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Seattle Seahawks' Russell Wilson threw for 26 touchdowns his rookie season.

(AP)

Prediction: First, NFC West

Success. The Seahawks chased it for Pete Carroll's first three years as coach, and now he will see how his team handles it.

The Seahawks have a rising stars at quarterback in

and a defense that allowed the NFL's fewest points last season. They were being hailed as a Super Bowl contender even before an offseason that was both impressive and aggressive.

The team added

— a veritable Swiss Army knife — to an offense that turned the corner in the final month of last season. It followed that up by signing pass-rushing defensive linemen

and

to address a chronic issue.

The Seahawks, with one of the league's youngest rosters, will be facing the pressure of expectations for the first time.

Two players to watch

BREAKOUT PLAYER

: TE

Miller spent so much of his first two seasons in Seattle blocking, he could have been listed as a tackle. The Seahawks' improvement on the offensive line might free him up to do more receiving.

And remember, this is a guy who had more than 50 catches in three successive seasons at Oakland before coming to Seattle.

SCOUT'S TAKE

: WR Percy Harvin

"People may wonder why Seattle gave up a first-round pick as part of the deal to get Harvin, but it was going to be hard-pressed to find a starter with the 25th overall selection this year. Harvin is a guy you could argue is a top-10 offensive player in this league. He can line up all over the field, loves to return kicks, and for all the questions about him, there's no doubt that he loves to compete in practice. …

"He's not your prototypical big-bodied receiver that Pete Carroll (gravitates) toward, but make no mistake, Harvin can play outside because he's fast as hell. Seattle gave up a lot of money to sign him in addition to those three draft picks, including the first-rounder, but he is one of the league's top home run threats. It's a risk, but one that has a pretty big upside."

INSIDE THE HEADSET

Carroll loves to be aggressive, and now that he's got one of the most talented teams in the league, it will be interesting to see if he's even more inclined to go for it on fourth down or at the goal line. That was certainly his M.O. at Southern Cal.

An opponent breaks down the Seahawks

:

"They're a defense that is big, fast and filled with aggressive players, which makes the relatively conservative play-calling puzzling at times. They are among the most blitz-reluctant teams in the league, and that's especially true against elite quarterbacks. It's almost like they're waiting for the opponents to make a mistake rather than forcing the issue.

"Despite that, this team is still a bear to move the ball against, and its variety of body types can make for a nightmare. You've got one defensive end (

) who's pretty much a tackle and another end (

) who's faster than most linebackers.

"The offense is all about (Russell Wilson), and you're not going to hear nearly as much about his height this year. He's more elusive than you think, a good decision-maker, and for all the talk about how short he is, the man has a big arm. If he's as good as he looked in December, this team is set for the next decade."

Analysis: offense

For three months last season, the Seahawks had a decidedly pedestrian offense. They were averaging fewer pass attempts than any other team in the league. Then, Carroll fully turned the offense over to Russell Wilson and watched as the Seahawks averaged 42.5 points over the final four games. They aren't going to change the offensive emphasis on the running game and

, but things are going to open up now that Wilson has a full year of NFL experience and Seattle has added a top-shelf receiver.

Quarterbacks

: The Seahawks entered last season hoping to find a long-term answer at quarterback, and just one year later, they are fairly certain they've found him.

Wilson became the first quarterback drafted outside the first round to start the season opener as a rookie since Kyle Orton for the Chicago Bears in 2005. All Wilson did was match Peyton Manning's rookie record of 26 touchdown passes, lead Seattle to back-to-back 50-point games in December and finish 11-5.

At the beginning of last season, Seattle was trying to minimize the pressure on the rookie with a conservative passing game and run-heavy play selection. By December, Wilson was the best player on the field. He led the Seahawks to the postseason, where they won a wild-card game before losing to the Atlanta Falcons in the divisional playoffs. In that game, Wilson marched the Seahawks back from a 20-point fourth-quarter deficit and put his team with 31 seconds of advancing to the NFC Championship Game. This season, instead of being an untested rookie, Wilson is a franchise quarterback viewed as capable of winning championships.

Behind Wilson, Seattle traded backup Matt Flynn to Oakland and signed

. In June, they signed

to compete against Quinn for the backup job.

GRADE: B+

Running backs

: There isn't a back in the league who runs harder than Marshawn Lynch. That style has made him successful but also makes it hard to project just how long he will remain effective.

He turned 27 earlier this year and he is coming off the most productive season of his career: 1,590 rushing yards. He has been everything Seattle could have hoped for since acquiring him from Buffalo in 2010, but there are concerns about his durability. He has missed only one game the past two seasons but has a chronically sore back.

In order to protect Lynch, expect Seattle to give more opportunities to

, a second-year back who is bigger than Lynch, as well as second-round pick

. Turbin rushed for 354 yards on 80 carries as a rookie last season. Michael, who rushed for nearly 3,000 yards in his four seasons at Texas A&M, was a surprise selection, but he was the top player on the team's draft board.

Wilson plays a part in the running game, too. The read option was a staple in Seattle's playbook over the final month of last season, but expect defenses to be better prepared to neutralize that aspect of the offense.

GRADE: B

Receivers

: The Seahawks haven't had a 1,000-yard receiver since 2007, and they haven't had a wide receiver make the Pro Bowl since Brian Blades in 1989.

The sheer volume of Seattle's receiving options could be a barrier to ending either of those streaks in 2013. Seattle acquired Percy Harvin, who can play every receiving spot on the field, not to mention line up at running back. He'll be mixed into an offense that includes

, who is coming off a breakout season, as well as

, who was the team's top receiver in 2012.

