Can Seattle SeaHawks Thrive Without A Running Game?

The Seattle Seahawks have been struggling all season with the running game. Their once all star running back, Shaun Alexander, has not been even close to as effective this season as he has been historically.

Many people are calling for the end of Shaun's career. Shaun has battled through injuries the past two years including a broken foot and a broken wrist. More importantly, he seems to have lost a step and maybe the desire to succeed.

In his absence, Maurice Morris has filled in admirably, but the Seahawks continue to struggle week in and week out in the running game.

Shaun is back in the starting line up and Maurice is healthy, but last week showed again how week this team is in it's running game.

Knowing this, coach Mike Holmgren has shifted to a pass 1st run 2nd style of offense and with the exception of last weeks game against the Panthers, it has worked fairly well.

The key to their success now lies with quarterback Matt Hasselbeck. When he is on, he is dangerous. This is one of his better years as well. He has looked sharp for most of this season with the exception of a couple of games such as against New Orleans and last week against the Carolina Panthers.

When Matt is throwing accurately and making good decisions, the offense has been able to move the ball in spite of the running problems. If Seattle is going to be able to do anything positive come playoff time, Matt and his receivers will have to carry the load.

A big part of Matt's success lies with his offensive line. They cannot open holes for the run, but they have been getting slowly better at giving Matt adequate pass protection. This is probably the most important part of the Seahawks offense.

So can the Hawks make some waves without pounding the ball with the running game? Maybe.

Fantasy Football Draft

I had my fantasy football draft today. It was extremely satisfying to sit there with my freinds and battle it out for the best football team. Being a Seahawks fan, it makes me a little biased on my choices as I love to have my star players on my team be the people I am cheering for each game.

Here is my team:

Running Backs:

Shaun Alexander
Cedric Benson
Travis Henry
DeAngelo Williams

Quarterbacks:

Matt Hasselbeck
Tony Romo

Wide Receivers:

Donald Driver
Larry Fitzgerald
Bernard Berrian
D.J. Hacket

Tight Ends:

Randy McMichael
Chris Cooley

Defense & Special Teams

Seattle Seahawks
Denver Broncos

Kickers:
Josh Brown
Jason Elam

I am pretty satisfied with my team although I know it could be better. Of course, if the Seahawks shine this year, my team should shine as well. On the other hand, if the Seahawks implode, it may be a long season.

Fantasy Football Time

Yahoo! It's finally here! No, not Yahoo the search engine, portal etc... but Yahoo! like WooHoo!! Yipee!!!! Yes!! Finally!!!!!

It is finally time to start beefing up on the latest and greatest sporting news and information about the NFL.

Which running backs will be the best this year? Will Shaun Alexander bounce back after his horrible year playing with the Madden curse?

Shaun's Stats

Rushing

Year Yds TD's
2001 1318 14
2002 1175 16
2003 1435 14
2004 1696 16
2005 1880 27
2006 896 7

To put this in perspective, Shaun Alexander went from 1880 yards rushing with 27 TD's in 2005 to an abysmal 896 yards rushing with 7 TD's in 2006. I can't imagine he will do any worse.
How about LT (LaDainian Tomlinson)? Will he continue to burn up the field like he did last year? Is Larry Johnson going to return to form from injuries?

How will Willis Magahee do now that he is on the Ravens? What about Cedric Benson on the Bears now that he doesn't have to contend with Thomas Jones?

I love this time of year. I'm getting ready to join a fantasy football leauge soon.