What to expect from the 2016 Seahawks
By James Loss
The new season closes in and 12’s everywhere are anxious for what’s next for the NFC West powerhouse Seattle Seahawks.
For starters, no more Marshawn Lynch. The past few seasons’ offensive game plan has been centered around feeding Beast Mode the ball and letting him do his thing. Now that Lynch has become a piece of Seattle Seahawks history, how will the team adjust?
Expect Russell Wilson to assume full control of the offense and shift the tone to a pass-first playbook. As if his past years weren’t impressive enough, Wilson will get a chance to separate himself from the pack and become an undoubtedly elite quarterback in the NFL.
Being the first season without Lynch, this opens the door for Wilson to become an even more dynamic weapon with his passing abilities. This means Doug Baldwin, Jermaine Kearse and the receiving corps will become even more crucial to the offense’s success. Baldwin has been slowly becoming a bigger blip on the league’s radar and will have his chance for a breakout season being Wilson’s go-to target.
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Even though Wilson will be the primary weapon, the running backs of the Seahawks have plenty of their own ability. Thomas Rawls is scheduled for a week one start and there’s no debating the worth of his power running. Rawls put on his own Beast Mode show last season following Lynch’s injury and will have a chance to prove he’s capable of even more. Behind Rawls stands a few more backs who proved they can grind out yards when needed. Expect Christine Michael, Alex Collins, and C.J Prosise to earn their fair share of carries. With an abundance of running ability on the roster (including Wilson), it should open the door for new formations and option plays.
The goal should be to score fast and flawless. The Seahawks offense were victims of their own penalties too often last season, placing them in difficult predicaments. Eliminating false starts and delays of game will help the offense keep driving forward rather than stall out. Consistency is another highlighted area that the Seahawks have put more work into. The offense seemed to have two personalities all season and the the playoff game against Carolina paints the picture better than any other game. The Sehawks must be able to create effective drives for 60 minutes.
Losing Lynch is causing many big changes, but the more things change the more they stay the same. The Legion of Boom remained intact over the offseason, along with most of the defense. K.J Wright and Bobby Wagner will be able to reiterate themselves as some of the most dynamic linebackers in the league as they will once again be key players in the tightly knit defense.
All in all, Seattle fans should expect another exciting season from this championship team. Ranked first in pre-season power rankings, the hopes are high for the Seahawks. The Arizona Cardinals were ranked highly at second as expected. This will be an interesting and challenging divisional matchup. Also the newly located Los Angeles Rams prove themselves to be always dangerous when playing the Seahawks.
Next: The Seahawks' Roster Ranked from 1 to 53
I predict a 12-4 season with a fairly good playoff run. The season kicks off this Sunday at what will be an extremely loud CenturyLink Field against Ryan Tannehill and the Dolphins.