I figured that the best way to figure out where the Seahawks really are as a team is to look at what our starters would look like if the team were to step on the field right now. We looked at the offense on Tuesday, so let's take a peek at where we stand right now on defense:

DEFENSIVE LINE

DE1: Lawrence Jackson
Grade: B-
Comments: Jackson is not a pass rush guy. He's not flashy, he's not going to wow you.  But y'know, he does his job fairly well. I think he's a bit above average, which is what a B- represents (remember: C is not bad, it's average). This is a spot that can be upgraded over time, but I don't think Jackson needs to be replaced in the draft . . .

Disclaimer: This includes no trades. There are a lot of things that I think could happen, the most obvious (although no one else seems to have mentioned it) would be for St Louis to trade down with Tampa Bay for, say, TB's third or fourth round pick. That gives Tampa Suh, the Rams keep Bradford and they can pay him a million or two less in guaranteed dough. Anyway, we'll talk trades tomorrow I'm sure. Here's what I've come up with. These really suck to make, by the way.

1.       STL - Sam Bradford, QB - Oklahoma

2.       DET - Ndamakong Suh, DT - Nebraska

3.       TB - Gerald McCoy, DT - Oklahoma

4.       WAS - Trent Williams, OT - Oklahoma

5.       KC - Bryan Bulaga, OT - Iowa

Commentary: Well, the only real surprise here is that I think Okung slides a bit. It sounds to me that Washington views Trent Williams as superior to Okung, and it's hard to argue that he's not a better fit for the zone blocking scheme that Shanahan will install. Bulaga then goes to the Chiefs, because the investment has already been made in Cassel and Pioli can't let that fail. There's some big back story about how much Pioli is tied to Iowa, so y'know, blah blah blah. Let's talk Hawks...

As crazy as this may sound, I think Bleacher Report's David O'Meara might be onto something here.

Pete Carroll's odd and cryptic tweets today revolved around who the team may plan to draft come tomorrow, and O'Meara points out that most, if not all, of the clues point to none other than former USC safety Taylor Mays. The tweets consisted of song titles that Carroll dropped as clues. O'Meara on his theory:

"Soul Sacrifice" and "Superman's Song" have the initials SS for strong safety. Has Mays ever been described as Superman? "Back Door Man" also means safety.

2Pac: No. 2 was Mays number at USC. Carroll also tweeted 'try 2 figure it out'. USC plays in the Pac-10 conference

"Jeremy": All I can think of is the lyric 'we released a lion'. Also, Pearl Jam is a reference to Mays hometown, Seattle.

Today Was a Fairytale by TAYLOR Swift, and Ring of Fire-Johnny Cash. Playing for his hometown team would be a fairytale story for Mays.

Some people may not like the idea of Mays in Seahawk blue, but it makes a lot of sense, if not only because of Carroll and Mays' obvious connection at USC. Regardless of how unpopular this theory might be, it could very well happen, and if Mays is drafted, credit would have to go to O'Meara for figuring out Carroll's puzzle.

So, Russell Okung at #6, anyone?

(Hat tip to Hawkboy15 for the link.)

Just a heads up. I'm hoping to finish my mock draft for tonight and think you should put one together too. If you do, I'll link it!

Also I'll take a look at the defense tonight and things will be crazy all day tomorrow and Friday. Draftsmas Eve!!!!

I figured that the best way to figure out where the Seahawks really are at is to look at what our starters would look like if the team were to step on the field right now. The addition of Ben Hamilton greatly improves the O-Line, but that doesn't mean there isn't work to be done. Let's take a look at offense:

OFFENSIVE LINE

Left Tackle: Sean Locklear
Grade: D-
Comments: Locklear is a bad left tackle. We knew this about four years ago, but unfortunately Tim Ruskell couldn't scout his way out of a paper bag. The fact that Lock was the backup plan is actually somewhat embarrassing, and that a few of us were convinced that it might work, more so. Still, if we were to start today, he would be the starting LT even though at the first mini-camp it was Ray Willis. Willis is to unathletic tackle play as Leroy Hill is to wake-and-bake driving. Obviously, left tackle is a huge need . . .

The Seattle Seahawks' 2010 season schedule stands at the following: (All times eastern.)

