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Seahawks' season in review
Feb. 12, 2008
Overview: The good news is that the Seahawks won their fourth straight division title, earned their fifth straight playoff berth and — thanks mostly to their defense — defeated the Redskins in the first round of the playoffs. The bad news came one week later in snowy Green Bay, when they came up terribly short on both sides of the ball in a disappointing 44-20 loss that ended the season on a sour note for Mike Holmgren, who no doubt thought long and hard before deciding to return for his 10th season as the head coach.
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Date
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Opponent
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Spread
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Result
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09/09/07
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Tampa Bay
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-6
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20-6
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09/16/07
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at Arizona
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-3
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20-23
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09/23/07
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Cincinnati
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-3½
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24-21
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09/30/07
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at San Francisco
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-2
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23-3
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10/07/07
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at Pittsburgh
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+5
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0-21
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10/14/07
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New Orleans
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-6
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17-28
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10/21/07
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St. Louis
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-9
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33-6
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BYE WEEK
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11/04/07
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at Cleveland
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+1
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30-33 (OT)
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11/12/07
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San Francisco
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-9
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24-0
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11/18/07
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Chicago
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-6
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30-23
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11/25/07
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at St. Louis
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-3
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24-19
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12/02/07
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at Philadelphia
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+3
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28-24
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12/09/07
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Arizona
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-7
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42-21
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12/16/07
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at Carolina
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-7
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10-13
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12/23/07
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Baltimore
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-12½
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27-6
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12/30/07
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at Atlanta
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-2
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41-44
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01/05/08
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Washington
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-3½
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35-14
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01/12/08
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at Green Bay
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+7½
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20-42
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Team MVP: Holmgren’s decision at midseason to return to his roots and employ a more pass-heavy offense was music to QB Matt Hasselbeck’s ears. Despite throwing to a WR corps operating at less than full strength much of the season because of injury, Hasselbeck set team passing records for yards (3,966), completions (352) and attempts (562) and never seemed more comfortable than he was in his seventh season. Pro Bowl defenders Lofa Tatupu and Patrick Kerney, the NFC’s sack leader, and veteran WR Bobby Engram, who had the best season of his 12-year career, also deserve special mention.
Biggest surprise: Third-round rookie DT Brandon Mebane greatly exceeded expectations, performing more like a first-rounder from the moment he became the emergency starter in place of the injured Chuck Darby. On his very first play as a starter, Mebane registered a tackle for loss. Displaying great energy and terrific leverage, Mebane’s motor just kept on running at a high level, and his emergence as a solid starter makes the uncertain future of former first-round pick Marcus Tubbs, who has missed each of the last two seasons with injuries to both knees, less of a concern.
Biggest disappointment: In his season-ending press conference, Holmgren said the team’s run game was in need of a major makeover — both in scheme and personnel. Seattle’s ground attack, often bogged down by what appeared to be very tentative running by Shaun Alexander, ranked 26th in average gain per rush (3.8 yards) and performed miserably in the playoff loss to the Packers, managing only 28 yards on 18 carries. Shoddy run blocking across the board on the offensive line was a season-long problem.
Offseason outlook: After concentrating primarily on improving the Seahawks’ defense since becoming the team’s president of football operations/general manager, Tim Ruskell is expected to turn more of his attention to the offensive side of the ball this offseason, with substantial upgrades at running back, tight end and the interior offensive line heading his to-do list. Early indications were that, unlike the previous offseason, the team would not be as active in the free-agent market and instead will concentrate on re-signing key players who will be free agents — most notably CB Marcus Trufant, PK Josh Brown and ORT Sean Locklear.
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