NEW ORLEANS – One foot in front of the other.
That’s the way the Seattle Seahawks have approached past season openers, and rightfully so.
But forgive the 2004 Seahawks if they leap in with both feet today.
For the first time in years, Seattle’s offense is prepared to hit the ground running. There are no missing starters on the offensive line due to holdouts or league suspensions. There are no neophyte quarterbacks trying to feel out their receivers, nor are there young receivers figuring out when to break off on a hot read.
This year’s offense should be ready to go when the Seahawks face the New Orleans Saints in today’s regular season opener.
“We can do anything we choose to do,” coach Mike Holmgren said last week, referring to his ability to call plays without worrying about things like untested pass protectors or rookies who are still learning the playbook.
The Seahawks aren’t known for their quick starts. Seattle’s 8-20 all-time record in season openers is among the worst in the NFL, although the team has fared slightly better on the road (5-10) than it has at home (3-10).
Stumbling out of the gate has been an annoying habit that leaves the Seahawks fighting uphill. Only three times (1983, ‘87 and ‘99) has Seattle lost its first game and gone on to make the postseason.
“Starting fast is huge,” Holmgren said. “It usually means you have a real good chance to get into the playoffs.”
When it comes to the offense, the Seahawks’ offseason focus was to keep this unit together. By signing wide receiver Darrell Jackson, Seattle was successful in bringing back all 11 starters.
Ten of those are still in the lineup, while tight end Itula Mili should still see a lot of playing time despite his demotion to second string behind Jerramy Stevens. All 10 players who caught passes last season are also back, including running backs Shaun Alexander and Mack Strong.
Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck spent a good part of the summer throwing passes to his receivers, even on off-days, in an effort to continue the symmetry that carried Seattle’s offense to a No. 6 overall ranking in 2003.
That lofty ranking came despite a slow start to the season, statistically speaking. The Seahawks ranked 23rd in the NFL after Week 1, 16th after Week 7, and 10th after Week 11.
“That’s what we’ve been trying to do in training camp,” Hasselbeck said of carrying over the momentum from last December.
“The year before (in 2002), we’d been putting up tons of numbers. Part of that is because you’re losing, so you’re throwing the ball. Last year, our defense was playing great, getting turnovers. We were trying to play with a lead, and we’d never done that before.”
The Saints have plenty of offensive weapons as well, from running back Deuce McAllister to dangerous wideouts Joe Horn and Donte’ Stallworth. If this game were being played in Week 10, chances are that it would be an offensive shootout.
As for Week 1 … well, no one ever knows what to expect.
“I think I know our team pretty well,” Holmgren said. “Now, it’s the opening game of the season, and stuff happens. But they’ve been together for a while, and I think they’ll deal with the situations a certain way.”
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