A capsule look at reasons for concern among teams in the NFC West: Arizona Cardinals 1. Quarterback. Obviously, the QB situation is a huge concern. The club is open to trading Matt Leinart, and new starter Derek Anderson hardly is a proven commodity. If Leinart leaves, either Max Hall or John Skelton, both rookies, would be the backup. With the QB situation unsettled, it might take awhile for the offense to find a rhythm. 2. Inside linebacker. This position remains a real concern with two new starters in place.

The Seattle Seahawks, trying to create salary flexibility, are trying to trade veteran wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh just a little over a year after giving him a big-money contract in free agency, according to NFL Network. Houshmandzadeh, 32, caught 79 passes for 911 yards and three touchdowns last season. A lot of teams could use his skills, but the Seahawks reportedly can't find any team willing to take on his contract that guarantees him $7 million this season.

According to NFL Network’s Jason La Canfora the Seahawks are actively trying to trade wideout T.J. Houshmandzadeh.

Houshmandzadeh turns 33 later this month and is due $7 million in base salary.

Known more for being a possession receiver, Houshmandzadeh caught 79 passes for 911 yards and three touchdowns last year for the Hawks.

With the emergence of Mike Williams and Houshmandzadeh’s playing style that doesn’t fit in well with new offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates vertical passing system, Housh has fallen out of favor with the new Seahawks regime.

The thought coming out of Seattle for the Seahawks to move T.J. he would have to agree to a pay cut, but with little teams showing interest in the 33-year-old, and T.J. showing no pressing desire to leave Seattle, I don’t see that happening.

But it does make me ponder if a deal is in the works for Arizona quarterback Matt Leinart.

The Cardinals let a similar player in Anquan Boldin go to Baltimore this offseason and Houshmandzadeh could fill the vacancy needed in Arizona for a possession receiver not afraid to run routes over the middle of the field.

Couple that, with the fact Matt Leinart wants out of Arizona because of his most recent demotion and his fondness for Pete Carroll, and Seahawk fans you have the making of a potential trade.

I applaud the idea of moving T.J. because of his age and his strong attitude, which can sometimes be a distraction in the locker room, but to trade him for Matt Leinart with Vincent Jackson still on the table isn’t the right move.

Houshmandzadeh has been quoted by KJR 950 Sports Talk radio in Seattle as saying, “He is aware of the trade rumors, but no matter where he plays he will be an improved player this year.”

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Charlie Whitehurst may be set for this season as the backup to Matt Hasselbeck, a job that could lead to…

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Since taking over as head coach of the Seattle Seahawks in January, Pete Carroll has worked to put his imprint on this organization, from the fast-paced way the team practices to the tightly packed schedule the players adhere to when they are on the road.

And from the looks of things, the players have bought what Carroll is selling as the Seahawks try to bounce back from a disappointing 5-11 campaign a year ago.

The way Carroll has grabbed his players’ attention is letting them know that no one is irreplaceable and everyone is competing for a job, even veteran quarterback Matt Hasselbeck.

Carroll made that clear by trading for San Diego restricted free agent Charlie Whitehurst.

“The most critical position in this game is quarterback, and we’re trying to…

At the beginning of training camp, I considered the Seahawks to be a four-win team. Heck, to be honest with you, up until last week’s preseason game, I wrote the Seahawks off as the worst team in the NFL, but something has changed my mind.

After watching the Seahawks these last two weeks and looking at their upcoming schedule, believe it or not, without leaning on my west coast bias, I’m predicting the Seahawks will be 10-6 in Pete Carroll’s first year coaching the Hawks, guiding them to the playoffs in 2010.

You don’t have to pinch yourself — this isn’t a tale of fiction disguised as a sports article.

It’s just that the more I watch Mike Williams, the more I’m convinced he was worthy of once being the 10th overall selection in an NFL draft.    

And like Williams’ career, the more you read this article it sounds like I’m doing an about face, it’s because well, I am.

Put the preseason stats aside, I know the Hawks’ first team Offense has yet to score a touchdown in their opening possession.  But I’m seeing little things in the Seahawks’ preseason games that lead me to believe this team is better than advertised.

For instance, throughout the first three preseason games Matt Hasselbeck has looked very comfortable in the pocket, very protected. Yeah a couple sacks here and there, but for the most part, even without the Hawks’ first round pick left tackle Russel Okung, the Seahawks offensive line play has been good.

The lack of production, to me, stems from the lack of a running game, but by the brief way wide outs T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Deion Branch, Mike Williams and Golden Tate have been used, I have a strong inclination that when Offensive Coordinator Jeremy Bates releases the Hawks offense from it’s current preseason cage, these birds are going to soar.

I’m convinced that Mike Williams has already earned the number one receiver role in the Seahawks offense, and once teams fear the 6″5 play maker, Ala like when Bates guided All-Pro wide out Brandon Marshall, the run game will be productive.

Watching the Seahawks’ defense flip-a-switch by responding to local criticism with their play against the Vikings last week showed me:

A. Marcus Trufant is back to being a probowl corner.

B. There is a game changer now playing safety for the Hawks, and being from Texas he showed last week that he isn’t going to be afraid of a good ole’ fashion Wild Wild West shootout.

Come high noon Sundays at Quest Field, I gotta feeling there will be less bullets flying through the middle of the Hawks secondary.

C. With the position changes on Defense, Hawk fans, you can’t call the defensive line undersized anymore.

Furthermore, there isn’t a legitimate pro bowl quarterback in the NFC west besides Matt Hasselbeck; meaning if the Hawks’ defense plays like it did last week against the Vikings, when this Hawk team plays it’s division rivals, it’s not unfathomable to think that the Hawks could sweep their NFC West foes.

