The Seahawks just had too much offense for the Raiders to keep up with in the game last Friday.  Seneca Wallace played the whole game for the Seahawks and he was effective completing 21 of 30 passes for 255 yards.  T.J. Duckett was very effective in this football game with 71 yards rushing on 11 carries (6.5 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  Rookie Justin Forsett was also busy in this game with 14 carries for 45 yards (3.2 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 17 yards.  WR Michael Bumpus led the way for the Seahawks in receiving in this game with 53 yards on 3 catches (17.7 avg).  Ben Obomanu pitched in with 2 grabs for 49 yards (24.5 avg) in this game.  The Seahawks finished up this game with 130 yards rushing on 31 carries (4.2 ypc) and they also completed 21 of 31 passes for 253 yards.

Linebacker Lance Laury led the Seahawks in tackles with 7.  Safety C.J. Wallace pitched in with 4 tackles and a interception that he returned 41 yards.  The Raiders finished up with 157 yards rushing in this game on 28 carries (5.6 ypc) and they also completed 18 of 28 passes for 181 yards.  The Seahawks finished up the preseason with a very impressive 3-1 record.

The Seahawks played a solid game in San Diego on Monday Night and came up one point short.  Charlie Frye really had a good football game against the Chargers.  He completed 19 of 29 passes for 219 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 interceptions.  He also carried the football 2 times for 22 yards (11.0 ypc).  Seneca Wallace made a brief appearance in this game completing 2 of 4 passes for 15 yards with 1 interception.  T.J. Duckett led the Seahawks in rushing in this game with 46 yards rushing on 6 carries (7.7 ypc).  Maurice Morris also had a solid effort carrying the ball 5 times for 31 yards in this game.  Julius Jones pitched in with 30 yards rushing on 8 carries (3.8 ypc) before getting dinged up and leaving the game.  Nate Burleson only caught one pass in this game but it went for a 68-yard TD.  2nd year receiver Jordan Kent had a solid game with 4 catches for 47 yards (11.8 avg).  Kent also caught a 12-yard TD pass from Charlie Frye in this game.  The Seahawks finished up with 162 yards rushing on 32 carries (5.1 ypc) and they also completed 21 of 33 passes for 230 yards.

Linebackers D.D. Lewis and Lofa Tatupu led the way for the Seahawks’ defense with 6 tackles apiece in this football game.  The Chargers finished up with 130 yards rushing on 27 carries (4.8 ypc) and they also completed 14 of 30 passes for 168 yards.

The Seattle Seahawks won this game in OT when rookie kicker Brandon Coutu nailed his 5th field goal a 36-yarder.  Charlie Frye looked awful in this game as he completed 20 of 35 passes for 209 yards with 3 interceptions.  He also carried the football 4 times for 29 yards (7.3 ypc).  Seneca Wallace should make sure he keeps his helmet with the green dot on the back as Frye flat out stinks.  This game was all about rookie RB Justin Forsett who had a incredible night.  He carried the football 15 times for 136 yards (9.1 ypc) with a 10-yard TD run.  He also caught 1 pass for 8 yards.  Forsett was also very valuable on special teams as he returned 5 punts for 47 yards (9.4 avg) and 2 kickoffs for 70 yards (35.0 avg).  Julius Jones pitched in with 32 yards rushing on 7 carries (4.6 ypc).  T.J. Duckett was also busy with 12 carries for 27 yards (2.3 ypc) with a 1-yard TD run.  WRs Jordan Kent (50 yards) and Logan Payne (38 yards) each caught 4 passes apiece for the Seahawks.  The Seahawks finished up with 241 yards rushing on 45 carries (5.4 ypc) and they also completed 20 of 35 passes for 190 yards.  The offense looked outstanding in this game with the exception of the QB who was awful.

