Feeling super about season
Hasselbeck believes Seahawks have it all
The fact nagged quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and his Seattle Seahawks teammates, and became a topic of conversation in team meetings.
Why, for five straight seasons, had the losing team in the Super Bowl failed to make the playoffs the next year?
"It didn't make sense to us," Hasselbeck recalled during his recent vacation on Nantucket. "Coach [Mike] Holmgren talked a lot about it, saying he didn't know why, or what it could possibly be, but his message was to make sure we weren't one of those teams. We felt like we were a team on the rise, not the decline. Our focus was, 'Let's beat this thing.' "
As it turned out, the Seahawks did beat it, finishing 9-7 and winning the weak NFC West. But one year after digesting a 21-10 loss to the Steelers in Super Bowl XL, the team once again fell short of its goal. After slipping by the Cowboys when a field goal snap slipped through the hands of Dallas quarterback Tony Romo, the Seahawks pushed the favored Bears to the limit in the NFC Divisional round before dropping a 27-24 overtime decision in Chicago.
So, as Hasselbeck and Co. prepare for the 2007 season, they do so with a feeling that they bucked recent history, and now it's time to take that final step.
Playing in the watered-down NFC should help. So, too, should a clean bill of health for key players, with the 31-year-old Hasselbeck atop the list.
The former Boston College star missed four games last season with a sprained medial collateral ligament in his right knee, and also broke two fingers on his left hand. In addition, he underwent surgery this offseason to repair torn cartilage in his non-throwing shoulder and said his recovery is ahead of schedule.
Hasselbeck is coming off what he felt was the worst of his eight NFL seasons, completing just 56.6 percent of his throws and tying a career high with 15 interceptions. Missing practice time was certainly a factor, as he acknowledged he "was making poor decisions" and "was not ready to execute the play the way it was designed" when he returned. Running back Shaun Alexander, the league's Most Valuable Player in 2005, was also limited to 10 games because of a broken foot but is now healthy.
Hasselbeck said the season was laced with adversity, starting when the team lost left guard Steve Hutchinson in free agency. "To lose a guy like that, and all he meant to the team . . ." Hasselbeck said.
It was a costly miscalculation by the Seahawks, as they assigned Hutchinson the transition instead of the franchise tag. That meant that any team that signed Hutchinson to an offer sheet was not required to give compensation to the Seahawks if Seattle didn't match the offer. The Vikings stepped in with a poison-pill-filled offer and the Seahawks lost a Pro Bowl player who lined up next to tackle Walter Jones to form arguably the best left side in football.
Having the Hutchinson-Jones combo for five years is part of the reason Hasselbeck has felt the "O-line has been the identity of our team." He still believes that to be the case, and the key spots this year are center and left guard. Chris Spencer, a 2005 first-round pick, is set to take over full time at center following the retirement of Robbie Tobeck, and 2006 fourth-rounder Rob Sims will be given every chance to fill the big cleats of Hutchinson, something the Seahawks hoped Floyd "Pork Chop" Womack (nine starts in 2006) could do before injuries halted his progression.
"I really feel as if the pressure is on me and the O-line," Hasselbeck said. "If we can do our job, we have superstars all around us."
A big change for the Seahawks' offense is at tight end, where 2002 first-round pick Jerramy Stevens wasn't re-signed, and 35-year-old Marcus Pollard was imported after the team's failed pursuit of former Patriot Daniel Graham.
The Seahawks were aggressive free agent shoppers for defenders. They landed arguably the biggest catch in pass rusher Patrick Kerney (Falcons), then focused on the secondary with safeties Deon Grant (Jaguars) and Brian Russell (Browns).
One crucial area of improvement for the defense will be against the run, as the team's undersized 4-3 alignment ranked 28th out of 32 teams in rushing average (4.6 yards per rush). Without a first-round draft choice because of the Deion Branch trade, in the second round the Seahawks selected Maryland cornerback Josh Wilson, who should play in nickel packages and the return game.
The parts appear to be in place for the Seahawks to be a top contender in the NFC, with the team learning from a trying yet successful 2006 campaign.
"Last year was a tough year. We were coming off the Super Bowl and that was such an emotional run, a lot of fun," Hasselbeck said. "We were so close. It took a lot of people a little time to get over that loss. It was different from other losses you typically have, when you can put your finger on why you lost. That game was tougher to do."
He needed to have his guard up
Kansas City Chiefs guard Will Shields earned 12 Pro Bowl berths before retiring following last season, facing some of the NFL's best interior defensive linemen from 1993-2006.
