Seattle Shocker!!!!

It’s a great day to be Shaun Alexander and a bad day to be a cowboy…

Two shockers occurred this evening, the first involved a car accident and Three Six Mafia the second involved the NFL MVP.

Brokeback Mountain, a great film that, yes, I have seen, lost to late riser Crash for best picture at the Oscars. Yes, they were both great films, but Crash was far better as a film. Brokeback was one dimensional but it had the Oscar caliber shock factor because it involved gay cowboys. Crash, meanwhile, featured a rap artist, racists and a bullet proof blanket that made everyone watch. However, the biggest shocker of the night was that Three 6 Mafia, I did not misspeak, Three 6 Mafia, won an Oscar. Mafia was known previously for “Sippin’ On Some Sizuryp” and “Don’t Save Her”, but they will now be known for the captivating track about how a pimp puts his ho in line called “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp” from the film Hustle and Flow. This lyrical tale gave Three 6 Mafia more Oscars than Martin Scorsese.

Now to the world of sports. Seattle came through to their MVP RB Shaun Alexander, inking him to an 8-year (8 YEAR) deal worth $62 million with $15 million guaranteed up front. Shaun can flash those pearly whites for a long time in Seattle, this deal will likely ensure that Alexander will retire with the same team that drafted him in 2000. Moreover, this deal closes up a lot of questions for the Seahawks that can now focus their attention to other areas on the field.

It is very likely that Mack Strong, Jurevicius, Manuel and Hutchinson will all remain Seahawks at the end of the free agent signing period. Looking at our roster with those players locked in, the Seahawks could field a team that is a shoo in for the NFL playoffs. However, the Seahawks have cash to spend and a draft coming up. In other words, Seattle is by far the best off team coming into the free agency period and the NFL draft. With no key deletions (well, Rocky Bernard is likely gone), the Seahawks have A LOT of options. Here are a few suggestions:

Sign FAs DT Sam Adams, SS Lawyer Milloy and bring them home

Defense wins championships. We’ve all heard it. However, some in Seattle will beg to differ on the side of bad calls can win championships (see the Steelers). With money to burn, the on holes that need to be filled lie on the defensive side of the ball. You can never have enough defensive players on your roster and FA should cover this for the Hawks. We benefited from this last year in our defensive secondary and we will probably need some help again this year. Sam Adams is huge (6-4 328) but is deceptively quick on the inside.

He can stop the run, and rush the passer. However, we won’t need him to be an every down DT like he was in Buffalo. Injuries shortened his season last year, but when he was in, he was still effective. SS Ken Hamlin may not be ready to open next year (or to play again) so we are in need for a SS/FS. It may be ideal to address this problem in the draft with the FS/SS pool deep, but former UW Husky Lawyer Milloy is an effective veteran (160 tackles last year) that can provide some experience to our young secondary. By bringing in these veterans to our defense, the Seahawks could help their young players (Taputu, Trufant, Babineaux, Hill, and Boulware) get better.

Go after CB Willie Williams, DT La’Roi Glover and DE Brady Smith

Willie Williams was a former Hawk and the 11 year vet could provide some depth at a reasonable price. Glover and Smith may command a greater price, but if we have the cash, Glover could be worth it. Smith would be our third DE so he may not want to sign to be our rotation DE.

Sign a back-up running back

Mo Morris is probably gone because he may get a chance to start on another team. RBs are a dime a dozen in the NFL and the veteran names Stephen Davis and Mike Anderson come to mind as possible back-ups to Shaun Alexander for the right price. A more likely move is devoting a second round pick to a RB because the field is so deep (Harrison from WSU anyone?).

NFL Draft: Stick with the game plan, go with the best player available

The Seahawks have had stellar drafts in the past, and the game plan has always been the same, draft the best player available in the first round. We didn’t need a RB in 2000 (we just signed Ricky Watters) but Shaun Alexander was still available when our pick came up. We did it last year with Chris Spencer and we should do that this year. Our first round pick will likely be an offensive player because this draft is deep with RB and TE talent. Because so many QBs, RBs, and TEs will draw attention, the most talented wide-outs and guards may still be available. Look for the Hawks to take Florida wide-out Chad Jackson if he is still around, USC guard Taituisti Latui or Norte Dame TE Anthony Fasano.

The second round pick will be devoted to a hole that we have (OG, WR, DT with lesser needs at RB and QB) if we hadn’t addressed it in the first round. A DT pick is very likely here, look for Michigan’s Gabe Watson’s name to be called if he’s still on the table.

Herm