You navigate your way to this destination in the ether because you are fans of the Seattle Seahawks. So, you’re not going to be too keen on hearing somebody criticize your favorite lads. But the question was asked and I’m not going to duck it just to curry favor with a lot of guys whose identities look like their license plates (klm 008), band names (Mongo 5), or CB “handles” (Jammer).

Just as I was skittish about using the term “under-rated” – given the absence of fair context – I’m at least equally uncomfortable pinpointing anybody as “over-rated.” So many things go into a player’s performance … most obviously injuries. And I’m very sensitive to those issues. From ages 13 to 21, I spent much of my time getting lumps and bumps, concussions and contusions, dislocations and subluxations, sprains, strains and fractures on football fields. In short, big people hurt me. I specifically remember waking up almost every Saturday morning in the fall with this thought: “Man, I wish I felt better.” The beating these guys take at the NFL level is so much worse that it’s impossible for the typical fan to fathom. So, I tend to be a lot less critical of guys who are out there trying to do their jobs with bones sticking out.

Still, it’s a bottom-line business. And it’s obvious that this team was nowhere near where it was in 2005. Instead of calling players “over-rated,” I’d rather look at some of them who “played down” last season. Much of it was because of injuries, some of it caused by collapses around them, maybe even by the schemes they were asked to employ at certain times. The positive part of this negative analysis is that very little seems to be a function of effort or attitude or talent.

In ’05, Shaun Alexander, Matt Hasselbeck, Steve Hutchinson, Walter Jones, Mack Strong, Lofa Tatupu and Robbie Tobeck made it to the Pro Bowl. Hutchinson was lost, of course, and I would say that every one of the others was markedly less productive last season … with injuries having the prime culpability. Coach Holmgren has said that to get to the Super Bowl, a team has to have career years out of its stars. When almost every one of them “plays down,” it’s amazing they even made it to the playoffs.

Some specifics:

--Tim Ruskell. It’s my opinion that the guy has done a marvelous job reshaping expectations and building a sound franchise foundation. But losing Hutchinson caused the Hawks to go from having one of the great lines in the business to having a mess that disrupted the entire offense all season. The team is better off because of Ruskell in the long run, but that deal alone was a black mark last season.

--Shaun, Matt, Walter. Because of injuries, Shaun rushed for almost 1,000 fewer yards, Matt saw his passer rating drop 22 points, and Walter was less dominating than usual. There’s enough prior evidence on all of these guys to believe that last year was an aberration rather than a trend. But Shaun will be 30, a critical birthday for heavily used backs (he carried 430 times in the Super Bowl season). Hasselbeck was under heavy pressure and injured all season. Walter is 33, which is still not too gray as far as great tackles go, and he should be infinitely more effective if the rest of the line is solidified.

--Mack Strong. Mack is unquestionably one of the all-time class guys. For the purposes of guys covering the team, we’d hope he can play for another decade. He was beat up last year, too, and not the blocker he was in previous seasons.

--Lofa Tatupu. There’s every reason to believe he will be a terrific linebacker and team leader for many years, but it’s my opinion that he missed too many tackles last season. He wasn’t getting enough support from up front, obviously. Aside from that, I didn’t feel as if he was shedding blockers or meeting people in the hole as well as he did as a rookie, and he didn’t wrap up as well. Some of the more obvious guys he missed, Larry Johnson, Frank Gore, etc., were the kind of guys a lot of people whiffed on, though.

--Michael Boulware. He got benched so questions of his “rating” are valid. But he’s a second-round pick who showed such promise in his first two seasons. Maybe Jim Mora can figure this out and get him back on the field and reliably productive.

--Pork Chop Womack. The staff loves him for his attitude and his willingness to step into any position. He was given a shot to start, and although injuries were a large part of the problem again, he still hasn’t gotten the job done. Remember, this is his 7th season.

--Marcus Tubbs. For Tubbs, it’s all been a matter of health. If he can get and stay healthy, he can be an absolute game-changer. But he’s a first-round pick who hasn’t put together an entire season, leaving fans still waiting for him to reach the potential so many see in him.