Seattle Seahawks
Pete Carroll has only made about a million transactions since becoming head coach in 2010, and many leave you wondering if he really knows what he’s doing after a pair of 7-9 seasons.

It is especially evident at the quarterback position where Carroll made the trade for unproven Charlie Whitehurst, dumped him, signed slightly less unproven Matt Flynn this offseason, put him on the bench, drafted Russell Wilson in the third round, traded Tarvaris Jackson, and has made Wilson his starter.

The team has a good running back in Marshawn Lynch, but they have been fishing for wide receivers, including tryouts for Terrell Owens, Braylon Edwards and Antonio Bryant. Apparently Brian Blades was a tad too old for what Pete was looking for.

Golden Tate is a young receiver and Sidney Rice is often injured, so if they could find Wilson some weapons, then this may be a team to watch out for. They already have the special teams and defense ready. The young secondary with Earl Thomas, Kam Chancellor, Richard Sherman, and Brandon Browner is one everyone raves about.

The NFC West featured some of the best pass defenses in the league in 2011, and the talent and youth in a secondary like Seattle’s is a big reason for that. Last season the Seahawks allowed a 74.8 defensive passer rating, which ranked No. 6 in the league just behind San Francisco (73.6).

Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images The Week in Sports Pictures The nation grieved for those hurt, killed and affected by the Boston Marathon bombings. After one of the suspects was caught on Friday — following a day-long lockdown and manhunt — sports returned to Boston over the weekend.

Carroll is building a team that can stop the pass and run the ball, but to take the next step, they will have to make sure Wilson develops properly. He played much better in his home debut against Dallas than he did in Week 1, so that is a good sign.

But with the Packers coming to town on Monday night, we will get a good glimpse of just how talented this Seattle secondary really is, and if Wilson is more like the rookie who struggled in Arizona or the efficient playmaker he was against Dallas.

St. Louis Rams
The record says it all: 15-65 (.188) from 2007 to 2011; the worst five-year record in modern NFL history. That is what Jeff Fisher walked into this year. But he is not alone, as 2010’s No. 1 pick Sam Bradford has a lot of improvement to show in year three.

So far, Bradford has looked more like the quarterback the Rams hoped for, and the team has been much more competitive under Fisher. They were a mess on both sides of the ball, so you have a young team with a lot of holes thanks to years of bad drafts. This will not sort itself out in one year, but Fisher should have a good idea of who is worth keeping around for the future by season’s end.

Cortland Finnegan was a good addition from Tennessee, and he has already contributed with a pick six of Matthew Stafford in Week 1 and helped draw Josh Morgan’s costly foul on Sunday. The Rams came back to win from a 21-6 deficit in the first half and a 5-point deficit in the fourth quarter for the first time since 2005.

The offensive line is a work in progress, the receivers are nothing special, Steven Jackson is not getting any younger, but at least Fisher has pieces to work with this year in Bradford, James Laurinaitis, Chris Long, Janoris Jenkins, and Finnegan.

It will take another year or two to rebuild for the playoffs, but this will not be a 2-14 or 4-12 team again this year.

Scott Kacsmar (@CaptainComeback) writes for Cold, Hard Football Facts, Bleacher Report, Colts Authority, and contributes data to Pro-Football-Reference.com and NFL Network.