The defense was outstanding for the Seahawks in this game.  CB Marcus Trufant led the way for the Seahawks with 6 tackles.  Linebacker Leroy Hill was all over the place in this game with 4 tackles, a sack and a interception.  CB Kevin Hobbs pitched in with 2 tackles and a interception.  The Bears rushed for only 51 yards on 20 carries (2.6 ypc) and they also completed 19 of 33 passes for 154 yards as the Seahawks were great on defense in this game.

The Seahawks did have a big blunder on special teams however as Bears’ rookie WR Earl Bennett took a punt and returned it 75 yards for a TD.

Mike Holmgren is going to hang up the headset after this season so he will be motivated to go out a winner.  That’s not saying anything new however as football is Holmgren’s passion and it burns like a fire in him on Game Day.  Holmgren has now coached longer with the Seahawks than he did with the Packers and he has done well in the far Northwest of the United States.  In 9 years in Seattle, Holmgren has compiled a 82-62 record (56.9%) during the regular season and he is 4-6 in the post season with the Seahawks.  Holmgren likely only has one goal this season and that’s to bring Seattle it’s first Super Bowl Championship.  Holmgren has now been a head coach in the NFL 16 years and he has compiled a 157-99 record (61.3%) during the regular season.  Holmgren is also 13-11 (54.2%) during the post season in his career winning the Super Bowl with the Green Bay Packers in 1996.

35-year old Olindo Mare will be in a battle with rookie 23-year old Brandon Coutu to see who will replace Josh Brown in 2008.  Mare appears to have a slight edge right now based on his experience.  Mare played in 13 games with the Saints last season and he only made 10 of 17 field goals (58.8%).  He also converted all 34 of his extra points last season.  Mare has a good leg for distance but the Seahawks need him to be more accurate if the wants to win the starting job.  Mare has now played in 168 games in his NFL career and he has made 255 of 320 field goals (79.7%).  He has also converted 347 of 352 extra points (98.6%) in his career to date.

23-year old Brandon Coutu played in 43 games in his career at Georgia and he made 51 of 64 field goals (79.7%).  He also converted on all 109 of his extra points for the Bulldogs.  Coutu was 5 of 11 on field goals attempts over 50 yards and that’s pretty good.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  D

The Seattle Seahawks are really excited about rookie TE John Carlson and he should have a big role in the passing game for them this season.  Carlson played in 12 games (all starts) last season at Notre Dame and he caught 40 passes for 372 yards (9.3 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  Look for him to catch a lot more passes this season in Mike Holmgren’s offense.  Plus, the Seahawks need help in the passing game due to the injuries to Deion Branch and Bobby Engram.  Carlson finished up his NFL career playing in 47 games (31 starts) in which he caught 100 passes for 1,093 yards (10.9 avg) with 8 TD grabs.

29-year old Jeb Putzier was brought in as a free agent and he will likely play often on running downs.  Putzier played in 8 games for the Texans last season and he caught 6 passes for 39 yards (6.5 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Look for Putzier to catch more passes than that this season in Seattle.  Putzier has now played in 61 games in his NFL career and he has caught 96 passes for 1,251 yards (13.0 avg) with 3 TD grabs. 

27-year old Will Heller is the red zone TE for the Seahawks as he is 6’6″, 270 pounds.  Heller played in all 16 games for the Seahawks last season and he caught 13 passes for 82 yards (6.3 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  The Seahawks will only use Heller in short yardage situations in 2008.  Heller has now played in 58 games in his NFL career and he has caught 32 passes for 228 yards (7.1 avg) with 7 TD grabs.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  C

Injuries will cause the Seahawks to likely be without both Deion Branch and Bobby Engram for a good part of the 2008 season.  The 35-year old Engram will miss the next 6-8 weeks with a cracked bone in his shoulder.  Engram was the top receiver last season for the Seahawks and they will miss him big time.  Engram played in all 16 games last season for the Seahawks and he caught 94 passes for 1,147 yards (12.2 avg) with 6 TD grabs.  2007 was a career season for Engram and it would have been hard for him to duplicate it in 2008 even if he was healthy.  Engram has now played in 158 games in his NFL career and he has caught 598 passes for 7,201 yards (12.0 avg) with 35 TD grabs.