Don’t get me wrong I like the 49ers as the favorite in the NFC West, but QB Alex Smith hasn’t exactly performed like a No. 1 pick, so to think that the Niners might under achieve isn’t exactly out of the realm of possibilities.

Besides, Pete Carroll is a defensive guru and one has to look no further than all of the USC second half comebacks to understand Carrolls’ ability to make in-game adjustments. A certain Notre Dame game immediately comes to mind.

Nevertheless, in game coaching is something that has been absent in the Seahawks repertoire since Mike Holmgren left, and I’m positive we will see an immediate improvement in that category this season.

Reading this story, if you still think I’m one Hawk away from a coo coos nest, let’s take a look at the Hawks schedule, game by game and dare to dream.

First the Hawks open up against San Francisco, which I consider a loss followed by a win in Denver before losing at home in week 3 against Phillip Rivers and the Chargers.

Going into the bye-week I think the Hawks will beat the Rams in St. Louis to start the season 2-2.

Coming off the bye week, I expect the Hawks to cement themselves as a high fly passing attack as they beat the Bears in Chicago before coming home and beating the Cardinals at Quest field for their first home victory of 2010.

Capping what would be a five game winning streak I see the Seahawks finishing the first half of the season 6-2 with wins against Oakland and the Giants in weeks eight and nine respectively.

I believe after soaring high for a month the Hawks will return from the air to their usual road woes, with road losses to Arizona and the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints.

Getting back in the air, I see the Hawks flying high as they finish the first 12 games of the season 8-4 with wins against the Chiefs and Panthers in weeks 12 and 13.

In week 14, I think the national spotlight will be a little too bright for the young Hawks as they loose to the Niners in a game that will decide the NFC West crown.

Believing the emotional hangover will carry over to the next week look for the Hawks to loose a poorly played game to the Falcons at home, falling to 8-6.

With two weeks to go, I see the Hawks winning a nail biter in Tampa Bay improving the team to 9-6 while keeping their playoff hopes alive setting up what will be to this point, Pete Carrolls’ signature game as a Hawk.

A match up at home against the hapless Rams for a Wild Card birth and a playoff spot, the Seahawks will win the game on a missed field goal by former Seahawk Josh Brown that would have sent the game into overtime, finishing the season at 10-6.

Go ahead you can pinch me now!

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The Seattle Seahawks were the cream of the crop in the NFC West when they made five straight playoff appearances from 2003-2007, winning the division title four of those years.

That run of success has made the last two seasons especially tough to take.

The Seahawks managed only four wins in 2008 and just five in 2009. In order to speed up the rebuilding process, Seattle has turned to former USC head man Pete Carroll.

While at USC, Carroll had his teams contending for national titles year in and year out. However, winning in the NFL is a different animal. The good news is Carroll knows that. He has a mediocre 33-31 record as an NFL head coach, and that should drive him in his second go-around in the NFL.

Offense

Seattle ranked No. 25 in the league in scoring offense last season, putting an average of just 17.5 points on the scoreboard each week. The running game was awful, and the passing game was just mediocre behind an offensive line filled with question marks.

In order for Seattle to contend for an NFC West title, the line must play better in 2010. To bolster this unit, the Seahawks added Russell Okung with their sixth overall pick and Ben Hamilton through free agency. While I like both of these moves, they won’t turn the line into a strength overnight. The hope is that the unit can mesh by mid-October following Seattle’s bye week.

The line will certainly have to play better for Seattle to improve its running game. A little bit of blocking will go a long way for speedy scatbacks Justin Forsett and Leon Washington.

The Seahawks brought in Charlie Whitehurst, but this is still Matt Hasselbeck’s team. After playing in just seven games in 2008, Hasselbeck bounced back to play 14 games in 2009. He finished the season with 3,029 yards and 17 touchdowns with 17 interceptions. Those numbers were actually pretty solid when you consider how many throws he had to make under pressure.

If Hasselbeck can get a little better protection this year, he could be poised for a big season. After all, he has some nice targets to spread the ball around to in T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Mike Williams, Deion Branch, and John Carlson.

Defense

The Seattle defense needs a lot of work after giving up 24.4 points per game in 2009. The biggest thing that needs fixing is a pass defense that was among the worst in the entire league (30th in the NFL).

Recognizing the need for upgrades in the secondary, the Seahawks went after Texas safety Earl Thomas in the draft. They’ll need him to step in right away and produce. They’ll also need guys like cornerback Marcus Trufant to have a bounce-back year.

The defensive backfield doesn’t deserve to take all the heat for Seattle’s poor pass defense. After all, it was the boys up front that couldn’t put any heat on opposing passers. Seattle was among the worst pass rushing teams in the NFL last season, only recording 28 sacks. NFL quarterbacks are good enough to pick apart any defensive backfield if given all day to throw.

The linebacker corps is strong with Lofa Tatupu, Leroy Hill, and Aaron Curry. Injuries kept this trio from being one of the best in the league last season. Hopefully, that won’t be the case again.

Prediction: Second NFC West

The Seahawks have question marks up front on both sides of the football, but I believe this team is ready to challenge for a winning season if it can finally avoid the injury bug. Because the NFC West is weak, the Seahawks will have a shot to contend for the title, but right now the 49ers look to have the edge in the division race.

Check out my 2010 NFL predictions to see which teams I have winning the other seven divisions.

Beat the NFL odds in 2010 with the help of world champion handicapper Jimmy Boyd!

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