In case you haven't noticed, Seahawks GM John Schneider and Head Coach Pete Carroll like to tinker with their offense. Ok, "Tinker" might be a bit of an understatement. I haven't done the math in the last two weeks or so, but last I'd heard, of the 90 players currently on the Seahawks' roster, only 16 remain from before they took the reins of the Seahawks organization. In the year and a half they've been in control, they have revamped the team and a pattern has emerged that would make you think they're working for Enzyte.
I'm talking about natural male enhancement, but not limited to one certain anatomical area. I'm talking about getting bigger across the line, at every position, in height, weight, and yes, even girth. Gross, this article has gone downhill quickly. Let me get back on track.
One of the most obvious positional size upgrades would be at wide receiver, and height is king in this case. In 2009, the Seahawks starting wide receivers were Nate Burleson, TJ Houshmendzadeh, and Deion Branch. They stood 6'0, 6'1, and 5'9, respectively. Their backups were Mike Hass (6'1), Ben Obomanu (6'1), and Deon Butler (5'10).
Going into this season, the Seahawks will be starting 6'5, 240 pound WR Mike Williams and opposite him will be 6'5, 202 pound Sidney Rice. Backing them up are 6'6 215 pound Kris Durham and 6'1 202 pound Ben Obomanu. It's unclear who will start in the slot but it will likely be Golden Tate (5'11) or Doug Baldwin (5'10). Vying for final roster spots will be 6'2 Isaiah Stanback, 6'2 Ricardo Lockette, 6'1 Pat Williams, and several other 6'0+ players.
Add in 6'5, ~255 pound tight ends John Carlson, Zach Miller, and Anthony McCoy, 6'3, ~255 pound Cameron Morrah and Dominique Byrd and you've got some pretty big targets for your quarterback. Obviously, not all of the guys are going to be on the field at the same time but the Seahawks are building size into their depth charts as well.
On the other side of the ball, the Seahawks have amassed probably the biggest group of defensive backs in the NFL. In the last few months, they've brought in Richard Sherman (6'3), Brandon Browner (6'4), and Byron Maxwell (6'1). Those three join 5'11 Walter Thurmond, 6'0 Marcus Trufant, 6'1, 218 pound S/CB Josh Pinkard and probably the biggest safety in the league, 6'3, 232 pound Kam Chancellor. These players give the Seahawks an intimidating group of defenders to help matchup with the ever taller and bigger wide receivers and tight ends in the NFL.
A year and a half ago, you'd see the Seahawks in defensive sets with Marcus Trufant, 5'11 180 pound Kelly Jennings and nickelback Josh Wilson (5'8) on the field together. I doubt you'll see that type of thing moving forward.
They've gotten a lot bigger on the lines as well. Their starting offensive line looks like this: LT Russell Okung (6'5, 310), LG Robert Gallery (6'7, 325), C Max Unger (6'5, 305), RG John Moffitt (6'4, 319) and RG James Carpenter (6'5, 321). That's 1,580 pounds of man on the offensive line and the average human offensive lineman is 6'5 and 316 pounds -- not too shabby.
The defensive line is even bigger. Depending on the set, you could see 6'6, 338 pound Alan Branch, 6'1, 311 pound Brandon Mebane, and 6'5, 323 pound Red Bryant line up next to each other. Backing them up are Junior Siavii (6'5, 340), Kentwan Balmer (6'5, 315), and Colin Cole (6'2, 328).
This upgrade in gigantic manly mens is not an accident and was something that John Schneider and Pete Carroll noted they would be looking to do in their roster churn. They're trying to get more nasty in the trenches but also trying to give their quarterback bigger targets. They're making it harder for opposing defenses to matchup against their offensive weapons and they're making it harder for teams at the point of attack. They're not going to finesse the ball down the field. They're going to be bigger and stronger than their opponents, and the days of the Seahawks being physically outmatched are hopefully numbered.