Edgerrin James was shown the door yesterday, leaving the Seahawks with only Julius Jones and Justin Forsett as the only two running backs on the team’s 53-man roster.  However, come season’s end, there could be additional shakeups.

Julius Jones only has 346 yards and one touchdown on the ground this year.

In the seven games the Seahawks played so far, he’s only eaten up over 60 yards on the ground twice, while managing just 34 rushing yards or less in four of the team’s games.

The lone bright spot with Jones is that he’s yet to fumble this year.

Justin Forsett’s only carried the ball 19 times this year, as he’s seen a lot of time returning kicks.  His black eye has been ball security, as he has fumbled it once in each of the Seahawks’ last three games.

When you put those two players’ numbers together, they fear in the hearts of many, but for all the wrong reasons.

By the start of next season Julius Jones will not be the starting running back for the Seattle Seahawks.  Heck, there’s a good chance he won’t even play for the team.

With two first-round selections in this year’s NFL Draft, Seattle should look to use both on improving the team’s abysmal rushing attack.

An offensive lineman could be the first to dawn a Seahawks hat. 

Walter Jones, one of the league’s most exceptional offensive tackles of all time, is 35.  He’s also become more of a liability and wasted salary cap space than a productive player opening up holes for Seahawks rushers and keeping the team’s quarterback upright.  Jones’ season was cut short last season by four games due to a knee injury that caused him to have two surgeries in less than a year. He never was able to step foot onto the field for a game this year before he was placed on the Injured Reserve last week and nobody truly knows if he’ll be able to fully bounce back next season.

Except Max Unger, the rookie out of Oregon, the rest of the team’s line hasn’t been much better this year or last in terms of health.

Obviously you need more than one lineman to improve the unit, but a big-name first rounder and a quality pick or two later in the draft could go a long way toward improving the team’s offensive line woes.

With Seattle’s second draft choice in the first round, the one coming from Denver, expect the Seahawks to be able to select one of college football’s elite tailbacks.

There’s an amazing crop this year, with the likes of CJ Spiller, Jahvid Best and Jonathon Dwyer headlining the talent pool.

Unless Julius Jones has turnaround worthy of the history books in the second half of the season, changes will be made.  Seattle will have a new anchor on the offensive line and its first big-name rookie rusher in town since Shaun Alexander.

James wasn’t the only one that was shown the door today, as the team also released safety C.J. Wallace and cornerback Travis Fisher. Seattle signed receiver Mike Hass, safety Jamar Adams and cornerback Roy Lewis from the practice squad to fill the open roster spots

James was brought in as the team turned to him to help the run game, but he never crossed the end zone, and ran a total of 46 times for 125 yards. He put up 2.7 yards per carry. James had a season-high 16 carries for 46 yards in Seattle’s 41-0 win over Jacksonville, but James got double-digit carries in only one other game. Three times he was held to less than 10 yards rushing.

The Seahawks waived veteran CB Travis Fisher who was inactive yesterday. Fisher signed with the Seattle Seahawks on August 2, 2009.

Forty-eight passing yards given up.

Being beaten for a three-yard touchdown by Miles Austin.

Thirty-eight yards given up on pass interference penalties.

Like the rest of his teammates, Marcus Trufant, the Seahawks’ Pro-Bowl cornerback, hasn’t really taken the field this year.

Seattle’s 38-17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys was just another reminder as to how far the team has fallen from just a few years ago when they were routinely atop the NFC West.

Seattle (2-5), on their fifth offensive left tackle, was unable to keep quarterback Matt Hasselbeck upright as the game clock ticked into the second half.  Although only sacked twice in the third quarter, it was a hit after a five-yard completion to wide receiver Deion Branch late in the period that left the veteran quarterback the worse for the wear.

On the ground, Seattle was nearly nonexistent.

Julius Jones had just 56 yards, while Edgerrin James and Justin Forsett managed a mere 23 on seven carries.

The lone bright spot for the Seahawks came from the middle linebacker position.

Filling in for injured Lofa Tatupu, David Hawthorne forced a fumble and sacked Dallas quarterback Tony Romo twice.  Tatupu was placed on injured reserve earlier this week with a torn right pectoral muscle.

For the Cowboys (5-2), Romo was able to pick apart the Seattle secondary, completing passes to 10 different players, en route to a 256-yard-three-touchdown day.

His favorite target coming into the game, Miles Austin, once again lead all Dallas receivers.  Austin hauled in five passes from Romo and had 61 yards and a touchdown.

Seattle’s next opponent is the (1-6) Detroit Lions.  The two teams will play at Qwest Field next weekend at 4:05 pm Eastern.

Bad news is the Cowboys have been able to pick apart the Seahawks’ defense.

Quarterback Tony Romo 155 passing yards, 10 rushing yards and two scores.  Fifty-eight of those passing yards have gone to stud wide receiver Miles Austin.

On the ground, Dallas has 77 yards, with Marion Barber III leading the way.  The bruising back has 40 yards and a score on only nine carries.

