RealGM

I think this team can legitimately go 8-8. Up till now I thought a one-game improvement to 6-10 would be the ceiling for this team -- and maybe I'm just caught up in preseason homerism -- but I like how some things are coming together.

The OL looks a lot better. I thought we needed 3 brand new bodies to even compete this year, and we got two -- Okung and Hamilton. Hamilton being a Gibbs guy is huge. Both he and Unger -- who, I've heard, is going to stay at RG -- look like two of the more athletic/mobile OGs in the game. They can flat move. Unger being in Year 2 will be big. Locklear going back to the right side is big. If Okung plays like the #6 pick in the Draft, I think the progress made since the end of last year will be remarkable. Is it the Jones/Hutch line of '05? No. But it's not the black hole it was last year.

I really like the schedule. I really, really like the schedule. We've got 10 games with the two worst divisions in football. Our out of division road games are @ Denver (they're a mess), @ Chicago (no easy task, but if Cutler doesn't react positively to Martz, they are going to have problems), @ Oakland, @ New Orleans (alright, chalk up a loss), and @ Tampa. NYGiants, ATL, and Carolina are all good teams, but all are going to be taking the dreaded cross-country Westward road trip. At Qwest, crazier things have happened. The only games I really don't think we'd have a prayer in would be against San Diego in Week 3, and @ New Orleans in Week 11. That's not to say I'd favor us in every other week (far from it), but there are a LOT of fringe games on the schedule.

If Deon Butler can handle more responsibility (and snaps) and can establish a deep threat, I really want to see what Housh and Tate can do.

Injuries and the defense are still worrisome... injuries because the last two years have been unreal, and the DL still scares the hell out of me. Jackson really needs to develop into a legit pass rusher this year. On the other side, Clemons and Reed combined weigh about the size of an actual professional DE. It would be nice if a really talented set of LBers could be allowed to make plays instead of being needed to manufacture a pass rush each and every time.

TTown wrote:I think this team can legitimately go 8-8. Up till now I thought a one-game improvement to 6-10 would be the ceiling for this team -- and maybe I'm just caught up in preseason homerism -- but I like how some things are coming together.

I usually get conned by glowing preseason reports and end up believing the team has a chance at being successful. This year? Aspiring to 8-8 seems about right.

TTown wrote:The OL looks a lot better. I thought we needed 3 brand new bodies to even compete this year, and we got two -- Okung and Hamilton. Hamilton being a Gibbs guy is huge. Both he and Unger -- who, I've heard, is going to stay at RG -- look like two of the more athletic/mobile OGs in the game. They can flat move. Unger being in Year 2 will be big. Locklear going back to the right side is big. If Okung plays like the #6 pick in the Draft, I think the progress made since the end of last year will be remarkable. Is it the Jones/Hutch line of '05? No. But it's not the black hole it was last year.

I don't know if we had the worst OL in the league last year but it was damn close. If our offensive line is so much as average, giving Hass the time to make passes downfield and opening up holes in the running game, we'll be alright.

With Gibbs at the helm and the additions we've made in terms of personnel, I expect some trouble but vast improvement.

TTown wrote:If Deon Butler can handle more responsibility (and snaps) and can establish a deep threat, I really want to see what Housh and Tate can do.

WR is probably one of the positions I am most leery of considering a strength. After being fed nothing but positive reports the last few years about our WR squad, I just don't know if our WR are as good as they sound like they are.

Can Housh and Hass build a rapport?
Can Branch stay healthy?
Can Butler stretch opposing defenses, or is he just good at making our second string DBs look bad?
How much of a rookie is Tate?
Mike Williams: The real deal, or is there is a reason he's been out of the league?

TTown wrote:Injuries and the defense are still worrisome... injuries because the last two years have been unreal, and the DL still scares the hell out of me. Jackson really needs to develop into a legit pass rusher this year. On the other side, Clemons and Reed combined weigh about the size of an actual professional DE. It would be nice if a really talented set of LBers could be allowed to make plays instead of being needed to manufacture a pass rush each and every time.

DL is a concern of mine too. We have little meaning depth there, and as much as the reports make it sound like Bryant is working out as a DE...again, I am skeptical.

Same with the DB. It sounds like Jennings has been spending a lot of time with the first team defense, and I've seen enough of him to feel like he's not starting quality.

If the team is going to start Jennings and feature a DL that's big and stout against the run but can't generate a pass rush, it's going to be a painful season.

The only encouraging thing about our DE spot to me is that A- it will be a different look than most teams see(if red does ok), and B- The secondary should be better with Tru healthy and Earl Thomas in the mix. Also I think Josh Wilson has gotten better every year and I think that Babs is a better nickel back than safety.

I want to be in the Jake Locker sweepstakes, but unfortunately it looks like our schedule is too easy, and that we've probably improved too much on the OL. There's always injuries, though.

In a weak moment, I would pull a Mike Ditka/Ricky Williams thing and trade every draft pick for Locker.

If we're talking Pac-10 QBs, I'd take the Stanford kid in a heartbeat. I fear the NFL is going to break Locker in half.

Then again, I'm not a Husky fan.