Why might the hawks be better in '14?

[Hawknballs]

The following players all missed games last year due to injury or other issues; players no longer on the team in italics.

Imagine what this team could do if it stayed healthy? Especially that list on offense.

Percy Harvin - 15 games
Russell Okung - 8 games
Sidney Rice - 8 games
Breno Giacomini - 7 games
Michael Robinson - 7 games
Max Unger - 3 games
J.R. Sweezy - 1 game
Jermaine Kearse - 1 game

Brandon Browner - 8 games
Walter Thurmond - 4 games
Bruce Irvin - 4 games
KJ Wrigth - 3 games
Chris Clemons - 2 games
Bobby Wagner - 2 games
Cliff Avril - 1 game
Red Bryant - 1 game

 

[ivotuk]

Because of all the "redshirted" playeres like Gregg Scruggs that are pissed that they did not get to contribute to the SuperB Owl victory. They ALL have something to prove, and they've been sitting in the wings, waiting for their chance.

That, and we are such a young team that we can't help but get better.

We have Russell Wilson whipping the offense in to shape, and Richard Sherman cajoling the defense to be the greatest ever, hands down. i.e. no questions whether we are the best, no comparisons to the 2000 Raven's or '85 Bears except to say "Easily better than those teams.

Need I say more? :1:

 

[Hawknballs]

I don't know if it will translate to more wins, because it's a rough schedule, but overall I'm fairly confident the team will be better top to bottom.

 

[warden]

We will be a better team if we don't get hit with the injury bug.We will not have the depth that we did last year to overcome losing 2 of your top 3 CBs, 2 of your top 3 WRs and losing 3 of your starting OL at the same time.

 

[bigskydoc]

To me that looks like a relatively unscathed team for a full NFL season so I went looking for an injury metric.

According to Football Outsiders, The Hawks were in 12th place for games lost to injury (weighted for more important players etc.) That jives with what I am seeing from your list.

The only teams potentially in contention that had a better year were the Eagles at #2 and (maybe) Cinci at #3.

SF was 23rd, Den 24th, NE 29th.

So relatively unscathed. Take away the odd situation of PH and we were in even better shape for the year.

Of course a solid and uninjured O-Line will make the biggest difference in '14 if we can keep them all healthy this year.

- bsd

 

[HawkWow]

The offense should be significantly better. While question marks remain about the line, there is no questions elsewhere. We will definitely be better at TE (Willson, for one, is going to light it up this year). We will be better at QB...just because. IF Harvin remains healthy, ...well, even if he don't our WR group will be much better than last years and the same is likely at the RB spots. Add that all up and you have a much more relaxed and confident Pete. I won't be a bit surprised if we increase our PPG by 7. There will be blood.

 

[kobebryant]

There definitely is reason to be optimistic about the Hawks being even better.

A hopefully healthy Harvin + Richardson > Tate

Bowie and Britt are both better athletes than Breno; and though I am not yet ready to declare them better players than Breno, they could be quickly.

A fitter, contract year Carp/ Bailey/loser of Bowie v Britt > unfit Carp/McQ rotation at LG

Healthy Unger, hopefully healthier Okung

McCoy> K Davis

maybe some C Michael in the mix.

While in losing Red, Clem and McDonald they lost proven quality NFLers; I am actually excited about the upside of this dline. More Bennett and Avril in base, more Irvin off the edge, K Williams, Scruggs, Marsh (my favorite pick and I think he'll tear it up as an interior nickle guy), J Hill, maybe J Williams, Mayowa. Lots of exciting potential in there.

Maxwell is just a better player than Browner (who I loved)

I think Thurmond - Lane is a quality lateral move.

CB depth is a question, though I really liked Adams when he was with the Hawks in the preseason and I liked Simon as a prospect more than I liked Sherman (who I didn't like) and Maxwell (who I was high on).

I don't see any way that the punt return game doesn't take step back; they're going from one of the best to a question mark.

 

[pmedic920]

I agree with the premiss that we may see a better team but we may not see more wins.
Sounds crazy I know.
Very well could see less wins.

 

[HawkWow]

I agree with the premiss that we may see a better team but we may not see more wins.
Sounds crazy I know.
Very well could see less wins.

Absolutely. The Rams have improved significantly and it's likely we don't sweep them this year (imo). We should have swept SF last year, we didn't, and with Hyde and Lattimore replacing Gore (I am certain that will be the case by week 13), I would be surprised if we sweep the 9ers this year. I do believe we will sweep Zona, but our OOC schedule Is hellish.

I wouldn't be comfortable betting we win more than 12 games.. even though I suspect we will match last year's total.

 

[scutterhawk]

I agree with the premiss that we may see a better team but we may not see more wins.
Sounds crazy I know.
Very well could see less wins.

If the O-Line (weakest link), can step it up just a little, I don't think we'll see that kind of regression.
Defenses were stacking the box with 8 pretty often, and wasn't made to pay the consequences for it, so, most of those times, the Offensive plays didn't have time to develop.
I think that with a healthy Percy Harvin, another speedster in Richardson, and other clutch Receivers like Norwood, and Baldwin, good hands Kearse, with another Year under his belt, I think we will see a more fluid Offense.


"Don't Be The Weakest Link In The Chain"

 

[Sports Hernia]

I agree with the premiss that we may see a better team but we may not see more wins.
Sounds crazy I know.
Very well could see less wins.

