Lawyer Milloy rockin’ the bald fade in his UW days

A football team that finishes 4-12 one season shouldn’t harbor much optimism for the next. Yet the Seahawks do, and rightly so.

Last year’s record was a fluke, caused by a series of injuries to the team’s key offensive players–most of the receivers, the starting QB, and the entire offensive line.

Toss this in the unlucky salad: The fact that four of the twelve losses were by three points or less. The fact that the Seahawks were -7 in turnover differential. The fact that former coach Mike Holmgren’s name is an anagram for “Him Elk Monger.”

As a Seahawks fan, we have seen plenty of terrible football teams. 2008’s wasn’t one of them.

Not that there weren’t problems. The defense, which didn’t endure any major injuries, was a huge disappointment. Star linebacker Lofa Tatupu said before the season that the team would record five shutouts. Instead, the Hawks’ D allowed more points than all but seven other teams.

This year’s Seahawks D has several new starters, with a new emphasis: stopping the run. And if you remember Newton’s laws of physics, that can only mean one thing–getting bigger.

To that end, the Hawks acquired 622 pounds of new defensive lineman: 330-lb. Colin Cole will line up at defensive tackle as the designated run-stopper. Cory Redding, who Detroit once made the highest paid defensive tackle in football, will play defensive end in Seattle.

Other new faces on the new, embiggened defense: Aaron Curry, the fourth overall pick in the 2009 NFL draft, will replace Julian Peterson.

Ex-Seahawk Ken Lucas, at 205 lbs., will be a far more physical presence at cornerback.

And the team has cut safety Brian Russell, who’s inability to tackle opposing running backs (or even opposing quarterbacks) turned Seahawks fans apoplectic. Legendary hard-hitter Lawyer Milloy, a Tacoma kid and former UW star, was signed to replace Russell, though Milloy will begin his Seahawks career as a backup.

The general idea is this–a larger defensive line should occupy blockers long enough for main tackler Tatupu to get to ball carriers. This will prevent runners from getting into the secondary (though if they do, having Milloy to clean up the mess is far better than the unreliable Russell.)

New defensive coordinator Gus Bradley, who four years ago was an assistant coach at North Dakota State, will have the keys to this new, heavier car.

He starts with a difficult assignment in week one, Rams’ running back Stephen Jackson. About whom more later.