Drafts & Changes - Analysis

I acknowledge that my analysis of team is skewed by a lot of personal biases…I'm a life-long Seahawks fan, I appreciate team play more than star players, I don't watch college ball, I'm an avid student of astrology. So, yeah…I admit my reference points are a little wacky compared to the usual sports analysts. However, they work for me, and just wanted to share my perspective:

Hope springs eternal with every draft…hell, with every off-season acquisition of any type. Especially with the strong intellect/experience/influence of Holmgren, the last several off-seasons have been far less frustrating than during the Flores/Erickson era. While not all changes are to be applauded (e.g. paying a ton for Burleson as a reaction to the Hutch defection) more often then not, we've gotten some pretty good guys as of late. Even better, there have been far fewer "duds" than in previous years.

Still, even with all the potential in the world, rookies are still rookies until they grow up in the NFL. But just looking at their "potentiality" (this is a word!), we can see some exciting things from an astrological perspective:

#1 Draft Pick: Josh Wilson (Pisces) CB…pretty darn good pick. Pisces is all about the feet, swimming through confusion, and being plugged into the cosmos. If the fish is mature and disciplined (as the scouting report seems to indicate for young Mr. Wilson), then he should be great at "sensing" where the pass is going, and making the necessary play. The undisciplined Pisces can have problems with substance abuse and confidence issues, but the Seahawks "character assessment staff" should have already checked the kid off in this regard (he was on their "hot list," after all). As a bonus, Pisces excellently compliments Capricorns (like Marcus Trufant).

DE Patrick Kearney (Capricorn, replacement for Wistrom). Grant Wistrom was a Cancer, the "mother hen," and de facto leader of the D Line. Capricorn is the father figure, the serious and methodical rock on which the line can be built. As an earth sign he helps strengthen and deepen the line by bookending Taurus Bryce Fisher (another practical "down-to-earth") individual. Capricorn is also a cardinal "leadership" sign, that may possibly butt heads with Darby (Libra) or, more likely Rocky Bernard (Aries). Still, with Rocky doing his best to stand out as a lead tackler (Aries-Ram mindset), and Chuck trying to make sure everyone gets along (Libra-Mediator), they may simply allow the new guy to take over where Wistrom left off. Marcus Tubbs (Virgo, earth sign) should get along famously if he can stay healthy. And by “get along,” I mean "work as a coordinated team." As a side note: DT Brandon Mebane (2nd draft pick) is also a Capricorn; he'll be a "leader in training." DE Baraka Atkins (Libra, 3 rd draft pick) will end up being a switch-hitter (from either end of the line) once he finally accepts that he's only playing defense (note the typical Libra quote about, "well, I can play offense and defense;" it's going to be one or the other, dude!).

TE Marcus Pollard (Aquarius, replacing the troubled Jeramy Stevens). Aquarius is the opposite sign from Scorpio (Stevens's sign), and the attitude change should be noted immediately. Whereas Scorpios take everything super-personally at a deep emotional level, Aquarians are detached from both their own feelings and the feelings of others…Pollard should be able to do his job without being affected by the crowd/media. In the 'Hawks pasing offense, the ability of the TE to relate to the QB is especially important and Aquarius trines perfectly with Libra (fellow air sign) Hasselbeck. Both are intellectuals, and should be able to hook up on the cerebral level. Side note: notice they dropped Mili and kept Heller as #2 TE? More on this in a later post.

WR Taylor (Aries) and WR Kent (Leo). Sticking with the same theme (being on the same page with the QB), the two new WR may not have an immediate impact. Kent (Leo) meshes well with Libra Hasselbeck, but it will depend on how well/fast the Leo can leave his ego behind. Leos do best when they are “looking good,” and if they start looking bad they may sabotage themselves (e.g. drop passes) so that they can hide from sight…i.e. ride the pine. Aries is the opposite sign from Libra. While Libra likes to spread the ball around ("give everyone a chance to play") even the most cooperative Aries wants to play the courageous hero, charging down the field for a TD. Good news: both are likely to do good things once the ball gets into their hands. Better news: we have more WRs on the team. Branch (Cancer), Hackett (Cancer), and Engram (Capricorn) are going to do their best not to "let the family down" (by dropping passes for example). Burleson (Leo) ran into the ego problem I mentioned before…he found himself having a hard time looking good as a WR, but looked real good as a KR, and both the good and bad got emphasized. We'll see how he does now that we're looking at giving the new recruits more KR duty.

