The rollercoaster of the NFL continues. Draft picks sign, Vick reinstated, Favre stays retired, and now the NFL has lost one of the recent greats. Eagles Defensive Coordinator Jim Johnson has died after a six-month battle with melanoma. He was 68.

Johnson was probably the greatest blitz "architect" that the league has known, and was instrumental in the Eagles consistently being one of the top teams in the league this past decade. Few disguised their blitzes as well or used them as effectively, and playing against that defense was often a nightmare.

Johnson also has a history with the Seahawks, serving as the team's Linebackers coach in 1998 before moving to the Andy Reid's Eagles squad. In his one year here, under HC Dennis Erickson, Johnson helped us register 10 defensive touchdowns with 8 interceptions returned for a touchdown, second all time in NFL history. Needless to say, we haven't come close since.

Anyway you cut it, this is a huge loss to the NFL and to the strategy of attacking defenses. .

The abysmal performance of last year’s secondary doesn’t rest on any lone person’s shoulders, but a few players took the brunt of the blame.

In some cases, critics just want a scapegoat. After all, the Seahawks finished dead last in pass defense last year, which was both unsettling and unexpected given the same unit’s performance in 2007. But in other cases, things like film and statistics don’t lie.

At the forefront of the criticism in the 2008 secondary was CB Kelly Jennings, the Seahawks’ first-round pick out of Miami in 2006. Standing at 5-11 and weighing in at 180 pounds, Jennings took (and still takes) a lot of flak for being undersized and overmatched in most situations. While that may be true, Jennings was outplayed all over the board by teammate Josh Wilson in 2008, and Wilson stands two inches shorter. Granted, Wilson makes up for the height with a little extra bulk (he has 12 pounds on Jennings), but Jennings isn’t holding up to his first-round selection status.

The cornerback position was also an obvious concern through the offseason, because Ruskell and the coaching staff elected to bring back free agent CB and former Seahawk Ken Lucas. The fact that Lucas is back in the mix, on top of Wilson’s increasing stock and Marcus Trufant all but a lock to remain the opposite-side starter, makes things look grim for Kelly Jennings.

It’s hard to imagine Jennings beating out any of those guys for a job in camp. I could see him competing with Kevin Hobbs or Marquis Floyd for a spot further down the depth chart, but even those two have shown some rising stock in the recent past – long enough to stay on the active roster, at least. Hobbs has a lot to compete for now as well, because he played in 14 games last year and therefore is no longer eligible for the practice squad. Floyd, meanwhile, could remain on the practice squad.

Jennings’ main problem last year was being out-muscled at the line of scrimmage by bigger receivers. His speed is where it should be, but his instincts have lacked under pressure. I can remember two separate instances last year where Jennings’ man was thrown to, and he didn’t even turn around. When you’re an NFL cornerback and you have your back to the ball when your man is making the catch, something is terribly amiss.

Moreover, Jennings doesn’t have much tackling power. He had 42 tackles in 2008, whereas Trufant had 64 and Wilson had 69. Wilson also became the star of the secondary last season when he forced three fumbles and grabbed four interceptions. Jennings racked up zero in both those categories.

In short, Jennings has everything riding on this training camp. He needs to be in pristine physical condition and play up to the caliber of his first-round selection, because the Seahawks have already upgraded at his position. Ken Lucas may have been released by Carolina, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be a better fit for the West Coast Defense.

At this point, the team would most likely get along fine without Jennings – it’s up to him to prove otherwise.

Kevin Seifert at ESPN reports.

Coach Brad Childress confirmed the news to the Star Tribune, leaving the Vikings in an unexpected and awkward spot with training camp set to open Wednesday. The Vikings are now left to choose between Tarvaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels as their 2009 starter.

Sound off below, folks!

[Chris' note: Hey guys, join me in welcoming Zach Habner to the blog. Zach has done some writing over at Bleacher Report and will be doing some writing for us in the build-up to the season.]

We continue the “Players to Watch” segment with a profile of the Seahawks newest Nittany Lion: Deon Butler.  Butler came to the Seahawks in the third round of this year’s draft out of Penn State.

While at Penn State, Butler surpassed Bobby Engram for the most pass receptions in the history of the Nittany Lions.  He isn’t a very big wide receiver, measuring at 5’ 10” and weighing only 182 pounds.  What he lacks in size, he makes up for in speed.  At the NFL Combine Butler ran a 4.38 40 yard dash, fourth fastest amongst the wide receivers.

The Seahawks, in desperate need of WR help, selected Butler with the 91st pick in this year’s NFL Draft.  The Hawks, who had passed on Michael Crabtree higher in the draft, needed a game changing wide receiver to help free up newly acquired T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Nate Burleson. He also adds depth to a team that witnessed almost their entire starting WR core sustain injuries during the pre-season. 

