Surprises and Disappointments

As the 2005 season winds down to an end, with only one more meaningful game on the schedule, I thought we could turn our attention to the biggest surprises about the Seahawks this year, and of course, the biggest disappointments.

The biggest and best surprise, of course, is the organization itself and the position the Seahawks are in. Best record in the NFC. Longest active winning streak. Playoff bye week wrapped up. Home field advantage well within striking distance of the fearless talons!

Drilling down, this surprise is heightened when you look at a roster on defense filled with perrenial second teamers, over-acheiving rookies and a few cagy veterans. Specific surprises have to include the contributions of Lofa Tatupu and LeRoy Hill as rookies, and the impact that newcomers Chuck Darby and Joe Tafoya have had in our defensive tackle rotation, and specifically in raising the level for Tubbs and Bernard.


Defensive disappointments have to include Jamie Sharper and Andre Dyson winding up on IR, the Ken Hamlin situation, and Marcus Trufant suffering a bit of a let down this season. On the offensive side of the ball, I expected much more out of Peter Warrick and am not quite sure what's holding him back.

I don't want to get into too many specifics, so it leaves the slate open for you to provide your own takes on surprises and disappointments in the Comment section, but I will name my biggest Surprise and biggest Disappointment.

On the Disappointment side it's got to be Special Teams coach Bob Casullo. When he was hired, a big deal was made about him being a special teams maven, and having no aspirations to become a coordinator or otherwise rise to a different coaching level. Looking back on the season, our special teams have not been that particularly special, and almost are getting worse as the season wears on.

The season started with Josh Scobey fumbling away the openig kick return. Josh Brown rarely kicks the ball beyond the 10 yard line, and the opponents drives often start on wrong side of the 35. Last week there was the blocked FG and the first down given up to a fake punt. If it wasn't for Tru sniffing out the fake FG, and the Darche recovery of the kickoff fumble, both in St. Louis games, the season would have been completely underwhelming, other than Josh Brown's consistency on Field Goals and PATs.

Of all the choices, my biggest 2005 Seahawks Surprise is none other than the franchise RB who is leading the league in rushing, Shaun Alexander. As the start of the off-season was looming on the horizon, and things were still not worked out with his contract, I thought this was going to be the death knell hanging over another promising Seahawks season. Even after signing the franchise tender, I worried about his contract situation becoming a major distraction, and him begrudgingly playing out the year with disinterest and apathy. Instead, he not only is having a career year, but he's improved aspects of his game, such as blocking and route running, as well as established himself as an emotional leader and spokes person for the team.

So there you have it, Alba's Surprises and Disappointments for 2005.

What are yours?