Hello to good bye

There have been more celebratory bye weeks in recent Seattle Seahawks history, but this one might be the most productive.

Thanks to Sunday night’s 37-6 loss to the Chicago Bears, the once-invincible Seahawks suddenly have a laundry list of areas that needs to be addressed.

What coach Mike Holmgren and his staff need to figure out before the Oct. 15 game against St. Louis is how to balance that line between making adjustments and over-coaching.

“We got hit right in the mouth, and that’s no fun for anybody, and it bothers us all,” Holmgren said, “but it is the fourth game of 16.”

Holmgren doesn’t want to overvalue what happened on Sunday night, but he can’t ignore it either.

Whether it was a matter of the Bears simply outplaying the Seahawks, or Seattle showing some weaknesses that could be exploited in the future, Holmgren has a lot of film to analyze.

Among the issues that have to be addressed during the upcoming bye week:

Offensive line

This was the strength of the 2005 Seahawks, and it’s been one of the biggest problems this season. Run blocking and pass protection have both taken a huge step back from past years.

The easiest excuse is the departure of Pro Bowl guard Steve Hutchinson, who signed with the Minnesota Vikings and has been replaced by a pair of converted linemen – tackle Floyd Womack and center Chris Spencer – who have struggled at times.

But the offensive line woes go deeper than that. Pro Bowl left tackle Walter Jones hasn’t played at his typical level, and injuries have slowed down the right side of the line.

Even fullback Mack Strong has been out of synch at times.

The line needs to start communicating better and find the kind of chemistry that made it such a dominant unit in 2005.

Running game

Once again, this all starts up front. But halfbacks Shaun Alexander and Maurice Morris haven’t helped matters.

Alexander can blame a bum foot for his struggles (187 yards on 67 carries), and the team is hoping that he’ll be back near full strength when he returns in two or three weeks.

In the meantime, Morris has to figure out a way to make something out of nothing, instead of just settling for the yard or two that’s right in front of him.

The 2005 Seahawks averaged 153.6 yards per game, and 4.7 per carry. This year, those numbers are down to 105.0 and 3.4, respectively.

Nickel defense

The Seahawks love the versatility of free-agent linebacker Julian Peterson, but his days lining up at defensive end might be numbered. The 6-foot-3, 235-pounder has not shown nearly the pass rush from a three-point stance as he has when blitzing. End Bryce Fisher hasn’t been effective when sliding inside, either.

The pass rush had been fairly effective until Sunday’s game, when the lack of pressure also exposed Seattle’s secondary.

Cornerbacks Marcus Trufant and Kelly Herndon played well through the first three games before getting beaten repeatedly in Sunday’s loss.

Offensive plans

This has been an ever-changing situation, thanks in large part to injuries and the addition of wide receiver Deion Branch.

The Seahawks were a running team, first and foremost, last season.

But injuries to Alexander and Womack have prevented that plan from taking fruition.

The absence of tight end Jerramy Stevens, meanwhile, has affected the passing game. Holmgren is still trying to figure out how best to use Branch on an offense that already includes Darrell Jackson, Bobby Engram and Nate Burleson.

Stevens could be back for the Rams game, and Branch should improve as he continues to learn the offense.

The big question is when Alexander will return, and how he’ll perform when he does.

Holmgren has been pleased with his team’s performance this season. He’ll take a 3-1 record into the bye as a good start.

The Seahawks just don’t want more games than the one that finished the first quarter of the season.