Last Updated on August 12, 2010 12:52 pm by Anthony Rome
Seahawks Season Odds
The hiring of head coach Pete Carroll has many Seattle Seahawks fans excited about the upcoming season. But do the Hawks have enough talent to make a run?
The biggest acquisition for the Hawks this offseason was the hiring of Carroll, the former head coach at USC. In his previous NFL stops in New York and New England, Carroll was successful but many feel as though his style isn’t suited for the pro level because it maybe too “rah-rah.”
In free agency news, Seattle signed guards Chester Pitts (Texans) and Ben Hamilton (Broncos) to fit into new offensive line coach Alex Gibbs’ zone-blocking scheme. The team also signed receiver Sean Morey, former of the Cardinals, as well as safety Quinton Teal (Panthers) and running back Quinton Ganther (Redskins).
In the draft, Carroll and his staff wanted to target the offensive line, running back, defensive line, cornerback and safety positions. In the first round, they wound up addressing two of those needs with the selections of Oklahoma State offensive tackle Russell Okung and Texas safety Earl Thomas. In the second round, the Seahawks landed speedster Golden Tate of Notre Dame and in the fourth, they drafted Oregon cornerback Walter Thurmond. (The team also traded for running back Leon Washington on draft day, formally of the Jets.)
Oddsmakers from online sports book SBGGLOBAL.com currently list the Seahawks at 100/1 to win the 2011 Super Bowl and 45/1 to win the NFC. They’re also +350 on the money line to win the NFC West and have an over/under regular season win total of 7.5 games this year.
The Seahawks are a hard team to figure out. They certainly have enough scattered talent to be competitive this season, but does Matt Hasselbeck have one more good year left in him? Or will Charlie Whitehurst (acquired via an offseason trade with the Chargers) eventually beat him out? Can Washington and Justin Forsett carry the rushing load? Because Julius Jones can’t. Will the offensive line with its new additions keep Hasselbeck on his feet and the running lanes open?
Chances are, Seattle is going to need a year or two before it competes. Carroll has had some margin of success no matter where he’s gone, but he just doesn’t have the depth to compete this year. Still, in a weak NFC West, the Hawks’ odds are somewhat appealing.
2011 Super Bowl Odds: Seattle Seahawks 100/1
Odds to win NFC: Seattle Seahawks 45/1
Odds to win NFC West: Seattle Seahawks +350
2010 NFL Regular Season Win Totals: Seattle Seahawks O/U 7.5
Posted: 8/12/10 12:50PM ET