Seahawks Over Everything

So we're now officially over a week past the business of Superbowl weekend. Our Seattle Seahawks, of course, could not complete their rally in the 4th quarter of the divisional round and fell to Matt Ryan's Atlanta Falcons. Weeks later, the Baltimore Ravens, at the 11th hour, emerged league champions. I'm not going to recap their playoff run but it is suffice to say that defeating Andrew Luck, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and the number one ranked Niners defense all in one go is praise worthy. What I am going to talk about is how, thanks in large part to the steady development of Pete Carroll's defensive cornerstones, and the surprising electricity of quarterback Russell Wilson, the Seattle Seahawks have finally returned to powerhouse status. We don't have the rings(yet). We don't have the sexy fanbase with palm trees or year-round bikini weather. We don't have the championship pedigree like the Bill Walshes, Jimmy Johnsons, Chuck Nolls, or Bill Belichicks. But what we do have is youth, playoff experience, a high football intelligence, perhaps the only true homefield advantage in the league, and favorable division matchups.

This Seahawks team is fucking good and it's only gonna get better. For the first time since 2005, we have zero question marks at the quarterback position. Our only real concern there is how much value we're going to be able to fleece out of league bottom dwellers in the inevitable Matt Flynn trade. Our secondary is built to perform against today's receiving tight ends and downfield threats. Our defensive front has some vulnerabilities, considering the lack of quality depth behind Chris Clemons, but our LBs are stout against the run, and some smart drafting or power moves in free agency will clear up these weak spots. Our receivers are not the biggest, strongest, or fastest, but our offensive paradigm is good enough to create mismatches all over the field. Russell Wilson still has maturing to do, and if you're a defensive coordinator in the NFC West, that's scary.

From now until the start of training camp, I'm going to cover free agency moves and concerns relevant to the Seattle Seahawks' future success. I'll break down the draft exhaustively. I'll point out our enemies' moves and how best we can prepare to usurp the Niners as the royalty of the NFC West.

Is it said this draft is deep on DBs and (O/D)lineman, but not much else. I present this week's free agent wishlist:
1. Jake Long (Offensive Tackle, MIA) to strengthen our depth, give us the flexibility to ditch Giacomini, and allow Carpenter to stay at guard where he is a more natural fit. Another option? Sebatian Vollmer (OT, NE).
2. Mike Wallace (Wide Receiver, PIT) to establish a deep pass threat beside Sidney Rice, adding a bit of complexity to this offense. Another option? Dwayne Bowe (WR, KC).
3. Desmond Bryant (Defensive End, OAK) to serve as a solid rotation player who can definitely wreak havoc and force errant throws. Another option? Dwight Freeney (DE, IND).
4. Anthony Spencer (Linebacker, DAL) who excels both against the run and pass at that second level, and can hit the quarterback literally every down if unleashed. Another option? Paul Kruger (LB, BAL).

I would say our positional priorities at this point are, in order of importance:

DE > WR > LB > OT > PR > QB

As moves are made, I'll update these priorities accordingly.
Go Seahawks.