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The Seahawks power rankings
Posted by Danny O'Neil
The 15 most important Seahawks to the upcoming season:
| 1. | Matt Hasselbeck | Can't split hairs with baldy. He's the single most important person. |
| 2. | Patrick Kerney | Since he arrived in 2007, Seattle averaged 2.8 sacks when he plays, 1.8 when he doesn't. |
| 3. | Walter Jones | He has been the gold standard at left tackle for nearly a decade now. Will he be back to Pro Bowl form after microfracture surgery? |
| 4. | T.J. Houshmandzadeh | Tim Ruskell has been GM for four years, Houshmandzadeh is the third high-priced veteran receiver the Seahawks have signed. |
| 5. | Lofa Tatupu | Overlooked and underestimated coming out of high school and entering the NFL Draft, how does he bounce back from his first NFL season that could be characterized as a disappointment? |
| 6. | John Carlson | Led the team in receptions as a rookie, and if you're looking for a breakout Pro Bowler this season, he might be it. |
| 7. | Sean Locklear | The Seahawks re-signed him in 2008 with the hope he would be Walter Jones' successor at left tackle, but he sure didn't look like someone ready for that role last season. |
| 8. | Marcus Trufant | This corner is the most stable piece of the secondary. Can he return to the Pro Bowl form of 2007? |
| 9. | Brandon Mebane | With a shift to full-time three-technique, he's the potential breakout star on Seattle's defensive line. |
| 10. | Julius Jones | He was signed in 2008 with an eye toward the eventual transition to Greg Knapp's offense. After splitting time with Maurice Morris, can Jones show why the Seahawks thought he'd be a good fit? |
| 11. | Aaron Curry | Perhaps he should be higher, but he is the safest rookie in the league, someone who is expected to be good and who will be good. |
| 12. | Ken Lucas | The most significant addition to secondary that allowed more passing yards than any time last season. |
| 13. | Brian Russell | Some were surprised Seattle didn't upgrade at this spot on defense. Can Russell reward that faith? |
| 14. | Deon Butler | It's Butler -- not Branch -- who is most likely to be the X factor for the offense this year. |
| 15. | Lawrence Jackson | As a rookie, Jackson never provided the pass-rush presence the Seahawks wanted. Can he get his motor revving higher as a sophomore? |
| 16. | Max Unger | A flexible player who provides insurance at left guard as Mike Wahle comes back from shoulder surgery and who could press Chris Spencer for playing time at center. |
Note: The original version of this omitted No. 6 John Carlson due to formatting error in the HTML table. Thanks to the readers who pointed out his sizeable absence.
Copyright © 2009 The Seattle Times Company
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