The Seahawks Signed Dre’Mont Jones & Jarran Reed

Posted on March 15, 2023 by dunderhead99

We have exciting news! I can’t remember the last time the Seahawks were involved with a major signing on the first day of free agency. Not for an outside player anyway. The Seahawks are an organization that likes to draft and develop, they’re an organization that likes to take care of their own guys. Other than that – and the occasional big splash trade – we usually buy low and test the waters on an older veteran, or a lesser name coming off his rookie contract.

It’s a smart way to do things, but it can also be infuriating. What happens to those teams who “win” free agency? They’re often coming from a real dark point; that’s why they have so much money to spend in the first place. And, you’re not getting the proper value out of guys on bigtime second or third contracts, compared to those on rookie deals especially, but also compared to past-their-prime veterans who might have a little something left in the tank. So, you don’t often see a lot of future success from those teams who “win” free agency. Once in a while, a team will get everything right, but that’s pretty rare. More often than not, if you’re not just as inept (remember that Philly “Dream Team” they compiled some years back), then you’re mortgaging the future like the Rams did. Which is great, they won a Super Bowl. But, now they’re set to be one of the worst teams in football, and that’s gotta be tough to swallow as a fan.

Conversely, as you can see, it’s not like the Seahawks’ way has paid dividends either. All too often, we’ve eschewed one impact signing in an attempt to scattershot a lot of minimum deals. Instead of signing one impact offensive linemen, we’d sign three mediocre duds. Instead of going for one impact pass rusher, we’d overpay defensive tackles (Poona, Mone) who can’t get to the quarterback, and then sign whoever else was left on the scrap heap (Quinton Jefferson, Al Woods).

Everyone likes to point to Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril as the last time the Seahawks got it right in free agency. That was EONS ago! The last outside free agent who actually made a positive impact was Uchenna Nwosu; before him, there was nobody.

Seemingly every year, we head into free agency with a decent amount of money to spend, and seemingly every year, we walk away shaking our heads at the moves the Seahawks have done.

Well, not this time! This time, we signed Dre’Mont Jones away from the Denver Broncos, for 3 years and $51 million. He gets a $20 million signing bonus, which puts his 2023 cap hit at around $10 million. Assuming he plays well, his 2024 cap hit is under $20 million. And if he’s a jackpot, we’ll probably extend him before 2025 comes into play.

6’3, 281 pound defensive tackle who has 22 sacks in his 4-year career, 18.5 over the last three seasons (no less than 5.5 per year). But, it’s obviously not just sacks that makes him one of the most sought-after defensive linemen in this free agency class. He can play all over the line, and he’s a menace against both the run and the pass. He’s basically everything we’ve been looking for since Clinton McDonald left, on the low end. On the high end, the sky’s the limit. I dunno, maybe Aaron Donald is the limit; he’s probably not Aaron Donald.

Nevertheless, he’s the best defensive tackle we’ve had in ages. Sam Adams maybe? Rocky Bernard? It goes back a ways. (I don’t count Michael Bennett here, though maybe I should; I always saw him as a defensive end who slid inside on passing downs to give us an extra outside rusher).

Not only is Dre’Mont one of the best and most impactful free agents, but he also fills a VERY huge need on this particular team. Shelby Harris and Quinton Jefferson were both released as cap casualties. Poona Ford is probably moving on (after not really fitting into the new 3-4 scheme), and Bryan Mone might be out with injury all year. So, as much as we all like Al Woods, there’s a lot of work left to do.

And just when I thought we might settle for some guy making the minimum, we bounced right back the next day and brought back Jarran Reed on a 2-year, $10.8 million deal. This isn’t just any old man off the streets. This is someone who has been remarkably healthy and available (other than a stint when he was suspended). He had a stretch with the Seahawks where there was real pass rush ability and potential (surpassing 10 sacks one year), but by and large he’ll give you a little bit of that, while also presenting a stout front in run defense.

What makes all of this truly thrilling is seeing what will come from the #5 overall pick. If Jalen Carter falls to us? And we get to play him, Reed, and Jones side by side by side? With Nwosu on one end and Darrell Taylor or Boye Mafe on the other? Or, we end up with Will Anderson as an end with those guys? We could really have something here!