His thoughts on the toughest to play against:
1. John Randle (Vikings, Seahawks -- 1990-2003) -- "He's one of those guys, regardless of how much you prepare for, he still would give you such a hard time. It was just the way he went about his business at the game. He was loud and boisterous and had tenacity to him. He'd come at you every snap. In terms of style, he was quick and aggressive, and would bull [rush] you every once in a while. He just had so many tools in the toolbox, and could do different things."
2. Trevor Pryce (Broncos, Ravens -- 1997-present) -- "He's one of those guys who makes quarterbacks scramble every other snap, but no one knows why. He's tall, long, and rangy. You might think you have a bead on what he's going to do, and the next play it will look the same, but he does something totally different. There is some deception because he does a good job switching."
3. Chester McGlockton (Raiders, Chiefs, Broncos, Jets -- 1992-2003) -- "When he decided he wanted to take something over, he could do whatever he wanted. To me, I just wanted to make sure I didn't do anything to make him upset. You didn't want to get him to the point where he was in a bad mood and wanted to do some damage. You were just trying to negotiate space with him, but when he turned it on and used all his body weight and strength, it made a big difference in his game."
4. Howie Long (Raiders -- 1981-93) -- "I faced him when I was a rookie and he was in his final season, and you just didn't expect a guy in his 13th year to be as strong as he was. He would jump the cadence, keeping you off balance. He was similar to Michael Dean [Perry], someone who maximized his talents and made you stay sharp in your technique. You look at their stature and you wouldn't believe what they did and how they played."
Receiver will branch out in '07
Fantasy football owners take note: Deion Branch is on the move, and his quarterback believes the receiver will have a big year.
"I expect his TDs to go way up," Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck said.
Branch totaled 53 receptions and four touchdowns in his first season with the Seahawks in 2006. Hasselbeck explained that Branch most often lined up at the team's "X" position, which is on the weak side of the formation (non-tight-end side) and normally reserved for bigger, stronger receivers in the West Coast offense.
This year, Branch is moving to the "Z", an outside spot on the tight-end side. It's the spot veteran Darrell Jackson played for most of the last seven seasons, totaling 63 catches and 10 touchdowns in 2006.
"You'd watch one of our practices and it was almost unfair, Darrell Jackson was catching almost every ball," Hasselbeck said. "It's how the [West Coast] system was designed and you look back at those who played there in Green Bay and San Francisco: Robert Brooks, Sterling Sharpe, Antonio Freeman, Jerry Rice. I think there are certain plays Mike Holmgren likes to call because it reminds him of good plays when he was coaching in Green Bay and San Francisco. He loves to say, 'Z-in.' He doesn't love to say 'X-in' as much."
Etc.
Keep in mind . . .
Four nuggets not to forget from last week: 1. The Bills signed Pro Bowl punter Brian Moorman to a contract extension through 2012. Moorman will be paid $10 million over the next six years, making him the NFL's highest-paid punter, according to the Buffalo News; 2. Raiders running back Dominic Rhodes, signed as a free agent this offseason, was suspended for the first four games of the season for violating the league's substance-abuse policy; 3. The Bears inked Greg Olsen, a tight end from the University of Miami selected 31st overall, to a five-year contract. Olsen became the first player picked in the first round to sign; 4. Five-year veteran Torrie Cox, who was expected to compete for the Buccaneers' nickel cornerback job, was suspended for the first four games for violating the league's substance-abuse policy.
On the clock
The NFL will hold its supplemental draft Thursday, which is for players whose situations have changed since April's entry draft (i.e. eligibility issues at college). The NFL downplays the supplemental draft, going so far as to not reveal the players eligible to the media, while agents for players who have applied for the draft in the past have spoken about how long and detailed the eligibility process can be. Teams that select a player in the supplemental draft give up that corresponding choice in next year's regular draft. Maryland offensive lineman Jared Gaither, Georgia cornerback Paul Oliver, and Nebraska offensive lineman Chris Patrick are three of the top 10 eligible prospects. One player was selected in last year's supplemental draft: Virginia linebacker Ahmad Brooks (Bengals, third round).
Money player
The Rams have a significant decision to make with quarterback Marc Bulger, who enters the final year of his contract and is in line for a lucrative extension. Bulger turned 30 in April and is coming off an impressive season in which he started all 16 games and completed 62.9 percent of his passes, while posting career highs in passing yards (4,301) and touchdown passes (24). He threw just eight interceptions in 588 attempts. When Bulger signed a four-year deal with the Rams in 2004, his signing bonus was $9 million. This time around, the bonus is likely to be double that amount.
Mike Reiss can be reached at mreiss@globe.com; material from personal interviews, wire services, other beat writers, and league and team sources was used in this report. 
