This has been a pretty amazing free agent period. The talent added and the affordable contracts absorbed is impressive.

The truly exciting part is...we still have 10 draft picks coming. Obviously, with the talent level on this roster right now, most of those guys most likely won't even make the final 53. But it's always exciting to see what John and Pete pull off in the draft. The heart of this roster has been built through the draft. Russell Wilson, Russell Okung, Max Unger, James Carpenter, Golden Tate, Doug Baldwin, Bruce Irvin, KJ Wright, Bobby Wagner, Earl Thomas, Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor...all young core pieces of this roster and all draft picks.

They rebuilt this roster the right way - through the draft with key additions at opportunistic times in free agency/trade (Sidney Rice, Zach Miller, Chris Clemons, Brandon Browner...now Harvin, Avril, Bennett and Winfield).

To have the roster we currently have, with 10 picks coming...and with cap stability?

Amazing.

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@SeahawkGreg



"I will be thrilled with 10 wins.... If we win 14 games, I will tattoo my nuts green and blue!" --13thMan

I feel like I've been living in a dream ever since the moment Russell Wilson took the field in a Seahawks uniform. This team has got to be the best in the NFL from top to bottom, and I personally don't think it's close.

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"We're about to be legendary." - Richard Sherman to the Seahawks sideline in the 3rd quarter of SBXLVIII

Ain't it great?! Can't think of a better position to be in going into the draft. Loaded down with all kinds of talent from all walks. Gives me warm fuzzies all over.

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“There’s no reason, with Mr. Allen and the fan base here and the stadium, that this can’t be a stable, long-term winning organization.” - John Schneider

haha, i just posted the same thing in the "Complete" thread. I was getting excited over the very same thing! It is amazing that JS will be adding more pieces to the roster...more players like KJ Wright, and Bobby Wagner, Kam, Sherman, etc.

At this phase in free agency it is easy to assume all the good players are off the table, but there are still some future stars out there for the taking. And JS has proven he is very good at finding them.

That realization today that the draft is in a couple weeks and we will be adding to the depth on this team just got me super excited.

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But according to one of the posters on the Winfield thread, we have the lowest draft value in the league. We should all be very, very concerned.

All this excitement and "wow, really?" action in free agency has totally pushed the draft excitement aside...until now.

Seriously, we could go any position in any round.

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@SeahawkGreg



"I will be thrilled with 10 wins.... If we win 14 games, I will tattoo my nuts green and blue!" --13thMan

I thought we were down to 8 picks after the Harvin trade.

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Super Bowl Champions XVLIII

Um... Silly question...

What about Quinn? You've left him out.

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I am an American Football Noobie... Please be gentle!! :-)
I'M IN AND I BELIEVE!

Going to be tough for rookies to make this team. I'd expect only 3 or 4. If i'm an undrafted free agent i'm definatly going somewhere else, even with the tradition of Pete and the SEahawks allowing them to compete and earn a spot.

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Our back-up QB isn't going to be an impact player. At least...we hope not.

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@SeahawkGreg



"I will be thrilled with 10 wins.... If we win 14 games, I will tattoo my nuts green and blue!" --13thMan

Then we picked up 2 more comp 7ths.

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Yup, went to bed two months ago and woke to an alternate universe

These aint your daddy's Seahawks

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Why is it when I try to come off as a smart ass, the opposite happens? :-(

Are you kidding? Once you are undrafted, you are hoping to go anywhere. If you are so fortunate as to have a few teams calling you up, and one of them is the Seahawks, and the offers are all similar, you are going to choose to go somewhere else? You have a chance to be coached by some of the best coaches in the league, surrounded by some of the best players in the league, at one of the best facilities in the league, and you're going to pass that up?

You have got to know that your best shot of actually proving yourself as a UDFA is probably in Seattle with Pete Carroll's Seahawks. And even if you don't make it in Seattle, the Seahawks have become one of those teams that the other teams watch at roster-cut time. You might even stand a better chance of making a team like the Bills or Cards or Raiders by going to Seattle first, than by actually starting out in Buffalo or AZ or Oakland.

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49ers webzone: Win or lose, i hope you injure Sherman. Like a serious career ending injury. I don't want him to get paid.
49ers webzone: noise should not be the overwhelming reason a team is favored. they need to spray noise-damping foam onto the ceiling of that place.

Yeah?, Ya know?, that glass that I'd been seeing as half empty for so many Years?, well, as of late, someone, or someones keeps filling it up, and I suspect it be Pete Carroll and John Schneider.
Only problem I have now is, I'm off on a new tangent, looking for something else to be in a dither about, because this is uncharted waters for this life long Seahawks fan.

Undrafted free agents make rosters all over the NFL. You're being naive and silly if you think the only place they get a chance is Seattle.

