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After taking a few days to focus on the 2013 NFL scouting combine, “Shutdown Corner” resumes our TPS reports (Office Space), where we take a look back at each team’s 2012 season and a look at what lies ahead for the 2013 offseason. We continue in the NFC West with the Seattle Seahawks. 2012 record : 11-5 What went wrong : An 11-5 season and coming within 30 seconds of appearing in the NFC championship game results in a fairly short list of complaints entering the 2013 offseason. If there was a gripe, it was that it took a few games before the Seahawks unleashed third-round quarterback Russell Wilson. The Seahawks had an ineffective passing game for the first five weeks of the regular season and Wilson had more interceptions (six) than touchdowns (five). Second-year receiver Doug Baldwin, Seattle’s top receiver in 2011, had just 29 receptions for 366 yards on the season. Tight end Zach Miller, who signed a five-year, $34 million contract after the 2011 lockout, caught just 38 passes for 396 yards and three touchdowns. Another issue was a defense that built to stop the run allowed 122.9 yards per game on the ground over the final 10 regular season games before allowing 271 rushing yards in two postseason games. Defensive end Chris Clemons, who had 11.5 sacks in the regular season, suffered a torn ACL in the playoff win over the Washington Redskins and may not be 100 percent by the time the 2013 season begins. What went right : According to Football Outsiders’ opponent-adjusted metrics, the Seahawks finished first in team efficiency , placing among the top four teams in offense, defense and special teams DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value Over Average). The biggest story out of Seattle was the rapid development of Wilson, the No. 75 overall pick of the 2012 NFL Draft who won the starting job in training camp and became a Rookie of the Year candidate. Wilson passed for over 3,100 with 26 touchdowns, tying Peyton Manning’s single-season record for a rookie. Wilson also added 489 yards and four touchdowns, including three rushing touchdowns in the first half of a 50-17 win over the Buffalo Bills. Marshawn Lynch earned Pro Bowl honors by running for 1,590 yards and 11 touchdowns, barreling over defenders like a player seeking a $30 million extension and not a player who had signed one in the offseason. The Seahawks ranked third in Football Outsiders’ “Adjusted Line Yards” and placed two players – left tackle Russell Okung and center Max Unger – in the Pro Bowl. The Seahawks also got a solid season out of Golden Tate, who had 45 receptions, 688 yards and tied for the team lead with seven touchdowns. The Seahawks’ were fourth in yards allowed per game and were the league’s No. 1-ranked scoring defense. In a sign that “The Kid’s Are Alright”, Seattle’s leader in tackles was second-round middle linebacker Bobby Wagner, who had 139, including a team-high nine for a loss, an impressive total for a player who logged 84.83 percent of the defensive snaps. 2012 first-round pick Bruce Irvin was second on the team with eight sacks in limited (43.41 percent playing-time) action. Second-year cornerback Richard Sherman had eight interceptions and the All-Pro emerged as one of the top corners in the league. Coaching/front office changes : The Seahawks lost defensive coordinator Gus Bradley, who is now the head coach the Jacksonville Jaguars. Replacing Bradley is Dan Quinn, the Seahawks’ former defensive line coach who spent the last two seasons as the defensive coordinator at the University of Florida. The Seahawks’ front office saw the departure of vice president of football administration John Idzik, who was named the New York Jets’ general manager. Estimated 2013 cap space : $16.371 million

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‘Shutdown Corner’ offseason TPS report: Seattle Seahawks (Shutdown Corner)

