Hawks earn high midseason marks

With a 5-2 record heading into their bye week, the Seattle Seahawks are in the rare position of not looking at the glass as half full.

At times this season, their cup has runneth over.

Sure, the Seahawks have started well before. But this year’s performance has been especially impressive when considering the opposition.

The only sub-.500 teams Seattle has faced have been NFC West rivals St. Louis (3-4) and Arizona (2-4). Both those teams have given past Seahawks teams fits, yet so far this year Seattle has turned the tables.

Impressive wins over NFC playoff contenders Dallas (4-3) and Atlanta (5-2) could help in terms of tiebreakers down the road.

Even the two losses, at Jacksonville and Washington, weren’t horrible performances.

In essence, the 2005 Seahawks have thus far earned high marks.

Run offense: A-

It’s hard to argue with the NFC’s top rusher.

Shaun Alexander has 776 rushing yards and is on pace to break his team record for rushing yards in a season (1,696, set last year). He continues to show an uncanny knack for getting into the end zone.

Pass offense: B+

This unit gets extra credit for overcoming the losses of Darrell Jackson and Bobby Engram. They were the top receiving duo in the NFL, with 56 combined receptions, before succumbing to injuries in Week 4.

Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck still makes an occasional questionable decision, but overall Seattle’s passing game continues to lead the NFL in yards per game.

Run defense: B-

While the Seahawks haven’t been overly consistent in this area, their statistics have been decent. They rank 12th in the NFL in rush defense and haven’t allowed a single running back to eclipse the 100-yard mark. That’s quite an improvement over the 2004 defense, which allowed seven different rushers to compile more than 100 yards in a game.

Pass defense: B-

The Seahawks have been OK here. Their 188.3 passing yards allowed ranks seventh in the NFL, while they have shored up one of their biggest weak links from 2004 by consistently getting to opposing quarterbacks (23 sacks, or seven more than they had at the same point last season).

Special teams: C-

This is the toughest area to grade, because it encompasses so many areas.

The Seahawks have been much better in coverage than they were in 2004, and kicker Josh Brown has improved on his kickoffs.

But the return game is still suspect, and the team continues its search for a punter.

Coaching: B

Too conservative? Or too pass-happy?

Depending on the week, head coach Mike Holmgren has been saddled with both tags. But he’s generally made the right decisions and has overcome adversity.