The Seahawks Signed Poona Ford & Ahkello Witherspoon

Posted on March 17, 2021 by dunderhead99

It’s always weird writing about all the NFL deals at this point in the year, because the numbers rarely seem to be known in totality until guys actually sign. We’re in that time when all the contracts are announced by NFL insiders, but all they really have are the broadstrokes.

Anyway, Poona Ford is back with the Seahawks. He signed for 2 years and something approaching $14 million, with over $4.4 million in 2021. He was going to be a restricted free agent – likely with a second round tender – which would have been less dollars in the short term, but this is a nice middle ground or both the player and the team.

Poona’s likely not going anywhere before 2022, so he gets a hefty bump in total earnings. Remember, this was a guy who went undrafted. He’s earned less than $2 million total over the first three seasons of his career. He’s also a guy, not for nothing, who is a run-stuffing defensive tackle. Those aren’t guys who command a lot of salary cap attention. He has 2.5 career sacks.

That being said, 2.0 of those sacks came in 2020. This is a guy who has always played at a high level respective to both his position and where he was rated coming out of college. But, he really seems to be on an upswing. Pairing him with Jarran Reed in the middle of that line is probably the best defensive tackle combo we’ve had since Cortez Kennedy and Sam Adams. If Poona’s trajectory continues, we could be looking at a real steal over the next two years.

So, Poona gets paid, the Seahawks don’t have to worry about the interior of that D-Line for a little while longer, and coming back around, Poona will only be 28 years old when this deal expires, so he’s well within logical reason to cash in again in two years. If nothing else, the floor is high with him, so even if we get exactly what we’ve gotten from him to date, it’s a good deal. But, I believe there’s more left in the tank.

The other deal that popped up was the 1-year signing of cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon. This came on the heels of Shaquill Griffin signing his deal with Jacksonville, which makes it especially interesting. I’ll be honest, I didn’t know who Witherspoon was before yesterday, even though he’s played his entire career in San Francisco, one of our biggest rivals. So, I had no idea – for instance – that he also came from the same 2017 draft as Griffin, and that they were both third round draft picks. In fact, Witherspoon was taken 24 picks AHEAD of Griffin. Now, that’s obviously meaningless in the grand scheme of things; Griffin has proven himself to be a Pro Bowl-calibre player, whereas Witherspoon was oft-benched and considered largely a disappointment by the 49ers.

But, by all accounts, Witherspoon came on towards the end of the 2020 season. I don’t know if that’s a product of their schedule – the last four games the 49ers played last year were against struggling offenses, including Seattle’s in the finale – or if something finally clicked with him, but he’s 6’2 and he came from a quality secondary in Colorado that the Seahawks were obviously fond of. You have to wonder, then, if the Seahawks would have selected Witherspoon over Griffin, had both been available to them where they selected. Might Witherspoon – being in Seattle’s system all along – have thrived in his first four years? We’ll never know, but he’s still young enough to at least come in and compete with Tre Flowers for a spot.

I wouldn’t expect a lot out of Witherspoon. In fact, I think the Seahawks will continue adding to this position – with a name or two that we DO know – to really bolster the competition factor now that Griffin has walked. Quinton Dunbar isn’t off the table, is what I’m saying here. The hope for Witherspoon, though, is that he shows enough to stick as a depth piece, and improves as the season goes along and he has a number of practice weeks under his belt to acclimate to our way of playing defense. At 1 year, $4 million, I think that’s a reasonable price to pay for a potential lottery pick.

A Bunch More Huskies Are In The NFL Now

Posted on May 2, 2017 by dunderhead99

I’m on record as saying the Seahawks would be fortunate to have as many Huskies on their team as possible. I’m also on record as a huge know-nothing homer, so maybe they’re best not to listen to me. Anyway, with the 2017 NFL Draft in our rearview, here’s a breakdown on where all of our beloved Huskies will be calling home, at least for Training Camp, if not for many years beyond.