Week 1: Sunday, Sep. 12, San Francisco, 4:15 PM
Week 2: Sunday, Sep. 19, at Denver, 4:05 PM
Week 3: Sunday, Sep. 26, San Diego, 4:15 PM
Week 4: Sunday, Oct. 3, at St. Louis, 1:00 PM
Week 5: BYE
Week 6: Sunday, Oct. 17, at Chicago, 1:00 PM
Week 7: Sunday, Oct. 24, Arizona, 4:05 PM
Week 8: Sunday, Oct. 31, at Oakland, 4:15 PM
Week 9: Sunday, Nov. 7, NY Giants, 4:05 PM
Week 10: Sunday, Nov. 14, at Arizona, 4:15 PM
Week 11: Sunday, Nov. 21, at New Orleans, 4:05 PM
Week 12: Sunday, Nov. 28, Kansas City, 4:05 PM
Week 13: Sunday, Dec. 5, Carolina, 4:15 PM
Week 14: Sunday, Dec. 12, at San Francisco, 4:05 PM
Week 15: Sunday, Dec. 19, Atlanta, 4:05 PM
Week 16: Sunday, Dec. 26, at Tampa Bay, 1:00 PM
Week 17: Sunday, Jan. 2, St. Louis, 4:15 PM

 

Once again, the team has been snubbed on any prime-time games, but that was almost to be expected by now, given their 4-12 and 5-11 consecutive seasons. (It still hurts to type that.) Away games at New Orleans and Denver could prove unpleasant, and homesteads versus the Chargers and Giants will be far from gimmes.

But the advantages to this schedule outnumber the bad news -- there are only three 10 a.m. starts this year, as opposed to the six we saw in 2009. Of those, two are favorable (@ Tampa Bay, @ St. Louis) and there's at least a chance in the other (@ Chicago.) Two games against the Rams are always nice for an easy pair of wins, and with Kansas City and Oakland both in rebuild mode, the AFC West should be a welcome change compared to away games at, say, Minnesota and Green Bay. And Texas. And Indianapolis. And....yeah, you get my drift.

Alas, speculation is almost useless two days before the draft, because I have a feeling the Seahawks are very far from making changes on both sides of the ball.

With two days left until the draft and the official schedule released today, it's now time to start posing the question I'll be repeating for the next five months:

Is it September yet?

As Steve Middleton mentioned, Seattle has signed ex-Broncos guard Ben Hamilton to a one year contract.  Hamilton was drafted by Denver in 2001, where he played for current Seahawks o-line coach Alex Gibbs until Gibbs left to coach Atlanta's o-line in 2004.

Hamilton became a starter at the beginning of the 2002 season and didn't miss a snap until a concussion suffered in training camp landed him on injured reserve for the 2007 season. Denver tried to plug the hole in its line with Chris Myers (and later Chris Kuper when Myers was shifted to center to replace injured starter Tom Nalen), but without Hamilton in the lineup the o-line's play suffered noticeably.

Hamilton bounced back from the concussion to start every game in 2008, then was replaced in the starting lineup partway through the 2009 season as Denver transitioned to a more power-oriented blocking scheme under new head coach Josh McDaniels.

So then, what does this mean for the Seahawks?  Hamilton's lost season in '07 is a bit concerning, but less so since he proved he could return to form in '08 and '09.  2010 will be his tenth season in the league, so Seattle will only realistically be able to count on him for a year or two, but what he lacks in longevity he should hopefully make up for in reliability and his experience in Gibbs' zone blocking scheme.  In short, this isn't a terribly sexy signing as far as free agency goes, but hopefully it increases the odds that Hasselbeck will finish more plays standing upright this year (well, provided the team drafts a young stud LT and the Bondo keeping RT Locklear's balky parts together holds up, but that's a whole 'nother topic).

Ex-Broncos Guard Ben Hamilton has signed. Hamilton worked with Alex Gibbs in Denver and is very familiar with the zone blocking scheme. This of course means that the LT position is the highest position of need for the Seahawks. Hamilton is natural at the left guard position and should add a valuable need to the offensive line. no comments

The Seahawks will have a lot of options come draft day, but none appear to be as straightforward as the number six pick. At #14, the options are greater -- there are far more mid-first picks than top-of-first picks in this draft, after all, plus it'll be easier to trade down from #14. So, assuming there is no trade down and that the top three people off the board will most likely be Bradford, Suh, McCoy, who do you want?

 

1. Bryan Bulaga
2. Russell Okung (probably going to Redskins)
3. Trent Williams
4. Eric Berry (probably going to Chiefs)
5. Jimmy Clausen
6. Joe Haden / Kyle Wilson

 

Hey all, it's draft week! WOO! Just a few short days away from the rebuilding process beginning in earnest. I can't wait and I know none of you can either. We are hoping to pick up coverage this week, and I can promise you that on Thursday and Friday I will be a force to be reckoned with. I've taken off both days from work to sit here and blog my brains into a stupor.

One thing I'd like to mention though, especially in this most passionate of weeks, is to watch yourselves and each other on the comments. No swearing, no personal attacks, and nothing that would be considered obscene to the masses. On the whole, we try very hard not to "censor" anyone. We don't delete comments willy-nilly, but we also don't want swearing or ad hominem attacks. We can't catch everything though, so we're relying on you.

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Thanks, and HAPPY DRAFT WEEK!!!!!!!