His “Win Forever” book tour now over, Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll’s work begins in earnest with the first day of training camp this morning in Renton.
Carroll has a little over a month to work his team into playing shape before taking on his first challenge, the Sept. 12 regular-season opener at home against NFC West Division rival San Francisco.
He’ll rely on his trademark theme of competition to add urgency to camp battles. Carroll sent that signal straight to the top by signing restricted free-agent quarterback Charlie Whitehurst, a third-string backup for San Diego, during the offseason to compete with veteran starting quarterback Matt Hasselbeck.
Carroll said the purpose was to push players harder than they ever have been pushed to get the most out of their ability.
“It’s more comfortable to have everything secure and all, but we don’t operate that way,” Carroll said. “And Matt’s not operating that way as the No. 1 quarterback. He’s going to battle every day he comes out here.
“And I think we had a chance to send the message about competing early on when Charlie (Whitehurst) came in. And we’ve continued to hopefully spread the word. And our guys have accepted it and understand that’s the way it is.”
So far Hasselbeck, who turns 35 in September and has not played a full, 16-game schedule since 2007, is buying into his team’s new philosophy.
“This offseason a lot has happened,” Hasselbeck said. “But there’s no doubt in my mind that where we are now, we are a better team and a more talented team than when we finished the season. And that’s a great thing.”
Seattle has nowhere to go but up. After a decade of success on the field and stability under coach Mike Holmgren, the Seahawks have won only nine games over the past two seasons and are on their third head coach in three years.
New general manager John Schneider still has some work to do. Seattle’s two first-round picks, No. 6 overall selection offensive tackle Russell Okung and No. 14 selection safety Earl Thomas, remain unsigned, but both agents for the respective players say they’re working hard to get them into camp.
Last season, linebacker Aaron Curry, the No. 4 overall pick in the draft, missed the first eight days of training camp before signing a six-year deal worth $60 million – $34 million of it guaranteed.
After six months of revamping an aging roster, Schneider and Carroll are ready to see what their labors will yield.
Some story lines to follow entering training camp:
CARROLL’S NFL RETURN
After a decade of dominance at Southern California, Carroll returns to the NFL to prove he can win on football’s brightest stage. Some say he’s running from the recent sanctions handed down to his former school by the NCAA. However, Carroll says that’s not true, that he’s motivated to accept the challenge of having control over personnel decisions and testing his philosophy again at the NFL level.
Carroll was so-so in two previous coaching stints in the league, finishing with a 33-31 record in four seasons, one with the New York Jets and three with the New England Patriots.
His rah-rah approach played well in college, and so far players have jumped on board in Seattle. But it will be interesting to see what happens when the Seahawks face adversity. Will they continue to follow the relentlessly positive Carroll?
IMPROVED O-LINE?
Improved play by Seattle’s offensive line will go far in determining Hasselbeck’s success this season. Seattle used four different left tackles, three different left guards and centers, and six different offensive line combinations in 2009, so it was no wonder the line struggled to run the ball and protect the quarterback consistently.
Carroll enlisting the services of offensive line guru Alex Gibbs was an indication how important he thought improved offensive line play was to the team’s success.
Seattle allowed 41 sacks in 2009, 23rd in the league. Giving Hasselbeck better protection and an improved running game should help Seattle improve on its production of 17.5 points a game last season. An improved offense would take some pressure off the defense to force a three-and-out every time it takes the field.
LEGAL TROUBLES
The Seahawks have their share of players facing legal issues during training camp.
At the top of the list is Leroy Hill, a 27-year-old linebacker facing a one-game suspension and the loss of two game checks for misdemeanor marijuana possession in Georgia, for which he received 12 months probation for through a plea agreement.
Hill also faces a misdemeanor charge of assault for his alleged role in a domestic incident with his live-in girlfriend April 10 at his Issaquah home. The trial has been continued to Aug. 20, and Hill is under investigation for possible witness tampering in the case.
Reserve running back Quinton Ganther was arrested July 4 in Sacramento on suspicion for driving under the influence. Ganther’s arraignment has been continued to Sept. 1.
And recently added safety Kevin Ellison has entered a plea of not guilty to drug possession after he was arrested in May during a traffic stop in Southern California. Police found more than 100 Vicodin pills in his car. He has an Oct. 5 court date.
WHO RUSHES PASSER?
Seattle’s two best pass rushers from 2009, Patrick Kerney (retired) and Darryl Tapp (traded) are no longer with the team, so the Seahawks will have to figure out a way to get to the quarterback with a new cast of rushers off the edge of the defense.
Chris Clemons, whom Seattle received from Philadelphia as part of the Tapp trade, is expected to start at weak side defensive end, while Red Bryant has overtaken Lawrence Jackson in Kerney’s old spot on the strong side. The Seahawks also need more production from defensive tackle Brandon Mebane, who had 11/2 sacks in his new role as an inside pass rusher last season
WILLIAMS EMERGES
Along with the play of cornerback Kelly Jennings, one of the pleasant surprises of offseason workouts has been wide receiver Mike Williams. Selected 10th overall by the Detroit Lions in the 2005 draft, Williams found himself out of the league three years later after gaining 40 pounds and a losing his motivation.
After a two-year hiatus, Williams is back and has looked impressive with Seattle. He could develop into the deep threat and red-zone target Seattle coveted when it went after and lost out on wide receiver Brandon Marshall in free agency.
Eric D. Williams: 253-597-8437 eric.williams@thenewstribune.com blog.thenewstribune.com/seahawks
