SEATTLE – In 2003, there was tempered enthusiasm. In 2004, unabashed excitement.
Now, as the Seattle Seahawks prepare to head to Cheney for another training camp, the overwhelming emotion is uncertainty.
In addition to the expected absence of star running back Shaun Alexander, the Seahawks have a lot of questions on defense.
For one: Who the heck are these guys?
Seattle’s lineup could feature as many as seven different defensive starters from the unit that took the field for last September’s season opener. Three of those – defensive end Bryce Fisher, linebacker Jamie Sharper and cornerback Andre Dyson or Kelly Herndon – are experienced veterans who recently signed as free agents. Three others – defensive tackle Marcus Tubbs, strong safety Michael Boulware and middle linebacker Niko Koutouvides – were 2004 draft picks who eventually moved into the starting lineup as rookies. And then there is outside linebacker D.D. Lewis, who missed the entire 2004 season due to shoulder surgery.
All will be key contributors in 2005, so nobody really knows what to expect from Seattle’s defense.
“I’m very curious,” said cornerback Marcus Trufant, who joins free safety Ken Hamlin, defensive end Grant Wistrom and defensive tackle Cedric Woodard as the only Seahawks expected to start both the 2004 and 2005 openers. “We’ve got a lot of new faces, but we’ve got guys who have played the game. We’ve just got to mold together as a unit and go out and play team ball.”
The summer has provided very few clues thus far. Trufant, Hamlin, Woodard, defensive tackle Rashad Moore and reserve safety Marquand Manuel were held out of minicamps after offseason surgeries. Fisher also missed some time while he rehabilitated an ankle injury.
All are expected back when training camp opens Friday at Eastern Washington University in Cheney. Last week, Trufant pronounced himself ready to go after undergoing shoulder reconstruction surgery seven months ago.
“It’s been hard,” said Trufant, who had a more minor surgery on his shoulder following his rookie season in 2003. “I’ve been doing a whole lot of rehab; a whole lot of hard work. But when you get hurt, you get set back and have to get caught up.”
Trufant is starting to become one of the old-timers despite being only 24 years old. His 32 career starts in a Seahawks uniform are the most among the 2005 projected starters on defense.
Sharper (30) and Wistrom (29) are the only two projected defensive starters above the age of 27.
Veteran linebackers Chad Brown and Anthony Simmons were released to help free up salary space. Cornerback Ken Lucas and defensive end Chike Okeafor signed with other teams.
Seattle’s defense, which finished 26th in the NFL in total defense last season, has certainly given its unit a different look.
“I’m feeling real good about it,” Trufant said. “We’ve made a lot of changes, and there will be a lot of new faces out there on defense.”
Since defensive coordinator Ray Rhodes took over in 2003, Seattle has finished 19th and 26th, respectively, in total defense. Twenty-one different players have started on that side of the football during his two-year tenure.
This year’s new faces might not provide much in the way of stability, but there are reasons for optimism.
Sharper has been a durable linebacker his entire career, which is not something to which either Brown or Simmons could boast. And in Trufant, Dyson and Herndon, Seattle has better depth at cornerback than last season, when oft-injured veteran Bobby Taylor and untested Kris Richard worked as the No. 3 corner.
The biggest questions, as always, involve middle linebacker and the team’s pass rush.
Koutouvides is battling second-round draft pick Lofa Tatupu for the starting spot at middle linebacker, where no Seahawk has started back-to-back openers in eight years.
Fisher, who matched Okeafor with a career-high 81/2 sacks while playing in St. Louis last season, will be asked to help fill in the pass rush void. Seattle needs more help, though, as Brown’s injury problems last season hobbled the team’s ability to get to opposing passers.
Now that Brown is gone, the Seahawks hope someone like Lewis, rookie Jeb Huckeba or – if they can sign him – free agent linebacker/defensive end Peter Boulware can help in that regard.
Questions are nothing new for the Seattle defense this time of year, but typically they believe they know the answers. This time around, even the Seahawks themselves are still wondering what might happen.
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