John Ross got us started by the Cincinnati Bengals picking him 9th overall in the first round. If the Seahawks couldn’t have him, I’m glad to see him in the AFC. Quite frankly, too many AFC teams would drop the ball on this, forcing a lot of Huskies into direct competition with the Seahawks. This is an awesome fit, though, for the Bengals. He gets to play opposite A.J. Green and will open up a lot for his partner in crime by opposing defenses game-planning against his speed. This could really further Green’s career, as he’s prone to foot injuries and will likely be slowed further due to age. Green could become a top possession receiver with Ross blowing out coverages over the top.

No more Huskies taken until the second round, where three guys were selected with the top 11 picks on Day 2. Kevin King went to Green Bay, two spots above where Seattle picked. Obviously, he wasn’t a top priority for the Seahawks, otherwise they would’ve made more of an effort to pick him at 26 or again at 31 when they traded down. It’s pretty clear, in hindsight, that the Seahawks had Malik McDowell targeted all along, and King was more of a backup pick. I hope this doesn’t bite them in the ass, as I could easily see King being a Pro Bowl player for years to come, while McDowell feels like more of a longshot (with, admittedly, a higher upside if he reaches his full potential).

Then, to make matters worse, one pick after the Seahawks took McDowell, the Arizona Cardinals moved up to nab Budda Baker. Great, so we get to play against Budda twice a year. They are going to LOVE him in Arizona. I think I’m more jealous of this pick than even the King one, as after Ross, Budda was a close second as far as my favorite Huskies are concerned. That guy just has a nose for the ball, a nose for making a big play, and a nose for beating the shit out of guys. What that means for his long-term health is another issue, but I wouldn’t have let that stop me from taking him high in this draft.

Then, with the 43rd overall selection, the Eagles took Sidney Jones, who had the achilles injury (and thus MIGHT start the season out on the PUP list), but figures to be a long-term lockdown corner for many years to come. Part of me hoped he would’ve dropped a little further, with the Seahawks either landing him at 58, or packaging 58 with another pick to move up into the low 50s or high 40s, but alas, at 43, that’s probably a lot more than the Seahawks were willing to move. Also, aside from the injury issue this year, my main concern with Jones is that he primarily played the Richard Sherman side of the field, so how would he take to playing opposite? I’m pretty sure he would’ve been fine, but you never know.

From there, a pretty long gap without another Husky taken. As time went on, and Friday moved into Saturday, more and more people were questioning the decision of Elijah Qualls coming out a year early. He eventually fell all the way to pick # 214, also belonging to the Eagles. I attribute a little bit of this to being wary after Danny Shelton really hasn’t done much of anything of impact with the Cleveland Browns since he was picked in the first round. Either way, I think they got a great guy at a tremendous value. He tops out as a Sam Adams type player if he can put it all together. Either way, the Eagles didn’t risk much by using a late 6th round pick.

That’s it for the Husky draft picks. Not too shabby, though. Five guys, four of them on defense. I’d expect this to be a trend going forward as Chris Petersen keeps reloading this team with top talent.

In the undrafted sector, tight end Darrell Daniels signed with the Colts. Even without knowing their situation at tight end, he would seem like a longshot. He’ll really, I would think, have to make his hay by improving his blocking a great deal, as I think he’s a sneaky good offensive weapon down field.

Jake Eldrenkamp, left guard who really developed into a nice interior lineman by his senior season, signed with the L.A. Rams. He’s got good size and athleticism and it wouldn’t shock me to see him get stashed on the practice squad for them and maybe make a bigger impact in his second season, if everything breaks right.

Perhaps the biggest shock of this whole thing is Deontae Cooper, the oft-injured running back and HUGE fan favorite, who ended up transferring to San Jose State in his final season in 2016 (part Fresh Start, part being blocked out by the younger UW running backs), I guess is getting an invite to Training Camp with the Oakland Raiders? I’m not sure, exactly, what the deal is, as news is pretty spotty.

Safety Brandon Beaver (who I totally forgot was a senior last year) is getting a shot with Budda Baker’s Arizona Cardinals, so that’ll be interesting. Beaver had some nice impact plays last year, but obviously would be considered a pretty big longshot.