Hell yes, i'd choose to go somewhere else. I'd rather have a chance to make the team i go to training camp with then try to get on film and catch on somewhere else.

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Don't pinch me...we are so relevant. I think we still have Jeron Johnson. I see good things for him too.

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The link to the draft value chart that someone posted on the Winfield thread is interesting, but just because you have a pick of value doesn't mean the player selected at that spot is going to pan out. Every team screws up first round picks, including the current Hawks regime. 2011: James Carpenter hasn't been worthy of his first round draft status. Moffit in the second wasn't that great either. But KJ Wright in the third and Sherman in the fifth made up for it. If we drafted Sherman in the first, KJ in the second, Carpenter in the third, and Moffit in the fourth, everyone would say it was a great draft 2 years later.

If we can get a starter at RT, RG, LB, or DT in the second round and a guy in the third round that can challenge the existing starter, this will be the best offseason in Seahawk history by far.

Just to be accurate- Moffitt was a 3rd round pick. KJ Wright was a 4th rounder.

I think people are getting too worked up over the guard positions. I think Carpenter will have a breakout year @ LG and I think that Moffitt and Sweezy will duke it out at RG. From where I'm sitting the guard position is well stocked and deep and with the added experience Both guard spots will see more consistent play this year. I think with Carp, Rishaw, Moffitt, and Sweezy there's plenty of guard depth on the team.

The one glaring question mark is who'd going to play WLB? I think Malcolm SMith will get a shot at the job, but I expect a draft pick to come in and challenge for that.

I disagree with some of you. I think more of the 10 picks will make the team than most expect. I think there's plenty of opporunity as a role/ depth player to make this squad.

I think guys who could be in trouble of losing their roster spots to draft picks include- Byron Maxwell, Chris Maragos, Jeron Johnson, Heath Farwell, ect. along with others on offense.

Yeah I know these guys are special teams players but I could see several draft picks replace these players on special teams. Jeremy Lane was a breakout special teams player last year. I see a few more this year.

You're right. We didn't have a second rounder in 2011. Moffit was our second pick in the draft, but a third rounder. My point was that Sherman's play has been on par with a good first round selection and that the pick value charts don't guarantee that the player selected will meet those expectations.

fizzies,,,,isn't it fizzies?

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The SuperB owl ladys have left the building with our thanks.

Will be very interesting to see what Seattle and San Francisco do in a couple of weeks. The story within the story if you will.

I think we will continue to be aggressive, which seems to be the FO's M.O. this offseason

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February 2, 2014... the day the dream was finally realized

Agreed. I have a feeling we might be wheeling and dealing. For and with whom, I dunno...

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@SeahawkGreg



"I will be thrilled with 10 wins.... If we win 14 games, I will tattoo my nuts green and blue!" --13thMan

I wouldn't quite say that. LB and DT are still somewhat of question marks, IMO. I don't think Malcolm Smith or Tony McDaniel are the future at either position, or even really upgrades over Leroy Hill and Alan Branch. I'd hope that we go after LB, DT, OT in the first three picks, not necessarily in that order, then BPA after that.

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For custom Seahawk backgrounds and signatures, click HERE!

I can't remember more expecations, excitement, buzz, and optimism in my years as a Seahawks fan. It's surreal.

As for the UDFA, I agree with Blue Talon. Teams are more likely to look at roster cuts on a deep team like Seattle or SF than teams like Buffalo and the Raiders (wow, this guy couldn't make the Raiders ? Sheesh, why would we want him?). Of the two, Seattle is a far more encouraging environment for young guys trying to make a team; Harbaugh doesn't even play the rookies he drafted. Pete and John don't play favorites, and don't care about the contract and that has been proven repeatedly. They look for a certain amount of roster churn, and are always looking to upgrade every single position, no matter what the depth.

I can't think of a more conducive place to make a team for a young UDFA. Sure, we're not the only one, but probably the best option.

Thanks. I missed that news. (Though, are 7th round picks really picks? )

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Super Bowl Champions XVLIII

For Schneider and Carroll? They're future pro bowlers.

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I told you guys we weren't gonna do anything in FA..... Wait what did I miss?

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The Lion has no interest in the opinion of the sheep.

Fizzies is that not a bar in North Spokane

I think the best Seahawks offseason in team history was last year's, but that's only because John Schneider pulled a Tom Brady in the 3rd round, and that obviously makes any comparison unfair. At the very least, this is the most impressive pre-draft period I've ever seen, by the Seahawks or any other team in recent memory.

Hard to argue with that. Getting Wilson in the 3rd round will go down as one of the best moves EVER in this franchises history.

