Coach Pete Carroll is confident his team is ready and able to beat the 49ers to win the NFC West after back-to-back 7-9 seasons. They secures Green Bay Packers reserve quarterback Matt Flynn and he is expected to be a starter if he can win the job from incumbent Tarvaris Jackson. They are hoping that Flynn will help production at the end of matches. On the defensive board, speed was a big factor in a group that finished ninth in total defense last season. They selected pass rusher Bruce Irvine and linebackers Bobby Wagner and Korey Toomer.
Darrell Bevell is the offensive coordinator for the Seahawks and runs a west coast style. What we do know is that they will continue to put pressure on Marshawn Lynch to shoulder the load of the unit. He had a career-high 1,204 yards, carrying the ball 285 times with 12 touchdowns last season. All of that earned him his second Pro-Bowl invitation. For backup, the selected Utah State running back Rober Turbin, a similar player to Lynch. What we don't know is who they will choose as starting quarterback. Flynn is projected to make $8 million in the first year of his contract. He has two career starts while Jackson was effective for Seattle in the second half of the season. On his resume is a 5-3 record and a 85.3 passer rating. They've also added Wisconsin quarterback Russell Wilson who will likely sit the bench and use his rookie season as a learning opportunity until 2013.
Gus Bradley is the defensive coordinator and what we do know is that they will continue to be stingy against the run. That is evident with the re-signing of defensive end Red Bryant with the new addition Tennessee defensive lineman Jason Jones also being added. They allowed two players to rush for more than 200 years last season and have now created a stout defense to make up for it. The defensive tackle rotation includes Brandon Mebane, Alan Branch, Clinton McDonald and Jones. What we don't know is who will start at middle linebacker. David Hawthorne left the team in free agency and he had led the team in tackles the past three seasons. Working with the first unit at the beginning of the teams' offseason will be Wagner. Veteran Barrett Rudd will be in rehab for groin, knee and shoulder injuries that landed him on the reserve list in his only season with Tennessee.
Special teams struggled last season despite coordinator Brian Schneider's decent first season. They gave up two punt returns for touchdown and a kickoff return for a score. Leon Washington pulled off a a long of 54 yards last season. In his first season, special teams had three TDs on kickoffs. Kicker Steve Hauschka has not signed his restricted free agent tender. His first season he made 25 o 30 field goal attempts. Adding insurance, the team signed Purdue rookie Carson Wiggs.
Five coaches were replaced last year, but this year Carroll managed to keep the core of his group. Assistant offensive line coach Luke Butkus left to Illinois while assistant special teams coach Jeff Ulbrich was signed at UCLA as the school's special teams coach by former Seahawks coach Jim Mora.
Week 7 10/18: Seattle Seahawks vs. San Francisco 49ers, 8:20 p.m. EST, NFL Network
Week 8 10/28: Seattle Seahawks vs. Detroit Lions, 1 p.m. EST, Fox
Week 9 11/04:Minnesota Vikings vs. Seattle Seahawks, 4:05 p.m. EST, Fox
Week 10 11/11: New York Jets vs. Seattle Seahawks, 4:05 p.m. EST, CBS
Week 11 11/18: BYE WEEK
Week 12 11/25: Seattle Seahawks vs. Miami Dolphins, 1 p.m. EST, Fox
Week 13 12/2: Seattle Seahawks vs. Chicago Bears, 1 p.m. EST, Fox
Week 14 12/9:Arizona Cardinals vs. Seattle Seahawks, 4:15 p.m. EST, Fox
Week 16 12/16: Seattle Seahawks vs. Buffalo Bills, 4:05 p.m. EST, Fox
Week 15 12/23: San Francisco 49ers vs. Seattle Seahawks, 4:15 p.m. EST, Fox
Week 17 12/30: St. Louis Rams vs. Seattle Seahawks, 4:15 p.m. EST, Fox
There's no doubt that the 2012 schedule shapes up nicely for the Seahawks.
Outside of two divisional games against the 49ers, Seattle faces just three playoff teams from 2011. The Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots each visit the Pacific Northwest, with a trip to Detroit to take on the Lions marking the only postseason attendee from a year ago on the road docket.
The schedule isn't as easy as it might seem on paper, however.
The Dallas Cowboys and New York Jets figure to be intriguing home matchups, and cross-country trips to Carolina and Buffalo won't be cakewalks. The Chicago Bears have the look of a 2012 playoff team, too, and Seattle will have to go on the road to the Windy City.
The Arizona Cardinals might be a team that takes a step forward next season, and there's few who think the 49ers will take a step backward from the team that was a few special teams plays away from the Super Bowl.
Most Pivotal Matchup
The matchups with the 49ers will be key tilts if the Seahawks want to wrestle away the division crown, but even a split of those games isn't likely to be enough for Seattle to win the NFC West. The 49ers are going to be a tough customer to knock off the top.
With that in mind, I'm going a different route with the biggest matchup. What about the Packers' trip to Seattle?
Defensive coordinator Dom Capers will have the book on how to stop Matt Flynn, and there are too many connections to list here between the two franchises. The most notable is Seahawks GM John Schneider, who worked under Packers GM Ted Thompson before jumping ship to Seattle.
If the Seahawks can put a loss on the Packers' record—something only the Kansas City Chiefs could do in the regular season in 2011—it could prove to be a springboard to the Seahawks' playoff run next season.
