Deadhawks

Despite hopes, aspirations and predictions that had the Seattle Seahawks returning to the NFC elite, it's clear the only thing relatively certain for this team is a top ten draft pick.

Six games into the Hawks 2009 season and two convincing wins have been tempered by three embarrassing blowout losses. This team, and even the organization has major fundamental issues that need to be addressed.

The offensive line has been a fatal flaw for the Seahawks since general manager Tim Ruskell screwed the pooch on the Steve Hutchinson deal in 2006. Naturally, you'd assume Ruskell would respond by signing another o-lineman. Nope. He decided to sign a wide receiver.

Ruskell wildly overpaid for the wildly overrated Nate Burleson - most believe it was retaliation against Minnesota for luring away Hutchinson. If it's any consolation, the Vikings haven't been the same team since Burleson left town. Put Burleson on their current roster and no doubt the Vikes are a NFC contender. Oh, wait.

And while we're on the subject, Burleson doesn't get a pass because he's from Seattle. I've heard way to0 many people talk about how "Nate reps for Seattle". Great that he reps for Seattle. If someone gave me $49 million, I'd rep for Kyrgyzstan. The simple fact is that the Burleson signing is a microcosm of what is plaguing a team that was in the Super Bowl four years ago.

Ruskell's subsequent personnel moves (T.J. Duckett, Julius Jones, Pat Kearney) are starting to make him look as intelligent as Balloon Boy's dad. And the whole thing with having Jim Mora as assistant to the regional manager of Dunder Mifflin never made much sense. Looks like Mora's year in training under Mike Holmgren really paid off!

Yes, the Hawks have been hampered by injuries. But every other team in the league has injuries too. What it comes down to is this Seahawks team is not very good.

And if the story of a franchise that felt emboldened by years of unprecedented success sounds familiar to Seattleites, it's because the same thing played out with the Mariners.

Lead by a new front office, the Mariners tied the record for most regular season wins in a season. Between 2000 and 2003, they averaged 98 wins a season. Then the bottom fell out.

The Seahawks underwent their front office overhaul in 2005. They made the Super Bowl that season and won the NFC West the following two years. Then the bottom fell out.

Both franchises had a formula for winning that made things seem so simple and so effortless. The problem is that the game isn't that simple. There isn't a formula for winning that will consistently work without modification. The Mariners and now the Seahawks failed to recognize that. Signing pricey free agents only works for so long.

Luckily, the Hawks have upcoming gimme games against Detroit, St. Louis, Tampa Bay and Tennessee. But a six win season doesn't cut it.

Upper management changes are necessary. Personnel changes are necessary.

This is going to get worse before it gets better.