Joe Mathis, defensive end, who missed out on the back-half of his final Husky season due to a foot injury, also went undrafted, much to the chagrin of everyone who saw how impactful he was for the Dawgs. He signed with the Houston Texans, to either be an end or an outside linebacker. Either way, I think they’ve got a good one on their hands. That is a STEAL, especially for a team looking for a cheap way to add some pass rush depth. I hope he really knocks their socks off in Training Camp, because I could see him – over the rest of the undrafted Huskies – having the biggest impact right away.

My Top 25 All Time Favorite Seattle Seahawks

Posted on February 10, 2016 by dunderhead99

With Beastmode’s retirement this week, I thought I’d take stock and reflect upon where he lands among my all time favorite Seattle Seahawks. While he’s my favorite over the last quarter century, he comes up just short of my all time fave.

I should probably point out that my knowledge of the Seahawks prior to the 1990s is pretty limited (I was born in 1981). As such, you won’t find many of the old-timers. Indeed, only 5 of my 25 played prior to 1990, and none of those five are named Dave Krieg, Jim Zorn, or Curt Warner. Zorn was a guy I never saw play, Warner was always hurt when I started watching football, and the years I watched Dave Krieg were those loser years where he heavily contributed to his standing as one of the most fumble-prone quarterbacks in NFL history. If I never again see Dave Krieg raise his arm back to pass, only to watch in horror as the ball gets flung backwards thanks to his criminally under-sized hands, it’ll be too soon.

Among the actual Honorable Mentions are the following:

Ricky Watters – a guy who reminds me a lot of Beastmode, but unfortunately didn’t play with us quite long enough to merit breaking through; Chris Warren – very underrated back, who unfortunately was saddled by a lot of mediocre Seahawks teams; Eugene Robinson – solid safety for some solid defenses; Michael Sinclair – second on Seattle’s all-time sacks list; Cliff Avril – who could potentially climb into the Top 25 one day, if he continues to produce the way he has; Red Bryant – mostly a fan favorite type, who I was happy to see find a role in the early Pete Carroll years; Robbie Tobeck – helped solidify the greatest offensive line in team history during the Holmgren years; Steve Hutchinson – who gets a bad rap even though it was Tim Ruskell who dicked him over first; Rocky Bernard – an underrated interior defensive lineman who this team would kill to have right now; Sam Adams – someone who blossomed after he left the Seahawks (and someone who I randomly have a signed jersey from); Bobby Engram – who was Doug Baldwin before Doug Baldwin; Chad Brown – who gets overlooked a little bit because he came from the Steelers, but still played quality football for his Seahawks tenure; Rufus Porter – a speed rusher off the edge and another fan favorite type; Zach Miller – who I’ll always respect for his toughness even though he got injured a lot; and Joe Nash – who would be my #26 if this list went that long, because he was an awesome nose tackle for this team who played here FOREVER.

Anyway, without further ado, My Top 25 All Time Favorite Seattle Seahawks:

1. Steve Largent – He was this team’s first Hall of Famer, and when he retired, he had most – if not all – of the wide receiver records before they were broken. When I started getting into football in the late 80s, there was every reason to be a fan of some other team in some other city, as those Seahawks teams were okay, but nothing special. The 49ers had Joe Montana and Jerry Rice, the Raiders (who were a particular favorite among my elementary school classmates) had Bo Jackson (’nuff said), the Redskins, Oilers, Dolphins, and Bengals were all loaded with talent. I don’t totally remember my thinking on this one, but I’m certainly convinced now that I would never have become a Seahawks fan if it weren’t for Steve Largent. I mean, yeah, they’re the local team, so it’s easy to say I’d just stick with that as the reason, but throughout the 1990s, I used to mock this team relentlessly, and would frequently bet my family members that the Seahawks would lose (and won quite a bit of cash in the process, for a kid in the 1990s anyway). But, I could always hang my hat that at one point, Steve Largent played for the Seahawks and was the best player at his position. Also, didn’t hurt that I got to meet him at an autograph signing at the Tacoma Mall. It was many hours of waiting in line, but it was worth it.

2. Marshawn Lynch – Unlike many of the guys on this list, who were either career Seahawks, or played many more years here, Lynch became a favorite of mine in a little over 5 and a half seasons. His bruising style of play, all the highlight runs, and his abilities as a receiver and blocker make him not only the most complete running back in franchise history, but one of the very best overall players we’ve ever seen in a Seahawks uniform, including the other Hall of Famers coming up next on this list.

