There are a lot of question marks going into the Seattle Seahawks 2012 season. Judging from what all the pundits are saying though, it is the more fun kind of question marks. The question marks that mean - man this team could really surprise. Not the question marks that mean this team could win five games instead of three.
SI.com sent Jim Trotter to the gorgeous facility in Renton, Washington and Trotter writes in with quite a few good things to say, focusing on the buzz a lot of the new faces are bringing to the team.
Ideally, Seattle wants to generate pressure with its front four, and the addition of first-round draft pick Bruce Irvin should help it do that. He's long and incredibly quick, which will be even more noticeable at home, where the crowd noise will give him an advantage over offensive tackles at the snap of the ball. Irvin still needs to develop a second rush move to maximize his potential, but that will come in time. For now his quickness and length, combined with the Seahawks' other talent up front, will give offensive lines headaches.
Of course, it isn't all sunshine and roses for the Seahawks. This is the Pacific Northwest after all and the area is known for its gloom. For the Hawks that is coming in the form of their less than buzz worthy receiving corps - which was bolstered by the offseason additions of Braylon Edwards and Terrell Owens. They join Sidney Rice and Golden Tate for one the potentially more lackluster wideouts in the division, and Trotter wasn't too keen on their practice.
The unit was less than impressive on my visit. It says something when Terrell Owens, in only his second day with the team, made more plays than anyone. Braylon Edwards, another former star looking to jump-start his career, made a couple of nice plays but also dropped a ball or two. Sidney Rice, the projected No. 1 who is coming off a second shoulder surgery, was practicing for the first time since November and admitted he needed to shake off some rust; and Golden Tate, whom the coaches expect to have a breakout year, was not a focal point during the 7-on-7 and team periods. We know the Seahawks are going to run the ball, so the wideouts should see plenty of one-on-one coverage. They need to win those matchups.
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