Seattle Seahawks: PLAYOFFS?!?, Junior

Because the NFL season never ends, we present our 2009 Offseason Roadmaps for front offices to navigate through the summer.

Mike Holmgren has long been one of the primary identities of the Seattle Seahawks. He took them to the Super Bowl and made them a perennial winner of the NFC West. Then last year happened. As Holmgren's retirement tour rolled along, more and more injuries piled up, Seneca Wallace had to start at quarterback for a few games, and the Seahawks stumbled to a 4-12 record.

Needless to say, it wasn't much fun for Holmgren. For Jim Mora, Jr., the coach-in-waiting who's no longer waiting, it might actually be a blessing in disguise. Sure, he had to suffer through the miserable season as well, but the more the team lost, the better the option he got in the 2009 NFL Draft.

He has some serious upgrades to make, but remember two words: "NFC West." That alone means that as bad as the Seahawks were last year, they can still be competitive in 2009.

Free agents: Rocky Bernard (URA), Bobby Engram (URA), Charlie Frye (URA), Chris Gray (URA), Howard Green (URA), Will Heller (URA), Leroy Hill (URA), D.D. Lewis (URA), Wesly Mallard (URA), Steve McKinney (URA), Maurice Morris (URA), Koren Robinson (URA), Leonard Weaver (URA), Ray Willis (URA), Floyd Womack (URA), Lance Laury (RFA)

Draft picks: 1.4, 2.5, 3.4, 4.5, 5.4, 6.5, 7.4

Needs

1. Wide Receiver
When you have to decide if your team is better off with a guy like Wallace playing quarterback or wide receiver for a given game, you need to address a particular position. Deion Branch is very talented, sure, but he hasn't lived up to the hype he came with. Koren Robinson is not for real ("siiiiiiiiiigh, said the Wolfpack fan) and Bobby Engram is a 36 year old free agent. But there's always Keary Colbert! Actually, there is Courtney Taylor and he could be good in the future, but he's no heart-of-the-franchise wide receiver. You know who is? Michael Crabtree. (Note that with Crabtree's injury, they could use this spot to take care of needs two and three mentioned below as well; plus, as you'll see, Mora could be defensive back inclined.)

2. Cornerback
It'll be interesting to see how the 'Hawks address cornerback; Mora is a secondary specialist, so he might be inclined to think he could simply coach up whatever players he already has on the roster. On the other hand, there's a decent chance he idenitifies someone he really likes in the second round like Sean Smith; if Alphonso Smith or D.J. Moore drop to them there, it would be hard to imagine them not pulling the trigger, and there's a decent trade-up possibility as well.

3. Offensive Line
Of course, Mora may be more inclined to use that second round pick on a more pressing need. Since Steve Hutchinson headed slightly less west for Minny, the running game in Seattle has crumbled. Sure, Shaun Alexander was over the hill, but the truth is that the Seahawks need to, at the very least, prepare their line for the future. Eben Britton or Walter Beatty are both nice talents that should be available in the second round.