And don't forget tight end Zach Miller, who had a career-high 142 yards receiving in the playoff game in Atlanta. Throw in

, who led the team in receptions in 2011, and Seattle has gone from having one of the league's worst group of pass-catching targets in 2010 to being mentioned among the best.

Of course, just how much Seattle will throw is a question. The Seahawks averaged 25.3 passes a game last year, two fewer than any other team in the NFL. If they stick to their run-based offense, as Carroll insists they will, will the receivers stay happy?

GRADE: B+

Line

: This was Seattle's biggest vulnerability when Carroll arrived three years ago, but it has become a burgeoning strength since assistant Tom Cable took it over in 2011.

The Seahawks return five starters on the line for a second consecutive year, and they've developed a cohesion that can't be faked. Left tackle

is a Pro Bowler who is considered one of the best players at one of the league's most valuable positions, while center

has established himself as one of the league's top two players at his position.

A player to keep an eye on is guard

, a seventh-round pick in 2012 whom Seattle switched from defensive tackle to offensive line and found to be a natural fit. He had displaced

as the starter by the end of last season. Former first-round pick

finished each of the past two years on injured reserve because of a knee injury, but the guard is the strongest player on the team and could be a factor this year.

GRADE: B

Analysis: defense

No team allowed fewer points last season, which is remarkable considering the Seahawks were decidedly average in terms of their pass rush and third-down defense.

Dan Quinn replaces new Jacksonville Jaguars coach Gus Bradley as the coordinator, and the biggest question is whether the Seahawks will become more aggressive in terms of their blitzing tendencies this season out of a hybrid defense that is schematically a 4-3 formation but philosophically more like a 3-4.

Line

: If there's a question mark on this team, it's up front. The Seahawks totaled 36 sacks last year, tied for 18th in the league. The lack of a consistent pass rush was best illustrated on third down, where Seattle ranked No. 17 in conversion percentage, shockingly low considering it allowed the fewest points in the league.

Bruce Irvin led all rookies with eight sacks last season, but he will miss the first four games of the season after being suspended for using a banned substance. Concerns over

' recovery from a severe knee injury in January were eased by the additions of Cliff Avril—a pure speed rusher from the outside—and Michael Bennett, who will provide interior pressure in Seattle's nickel defense. Third-round pick

can also provide an interior pass rush.

Seattle's run defense is another question, as it went from being one of the league's best—allowing an average of 70 yards rushing over the first six games—to being downright poor. The Seahawks allowed an average of more than five yards per rush over the final 10 games.

The Seahawks let two-year starting tackle Alan Branch leave and replaced him with

, who was signed to a one-year contract after he started two games in four years with the Miami Dolphins.

The team is relying on Red Bryant to return to his run-stuffing form of 2011 and

to remain consistent in the middle.

provides depth at nose tackle, and second-year men

and

could be rotational players.

fell to the Seahawks in the fifth round because of concerns about his knee, but he could be a significant contributor to early-down defense. Still, Seattle's ability to stop the run is the team's biggest uncertainty going forward.

GRADE: B-

Linebackers

: No position group better exemplifies Seattle's change in talent evaluation under general manager John Schneider. A year ago, the Seahawks let David Hawthorne leave in free agency after he led the team in tackles for three successive years. They found his replacement in the second round of the draft, selecting middle linebacker

from Utah State. Wagner was younger, faster and significantly cheaper, finishing runner-up to the Carolina Panthers' Luke Kuechly — a top-10 pick — for Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Strongside linebacker

could be on the brink of a breakthrough, and

is a speedy—though often injured—weakside linebacker. Seattle needs to improve its depth at the position, but the wild card here is Avril. He was a pass-rushing end in Detroit the past five years but played some linebacker in college at Purdue. The Seahawks could conceivably use him occasionally at strongside linebacker, moving Wright over to the weak side.

GRADE: B

Secondary

: One of the NFL's best secondaries added one of the NFL's best nickel cornerbacks when Seattle signed

. At 36, he is the oldest player on the roster, and he doesn't have the length of outside cornerbacks

(6-4) and

(6-3). But Winfield is physical and excels in run support.

There wasn't a better cover corner in the league than Sherman last year, and Browner is among the NFL's most physical defensive backs.

The Seahawks already have one of the top safety tandems in the league, with strong safety

serving as a cleanup hitter and free safety

providing sideline-to-sideline range. Both are Pro Bowlers, and Thomas' speed is a signature of this defense because it allows the team to leave a single safety over the top and stack up against the run.

GRADE: A

Analysis: special teams

Seattle feels so good about its special teams that it released Pro Bowler Leon Washington even after he set a franchise record by averaging 29 yards on kick returns last season.

It's hard to argue with the move, considering Percy Harvin has scored on five kick returns in his four NFL seasons.

is nearly a Pro Bowl-caliber punter who specializes in planting kicks inside the 20. The only question is kicker.

was remarkably consistent last season, but his leg is only average.

GRADE: A

Bottom line

The Seahawks were the league's hottest team when last season ended, and they will be considered a Super Bowl favorite when this season begins. Whether they fulfill that promise will depend on whether Wilson not only replicates but builds upon the success he had in the month of December while continuing to mitigate turnovers. Given the relatively young age of the roster and the offseason additions, it's reasonable to assume these Seahawks will improve at every position.

-- Danny O'Neil, Sporting News | This article originally appeared on SportingNews.com

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