Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

Jim Mora was picked to be the heir apparent to Mike Holmgren, taking over the reins of the Seattle Seahawks prior to the 2009 season. The good news is that Mora won one more game than Holmgren did in his last season with the team. The bad news is that still left the Seahawks with just a 5-11 record. Sensing that a true change was needed, the Seahawks brass let Mora go following the season, bringing in former USC head coach, Pete Carroll, who’ll look to get this team back on track.

Team Strengths:

- John Carlson (The sophomore tight end started off 2009 strong with a two-score game, but then disappeared until a four-game TD streak to end the year. The Seahawks will need him to build off that momentum for 2010)
- Justin Forsett (Part of the reason Mora was sent packing may have to do with the fact that he remained loyal to Julius Jones rather than give Forsett a true shot at showing what he could do. Forsett may not be an every down back, but the dual threat is a playmaker that the Carroll should look to utilize)
-Olindo Mare (Sure, he didn’t get a whole lot of attempts, but he capitalized on what did come his way, hitting on 92% of his field goal tries)

Team Needs:

1. Help for Housh - The Seattle Seahawks made a huge investment in wide receiver, TJ Houshmandzadeh, last off-season, giving the wide receiver a 5-year, $40 million deal. The return was not what they had hoped for as Housh tallied 911 yards and 3 TDs. Sure, the numbers were similar to his 2008 totals for Cincy (904 yards, 4 TDs), but the Seahawks were hoping for the 1,000 yard wide out that showed himself in 2006 and 2007. If that’s what the Seahawks want, though, they’ll need to find a wide out that can stretch the field much like Chad Ochocinco did when he and Housh played together, especially with Nate Burleson exploring free agency. A deep threat would open things up underneath for Housh, allowing him to take advantage of his size.

2. Alternative to Hasselbeck - Hasselbeck may be a smart guy and a coach’s dream. In fact, he’s already working with new offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates to learn the team’s offense. But, truth be told, the guy’s fragile, playing in just 20 of 32 games the last two years, and he’s not getting any younger. The Seahawks have two first round selections in the top-15, and as Bruno Boys Jacob pointed out in a recent article, they’d be wise to use one of those picks on a young QB that could study under Hasselbeck’s tutelage.

3. Ball Hawks - If you want to win games in the NFL, you need to win the turnover battle. That’s a tough task when your defensive unit only forces 23 turnovers (13 INTs, 10 Fumble Recoveries) on the year. The Seahawks need guys that will attack the ball and make things happen on the defensive side of things because sometimes a good defense can be the best offense.

St. Louis Rams

Steve Spagnuolo’s debut season as an NFL head coach may be one he wishes he could forget. Finishing 1-15 on the year, the Rams gave their faithful little to cheer about in 2009. And, I mean, very little. St. Louis averaged just 10.9 points per game last year, good for dead last in the league. In fact, the only thing Rams’ fans could be thankful about from 2009 is that the NFL powers put the Detroit Lions on their schedule. If not, they could have very well joined the Lions in that distinct 0-16 club.

Team Strengths:

- Steven Jackson (Over and over during the 2009 season, we emphasized the fact that Steven Jackson was the Rams’ offense, and we weren’t kidding. With 1,738 total yards, SJax accounted for 39% of the Rams’ total offense)
- Edward Jones Dome (At least by playing in a dome, the Rams spared their fans the injustice of having to watch a 1-15 team in the snow)

Team Needs:

1. Everything - The Rams’ needs are plenty (running back excluded), and if I laid them all out for you here, you’d be here till the start of the NFL season going down the list. The key though to the Ram’s off-season will be using that No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft wisely. I’m not sure if that means going with Ndamukong Suh or grabbing a QB, as it’s a tough situation to be in. But, no matter what they do, they need to hope it works out well. Selecting a bust will not only hurt for 2010, but for years to come.

NFC Needs By Division:  NFC West  |  NFC North |  NFC South  |  NFC East

AFC Needs By Division:  AFC West  |  AFC North  |  AFC South  |  AFC East

Feel we missed something with regards to one of the team’s above, let us know by heading to the Bruno Boys Forum.

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