NFL Kicks Off On Thursday, But ...

This Thursday, the NFL kicks off with the New Orleans Saints at Lambeau Field to take on the Green Bay Packers.  It used to be that the NFL started on Sunday, but I like getting a little tease with a game on Thursday.  Even Monday Night Football will have two games to conclude opening weekend.

I love the NFL, but am having a hard time finding much to cheer for with the Seahawks this season. I can't see them winning more then four games.  I had high hopes before the preseason started with the additions of Robert Gallery, Sidney Rice and Zach Miller. Unless they can turn things around really fast and get their offensive line to come together, it will be a long season.

I was not in favor of the Hawks letting Matt Hasselbeck go with no sure starter to fill his shoes.  Tarvaris Jackson has not looked good in the preseason and you can't judge Charlie Whitehurst when he has only played against the second-stringers. 

I was excited about the addition of Tom Cable as the new Offensive Line coach.  I had high expectations that he would be able to come in and fix the O-Line and get them to play as a cohesive unit. That changed in the first preseason game when Russell Okung goes down with an ankle injury. In Friday's game against Oakland Robert Gallery injured his knee and first-round draft pick James Carpenter came into training camp out of shape.

It won't matter who the Hawks have as QB if there is no stable O-Line. As the line goes, so will the Hawks' offense.  Without an O-Line, there will be no openings for the running game and no time for the QB to make passes down field.  The Hawks' QBs will be scrambling out of the pocket to make time for their receivers to get open or looking to throw a short yardage dunk pass. 

Otherwise, the Hawks QBs' will be spending a lot of time on their backs and getting to know the turf really well. 

Usually a team will use the running game to open up the passing game or the passing game to open up the running game.  With the Hawks not being able to do either one, it is going to lead to a lot of three-and-outs. Thankfully, Jon Ryan is a solid punter -- but I have a feeling we will be seeing a lot of him this season.

My biggest worry on the defense is the secondary.  Any team that has a good QB will be able to shred our secondary to pieces.  A good example was the San Diego preseason game: if Philip Rivers would have played the whole game instead of just the first quarter, he had receivers wide open all day.  A few of his passes looked more like he was out playing catch with his receivers because they were so wide open.  I miss the days when players played both offense and defense.  At this point I would love to see how the Hawks' wide receivers would do as cornerbacks.

With the Hawks not retaining their kicker, Olindo Mare, who has been solid for them in past seasons, the position was wide open.  They brought in Jeff Reed who kicked in all the pre-season games but was released over the weekend.  They then signed Steven Hauschka, who was just released from Denver.  What scares me is that with no solid offense, the Hawks will have to rely on field goals.  They now have a new kicker who has not yet worked with the snapper and holder in a game situation.  Their first chance to work together in a game will be opening day. I would think this is not when you want to be trying this out.

As a Seahawks fan, I can handle a rebuilding season, but this could be the second time in team history they have four losing seasons in a row.  I still feel they will be looking for yet another starting QB next season, because neither Jackson nor Whitehurst will be the answer. 

So what do I have to look forward to this season?  I will watch every Hawks game with the hope of them pulling out a win.  I will also be following the Tennessee Titans to see how Hasselbeck and Jake Locker do. 

And, if nothing else, I will be rooting for the Cowboys to lose every game they play.