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@SeahawkGreg



"I will be thrilled with 10 wins.... If we win 14 games, I will tattoo my nuts green and blue!" --13thMan

Totally!!!

The team has scored better this FA period than ever before in team history. This is a place players want to come to b/c there is a winning program here and b/c the FO respects the players and let's them move along if they want to leave while opening the door to allowing players to actually legitimately compete for their jobs. Slackers aren't welcome here and the best guys get the playing time.

Back to topic this draft presents an opportunity to create an enviable level of depth on the team while perhaps providing a couple of new starters but they will have to fight for their job.

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Until we develop a pass rush that will cause opposing teams to be forced to scheme to defend it we will never be able to completely take the final step. Until the OLine is strengthened the team will remain weak.

Just loved this post! My exact feelings.

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Until we develop a pass rush that will cause opposing teams to be forced to scheme to defend it we will never be able to completely take the final step. Until the OLine is strengthened the team will remain weak.

An right! Im with you!

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I am an American Football Noobie... Please be gentle!! :-)
I'M IN AND I BELIEVE!

On the contrary I hope he is an impact player...if he's needed to be. Of course we hope there is no need for it, but should he be needed I want him to be an impact player. I want them to prepare the crap out of him and I'm hoping our man Russell will show him what it really means to be prepared and how to do it properly. I hope for that matter that Josh Portis follows the same line of thinking. Our #1 is amazing. I want our #2 and #3 to be as close to that as possible, as anything can happen in the NFL. We just cross our fingers and hope for the best case scenario, prepare the crap out of those backups and hope we end up with a marketable product should they not be needed. Wouldn't it be great to see Seattle become the powerhouse QB developers that Green Bay has been so famous for? Think of the draft capital it could generate...

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“There’s no reason, with Mr. Allen and the fan base here and the stadium, that this can’t be a stable, long-term winning organization.” - John Schneider

Completely disagree, because that would mean Wilson is out and that would kill our chances... Wilson is too much of a difference maker.

I think Quinn will be better with our coaching staff and in this environment, but we don't want to see him taking any meaningful snaps.

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@SeahawkGreg



"I will be thrilled with 10 wins.... If we win 14 games, I will tattoo my nuts green and blue!" --13thMan

I think we get two starters from this draft

A DT and A WSLB

Bennett is a situational DT but could be a full time DE. A big body DT to play in base defense is still a need. I fully see our 2nd or 3rd round pick competing for that job

Open competition exists for WSLB. Let's hope we find a gem in the draft to compete with Smith.

Quinn is a huge question mark to the entire league at this point. High draft pick thrown into some pretty unwinnable situations. This team is built to support the QB position and Carroll has shown he can make guys like Leinart even look good and Schneider is a master of getting value out of players on the FA market.

I don't think we need Wilson to go down to give Quinn some show casing. We have preseason and hopefully games where we are up far enough we can put Quinn in for mop up or maybe even some game ending heroic's.

When the competition of the 4 QB's brought in was announced. This was my first thought but I admitted I didn't know much about Quinn and went on Kearly's advice so I was pulling for Wallace but since the FO has chosen Quinn and when you look at what he has been up against with the opportunities given. I am back on the Quinn band wagon hoping we can draft a young gun and develop both him and Quinn. One for the future backup role and one for trade value.

I do like that he is a film room slash work out warrior like Wilson and feel that will help in team building and his own development.

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The Lion has no interest in the opinion of the sheep.

I'm of the opinion we can win it all with the players currently in place. Not OVER confident because (naturally) many things can (and will) happen prior to next year's championship game. I've not looked at the most recent Vegas line but I think we should top the NFL at like 1-4. I actually think we could go deep even with Quinn. We're that loaded.

But to the topic...If I were our FO, I'd trade whatever we need to this year in order to have sufficient picks next year to move up to the 1 spot in 2014. Again, many things will happen this upcoming year, college and Pro, but as of now... I probably don't have to say who I would take with that pick.

EDIT: Perhaps I am OVER confident: Vegas has us at 9-1, behind Denver and NE (6-1) and SF (13-2). NE and SF will always get a lot of action but putting us at 9-1 won't keep the lights on.

it does give that kid in a candy store feeling....

I guess we can agree to disagree here. You know how much of a Wilson fan I am, but I'd rather see the team prepared for any eventuality, in the hopes that we wont need to take advantage of it. Say we make a great run and something does happen towards the end of the season...Is it not better to have a solid, reliable, well prepared backup? Someone who can potentially fill the gap and not lose a bunch of games killing our playoff chances in the process, while our main man heals up and preps for the games that really matter? That's the ideal situation IMO.

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“There’s no reason, with Mr. Allen and the fan base here and the stadium, that this can’t be a stable, long-term winning organization.” - John Schneider