring out if the 2007 Seahawks roster is better on paper then the 2006 roster. I figured I would give my take on it.

Coming off the Super Bowl run of 2005 many people believed the Seahawks had the talent to return to the SB and win it all this time. While they made some good offseason acquisitions they also lost some key components of that 2005 team. Injuries decimated this team all season resulting it them having to sign CB’s off the street to play in the playoffs. This roster analysis is strictly based off of the current roster vs. the opening day 2006 roster.

Each unit will be given a score of either:
Significant Downgrade
Slight Downgrade
Same
Slight Upgrade
Significant Upgrade

QB -
2006: Hasselbeck, Wallace, Greene
2007: Hasselbeck, Wallace, Greene

Outlook: The QB position is the same as last year. While Hasselbeck is a year older and suffered some injuries last year, I expect that he will return to his pre-injury form. The Seahawks decided again to not sign a veteran backup, leaving Wallace as strictly a backup QB with no option to use him as a WR or punt returner.

Score: Same

RB –
2006: Alexander, Strong, Morris, Parry
2007: Alexander, Strong, Morris, Weaver

Outlook: Alexander, too, is returning from injury and should be back to putting up 1,500 yds and 16 TD this season. The biggest addition to this unit will be a healthy Leonard Weaver. This guy can be used as a big, short-yardage back that hopefully will help the Seahawks convert the 3rd and 1’s that plagued this team last year.

Score: Slight Upgrade

WR –
2006: Jackson, Branch, Engram, Burleson, Hackett
2007: Branch, Engram, Hackett, Burleson

Outlook: The most proven and reliable WR is gone, but I believe this unit is better then last years. No one expected Hackett to perform like he did and he looks to be an adequate replacement for Jackson. Burleson has had a year in Holmgren’s system and has performed well in training camp so far. Branch has the 13 games last year plus training camp to get on the same page with Hasselbeck and Bobby Engram is about as consistent as they come. Even with Jackson in SF I expect this WR corps to outperform last years.

Score: Slight Upgrade

TE –
2006: Stevens, Heller
2007: Pollard, Heller

Outlook: Pollard has seen his catches drop the last few years through no fault of his own. He has admitted that he is still learning the Seahawks offense, but once he gets it down he should be expected to catch 40-50 balls this year. If he is injured, then it gets scary. Will Heller is not a starting TE in the NFL, but is a good blocking TE for short-yardage and special teams plays.

Score: Same

OL –
2006: Jones, Womack, Tobeck, Gray, Locklear
2007: Jones, Simms, Spencer, Gray, Locklear

Outlook: OL was a disaster for the ‘Hawks last year. The Hutchinson thing was completely mishandled by the front office and the line never seemed to recover. This year Spencer steps in as the full time center and Rob Simms replaces the oft-injured Pork Chop Womack. One of the closest competitions in camp is for RG with Chris Gray and Ray Willis competing for the spot. Big Walt is one year older and has recently been sitting out of practice to rest a sore shoulder. This line is very young up the middle with Spencer and Simms starting, but I expect it to improve throughout the season. While last year was a disaster I want to put this line as improved, but I feel like it will probably have a similar season as 2006.

Score: Same

DL –
2006: Bernard, Davis, Darby, Tubbs, Wistrom, Fisher, Tapp
2007: Bernard, Davis, Darby, Tubbs, Mebane, Kerney, Fisher, Tapp

Outlook:
Marcus Tubbs is the big question mark. If he can get healthy this line should be much improved. If not, then rookie Brandon Mebane is the run-stopper. Kerney for Wistrom is an upgrade and a year of experience for Tapp is as well. Bernard needs to have numbers closer to his 2005 totals and Davis needs to improve on his run-stopping ability. This score reflects the fact that Tubbs is injured.

Score: Slight Upgrade

LB –
2006: Peterson, Tatupu, Hill
2007: Peterson, Tatupu, Hill

Outlook: Exactly the same as last year. 2 Pro Bowlers ain’t bad at all. Reports out of camp are that Peterson could have an even better year this year. That is scary because he had a monster year last year. Tatupu and Hill are steady. Bentley is the 4th LB again this year and a solid special teams player.

Score: Same

DB –
2006: Trufant, Herndon, Jennings, Babineaux, Hamlin, Boulware, Oliver
2007: Trufant, Jennings, Wilson, Babineaux, Grant, Russell, Green, Boulware

Outlook: This is the most improved area of the team. Grant and Russell are night and day compared to Hamlin and Boulware. The ‘Hawks will be much better in deep coverage and the safeties will be able to help out the young corners, Jennings and Wilson. This might also be the deepest area on the team with Green and Boulware as former starters. The scariest part of this unit is the inexperience at corner. Jennings has a year as a nickel back and Wilson none, so this will be baptism by fire for those guys.

Score: Significant Upgarde

ST –
2006: Brown, Plackemeier, Rackley
2007: Brown, Plackemeier, Rackley

Outlook: Exact same trio again this year. Plackemeier could improve on his hangtime, but other then that he is solid. Can’t say a bad word about Josh Brown. Hopefully this year he will not be needed to win so many close games.

Score: Same

As you can see the offense looks to have minor improvements. Holmgren’s offense can be confusing to new players so the experience that was gained last year will show this year. The defense has made major strides and very well could be one of the best in the NFC. The upgrades in the secondary are exciting and should help the front seven to collect more sacks and TFL. The special teams need to be solid and they appear headed that way under new coach Bruce DeHaven.