Few changes for Seahawks

Roster change is inevitable in the NFL and the Seattle Seahawks weren’t immune to it during the off-season.

But when the Seahawks convene for the first full practice of training camp Saturday at Eastern Washington University in Cheney, name tags probably won’t be necessary. The Seahawks weren’t in need of a serious makeover, not after the most successful season in franchise history.

Still, several interesting storylines figure to emerge.

Seattle, which captured the NFC Championship before falling to Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XL, is projected to return 10 of 11 starters on offense, but the one loss is a big one. Steve Hutchinson, regarded by many as the best guard in the NFL, signed with Minnesota.

Hutchinson’s spot probably will be filled by Floyd “Pork Chop” Womack, who has been effective at several spots on the line when healthy. Seattle also signed Tom Ashworth, who is listed as a backup at every position on the offensive front except center on the most recent depth chart posted on the team’s Website.

The other notable absence on offense is receiver Joe Jurevicius, now a member of the Cleveland Browns. Jurevicius had 55 receptions last season, second only to Bobby Engram’s 67, and a team-high 10 touchdown catches. No other Seahawk had more than five TD receptions.

Enter Nate Burleson. The Seattle native caught 30 passes with Minnesota last season and 68 in 2004.

Offensive mainstays Matt Hasselbeck, Shaun Alexander and Walter Jones are coming off Pro Bowl seasons. Hasselbeck had a career-best passer rating of 98.2 while throwing for 3,459 yards and 24 touchdowns. He was intercepted just nine times in 449 attempts. Alexander piled up 28 touchdowns, 27 rushing, and finished with 1,880 yards rushing to win the league’s MVP award. Jones remains one of the best, if not the best, left tackles in the NFL.

Seattle’s starting defense could see several changes from 2005. The coaching staff will keep a close eye on safety Ken Hamlin, who missed most of last season with a fractured skull. Hamlin has participated in minicamps and is the probable starter if no problems develop. The fourth-year pro started in 2003 and 2004.

Elsewhere in the secondary, ex-Washington State Cougar Marcus Trufant and Michael Boulware are virtual locks to start at corner and safety, respectively. First-round draft pick Kelly Jennings is expected to battle Kelly Herndon and Jordan Babineaux, who can also play safety, for the starting position opposite Trufant.

All three starting linebackers return, but newcomer Julian Peterson doesn’t figure to spend much time on the sidelines. He’ll probably oust D.D. Lewis as the starter at outside linebacker.

Lofa Tatupu and Leroy Hill are coming off outstanding rookie seasons. Tatupu led Seattle with 104 tackles and made a number of game-changing plays from the middle linebacker position. He finished with four sacks and three interceptions, one returned for a touchdown. Hill made 72 tackles and contributed 7.5 of Seattle’s 50 sacks.

The defensive front features Bryce Fisher, Grant Wistrom, Chuck Darby, Marcus Tubbs, Rocky Bernard, Joe Tafoya and Craig Terrill. All were key components last season. Add to that mix veteran tackle Russell Davis and second-round draft pick Darryl Tapp, an end from Virginia Tech, and Seattle boasts impressive depth on the line.

Josh Brown is back at kicker, but the punting job is up for grabs after the release of Tom Rouen. Seattle spent a seventh-round draft pick on Ryan Plackemeier, who won the Ray Guy Award as the nation’s best punter in 2005. He’ll compete against Gabe Lindstrom for the job.