During Mike Holmgren’s tenure as Seahawks Head Coach, the Hawks were well known for their West-Coast style passing attack. With the exception of Shaun Alexander’s 27 TD MVP season in 2005, Seattle has been a pass-first team.


Newly hired Offensive Coordinator and play-caller Gregg Knapp, however, holds a different offensive philosophy.
While Knapp was the offensive coordinator of the Atlanta Falcons from 2004-2006, the Falcons led the league in rushing three straight years. During Knapp’s 8 seasons as the coordinator of the 49ers, Falcons and Raiders, his teams have placed in the top 10 of rushing attempts seven times and the top six six times.


It’s safe to say that Knapp likes running the ball.
But this Seahawks team is different from Knapp’s previous run-oriented teams. This is no 49er team with Kevan Barlow and Garrison Hearst, no Falcons team with Michael Vick and Warrick Dunn, nor even a Raiders team with Justin Fargas and Darren McFadden. This is only a Seattle team with only Julius Jones and T.J. Duckett, neither of whose ability justifies a run-first offense.
Instead, this team has the players to be a pass-first contender. With a healthy Pro-Bowl quarterback in Matt Hasselbeck, the Hawks can return to the playoffs by maintaining Holmgren’s West Coast offense. Hasselbeck now has several top targets to throw to in wide receivers Deion Branch, Nate Burleson, and newly added T.J. Houshmandzadeh. If the Seahawks can avoid another wide-receiver epidemic like the one that struck last year, they should be able to win games with a high-powered passing attack similar to the Super Bowl loser Arizona Cardinals’.
All the pieces are in place. What remains is for Knapp to recognize the Hawks’ strengths and play to them. Hopefully the high-paid coordinator can see what even the common fan can, and pass first.


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