The Front Row with JASON ELLIOTT Aug. 17, 2011

Fall camps.

The time of the year when the optimism is running high, whether at the professional or high school level.

Most teams aren't a week into workouts yet and sports writers (myself included) want to know - just how good do you think you'll be?

FROM WHAT I have gathered within the past week, the answer is simple - young and a work in progress.

Last season was special in so many ways for schools in the area, whether a state 5A football championship for the Coeur d'Alene Vikings or playoff runs by both the Lake City and Cd'A High boys soccer teams.

While all three played on that final day, each will have to replace some key members of those teams to make it there again.

In the past nine years, if there is one thing I've learned from watching high school sports, it's that you can expect the unexpected.

Teams have shown plenty of promise during the regular season, only to stumble in respective district/regional tournaments.

There have been plenty of times when I've believed a team had all the right pieces in place, only to come up short in the hunt for a championship.

Nobody will win a state title in the next couple of weeks, but the work to get a team to the tournament has already been implemented.

AFTER WATCHING the Seattle Seahawks' first exhibition game on Thursday night against the San Diego Chargers, my hopes in a repeat NFC West championship increased.

If only for the next six hours.

Since the team cut ties with Matt Hasselbeck, they have gone with Tavaris Jackson as the starter, with Charlie Whitehurst backing him up.

It's early, but 2 of 6 for 13 yards from a projected starting quarterback doesn't quite cut it in the NFL.

Granted, he’d only been practicing with the team for less than a week due to rules placed on players signing new contracts, but those numbers need to continue to improve if the team wants to follow.

Going from a 7-9 finish last season to a winning record will be difficult, but my hopes of improvement aren’t going to be solved anytime soon.

Fans have been through this before, watching the Seattle Mariners play well and compete during spring training, only to finish with a couple of 100-loss seasons and managers being fired.

The more I watch sports, it never fails.

If a team returns a ton of talented players, or acquires a few key pieces, I’m always convinced that those moves will be enough for a banner season.

While others might be working on a championship a season, the remaining weeks of August aren’t about creating a masterpiece.

More like a work in progress.

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for the Coeur d’Alene Press. He can be reached by telephone at 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at [email protected]