FanHouse MikeWahle

Training camps are underway, the NFL season is right around the corner, and to get you ready for 2008, FanHouse previews all 32 teams, "heat index" style. We'll rate each club in 10 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.

Quarterback:One of the consistencies of Mike Holmgren's regimes has been strong quarterback play. Maybe Matt Hasselback never became the "next Brett Favre", but maybe, on a number of levels, that's actually a good thing. What Hassyback has become, though, is one of the most consistently underrated and, um, consistent signal callers in the league. He's not flashy but he doesn't need big name wideouts to post big stats either. He's got a bad back early this year though, and I'm automatically docking the Seahawks one "heat point" for refusing to use Seneca Wallace at wideout. Also: Charlie Frye. Heat Index: 7

Running Back: There's something to be said of your running back situation when neither Julius Jones nor Maurice Morris can perform at a high enough level in training camp or preseason to make Mike Holmgren name a starter. T.J. Duckett could still be cut, although with the recent Ben Obomanu injury, it looks like both he and Justin Forsett could be on the roster, with Duckett manning goal line carries and Forsett returning kicks. It's not a really attractive situation either way you slice it. Heat Index: 5

The Seattle Seahawks are meeting with free agent guard Mike Wahle today, the Seattle Times and NFL Network are reporting. The 30-year-old Wahle started every game for the Panthers in 2007, but he was released by Carolina this week.

Wahle had a solid three seasons with the Panthers, but "solid" isn't really good enough to justify the huge free agent contract Carolina gave him to lure him away from Green Bay in 2005. At the time, the quick, athletic Wahle looked like one of the best guards in the league, and he hasn't been that in Carolina.

Still, for the Seahawks, Wahle would represent an upgrade. Rob Sims, who started all 16 games in 2007 at left guard, just isn't good enough, and the Seahawks' running game has suffered ever since the disastrous decision to let guard Steve Hutchinson walk after the 2005 season. Wahle isn't as good as Hutchinson, but he's better than Sims, and that means he'd be a good addition for the Seahawks.

The first salary cap casualties of the pre-free agency period are coming in, and perhaps the biggest surprise in Charlotte is that the Carolina Panthers' first cut was not David Carr.

There's no surprise, however, that linebacker Dan Morgan and guard Mike Wahle have been released. Morgan has battled injuries for the last two seasons, while Wahle was thought to be getting too expensive for his relative age and effectiveness. These two cuts are expected to clear about $6 million $7 million in cap room -- more than enough to re-sign Jordan Gross.

I suspect both of these players will be picked up somewhere else soon. Morgan was a beast of a middle linebacker when he was healthy, and someone is bound to take a chance on him. Wahle is certain to get another shot, too, though he won't command as much cash as he did the last time he was a free agent.

Now we just need to convince Marty Hurney to do the right thing and cut Carr next. Seriously, with Jake Delhomme's rehab progressing well and Matt Moore looking solid at the end of last season, what's the point in keeping a quarterback who can't quarterback?

It appears the Carolina Panthers are putting some extra emphasis on getting their offensive line in order this offseason -- a pretty good idea for a team that prides itself on a strong running game, then puts up mediocre numbers all year.

Darin Gantt of the Rock Hill Herald is reporting that the Panthers could put a franchise tag on right tackle Jordan Gross if they don't get a deal done by the end of the month. Gross seems to think that they'll hammer out contract terms before then, though, and that would be a good thing, given that tagging Gross could cost almost $8 million.

Gantt also speculates that right guard Mike Wahle could be a salary cap victim. The former Pro Bowler turns 31 in March and counted $4.25 million against the cap last season. Does Wahle have injury issues? Do the Panthers think they're better off putting some combination of Ryan Kalil, Justin Hartwig and Geoff Hangartner at the center and right guard spots? Are those guys are better at zone blocking than Wahle?

Either way, it appears the Panthers' O-line could look very different in 2008. If it means better pass protection for Jake Delhomme and more big plays for DeAngelo Williams, Panthers fans will welcome it.