Offseason personnel moves

So sad to lose Max Unger, our best offensive lineman and a good team leader, despite occasional injuries.

Pete Carroll and John Schneider continue to force offensive line coach Tom Cable to work miracles. Would it kill them to draft some O-linemen in the first three rounds of the draft? Or sign a journeyman or two? Cable is a great coach who has transmuted free agents, late-round picks and college defensive lineman into Seahawk O-lines that appear serviceable only because DangeRuss is an escape artist and Marshawn Lynch only needs a few millimeters of daylight to pierce a defense and grind out some hard-won yards.

How do we ensure that acquiring All-pro tight end Jimmy Graham will be worth it? Under Carroll, tight ends have not been particularly productive in Seattle's offense. Zach Miller, a Pro Bowl pass catcher in Oakland, mostly used his great hands to block, working essentially as an extra O-linemen on most downs.

This was an option for Miller because he's an athlete who can catch well and block even better. I don't think anyone would argue that squandering Miller's receiving talents was ideal; it was what Seattle had to do to augment a subpar offensive line and fuel the running game that is the heart of our offense.

It would be undesirable and unwise to do the same with Golden Graham, who catches phenomenally well, but frightens no one as a blocker.

My humble proposal is to line up the Ginger Giant as a wideout. In New Orleans, Graham lined up as a wideout so often that he asked to be coded as a wide receiver rather than a tight end to earn higher pay if the Saints slapped him with the franchise tag.

As a wideout, Graham would have more opportunities to catch the ball, and better chances to help the running game. Although his blocking skills are poor for a tight end, they're good for a wideout. Once assigned to the position, he would instantly become the best route runner with the best hands and the perhaps even the best blocker in our receiving corps.

The move would also allow Seattle to keep other talent at the tight end position, including Luke Willson, Cooper Helfet and the talented but unlucky Anthony McCoy, who has been sidelined by two torn Achilles tendons in two years. We could even welcome back Zach Miller if he could pass a physical and accept a reasonable salary.

Speaking of reasonable salaries, Russell Wilson needs to get real in his contract negotiations. The Seahawks Way is to accept less than your market value for the privilege of playing on one of the best teams in the NFL. Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas are among the best in the league at their positions, but they did not cash in because they know the unique chemistry of the Legion of Boom cannot be replicated elsewhere. Once you've guaranteed several million dollars, a real chance to win championships matters much more than earning a few million dollars more. This is especially true for quarterbacks who, as the face of the franchise, have more opportunities to make money on the side.