The Front Row with JASON ELLIOTT May 2, 2012

The jerseys are new.

So will be the quarterback.

But when it comes to the Seattle Seahawks - as a fan, I was left scratching my head on Thursday night.

WITH THE selection of linebacker Bruce Irvin from West Virginia with the 15th pick, I wasn't alone in wondering just what the front office was thinking.

Apparently those experts at ESPN felt the same way, because for the first time in three months, they were almost left speechless.

Seattle has plenty of other needs, but linebacker was most certainly one - and hopefully they've got the right guy.

Irvin hasn't been a model citizen like either Andrew Luck or Robert Griffin III that were picked in front of him during Thursday's draft, but all he's got to do is make plays.

Who knows, maybe this guy is the linebacker that the team was hoping to get when it drafted Aaron Curry a few years ago out of Wake Forest.

Then again, he could also turn out to be the next "Boz."

No matter what happens, I'll be anxious to see just what happens next.

I'll also be excited to see just what the team was thinking in singing Robert Turbin, a running back from Utah State, as well as Korey Toomer, a linebacker from Idaho.

Both have the chance to be great special teams players, and with the depth at tailback, that's Turbin's likely spot.

In the game I saw Turbin play against the Vandals a few years ago, he looked like he could be the next Darren Sproles.

If he can be anything like him, it will be well worth the price of admission to watch him return kicks alongside Leon Washington.

BETWEEN THE speculation that coach Pete Carroll was interested in becoming the Arkansas coach and it being the third year of his project - something may have to give this season.

Signing quarterback Matt Flynn may have boosted the passing game, but you’ve still got to catch the ball.

Keeping Marshawn Lynch in town for a few more years looks good now, but should the team face another situation like the one when Shaun Alexander disappeared soon after his mega-deal, it could be a few more years before the team finds the playoffs again.

The last time the Seahawks played a home schedule such as this one, they advanced to the Super Bowl.

While I don’t expect that to happen again — I’ve been wrong before.

Hosting teams like the Jets, Patriots, Cowboys and 49ers will be nothing short of exciting.

At some point, the team needs to be able to start winning some games consistently, whether at home or on the road.

That will never change — no matter how different the uniforms look.

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].