Will the 2007 Seahawks be Road Warriors?

At this point in the season, unless you're a fan of one of the Final Four teams left in the playoffs, all you can do is turn your focus to next year. And looking at the schedule of opponents for next season, it seems very likely that the Seahawks may have a better record on the Road than at Home.

Of course, it is very difficult to predict these things a full 8 months prior to the start of the season, as we still need to get through the April draft, off season acquisitions and losses, and see what types of injuries may occur during training camps and pre-season, but based on the 2006 season standings, the teams they'll be hosting appear a lot stronger than the ones they'll be visiting.

The non-divisional teams the Seahawks will be welcoming to Qwest field include the Buccaneers, Bears, Ravens, Bengals and Saints. Seeing as the Bears and Saints are still alive in the playoffs, and one of them will be representing the NFC in the Super Bowl, even with the help of the 12th man, they'll be a tough out next year.

The Seahawks just beat the Buccaneers, and the Bengals seem to be going in the wrong direction, so my crystal ball says that these should be standard Qwest field wins. However, with the vaunted defense and improving offense of the Ravens, we may go 5-3 at home again next year, assuming we can leverage home field advantage against our divisional rivals.

The travel itinerary for the 2007 Seahawks include five trips to the Eastern time zone, but other than that, there's not much to be afraid of with the 2007 slate of eight away games.

Sure the Cardinals, Niners and Rams are due to improve with their high draft picks, but the Seahawks have proved that they can beat their divisional rivals on the road, and have owned the Rams at the Special Ed dome the past couple years. Road trips to Atlanta, Carolina, and Philadelphia are not automatic Ws, but the Falcons will be breaking in a new coach, the Panthers also seem to be in decline, and the Eagles may go into next season with a bonafide quarterback controversy.

Cleveland and Pittsburgh are tough places to play, but it's a good thing that the Browns suck and the Steelers will be breaking in a new coaching staff of their own. And every Seahawk fan, and hopefully every player on the roster, will be looking for sweet revenge when the team shows up at Hines Heinz field, regardless of the date. I've got a dollar that says that the Seahawks-Steelers match-up is a feature game on the 2007 schedule, especially of Joey Porter and Jerramy Stevens are still on each team's roster.

So there you have it. A lot will depend on the off-season moves, and the relative health of each team, and importance of the game at the time that they play, but If the Seahawks can sweep their road opponents and go 5-3 at home, they'll be 13-3 and probably hosting the NFC Championship game again at Qwest field.

Hey, it's the off season. A fan can dream, can't he?