LB Will Herring (Virgo, 5th draft choice). This is an exciting pick, as our linebacking squad is shaping up to be monstrously good. Virgo is exceptionally complimentary to Scorpio's leadership (Lofa Tatupu = Scorpio, Leroy Hill = Virgo). If they can get his strength up to par, the odd man out may be Peterson (Leo). However, Peterson is the "star linebacker" on the team (outside of Seattle, his name is better known than Lofa's) and he's unlikely to be displaced by a rookie this year. Still, Herring should provide good coordination if Hill goes down with injuries this year.

And now to the scariest part of (Seattle’s) game: the O-Line.

We've got several different astrological issues to look at: coordination of tackle/guard combo, coordination of RB/line combo, coordination of C/QB combo.

Centers include Chris Spencer (Aries), Pat Ross (Pisces), and Austin King (Aries)…none are great with QB Libra, but I'd take either Aries over the Fish. Why? Because the Center has to work fairly independently from the rest of the line…hike the ball, stand up, and butt with those ram horns. While less-than-optimal at going more than 1-on-1 with someone, the Aries thrives in the head-to-head match-up…just hope they don't jump the gun!

Right now, the depth chart pairs Rob Sims (Sagittarius) with Walter Jones (Capricorn); this ain't much of a combo. Jones will be able to teach Sims something (which isn't saying much…Jones could probably teach every lineman in the NFL a thing or two), but Sag and Capricorn don't work nearly as well as a team like say Scorpio (Steve Hutch) and Capricorn. Pork Chop Womack is a Scorp and does play Guard…when he's not injured. He's 28 years old, dammit! Get those legs in shape!

Alexander (Virgo) and Mack Strong (Virgo) work great with Capricorns (duh) and Scorpios (double-duh)…they are often in conflict/frustrated with Sagittarius. Crap.

On the other side we have the venerable Chris Gray and Sean Locklear (both Gemini). Intellectuals and air signs, they are great and coordinating with each other and with our Libra QB…however, they are as frustrating for our RBs as if they were both Sagittarians. Double-crap.

Tom Ashworth is a Libra, and plays both sides of the line as tackle (just as you'd expect from a "balanced" Libra). He's not doing anything fantastic enough to start, though.

So what about the new guys?

G Mansfield Wrotto (Libra, 4th draft pick)…like Ashworth, he'll probably readily back up both sides of the Center.

OT (but listed as G on depth chart) Steve Vallos (Capricorn, 8th and final pick)…think of him as "Walter Jones in training." It would be nice to have a Capricorn on each end of the line, but Caps can be slow to develop, (though masterful once they have developed). It's far more likely that he'll be Jones's replacement, if he lasts that long.

We have no other Guards listed on the depth chart; this is an extremely scary situation. O-Lines need to learn to work together which only comes from playing together, and they also need starting chemistry (something astrology can help predict). Right now, the Seahawks have a semi-schizophrenic line situation. Gemini (our right side) works well with both Libra (QB, back-ups) and with our Aries Centers. Sag (LG) works great with Libra (QB, back-ups) and Aries Center. None of 'em work exceptionally well with Capricorn (Walter Jones) or Virgo (Strong and Alexander). We know that Jones will suck it up and pull his own weight (as Capricorn does), but a predictable running attack is a mediocre running attack at best. We really need Womack to get healthy, as he can contribute to an inside running game (instead of just sweeps and screen passes).

I should say that this doesn't mean we won't have a running game…it just means that the Seahawks will not have an easy/dominating running game as they did 2 and 3 seasons ago. As for me, my idea of a "good game" is one where my team does dominate (it helps keep our QB upright, too). If Jones doesn't get some help this season from Sims, Womack, or someone, he's likely (in the Capricorn way) to simply blame himself and hang up his cleats for good. Last season, he was letting folks get through for sacks, and I would say it wasn't for "lacking a step" so much as simply trusting his Guard to pick up things that weren't picked up; the left side just wasn't as coordinated as in seasons past.

Chemistry, chemistry, chemistry…it is the foundation upon which practice, discipline, and good coaching builds championship teams!