Jim Mora always seemed like he got a bum rap. He made the best of his three years coaching some Falcons teams that, sans Mike Vick, were nothing to write home about. Yapping about the University of Washington job while he was still Atlanta’s coach wasn’t one of his finer moments, but aren’t there worse coaching slip-ups to make? Bobby Petrino reminded us what truly unmitigated scumbaggery looked like less than a year after Mora got the axe.

It’s no surprise to see Mora resurface in Seattle. There have been a flood of stories about the return of the hometown boy, who was smart enough not to jump at the first opening to come his way. Mora will have to answer to a passionate fanbase, but it’s understood that this team isn’t the 2005 crew that made it to the Super Bowl. A lot of key pieces on the roster are getting up there in age, but there’s enough talent left to expect a jump forward from last year’s debacle.

Out of the ER: Injuries were responsible for decimating last year’s offense, leaving Seattle with an offense piloted by Seneca Wallace. The return of Matt Hasselbeck is enough reason to be optimistic, but it might be too early to say that the Seahawks will be in the clear for injuries in 2009.

Left guard Mike Wahle’s shoulder problems were so pervasive that they led to a failed physical and his retirement at the beginning of training camp, forcing Rob Sims to slide over to the position. Walter Jones is entering Jonathan Ogden/Orlando Pace territory and practiced for the first time Thursday after battling back spasms. And Marcus Trufant is also struggling with back problems that have kept him out of training camp so far.

The issue with the injuries is that most of them are just signs of aging. Many of the key pieces that led to their Super Bowl run are off the roster or past their prime. A healthy Hasselbeck should keep Seattle from floundering too badly, but the Seahawks have shown they don’t have the depth to replace many of their aging superstars.

Housh to the rescue: Seattle’s move to nab T.J. Houshmanzadeh immediately upgrades their passing attack because, well, who else was going to be their No. 1 receiver? Tight end John Carlson led the team in receiving yards last year, and the Seahawks have been searching for a true No. 1 target since…wait, how long ago did Steve Largent play? Deion Branch has been an absolute bust so far, and although Hasselbeck has always made due without big-play pass catchers, this team needs some weapons.

Julius Jones is still starting at running back for some reason, so the ground game won’t be able to carry the load the way it did in the Shaun Alexander years. T.J. Duckett is still a solid option as a short-yardage back and near the goal line, but Seattle finished with just 10 rushing touchdowns last year.

Let’s try this again: The Seahawks’ defensive woes were even more bizarre than the offensive struggles last year because a stellar unit seemingly became sloppy overnight without the same injury excuse. Seattle gave up the most passing yards of any team last year (wait, Mora was the defensive backs coach, should we be concerned?) and Larry Fitzgerald practically provided the blue print for how to tear the defense apart, recording almost 300 receiving yards in two games against the team last year.

There has been change but nothing radical. Colin Cole arrives from Green Bay, but he doesn’t solve the Seahawks’ main problem of establishing a pass rush. Mora will try to squeeze everything he can out of the aging Patrick Kerney, but Brandon Mebane will have to step up, as will youngsters Lawrence Jackson and Darryl Tapp. Julian Peterson is gone, but Aaron Curry should step into the hole left at the strongside linebacker position. And Ken Lucas is back with the team after spending a few years with Carolina, but at 30 years old, he’s hardly the player he once was when he first teamed up with Trufant.

Prediction: 7-9. The Seahawks aren’t as bad of a team as last year’s record indicates, but they’re still hard to pin down. How much do the team’s aging superstars have left in the tank? Seattle should be able to lift itself out of the basement this season, but it’s probably not on par to compete with the NFC’s heavy hitters this season.

2009 NFL Previews

NFC East: Dallas Cowboys Preview | Philadelphia Eagles Preview | New York Giants Preview | Washington Redskins Preview

NFC North: Chicago Bears Preview | Detroit Lions Preview | Minnesota Vikings Preview | Green Bay Packers Preview

NFL South: Tampa Bay Bucs Preview | Atlanta Falcons Preview | New Orleans Saints Preview | Carolina Panthers Preview

NFL West: San Francisco 49ers Preview | St. Louis Rams Preview | Arizona Cardinals Prevew