A look at 2013 and plans for 2014:
The Seattle Seahawks finished the 2013 regular season with a 14-2 record. Having the 3rd ranked offense and 4th ranked defense, they were determined to reach the Super Bowl in Redzone's 1st season. But the Seahawks barely squeezed out a win vs the Falcons in the wildcard game and then lost to the GB Packers in the divisional round on a last second TD.
Offense: Averaging 43.4 points and 489.1 yards per game, the Seahawks ranked 3rd in the league for offense. Having 294 PPG and 195 RPG, they were one of the more balanced O's in the league and hope to continue having success doing just that.
Quarterback - Russell Wilson led the way with 4866 passing yards, 56 td's and 34 int's. His QB rating of 111.2 was good enough for 5th in the league... the same place he ranked for most int's thrown. His biggest priority going into 2014 will be to cut down on forced throws. Wilson also added 377 yards on the ground & 6 td's showing that teams need to respect his legs.
Halfback - Marshawn 'Beast Mode' Lynch took the bulk of the workload with 221 carries for 1567 yards and 14 td's. Most of his yards came between the tackles with his bone crushing hit stick and deadly stiff arm. Because of his bruising running style, Lynch was knocked out for a few games allowing backup HB Robert Turbin to show what he could do. With 962 yards on 78 carries, he averaged a whopping 12.3 yards/carry - Seattle will look to get Turbin more involved this year even when Lynch is healthy.
Receivers - Percy Harvin was far & away Seattle's best playmaker and most consistent pass catcher. Hauling in 72 receptions for 1989 yards and 18 td's was enough to rank him top 3 in the league. On the opposite side, Sidney Rice didn't see much action, mostly due to being out with injuries for much of the season. TE Luke Willson really started to shine after improving his run blocking. He ended the season with 61 receptions, 1105 yards & 17 td's after taking full time duties away from veteran Zach Miller.
Free agency was tough on Seattle as they lost #3 & 4 WR's Tate and Baldwin. They did manage to snag Brandon Tate who should be a good addition in the slot.
OLine - Going young! Seattle has traded starters C Unger and RT Newhouse in favor of... well, no one yet. With no one over 26 yrs, they should have time to grow into a beast of a line. It may just take a few years :/
Defense: With the defensive roster Seattle started with, there were no excuses not to be ranked towards the top of the league. Allowing 21pts/game (4th) and 303yrds/game (5th), the defense played up to their expectations.
DLine - DE's Clemons and Avril had a combined 21 sacks. A respectful amount but the Seahawks will look to get at the QB more in 2014. Which is why OLB Bruce Irvin will be replacing Avril at LE. DT's Mebane and Williams will handle inside duties to clog up the run.
Linebackers - MLB Bobby Wagner was in the running as DPOY but lost the title to GB Packers newly acquired Luke Kuechly. Wagner finished with 86 tackles, 5 sacks, 5 FF's & 3 ints. OLB's KJ Wright and Irvin helped pave the way for Bobby but with Ivrin moving to DE and Wright on the move to Philly, there are many question marks as to whether Wagner can repeat his 2013 marks. The front runners for the outside are 3rd year speedster Korey Toomer and the new FA addition of Dekoda Watson. Both should be great against the pass but the true test will come to how they stop the run.
Secondary - It's hard not to put a lineup of Sherman, Browner, Winfield, Thomas & Chancellor as the top secondary in the league. But the Seahawks F'd IT ALL UP! Browner was traded to the Eagles for a 2nd rounder & a doughnut. SS Chancellor was dealt to the Packers for 4th string WR Johnson, RT Newhouse, SS Jerron 'I get hurt every game' McMillian and the Rams 1st round pick - which still has a chance to save this trade with a good pick in the upcoming draft.
Seattle was lucky to get CB Mike Jenkins in free agency who should work well opposite CB Sherman. CB Routt was picked up last year and will alternate with Maxwell as nickelback.
Special Teams - Both HB Jeff Demps and WR Andrew Hawkins were signed to 6 yr deals this offseason. They will mainly be used as return specialists but dont be surprised to see them on the field occasionally with their breakaway speed.
2014 Draft - Seahawks will mostly look to improve the OLine this draft. They could realistically draft 2-3 rookies that could come in and start right away. Will also look to add depth at WR and CB.
2014 Season - Watch out for the Seattle Seahawks and Coach Ryan Leaf. They are hungry for a Super Bowl birth and will bring their 'A' game week in and week out!