So far, Plan B is looking pretty good

During this week of Much about Hutch, we might as well cover it all. So unless you were so distraught you broke your television, radio and computer last March 22 and then shredded the next day's newspaper, you should remember a little signing that coincided with the Seahawks' loss of Steve Hutchinson.

Headline recollection: "Seahawks pass on Hutchinson, land Peterson."

It sort of read like "Sky falls, gas prices drop," but the juxtaposed news was significant. In one of the oddest, most emotional and confounding moments in team history, the Seahawks lost a Hall of Fame-caliber guard. Instead of sitting on their wallet, they immediately moved to Plan B, with outside linebacker Julian Peterson as the centerpiece.

Because of that, you need to spend more time evaluating this past offseason. It's not just about Hutchinson's void and the offensive line's struggles. It's also about how that loss competes against variables that include Peterson and his impact on the defense, as well as the acquisitions of wide receivers Nate Burleson and Deion Branch and offensive tackle Tom Ashworth.

The Seahawks roughly got those four players for the same $10 million-plus cap number that Hutchinson alone would've cost in 2006. It's one way to look at it from a pure accounting standpoint. Admittedly, there are several other ways.

OK, go ahead and consider Burleson and Ashworth disappointments thus far. That leaves you evaluating the impact of Branch and Peterson against that of Hutchinson.

Put Branch on the sideline for today's argument, too, since the offense obviously has lost something without Hutchinson and it's not just Shaun Alexander's injury. So we've simplified the debate to this, at least on Day 4 of Much about Hutch: Can an impact outside linebacker offset an impact guard?

"Let's say, in theory, that on a scale of 1 to 10, Hutchinson is a 10 guard," said Hugh Millen, a former UW and NFL quarterback, now a radio personality. "In theory, if you went from a 10 at guard to a 5, and then you went from a 5 at outside linebacker to a 9.5. In theory, a linebacker should have more impact on the game."

To Millen, Peterson has been a 9.5 linebacker "with the exception of the Bears game." Then again, every Seahawk rated about a 0.1 against the Bears.

So far, Peterson's numbers look good. He leads the Seahawks with four sacks and is tied for second with 28 tackles. He's on pace for a 12- or 13-sack season.

Of course, only five games in, numbers and projections can deceive. Nevertheless, you saw what an impact Peterson can have during his two-sack performance last week against St. Louis. Peterson and Bryce Fisher, who also had two sacks, led a Seattle pass rush that dropped quarterback Marc Bulger six times. The defense's second-half performance won that game as much as anything.

Peterson has been the versatile linebacker the Seahawks expected, but there's still room for improvement. You can't just use individual statistics to judge a player with Peterson's diverse talents. Through five games, Seattle ranks 15th in total defense. Last season, it was 16th.

The Seahawks must perform much better before you can say, "Well, the Seahawks lost Hutch, but adding Peterson to the defense made them better overall."

Defensive coordinator John Marshall has been pleased with Peterson's play, but he admitted the linebacker's physical talent lifts expectations even higher. So does his $54 million contract.

Fortunately, Peterson is striving for that greatness.

"I want to break NFL records," Peterson said. "I'm not satisfied with Pro Bowls anymore. If I'm going to be a pass rusher, I want to break sack records. If I'm dropping in coverage, I want to be one of the best linebackers in coverage. I'm putting a lot of pressure on myself."

Good, because he's the one player who can make this past offseason less cloudy. It will always be known as the offseason Hutchinson left town. But it doesn't have to go down as a time when Seahawks lost their edge.

Getting back to Millen's theory, the Seahawks still have to solve their left-guard dilemma.

"Remember, for that theory to play out, your offensive guard has to at least play at a 5 level," Millen said. "You follow me? Wink, wink."

Millen likes Chris Spencer, who is Hutchinson's replacement now that Floyd Womack is injured. But Spencer is a raw, second-year offensive lineman playing out of position. Can he develop enough by, say, December to make Hutchinson's absence less noticeable?

If he can, perhaps the virtue of Plan B will become clearer.

Jerry Brewer: 206-464-2277 or jbrewer@seattletimes.com