Thursday, July 29, 2010

SEAHAWKS: RG Chester Pitts signs 1-year deal


The Seahawks continued remodeling their offensive line after inking former Texan right guard Chester Pitts today to a 1-year deal worth up to $2 million.

Pitts worked under Alex Gibbs' zone blocking scheme in Houston before suffering a knee injury last year, forcing him to undergo microfracture surgery. Prior to the injury, Pitts had played eight season with the Texans without missing a single game.

Of course, this begs the question, "who will start at right guard; Pitts or Max Unger?"

To Continue...

The answer is somewhat simple. Pitts, 31, will likely start at right guard IF he fully recovers from his surgery. Remember, this is the same surgery that finished Walter Jones' career. And, that is a big "if."

However, it's important to remember that Microfracture knee surgery is different for every athlete; some may fully recover while others won't. Pitts recently worked out for teams so Seattle must have relative confidence in his ability to fully heal from the season ending knee surgery.

Pitts' experience in the zone blocking scheme can only benefit Unger's development at the position. And, with a stop-gap contract, Unger will likely take over after the 2010 campaign. While some fans may scream, "Unger at center," this just won't happen under the new regime. Gibbs has expressed confidence in Chris Spencer's ability to play center so don't expect a change there.

Of course, this is before training camp so Unger could still land a starting roll ahead of Pitts, who could, at the very least, serve as excellent depth to an injury prone line.

Seattle traded guard Rob Sims to Detroit earlier this season, then picked up free agent Ben Hamilton to start next to Okung at left guard. Hamilton is also an experienced zone blocker.

Reach Aaron Weinberg at nextseasonsports@gmail.com