I know there have been similar threads, but lets try to look at each position logically and specifically to see how many new starters may be on the offense next year. This is an offense that at the beginning of the season, many would have said needed as many as 5 or 6 new starters. By the end of the year, the offense was a better unit than the defense. Granted, the defense may be further along, but their propensity for giving up last second wins is reason enough to put them behind the offense in terms of unit supremacy.


End of season starters:
LT: Okung
LG: McQuistan
C: Unger
RG: Sweezy/Moffitt
RT: Giacomini
TE Miller
QB: Wilson
FB: Robinson
RB: Lynch
WR: Rice
WR: Tate


Depending on any free agents or draft picks that may come in, these are the guys that I see as having the best chance to remain as starters or regain their starting positions:
LT: Okung
LG: Carpenter
C: Unger
RG: Sweezy
RT: Giacomini
TE: Miller
QB: Wilson
FB: Robinson
RB: Lynch
WR: Rice
WR: Tate

I don't see that there will be many if any changes heading into the 2013 season on offense. For some reason Cable and the coaching staff really like Sweezy and will do everything possible to let him win the job. Unless a very high draft pick is brought in that can beat or challenge Giacomini at RT, then I see no change there. Many on this board have stated a need for a WR. While one will probably be brought in, I doubt that they will be able to unseat Rice or Tate for at least the 2013 season or if there is an injury. WR takes awhile to acclimate to before a player is successful. Tate is good friends with RW and has developed a good amount of chemistry with him on the field. Rice is just a matter of staying healthy.

TE is another position that has been talked about as needing an upgrade. Miller is servicable and McCoy seems to be coming on. I believe it is going to take a player of Russell Wilson proportions to earn a starting position anywhere on this offense. Can it be done? Definately. Does it need to be done? There is always room for improvement and with the always "compete" mantra, it always will be. Will it be done? that remains to be seen. I just won't be the least bit surprised to see either of the above starting lineups come September.

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Go Hawks!

The "starters" will look something like that. But it's something of a misrepresentation as it doesn't factor in Baldwin in the slot. you'll see more Duel TE sets, more Tate in the Slot (as well as the outside because he plays bigger than he is) with a new WR on the outside. Things of that nature.

They could always have a RT rated higher in the draft than we realize, so as far as a base offense goes i'd wager on McQuisten being relegated to this back-up for everyone role, with a chance at Giacomino being replaced.

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Give me some damn skittles...

If Carpenter stays healthy and starts I expect Mcquistan to start at RG over those arse clowns.

This

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"Never Say Never, because limits, like fears, are often just an illusion" - Michael Jordan

+1

IF he stays healthy, which is apparently a tall order with this fellow.

Okung was constantly injured his first two years then kept it together in year 3, I'm hoping Carpenter follows the same path.

Everyone seems to be underrating Moffit. Hes a technically sound player and Id like to see him re-gain his starting job

+1
Pro Bowl Baby.

By quickly picking up the Offensive scheme, and tying his Defensive reads to it, Russell Wilson just needs to be given a little more freedom to run the Offense to fit his athletic personality.
Continuety will make them all better, they just played their first Season together, and this group will just need tweaking.
Although the WRs and TEs have started to get on the same wave, there's always the possibility of injuries, I'm confident that JS and PC will find backup players to be able to fill in without RW having to readjust to any changeups.

Me too, but for some reason they seem stuck on watch Sweezy fail time and time again.

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"Never Say Never, because limits, like fears, are often just an illusion" - Michael Jordan

Miller is "serviceable". Um no, not in my opinion. We saw what he was capable of in terms of pass catching once he didn't have to spend all his time blocking late this past season and especially in the playoffs.

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I think Sweezy starts, and I am actually really into his upside.

There were mistakes, no doubt about it. But his "losses" weren't due to being physically outmatched, they were do to seeing things for the very first time: be it a pass rush move by Darnell Dockett, a T/E stunt, or foriegn fronts and blitzes. The same mistakes were rarely made twice.

The kid is clearly able to attack and take on a learning curve, just by being able to get on the field and start after the position change speaks to how quickly he can pick things up. With Cable teaching him, and his capacity for learning he'll just become more and more aware. For example, if you can watch the 2nd matchup with the Cards, do it. He absolutely dominates Dockett the 2nd time around and on way play took Dockett about 7 yards downfield against his will.

I see a kid whose movements skills and athleticism totally standsout. A guys who carries that size naturally given his strong jawline, long muscular arms and slimmer waist compared to the majority of olinemen around the league with "dumpy" builds. I think Sweezy can get up to 310lbs and still look chiseled. I also liked how in the Cards beatdown there was one posession when the Hawks were up about 50 and the entire Cards front 7 seemed to be pissed at Sweezy - so Sweezy dropped a heatbutt on Washington knowing that 15 yards doesn't matter in a blowout.

A couple examples of why I am so bullish on Sweezy. His combo of both bigtime movement skills and raw power in the run game.

Watch him just plow, turn, and pancake this Falcons starting DT in the playoff game at 9:40 of this video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMhESn1cyV4

Here, bigtime movement skills. Patrick Willis clearly isn't ready for an interior lineman that can get to the 2nd level and cut him down this quickly. At 10 seconds.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ir3Qd1MqgzY

Those two plays would have been bigtime from David Decastro as a rookie, nevermind Sweezy.

Sorry to hijack but I saw some knocks on Sweezy in this thread ( hell, someone referred to one of the Hawks as an "arse clown", anonymously of course).

Kris Dielman made the DT to G switch and didn't start a game until his 3rd year. Sweezy is destroying the learning curve.

This x100. He'll make the Pro Bowl again next year. Guy is awesome.

If you are talking offense the weakest players were the guard position in my opinion.That would also be the easiest position to find without spending high picks.
I am not seeing the Sweezy thing.Guards are easy to find without reinventing the wheel.

Don't forget, Moffitt was having fun on the radio, so he obviously doesn't care about football enough.

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60 percent of the time..........it works........every time

Let's stop writing off Sweezy please. He was a 7th round DT...he's got huge potential and I wouldn't be surprised to see him take a huge step forward during the off season

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Team Hansen

I am excited about the Offensive Line. I think Moffitt and Carpenter are going to make big strides because if you look at their careers so far they really haven't had the most ideal start. Both were drafted in the strike year which affected their 2011 season's big time. Both battled injuries in 2011 which affected their preparation for 2012. I hope they get a full off season. Then we have Sweezy who has shown signs of being good but was probably pressed into early service to get his feet wet. He should make huge strides during the off Season. I really like what Breno did once he got the penalties under contol although some of those penalties were complete BS. He really was good, especially for a right tackle which protects the front side of the qb rather than the back side. Every lineman misses blocks from time to time, but on whole, he did well. I think that unger and Okung are rocks of course. I would maybe add a depth tackle but I think we just need to keep these same guys together.

The roster is at the point you start culling the weak starters and improving depth.If I am ranking all starters on offense the guards last year are clearly the weakest positions.If they can improve and hold off competition great but they are easily replaceable.
Where they are drafted is irrelevant.Are they doing the job and are they replaceable is the only thing that matters.Whether its a 1st rounder like Curry or a 7th like Sweezy

Young offensive lineman make the biggest leaps between seasons though so it's hard to say whether they are weak or inexperienced.