29-year old Deion Branch is the other standout receiver on the Seahawks but he will be missing part of the season too.  Branch played in 11 games for the Seahawks last season and he caught 49 passes for 661 yards (13.5 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  The Seahawks really need Branch to get healthy especially with Engram out.  Branch has now played in 78 games in his NFL career and he has caught 315 passes for 4,130 yards (13.1 avg) with 22 TD grabs.  He has also carried the football 7 times for 41 yards (5.9 ypc) in his career.

The Seahawks will need 26-year old Nate Burleson to really step up with the injuries they have at WR.  Burleson played in all 16 games for the Seahawks last season and he caught 50 passes for 694 yards (13.9 avg) with 9 TD grabs.  Look for Burleson to improve on his 2007 numbers as he will likely be the go-to man early in the season for the Seahawks.  Burleson has now played in 76 games in his NFL career and he has caught 195 passes for 2,675 yards (13.7 avg) with 23 TD grabs.  He has also carried the football 10 times for 47 yards (4.7 ypc) in his career.

Courtney Taylor and Ben Obomanu will likely battle in the rest of training camp and the preseason for the right to start opposite Burleson early in the season.  Taylor did not have a rookie season in the NFL last year.  He played in 8 games and he caught only 5 passes for 38 yards (7.6 avg).  He does however appear to be the favorite in this competition.

24-year old Ben Obomanu projects to be more of a #3 or #4 WR as his upside isn’t as big as Taylor’s.  Obomanu played in 13 games for the Seahawks last season and he caught 12 passes for 180 yards (15.0 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Look for him to improve on those numbers in 2008.

6’4″, 219 pound Jordan Kent is still around but he didn’t do anything as a rookie last season for the Seahawks.  They still like him and he will have the opportunity to play this season so we’ll see what he can do.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  C-

The Seahawks have lost 35-year old WR Bobby Engram for the next 6-8 weeks with a cracked bone in his shoulder.  This is a huge blow to the Seahawks who are already without Deion Branch.  Ben Obomanu and Courtney Taylor will battle for Engram’s old spot and no matter which one wins the job it will likely be a huge fall-off in production.  Engram played in all 16 games for the Seahawks last season and he caught 94 passes for 1,147 yards (12.2 avg) with 6 TD grabs.  Those numbers will be very hard to replace for the Seahawks.

The Seattle Seahawks played a good all around football game last night.  They were especially good on offense as they ran the ball well and threw it well.  Matt Hasselbeck started the game as he was razor sharp completing 7 of 8 passes for 70 yards with a TD pass before he left.  Seneca Wallace followed Hasselbeck in the game and he was even better than him last night.  Wallace completed 15 of 20 passes for 165 yards with 3 TD passes.  He is starting to quiet the talk of converting him to receiver with his play lately.  Charlie Frye finished up the game completing 2 of 3 passes for 22 yards.  Maurice Morris was outstanding running the football last night as he carried the football 6 times for 62 yards (10.3 ypc).  Rookie Justin Forsett had a solid NFL debut rushing for 58 yards on 13 carries (4.5 ypc).  Julius Jones pitched in with 4 carries for 15 yards (3.8 ypc) in his first game ever with the Seahawks.  Michael Bumpus was the leading receiver for the Seahawks last night with 3 catches for 51 yards (17.0 avg).  The Seahawks finished up last night with 162 yards rushing on 35 carries (4.6 ypc).  They also completed 24 of 31 passes for 257 yards as the offense looked like a well oiled machine last night.

Cornerback Kevin Hobbs led the Seahawks in tackles last night with 6 of them.  But, DT Howard Green was the defensive star of the night for the Seahawks as he made 5 tackles, had 2 sacks and 1 interception.  The Seahawks’ run defense was outstanding last night holding the Vikings to 52 yards rushing on 23 carries (2.3 ypc).  But, the Vikings did have some success throwing the football as they completed 22 of 38 passes for 246 yards.