DENVER (AP) The Denver Broncos are sticking with young safety Rahim Moore . Moore allowed Jacoby Jones ‘ 70-yard touchdown catch in the final minute of regulation in the Broncos’ playoff game the Baltimore Ravens won in double overtime on their way to winning the Super Bowl. John Elway, the Broncos’ vice president of football operations, and coach John Fox both say Moore made great progress last season and they have confidence he’ll put the blunder behind him and make even greater strides in 2013. With free agency looming and the draft approaching, the Broncos say they feel good about their safeties, including Quinton Carter , who is recovering from knee surgery and could push Moore for playing time in training camp. “We anticipate both of them to come back even better,” Fox said at the NFL combine last week. Elway said Thursday on 104.3 FM The Fan radio station in Denver that there’s no thought at team headquarters of moving Pro Bowl cornerback Champ Bailey to safety next season, either. As the AFC’s top seed, owners of an NFL-best 11-game winning streak and odds-on favorite to win it all, the Broncos thought they’d be the ones hoisting the Lombardi Trophy in New Orleans. Instead, the Ravens parlayed their stunning comeback in Denver into winning the rings that Peyton Manning and Von Miller were so confident they’d be getting fitted for about now. The business of 2013 beckons, however, and the Broncos are moving on. While fans may salivate over the likes of free agents Ed Reed and Charles Woodson or any number of younger safeties about to hit the open market, the Broncos’ brass continues to praise Moore for the progress he made last season and insist his wasn’t the only costly mistake that hurt them in the playoffs. “Rahim had a great year,” Elway said at the NFL combine. “The strides he made from his rookie year to this year were tremendous. We expect him to make those same strides and I think the bottom line is for him – I haven’t seen him since the last game, but once he gets back and around his teammates – there are a lot of things in that game that caused it to end up the way it ended up. It wasn’t one play that caused us to lose. “I’m happy with him and I think I was really impressed with him and how he handled it after the game. He stood up and he took it, which to me showed a great amount of maturation on his part. I’m looking forward to him coming back and even having a better year next year.” Fox took just as much heat as Moore did over what happened next – ordering Manning to take a knee so Denver could take its chances in overtime rather than trying to move into field goal range with three timeouts and 31 seconds to work with. “Once the season is over or after the Super Bowl, I think the reality is that everybody is 0-0, or undefeated or however you want to put it,” Fox said. “Any loss kind of sticks with you – scars, I might say – but you have to spit it out and get onto the next season and not let it linger and affect your preparation moving to the next season.” Elway has been down this road before, and he’s optimistic a similar payoff awaits. The Hall of Fame quarterback-turned-front office executive has now been a part of two playoff runs that ended with questions about what went wrong in an early exit from the playoffs. Elway experienced it as a player in 1996, when the Broncos were upset at home by the Jacksonville Jaguars, 30-27, but then came back and won the next two Super Bowls. He once again finds himself picking up the pieces after a disheartening loss. The Broncos’ stars all stumbled in that 38-35 loss: Manning had three turnovers, including an interception that led to the winning field goal; Bailey got burned repeatedly; Ryan Clady was playing with a torn rotator cuff that would require surgery and wasn’t anything close to his usual dominant self as Manning’s blindside protector; and Miller and Elvis Dumervil combined for just one sack. All those poor performances were overshadowed, however, by the many mystifying mistakes that Moore, their second-year free safety, made on Jones’ 70-yard touchdown catch from Joe Flacco with 31 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Moore lined up too shallow and allowed Jones to blow past him after leaving cornerback Tony Carter , who failed to jam at the line of scrimmage, in the dust. Then, instead of going for the tackle, Moore tried for the interception on Flacco’s 50-yard high-arcing heave but mistimed his jump. Moore took the blame after the game and promised to make good, saying, “I’m going to keep my head high and next time the opportunity comes, I’m just going to make it for my team. I’ll just make the play.” The Broncos say they’re willing to give him that chance. By ARNIE MELENDREZ STAPLETON, AP Pro Football Writer (© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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Elway, Fox Are Sticking By Young Safety Rahim Moore

After taking a few days to focus on the 2013 NFL scouting combine, “Shutdown Corner” resumes our TPS reports (Office Space), where we take a look back at each team’s 2012 season and a look at what lies ahead for the 2013 offseason. We continue in the NFC West with the St. Louis Rams. 2012 record : 7-8-1 What went wrong : When the Rams beat the Cardinals 17-3 to improve to 3-2 on Oct. 4, it marked the first time the club was over .500 since 2006. Unfortunately, the Rams would not win another game until their rematch with the Cardinals on Nov. 25, a stretch of four losses and a tie. The Rams improved on both sides of the ball in 2012, but one area that needs to be addressed this offseason is their return game. Rams kick returners averaged 21 yards per return, which was tied for 26th in the NFL. On punt returns, the Rams averaged 6.6 yards per return, which ranked 31st in the league. What went right : For a sub .500 team, quite a lot went right for the Rams in the first season of the Les Snead/Jeff Fisher era. The Rams’ defense ranked 14th in total yards allowed per game and were tied for 14th in points allowed per game. According to Football Outsiders’ opponent-adjusted metrics, the Rams were seventh in defensive DVOA, finishing in the Top 10 against the run and pass last season. Though no Rams players would appear in the 2013 Pro Bowl, the defense received solid seasons from defensive ends Chris Long and Robert Quinn, who combined for 22 of the Rams’ league-leading 52 sacks in 2012. Middle linebacker James Laurinaitis led the Rams with 142 tackles, adding two interceptions, while second-round cornerback Janoris Jenkins led the Rams with four interceptions. Another key contributor on defense was outside linebacker Jo-Lonn Dunbar, who had 113 tackles, 4.5 sacks and led the squad with 16 tackles for a loss. With a third coordinator (Brian Schottenheimer) in as many seasons, the offense remains a work in progress, improving from 32nd in FO’s offensive DVOA in 2011 to 21st in 2012 , but still finishing towards the bottom of the league (25th) in points scored. The Rams also struck gold with sixth-round kicker Greg “The Leg” (or Legatron, depending on your inclination towards sci-fi cartoons) Zuerlein, who was 23-of-31 on field goal attempts on the season with six of his eight misses coming from beyond 50 yards. Zuerlein nailed a 60-yard field goal in a Week 4 win over the Seattle Seahawks and became the first kicker in NFL history to hit a 60-yard field goal and a 50-yard field goal in the same game. Rookie punter Johnny Hekker also had a solid season, finishing with a net average of 39.9 yards and completing all three of his passing attempts on fakes for 42 yards and a two-yard touchdown in the Week 4 win over Seattle. Coaching/front office changes : The Rams went without a defensive coordinator after Gregg Williams was suspended indefinitely over his role in the New Orleans Saints’ bounty program. Fisher says he made the decision late in the season to move on from Williams, but took his time this offseason before naming a full-time replacement. The Rams named Detroit Lions secondary coach Tim Walton their defensive coordinator in mid-February. Estimated 2013 cap space : $750,000 over their estimated 2013 adjusted cap number.

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‘Shutdown Corner’ offseason TPS report: St. Louis Rams (Shutdown Corner)

KC Joyner offers a couple fits for Mike Wallace in free agency and explains why he struggled last season in Pittsburgh.

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2013 NFL free agency – Five best fits for wide receiver Mike Wallace