For Seattle, quarterback Matt Hasselbeck has once again had to carry the offense due to a nonexistent rushing attack.  Hasselbeck has 126 yards and a touchdown pass that was caught by Deion Branch.

At the half, Dallas 21, Seattle 10.

Nevermind…don’t answer that.  Let’s let Seattle (2-4) keep quarterback Matt Hasselbeck somewhat healthy for a game or two.

This week, the Seahawks put all-pros left tackle Walter Jones and middle linebacker Lofa Tatupu on the Injured Reserve list.

Without two of the team’s most instrumental players, the Seahawks head to Dallas for a Week Eight matchup against Miles Austin and the Cowboys (4-2).

Wait, Miles Austin?

After only five catches through Dallas’ first four games this season, the four-year veteran wide receiver out of Monmouth currently rides a two-game span in which he’s nabbed 16 balls for 421 yards and four scores.

Austin’s emergence couldn’t have come at a better time because the Cowboys’ offense had not been able to consistently produce.

Quarterback Tony Romo had been picked off four times while only throwing for four touchdowns.  Three of those scoring strikes came in Week One when the Cowboys beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 34-21.

So now that Romo has found a reliable receiving target, what can Seattle do to limit the damage?

Double coverage.

You simply cannot play him in man-to-man, whether it’s a press or you play off him five-to-ten yards.  You cannot play him in a zone.  Austin proved at Kansas City in Week Five and against the Falcons in Week Seven that his speed and route running allowed him to exploit matchups and find even the smallest of holes in the defense when a man-to-man or zone scheme was used on him.

Now, I know what you’re thinking…“If you put double coverage on Austin, what about Jason Witten?  That guy can catch!”

That’s a really good point.  Witten is one heck of a tight end and has been Romo’s security blanket for a few years now, but let me ask you a question in return. 

Who would you rather have burn you, a sure-handed tight end that lacks game changing speed or an emerging wide receiver that has turned routine 10- and 15-yard receptions along the sideline and over the middle into 50-plus-yard scoring strikes?

With an extremely physical rookie linebacker in Aaron Curry roaming the middle of the field for the Seahawks, I’ll take my chances with Witten.

Offensively, Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck needs to continue getting the ball to receiver TJ Houshmandzadeh. 

Houshmandzadeh’s been targeted a lot over the past four games (35 times), but in two of those games he totaled 35 receiving yards or less.  That kind of lack of production, while disappointing, should soon be a permanent thing of the past as Hasselbeck continues to recover from fractured ribs.  You have to remember, these two hooked up for 11 pass-and-catches during the preseason and, of those 11 receptions by Houshmandzadeh, two of them went for short-yardage touchdowns.  Houshmandzadeh was brought in to put points on the scoreboard and I don’t think he’ll have much difficulty doing so throughout his stay in Seattle.

While I think both Hasselbeck and Houshmandzadeh should have a good game this weekend, a home Dallas team that is starting to fire on all cylinders is a pretty scary thought.  Dallas just has too many weapons both offensively and defensively. 

Look for Cowboys to continue its streak of rolling through its opponents.

Dallas 24, Seattle 10.

Tatupu did not miss a game in his first 3 1/2 seasons in the NFL. He’s played following concussions, a swollen knee, a strained groin, a broken thumb and, earlier this season, a strained hamstring that cost him a start. Tatupu will be replaced in the lineup this Sunday by David Hawthorne, an undrafted free agent making only his second career start.

Reports are the roster spot for Tatupu will go to cornerback Marcus Trufant, who will come off the physically-unable-to-perform list Saturday. Trufant, a Pro Bowl selection in 2007, hasn’t played since December 28th because of a disk issue in his back.

Coach Jim Mora said Wednesday the 35-year-old Jones still has pain that is “not bearable” in his surgically repaired left knee. The anchor to Seattle’s offensive line for the last decade has had two knee surgeries since he last played last Thanksgiving.

Mora is not ruling out a third surgery for the nine-time Pro Bowl selection, and he has no idea whether Jones can or will want to return in 2010.

“We are going to let him heal up, have whatever procedures our medical staff feels is necessary and then we’ll evaluate early next year,” the coach said. “I’ll say this: Walter has done everything that is humanly possible to get back and help this football team. He’s been amazing in his attitude and his approach to this. But it’s just not happening.”

Though all signs point toward retirement for the man former Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren last year called the best offensive player he’s ever coached, Mora is not ready to say goodbye.

“It is too early for a career eulogy, but the excellence of Walter is probably unparalleled at that position in the history of the game,” Mora said. “His level of consistency, his level of excellence, is unmatched. … In a world where there is so much boastfulness now and self promotion, Walter has just gone about his business in a very respectful, dignified way, and it’s earned him a lot of respect—not only in the way he’s played on the field, but the way he’s carried himself as a man.”