Where would Butler fit in?  If Butler can show consistency during training camp, he should definitely make this team as a fourth wide receiver option.  He could also relieve Nate Burleson at split out, or he could even spell T.J. Houshmandzadeh in the slot.  While unlikely, it is possible that Butler cracks the starting rotation by beating out either Nate Burleson or Deion Branch.

Why won’t he make the team?  There is a very slim chance he doesn’t make the team.  The depth behind Butler consists of Ben Obomanu, Courtney Taylor, Logan Payne, and Mike Hass.  Not exactly Jerry Rice, Tim Brown, Randy Moss or Terrell Owens.  Butler would only not make the team if he shows the inconsistency of a Koren Robinson or Darrell Jackson (has a case of the dropsies).

Upside:  He is a speedy receiver who catches the ball with his hands.  He should remind Seahawks of a younger, faster Bobby Engram (as mentioned above, a fellow Nittany Lion).  As far as his size, he could still be a matchup problem with bigger corners as he could provide a speedy distraction and pull the safety away from Houshmandzadeh or Branch.

Downside:  Again I have to go with his size here.  If he is matched up one on one with the bigger cornerbacks in this league, he could get pushed around making it difficult for him to get open.

League sources have told scout.com that the Seahawks worked out offensive linemen Cory Withrow and Grey Ruegamer earlier today.

According to their ESPN player profiles, Withrow is listed as a center, and Ruegamer as a guard. It seems Withrow began his career as a Viking, where he spent his first six years in the league. His most recent team was the Rams, where he was brought on board late last season. Ruegamer has played in 32 consecutive games for the Giants and has 11 years of experience in the league.

The free agent workouts of both players brings obvious concerns about the health of G Mike Wahle, who played in only 10 games last year due to a recurring shoulder problem, and was one of the many Seahawks placed on injured reserve during the season.

If Wahle can't get healthy, it looks as though Ruegamer would be an adequate replacement, given his veteran status and consistent appearances with a very strong Giants' O-line. Withrow may be less of a needed commodity, as his primary position is center, but was likely brought in because of his ability playing guard. Chris Spencer is still a question mark in a personal do-or-die year, Max Unger already has coaches talking, and even though Steve Vallos isn't exactly Jeff Saturday, he filled respectably at center when called upon last year.

Rob Sims should also be pushed because of the team's nod to free agency. He's been frequently injured and not particularly effective when on the field, and the coaching staff may be looking to upgrade.

More on Withrow and Ruegamer as we hear it.

The Seahawks have three centers on the squad (at least, three who matter): Chris Spencer, Max Unger and Steve Vallos. All three of these guys can play guard as well, which should help keep them on the team, but the question remains: who is going to play center in 2009? Click "read more" to find out!

When I think about the Seahawks’ 2008 season, the first word that comes to mind is something I’m not allowed to print here.

2008 was the year that injuries plagued a freakishly high number of players; mainly those in the receiving corps. Nate Burleson, Logan Payne and Ben Obomanu were all lost by Week 2 with season-ending injuries, while other offensive pillars like Deion Branch and Bobby Engram missed time with various ailments themselves. Soon after this, Seattle fans started hearing names like Billy McMullen, Michael Bumpus and Keary Colbert in the starting lineup at receiver.

It seemed like the team just couldn’t catch a break; and the remaining receivers couldn’t catch anything in general.

But 2009 is a new era, and the battle for who gets the starting nod at receiver begins a week from today at training camp.

Currently, the Seahawks have 11 receivers on the roster: Deion Branch, Michael Bumpus, Nate Burleson, Deon Butler, Mike Hass, TJ Houshmandzadeh, Jordan Kent, Billy McMullen, Ben Obomanu, Logan Payne and Courtney Taylor. Of those, Housh is the expected starter in the slot, Burleson at split end, and Branch at flanker. Those jobs are basically theirs to lose, and in all likelihood, these names won’t change. That means the remaining eight guys are looking at a fierce battle for a roster spot come August... click "read more" to continue.

Well, we reported that it was about to happen last week and now it has: Roger Goodell has conditionally reinstated Michael Vick, who will be allowed to participate in Training Camp immediately, will miss the first two games of Preseason and the first five weeks (which could be four games, mind) of the regular season.

I would have to say that the chances of the Seahawks being at all interested in Vick approach zero. Mora and Knapp were handcuffed by Vick before and, while they may like the guy, there is no role on this team for him. Seneca is probably one of the most serviceable backups in the league, Hasselbeck is the starter, and Rowe/Teel is our developmental guy.

Your thoughts go below, as you probably already know.