Patrick Kerney Retires: R.I.P. Once-Feared Seahawks Pass Rush

They should've had a nickname. "The Terrible Threes," or "Blue Blitz," or "Kerney's Kavalry." In 2007, Seahawks Patrick Kerney, Julian Peterson and Darryl Tapp combined for 30 sacks. Their pressure on opposing quarterbacks--Kerney and Tapp from the line, Peterson on blitzes--masked the shortcomings of a weak Seahawks secondary and led a declining Hawks team to the last of five consecutive playoff appearances.

Peterson, slowing down after passing age 30, was traded to Detroit before last season. Tapp, deemed expendable after a disappointing '09 season, was traded to Philadelphia last month. Now Kerney, who has endured numerous surgeries since his 14.5-sack '07, has retired.

"Despite the desire to continue my career, I am retiring from professional football," Kerney said in a statement. "The toll that has been taken on my body will no longer allow me to train, and hence, perform, at a level that is acceptable to me."

Kerney's injury, Peterson's departure and Tapp's regression all contributed to a pass-rush-less 2009. The Seahawks had just 28 sacks as a team, two less than K.P.T. had between the three of them in '07. Kerney once again led the team in sacks, but had just five as he played with severe elbow pain most of the year.

Lack of sacks doesn't doom a defense. The NFL's top defense, the New York Jets, collected just 32 of them. But the Jets had an outstanding secondary led by potential Hall-of-Fame cornerback Derrelle Revis. Despite having time to throw, opposing quarterbacks completed just 52 percent of their passes against New York, best in the NFL. With time to throw against the Seahawks secondary, QB's were on target 66 percent of the time. Yeah.

The already poor pass rush looks even worse for 2010. With Kerney retired, Tapp traded, and Cory Redding departed as a free agent, 9.5 of those 28 sacks are gone. The Hawks have added pass-rush specialist Chris Clemons, who came over in the Tapp trade, but Clemons' pass-rush failures are the reason Philly sent him away.

If Pete Carroll's team has any chance of competing in the first year of his reign, he must either get a better pass rush or a better secondary. Nine days from now, when the Seahawks pick 6th and 14th in the 2010 NFL Draft, we'll find out which one he chose.