Kerney helps, but Seahawks still need a run stopper

By Andy Targovnik  |   Thursday, March 08, 2007  |  Comments( 0 )

Seattle Seahawks
Got something to say?

Sign Up and be the first to comment on this article!

On the surface, signing Patrick Kerney wasn't a bad move for the Seattle Seahawks.

But taken in context with some other factors, it's not unreasonable to question how wise it was to tie up six years and $39.5 million ($19 million guaranteed) on a 30-year-old defensive end who's on the downside of his career. And, after playing every game for the Atlanta Falcons for seven straight years, Kerney's body showed signs of wear in 2006.

While Kerney's 53 tackles and 6½ sacks in 2005 were solid numbers, they were still down considerably from his 2004 career-best totals of 66 tackles and 13 sacks .

But '06 is the real concern.

Before tearing his right pectoral muscle, which prematurely ended his season after only nine games, Kerney only had 16 tackles for the entire year. And while his 4½ sacks appear OK at first glance, 2½ of those came in an early-October blowout win over the hapless Arizona Cardinals.

The $1 million question: Was last year a fluke?

Or, like so many other of his aging peers, could Kerney's body be breaking down? And even if Kerney stays healthy and bolsters the pass rush, was it really necessary for Seattle to add that much payroll at the defensive end slot?

General Manager Tim Ruskell thought so. "Our first priority when we went into free agency was to help our front, help our pass rush," he said.

It's true that no defensive lineman had more than four sacks last year for the Seahawks, and the team only registered seven sacks in its final six regular-season games.

But a closer look at the 2006 Seahawks defense tells a slightly different story. In all, Seattle's pass rush was fine. Even with the subpar final six games, the Seahawks tied for sixth in the NFL with 41 sacks, and they were 16th in the league against the pass, allowing just over 203 yards per game in the air.

The real problem the defense had was stopping the run. Seattle was near the bottom of the league, giving up over 126 yards per game and 4.6 yards a carry. Therefore, Ruskell still needs to bolster the defensive line's interior. Chuck Darby and Rocky Bernard are decent all-around tackles, but they're certainly not elite run stoppers.

So where is this player coming from? Certainly, he won't be had with the 55th pick in the draft (Seattle traded its first-round pick to New England in last year's Deion Branch deal).

Perhaps the best alternative is the Denver Broncos' former 300-pounder, Michael Meyers, who is coming off a good season. Like Kerney, though, he's no spring chicken and probably won't come cheap.

An improved pass rush won't mean a thing if opposing running backs get five yards per carry and over. Unless Peyton Manning is your quarterback, it's close to impossible to win a Super Bowl like that.

Who's the answer? That's an unknown right now. But it's possible that if such a player becomes available, the Seahawks may have hamstrung themselves by tying up such a big chunk of their resources in Kerney.
Got something to say?

Sign Up and be the first to comment on this article! (0)

Article Tools Share!   |  RSS  |  Bleacher Report About Bleacher Report