Football Talk is just a segment where I ramble on about the sport I love the most. I am going to start off by talking about the Seahawks' passing game with the additions of Sidney Rice and Tavaris Jackson. The 'Hawks were 7-9 last season, but they still made the playoffs despite being a poor team. Offensively, they were a mess to say the least.

Darrell Bevell was Minnesota's offensive coordinator, and he has brought along Tavaris Jackson and Sidney Rice from the Vikes. Rice had a great year in 2009 when the Vikings were a contender, and Brett Favre was under center. With a capable quarterback, Rice can once again turn in a year like that. The problem is that he hasn't had a capable QB, and I don't consider Jackson startable

The thing is, Rice was poor with Jackson starting. Another thing, Bevell is really bad at mentoring QBs. I would honestly rather have Matt Hasselbeck than Tavaris Jackson right now, because at least Hasselbeck was consistent in a way. You knew he was going to be subpar, but you also knew that he wouldn't be terrible. Tavaris Jackson still has the potential to be a decent QB and is explosive as a rusher, but upside and rushing ability aren't the greatest skills a QB can have. It's accuracy, and Jackson is not accurate at all.

Contrary to popular belief, the Seahawks offensive line is a great pass blocking unit. Right tackle Sean Locklear did a great job of pass blocking last year, and I hope they bring him back. I'm not sold on rookie James Carpenter. Locklear isn't a special player- he's only average- but at least he can play well in pass pro. Rookie Russell Okung is the best player on that line, and he is also a good pass blocker.

The Chicago Bears signed Chris Spencer, but the Seahawks should be elated that he is on the Bears. Spencer is one of the worst centers in the league, and I have no idea why the Bears want to replace Olin Kreutz with him. Sure Kreutz isn't what he used to be, but he is still a solid pass blocker and a great leader.

Although the Seahawks are a great pass blocking unit, they are a poor offensive line overall. The reason being is the horrible run blocking. They are probably the worst offensive line in the NFL at helping out their running back, so Marshawn Lynch really had to work that much harder last year. People always talk about how Lynch always gets short gains. Well, that's because of the line that's blocking in front of him; they just don't get enough push. Lynch only averaged 3.5 yards per carry because of how awful his line was at blocking for him. The same can be said for Rashard Mendenhall and the Steelers' line.

I don't really like the Seahawks right now as a team, and I think they are in line for a worse season. I expect them to be 5-11 with the Rams winning the division. The Seahawks have a better receiving corpse, thanks to the addition of Sidney Rice, but they are still poor defensively and have a terrible QB.

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Posted By: Joe Soriano - Category: NFL, Matt Hasselbeck, Steelers, Rashard Mendenhall, Bears, Chris Spencer, Olin Kreutz CHI, Vikings, Seahawks, Darrell Bevell, James Carpenter, Marshawn Lynch, Russell Okung, Sean Locklear SEA, Sidney Rice, Tavaris Jackson

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2011 NFL Draft Team Grades Part 4

May 5th 2011 14:19

Philadelphia Eagles B plus- The Eagles usually do a solid job in the draft, and they did a good job this year. Danny Watkins is definitely going to start at guard, and he's a huge upgrade on the line. The Eagles' linebackers were poor last year, so the addition of Casey Matthews in the fourth round was a huge one for Philly. He was a nice deal there, and he will start. Dion Lewis can be a solid running back in the draft, and he was a nice pick in the fifth round.

Pittsburgh Steelers D plus- I really didn't like the draft the Steelers turned in this year. I love the Cameron Heyward pick a lot, but there was really nothing of note besides him for Pittsburgh.

San Diego Chargers B Corey Liuget will play at end in the Chargers' 3-4 and will effectively replace the poor Luis Castillo. Vincent Brown runs good routes, and he'll be productive for the Chargers; who may lose a few wideouts to free agency. Jordan Todman was my favorite pick by the Chargers. He was incredible for UConn, and he should be able to get some carries because the Chargers don't exactly have a steady running game. Todman was a very good deal in the 6th round.

San Francisco 49ers B Aldon Smith was a reach at number seven, but if you think he's the guy; you take him. Smith will fit in nicely in new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio's defense. He's a very good edge rusher with a ton of upside, and this may mean that Manny Lawson- another quality edge rusher- will depart via free agency. Kendall Hunter was good value in the fourth round, and he will be right where he belongs; a solid backup to a great running back.

Colin Kaepernick can be a good starting quarterback in the NFL with another season. His funky delivery suits him well, and it actually helps him get rid of the ball faster. That quirky throwing motion is a good thing. Jim Harbaugh likes Alex Smith, and I hope Smith stays for another year as a bridge for Kaepernick. Kaepernick is a smart QB with great arm strength, and he is very athletic. With a year on the bench to learn an NFL playbook- he came from a pistol offense in college- Kaepernick could be the answer for San Francisco.

Seattle Seahawks F plus- This was a horrible draft. First, they took James Carpenter when Derek Sherrod and Gabe Carimi were on the board. The only solid player they picked in this draft was Wisconsin guard John Moffitt. That was a nice pick- he will be a solid contributor and leader right off- but that was just one guy. If Seattle wants to get better and build through the draft, they need to draft well in the first place.