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June 23, 2009 at 3:38 PM

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The Seahawks power rankings

Posted by Danny O'Neil

The 15 most important Seahawks to the upcoming season:

1.	Matt Hasselbeck	Can't split hairs with baldy. He's the single most important person.

2.	Patrick Kerney	Since he arrived in 2007, Seattle averaged 2.8 sacks when he plays, 1.8 when he doesn't.

3.	Walter Jones	He has been the gold standard at left tackle for nearly a decade now. Will he be back to Pro Bowl form after microfracture surgery?

4.	T.J. Houshmandzadeh	Tim Ruskell has been GM for four years, Houshmandzadeh is the third high-priced veteran receiver the Seahawks have signed.

5.	Lofa Tatupu	Overlooked and underestimated coming out of high school and entering the NFL Draft, how does he bounce back from his first NFL season that could be characterized as a disappointment?

6.	John Carlson	Led the team in receptions as a rookie, and if you're looking for a breakout Pro Bowler this season, he might be it.

7.	Sean Locklear	The Seahawks re-signed him in 2008 with the hope he would be Walter Jones' successor at left tackle, but he sure didn't look like someone ready for that role last season.

8.	Marcus Trufant	This corner is the most stable piece of the secondary. Can he return to the Pro Bowl form of 2007?

9.	Brandon Mebane	With a shift to full-time three-technique, he's the potential breakout star on Seattle's defensive line.

10.	Julius Jones	He was signed in 2008 with an eye toward the eventual transition to Greg Knapp's offense. After splitting time with Maurice Morris, can Jones show why the Seahawks thought he'd be a good fit?

11.	Aaron Curry	Perhaps he should be higher, but he is the safest rookie in the league, someone who is expected to be good and who will be good.

12.	Ken Lucas	The most significant addition to secondary that allowed more passing yards than any time last season.

13.	Brian Russell	Some were surprised Seattle didn't upgrade at this spot on defense. Can Russell reward that faith?

14.	Deon Butler	It's Butler -- not Branch -- who is most likely to be the X factor for the offense this year.

15.	Lawrence Jackson	As a rookie, Jackson never provided the pass-rush presence the Seahawks wanted. Can he get his motor revving higher as a sophomore?

16.	Max Unger	A flexible player who provides insurance at left guard as Mike Wahle comes back from shoulder surgery and who could press Chris Spencer for playing time at center.

Note: The original version of this omitted No. 6 John Carlson due to formatting error in the HTML table. Thanks to the readers who pointed out his sizeable absence.

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Comments (28)

Remember when Coach Mike took Dilfer out and we were booing Hass?...now he's the most important person on the team. Love ya Hass! GO... Posted on June 24, 2009 at 8:05 AM by MateosDaddy. Jump to comment

Wow, there are some mis-informed people here! Hill a situational player? Rediculous!! What team have you been watching? The Seahawks feel he... Posted on June 24, 2009 at 10:02 AM by tomahawk18. Jump to comment

Matt Hasselbeck's back votes for Walter Jones as the most important player on the team. If Walter goes down, there goes the run game, pass... Posted on June 24, 2009 at 10:55 AM by blake4Sounders. Jump to comment

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