1. Get a franchise wide receiver. Sidney Rice is good, but I don't think he's consistent enough to be considered your franchise receiver. Like Larry Fitzgerald is to the Cardinals or Calvin Johnson and the Lions. Guys that always come through, every game. Who can catch passes that are barely catchable.. I would be willing to use a 1st round pick if there was a wide receiver worth picking in the 1st round. A guy that can quickly build a reputation and begin to draw double coverage around the league. We really need a WR like that, to open the field for us. Gotta be careful though because there tends to be quite a bit of 1st round busts in the WR position. Guys like Heyward-Bey, Mike Williams and some still argue Crabtree because of his inconsistency.
2. Strengthen the offensive line. I would find a solid right tackle and use Breno as a backup or just get rid of him. He's hurting the team with all his penalties, and although he doesn't get beat often, when he does its usually on a critical play. Like yesterday when the guy went round around him and nearly sacked Russ in the end zone.. Okung and Unger are the only two I wouldn't consider replacing. McQuistan isn't bad either, but he would be considered as a depth player on teams with good O-lines. Anyway, a good RT and offensive guard (right or left) would be nice to grab between the 2nd and 5th round.
3. Dig deep into the free-agent wire, pay attention to undrafted free-agents and be open to trades. If we can get Bowe from Kansas City this off-season, then we could grab a 'diamond in the rough' type receiver in the 6th or 7th round. Just like that our problem at WR could be solved. Bowe #1 and Rice #2 would be great because Rice would be matched up against a team's #2 cornerback. Right now he's ;inning up against our opponent's best CB.. Some teams with weaker corners actually put Bowe under double coverage. CB and FS on Bowe + SS playing in the box = Sidney Rice beating the #2 CB on him and getting open deep. Russ has the arm and deep accuracy to hit Rice almost every time.
4. Add depth, everywhere... Our defense may be arguably the best in the league. But you can always get better. We could be one injury away from falling out of the 'Top D in the NFL' spot. I think our LB's and D-line would be okay if they lost a guy. If Wagner went down, then KJ Wright could play inside linebacker. Or if Red Bryant got hurt, Bruce Irvin could learn and condition to be an every down DE. The only thing that i'm worried about is our secondary. It is perfect, but one missing guy could really hurt. Losing Earl Thomas could be devastating. Who do we have that could fill that kind of void? Our safeties are finely tuned and custom built into the defensive scheme; Speed (Thomas) and Power (Chancellor). Thomas is our safety net. The guy who has consistently kept teams from connecting deep balls.
5. Find a different offensive coordinator. One who can create an offensive strategy that uses Russell Wilson's skill set better. Bevel doesn't seem like he can do that. The only time Bevel's system worked was with a future hall of fame QB, Brett Favre. But Favre could make almost any playbook and offensive scheme work if you just give him 1 good receiver and a decent O-line. Favre could take the bare minimum needed for success and make it work. I heard that when Favre got to New York, to play for the Jets, he got the new playbook on a Tuesday night and had it down by Friday's practice. He then mastered the Vikings playbook in a similar time frame. Dude was a master of the quarterbacking art. So its no surprise Bevel looked great with Favre, and if it wasn't for that season, I highly doubt Bevel would be in Seattle today.
Hasselbeck needs to retire and come back to Seattle to either be a QB coach or coordinate the offense. He's a very intelligent guy with lots of football knowledge. I think he'd be a better coordinator (or even coach) than he was a player.