If the O-Line (weakest link), can step it up just a little, I don't think we'll see that kind of regression.
Defenses were stacking the box with 8 pretty often, and wasn't made to pay the consequences for it, so, most of those times, the Offensive plays didn't have time to develop.
I think that with a healthy Percy Harvin, another speedster in Richardson, and other clutch Receivers like Norwood, and Baldwin, good hands Kearse, with another Year under his belt, I think we will see a more fluid Offense.


"Don't Be The Weakest Link In The Chain"

The schedule isn't any harder this year than last IMHO. The toughest games last year were divisional, followed by the Colts (who had a little help) . Don't we play the NFC Least, and the AFC West this year????

 

[Pandion Haliaetus]

If the Seahawks were completely healthy last season they likely would have ended the season 19-0 and possibly flirted with the DVOA triple crown but would have fell just short with the #2 or #3 offense.

If the Seahawks can enter 2014 at optimum health and maintain it throughout, I can't see any reason why they can't win 12+ games even if they have a more difficult schedule.

Furthermore, Seahawks according to age/snap count metrics had the youngest offense and the 8th youngest defense. While the Seahawks did jettison some of its older players, most of the young players will be a year older with another year of experience under their belt.

Also, the team just plays a different brand of football that makes every game valuable no matter the opponent our guys are prepared and the ones who aren't are the ones getting coached up by the coaches and the more veteran players.

The Win Forever philosophy isn't just a trend now it graduated into lifestyle. The system is now upheld by the players, not the coaches.

 

[Jerhawk]

I don't know if it will translate to more wins, because it's a rough schedule, but overall I'm fairly confident the team will be better top to bottom.

Agreed. Lots of things working against the team this year, but on paper and what
we've seen so far in OTAs and mini camp, this team is better all around than last year

 

[Chukarhawk]

What game did Red miss? how did we do that game against the run?

 

[Kaiser]

The rich get richardson

 

[Attyla the Hawk]

I'd expect them to be much better.

There are really only two ways to improve.

1. Retained players/coaches add skills through experience and/or scheme
2. Replace players/coaches with better alternatives

Seattle is an extremely young team. From a pure development standpoint, most of these guys really should be hitting their improvement peak this season. Particularly as it pertains to QBs, their improvement curve relative to their maximum career performance rises steepest between their 10th and 50th NFL starts. Wilson is pretty much still in the midst of that curve. He should be simply better by a wide stretch by December of this year compared to where he is right now.

Similarly, other players at other positions tend to continue to improve at an accelerated rate in their 3rd year. We have a lot of players still in that range. Not adding any new talent, this team should be much improved on the simple basis that they are still continuing to develop as young stars.

I'd also cite the maturation point of where this program is at right now. This system is designed to reload talent with guys already having extended time in the system developing their skills. The expected loss of some starters is far less of a debilitating situation now. Similarly, the loss of players by UFA attrition is far less of a damaging prospect. The system is fully up and running and we're seeing talent infused by depth regularly at this point. Even to the point where we can expect to see situation #2 occur with some regularity.

 

[Hawknballs]

The schedule isn't any harder this year than last IMHO. The toughest games last year were divisional, followed by the Colts (who had a little help) . Don't we play the NFC Least, and the AFC West this year????

Last year going into the season we played several 2012 playoff teams that looked to be good matchups - Houston, Atlanta, Minnesota. The giants were a season removed from being superbowl champs. the buccaneers looked like a contender on the uptick.

All of these teams were pretty terrible last year. Mix in a few other bad teams like the Titans and Jaguars and it wasn't much of a difficult schedule.

This year it's not just the matchups. Sure we play the NFC east, but one thing you can say about them is that they will likely be better top to bottom than they were last year. Philly and WA on the road aren't going to be cake walks. We play the AFC West which fielded three playoff teams last year. Yes I saw what we did to the broncos but this is a new season.

Last year we had HUGE luck with the late bye - especially given that it gave us extra rest before the Saints game; a loss in that game if we were unrested/less healthy could have really changed the playoff picture.

This year, we have a bye after only 3 games, two of which are at home. All three of those games are against playoff teams.

After coming back from the bye, we play AT washington, home for Dallas, then AT the Rams and AT Carolina in what is going to be a tough stretch. A bit of a rest against oakland/NYGiants before a palindrome of games that looks like:

Arizona, @49ers, @Eagles, 49ers, @Arizona.

talk about a rough stretch. More importantly, while we have to travel to philly after our thursday night game against the niners, they get to stay home and play oakland and then it's right abck to the rematch in seattle.

and at the end of that stretch, a home game against the rams.

Who knows what will happen; we didn't know houston and atlanta were going to suck so bad last year so things can change quickly. But if you ask me this schedule looks waayyyyyyy tougher than last years turned out to be.

 

[seahawk12thman]

Pete was asked today which position group is better this year than last and he didn't hesitate in saying the D-Line. He is very happy with the Depth and he said he thought Jessie Williams was possibly done last year after surgery but he said that Williams is better than ever and moving like he never had knee issues. The D line was the biggest concern for me and with the new "Williams wall" (How awesome is that), I feel like we are as strong as we can possibly be, SCARY!!

 

[brettb3]

I don't buy the schedule thing. We've been bemoaning the difficulty of our schedule for three years now. There will be teams on our schedule that will be worse than expected, as always. That includes our own division.

 

[Hawknballs]

Nothing to really "buy" about the schedule. Just observing. players have all talked about the pains of an early bye, so it's obviously not just some fringe mythical thing. Playing tough physical teams like the cardinals and 49ers 4 out of 5 consecutive weaks is rough, that's not some mythical theory. On the plus side, they have to play us too.