WHAT IF: The Seahawks took Odell Thurman instead of Lofa Tatupu in the 2nd round of the 2005 NFL Draft?

·         If the Seahawks did that, our defense would be nowhere near it is today. Tatupu is the leader of our defense and arguably the best player on our entire team. In fact, during the 05’ Draft, Tatupu was considered a huge reach (primarily because of his size) while Thurman was considered 1st round talent, but fell into the 2nd round due to some personality issues. Thurman was taken three picks after Tatupu, and in the rookie season of each player, they both were solid, in fact, Thurman was a Defensive Rookie of the Year contender. Three years later, Thurman has been suspended for two consecutive seasons while Tatupu has made three consecutive Pro Bowls. In other words, if we did that, we ought to be punching Tim Ruskell in the nuts for the rest of his life.

WHAT IF: The Mariners never made the trade for Erik Bedard?

·         I was never a fan of trading Adam Jones, and I still think he will be a star in the future. Bedard on the other hand has been injured much of the season. Today, I’m a fan of trading Bedard, but I doubt he can make an appearance prior to the trade deadline. If the trade never occurred, we’d still have a solid team. In fact, if we didn’t trade for Bedard, we could put Brandon Morrow or Ryan Rowland-Smith as the 5th starter and George Sherrill as our closer keeping in mind J.J. Putz has been unhealthy all year long; and we’d still have a solid pitching rotation and bullpen.

WHAT IF: The Mariners selected Tim Lincecum instead of Brandon Morrow with the 5th pick in the 2007 MLB Draft?

·         The Mariners would be a much better team had we selected Lincecum. I’m not saying Morrow instead a good player. In fact, I think the kid has tons of potential. But until we’ve seen Morrow as a starter, Lincecum will forever be the much better pitcher. Of course, Lincecum wouldn’t have burst with the Mariners if we took him until this season; so look to the future, just imagine a pitching rotation with the likes of Felix Hernandez, Tim Lincecum, Ryan Rowland-Smith, Philippe Aumont, and Juan Ramirez. The latter two aren’t ready just yet, but just imagine in the future, once the five develop, a rotation like that…

WHAT IF: Tim Ruskell never hired Mike Holmgren as the Seahawks’ head coach?

·         I could never imagine a Seahawks team without Holmgren. But that’s reality after next season, but what if he NEVER was. Think of the impact. That probably means Matt Hasselbeck would be a nobody, just like his brother, Tim. Why? If Holmgren never came to Seattle, Matt wouldn’t have (since Matt came via trade thanks to Holmgren), which would have meant Matt would have still needed to stay with the Packers, and backup up headline-magnet Brett Favre. In fact, we probably wouldn’t even know what a Hasselbeck even is. Just imagine, guys like Trent Dilfer and Jon Kitna as your starter instead of Matt Hasselbeck. Can you say Super Bowl team???

WHAT IF: The Seahawks traded several picks higher to select Antonio Cromartie rather than Kelly Jennings with their 1st round pick in the 2006 NFL Draft?

·         No Seahawks fan has probably ever considered this, but I’ve thought about it many times. The Seahawks defense would be even better if this happened. Think of a Seahawks secondary in the near future with the likes of Marcus Trufant (7 interceptions last year), Antonio Cromartie (10 interceptions last year), Jordan Babineaux, and Josh Wilson. I’d definitely be pretty optimistic about our pass defense.

WHAT IF: The referees in Super Bowl XL weren’t Steelers and were actually doing their job?

·         The normal person who say, simple. The Seahawks would have won their first Super Bowl in franchise history. But there’s much more to that. If that happened, Mike Holmgren would be a lock for the Hall of Fame (he won’t be unless the Hawks pull off a miracle in 2008), Bill Cowher wouldn’t have retired, while Jerome Bettis would have retired as just another oversized and overrated back, and Ben Rothleisberger would be a nobody who has a messed up last name and is a cheater.

WHAT IF: What if the Seahawks never traded Darrell Jackson?

·         To tell you the truth, I don’t think Jackson is ever going to have any year like the ones he had here in Seattle. While with the Seahawks, Jackson averaged 63 receptions and 920 receiving yards per season. However, he had a very disappointing year with the 49ers last year. However, I do believe had Jackson stayed with Seattle, I think Jackson would still have a career and would be one of the best receivers in the league. With D.J. Hackett and Deion Branch injured for portions of last year and Marcus Pollard nowhere close to expectations; think of how much 63 catches and almost 1,000 receiving yards would have helped us. That would definitely have given Seattle one of the most solid receiving corps in the league, and would have added AT LEAST one more win onto the 10 we got. Now with Denver and emerging young guys like Brandon Marshall and Tony Scheffler more looked at by Jay Cutler, Jackson will be no more than a reserve for the rest of his career.

Let me know what you think.