In parts one (http://www.seahawksgab.com/2009/09/06/labor-day-weekend-key-time-for-seattle-as-team-looks-to-future/) and two (http://www.seahawksgab.com/2009/09/30/which-star-college-quarterback-should-land-with-seattle-part-two-of-series/) of the five-part series in which I break down and decide which of four of the country’s top collegiate passers the Seahawks should draft this April, I stuck to Colt McCoy, Jevan Sneed, Sam Bradford and Tim Tebow.

Maybe it’s time to be a little less narrow minded and, instead, open up our horizon a bit.

While not tossing out those four from the mix, part three will be spent looking at three others that Seattle could be mulling over as Draft Day approaches.

Jake Locker (Jr. at Washington)

According to Scout’s Inc.’s Top 32, Locker comes in as the fourth best player overall and the nation’s top quarterback prospect.  He’s also one of the semifinalists for the Davey O’Brien Award, an award that is given to the country’s top college quarterback. 

Despite playing on a subpar team at Washington, Locker’s been able to prove that his hype hasn’t been overdone.

In each of his three years at the U-Dub, Locker improved his season completion percentage from 47.3 percent in 2007 to 53.8 percent in an injury shortened 2008 campaign to a current percentage of 56.2.

What should be noted is that Washington hasn’t played a schedule of merely creampuff teams.  USC, BYU, LSU, Boise State and Notre Dame have been some of his opponents and against these teams Locker has held his own.

*Courtesy of ESPN.com

Jimmy Clausen (Jr. at Notre Dame)

Like the Huskies, the Fighting Irish have not had the kind of success as they are accustomed to.  That hasn’t stopped Clausen though, as he ranks second in Heisman Watch ESPN Experts’ Poll and is eighth overall and the second quarterback listed on the Scout Inc.’s Top 32.

Like Washington’s Locker, Clausen is one of 15 semifinalists for the Davey O’Brien Award.

Clausen could easily be the first quarterback taken in this year’s NFL Draft, should he decide to turn pro.  His ability to not only complete high percentages of his passes but also his propensity of making the big play and his leadership skills are everything that a head coach and general manager would kill to have.

*Courtesy of ESPN.com

 Case Keenum (Jr. at Houston)

Although not ranked in Scout Inc.’s Top 32, Keenum comes in at sixth overall in the Heisman Watch ESPN Experts’ Poll.

A couple of things immediately stick out about Keenum that make him an intriguing second- or third-round selection in this year’s NFL Draft, should Keenum decide to declare.

The first is his completion percentage and his touchdown totals.  By now you all should know I love statistics, but not because I’m a junkie or anything like that.  If you look close enough, stats can really tell a lot about how a player thinks and reacts, among other things in various situations, environments and against various levels of competition.  Despite playing in Conference USA, Keenum has played some quality out-of-conference teams and has done well, especially this year.

*Courtesy of ESPN.com

Just like the previous two quarterbacks I’ve discussed, Keenum is one of the remaining 15 vying for the coveted Davey O’Brien Award.  That’s because he is a poor man’s Jimmy Clausen/Colt McCoy.  He has the ability to air it out, his completion percentage is outstanding, he excels in hostile road environments and, in an especially similar characteristic to McCoy, he has the arm strength to toss 40+ balls on a regular basis because his arm is the focal point of his team’s offensive attack.  The reason why I call him the “poor man’s” version of these two big-time quarterbacks is that he’s flown relatively under the radar because of the conference he plays in, something that could prove to be beneficial for the Seahawks if they wanted to draft him later in the first round or even in the second. 

*Courtesy of ESPN.com

Rankings

Just looking at these three quarterbacks, this is how I would rank them in terms of who I want wearing a Seahawks logo on his helmet next year. 

1. Jimmy Clausen
2. Case Keenum
3. Jake Locker

Clausen is a stud and I think he could be the next Peyton Manning.  If he lands on a team with a good-to-above-average pass catcher or two and even an alright running back, Clausen should be able to take the team into the playoffs sooner rather than later.

Keenum really intrigues me because of what he’s done at Houston, but, more importantly, because he could possibly come later in the first round or even in the second round.  If Seattle could snag him in the second round, the Seahawks could spend one of their first round selections on an offensive lineman.  The offensive line is getting older and is constantly riddled with injuries.  Bringing in one of the country’s top collegiate linemen to help improve the unit both immediately and down the road is something that should be seriously considered.  With Seattle’s second first-round selection, the team could fill its other glaring need, a top-line running back.  The thought of improving both the offensive line and at running back while still being able to get an elite quarterback is amazing.

In terms of Locker, I’m just not sold on the guy.  Yes, he’s very skilled, but I just don’t see him performing well at the next level.  Ever since he came out of high school people were comparing him to Tim Tebow and I never have thought that Tebow, although an amazingly athletic football player, is the kind of quarterback that I would want running my pro team’s offense.  Look at how well Alex Smith, a similar quarterback to Tebow in abilities, has done at the professional level.  Option and spread-style quarterbacks just have not cut it at the NFL level. 

Check out my next round of analysis of college quarterbacks to keep an eye on after Week Twelve of the college football season.