3. Cortez Kennedy – It’s hard to pick one over the other when it comes to Tez and Big Walt; both are consummate bad asses. While you could make the argument that Walter Jones was the best player at his position in NFL history (which I do), I don’t think I’d necessarily put Cortez Kennedy as the best defensive tackle in NFL history (though, to be fair, I haven’t tried ranking them all, so who knows?). What I will say is that what won me over in Tez’s favor is his Defensive Player of the Year Award in 1992. First of all, it’s hard as fuck for a DT to win that award (there have only been two other players since 1992 at that position to win that award – Dana Stubblefield & Warren Sapp). Secondly, no player at any position has ever won the award while playing on a shittier team (the Seahawks were 2-14 that year). But, such is the fierce brutality that was Cortez Kennedy (who ranks 4th all time in franchise history for sacks); he finished that season with 14 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, and a whopping 92 tackles. Let me repeat: 92 tackles!!! There are linebackers who don’t get that many tackles, and here we are, looking at a DT who got 92 tackles. Just insane! To compare, Stubblefield in 1997 had 15 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, and only 48 tackles; Sapp in 1999 had 12.5 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, and only 27 tackles (that wasn’t even Sapp’s best season, but regardless, he never surpassed 50 tackles in a season, so that point is moot). Tez frequently battled double- and triple-teams throughout his career, and was still a God damn hurricane to deal with in the middle. It’s just too bad he couldn’t be rewarded with more playoff appearances.

4. Walter Jones – If you went pound for pound, you’re probably talking about the very best player the Seahawks have ever had. With Bad-Assery being a theme, they don’t get much more bad-ass than this guy. He was repeatedly franchise tagged, repeatedly held out in training camp and in the pre-season, then showed up right before the regular season started not only in tremendous shape, but ready to start from Game 1. Then, when you tack on his training regimen of him pulling Cadillacs to get ready for the season, and I think I need to go lie down for a while because I just got winded writing that statement.

5. Matt Hasselbeck – This is probably where things start to get a little more fluid. In five years, I would anticipate someone like Russell Wilson will have surpassed someone like Matt Hasselbeck. Indeed, many fans might disagree with me, but I gotta admit I’m still a pretty big Hasselbeck fan. He led this team to its first Super Bowl appearance, which is always going to be huge, even if the result isn’t what we wanted. Where his talent may be lacking compared to a guy like Wilson, his personality and charm in the media more than makes up for it. It’s always WAY more entertaining to hear a Hasselbeck interview than a Wilson interview. I know, that means little compared to on-field accomplishments, and as I mentioned above, Wilson will probably pass him in a few short years. But, for now, I hold Hasselbeck in higher esteem.

6. Richard Sherman – This future Hall of Famer has nowhere to go but up on this list. Pretty unlikely leader in the clubhouse of Legion of Boom participants, but Sherm has been the most consistently elite through the 2015 season.

7. Shaun Alexander – He gets a bad rap for not being Marshawn Lynch, but I think a lot of fans forget just how great he really was. If he didn’t start breaking down towards the end, he was well on his way towards getting into the Hall of Fame. As it stands, he was one of the best two or three running backs in the NFL for a good five-year period. He should be a shoo-in for the Ring of Honor, if the Seahawks ever get around to putting more people in there.

8. Brandon Mebane – Love this dude. He won’t be a Hall of Famer, he won’t have his number retired, he might not even make the Ring of Honor when it’s all said and done. But, he was one of the better Tim Ruskell draft picks. As a third rounder, he got on the field right away and has been a staple for this defensive line ever since. Nine years in, he looks as good as ever, and I hope the team retains him so he can retire as a Seahawk.

9. Kenny Easley – He’s the only player on this list who I don’t really remember watching play live. So, I’m really basing his ranking on highlights and on testimonials from players around the league who talk about this guy with some of the highest reverence I’ve ever seen. If his career wasn’t shortened by kidney disease, he’d be in the Hall of Fame right now. Compared to Ronnie Lott, he’s the only other Seahawk to win the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year award, in 1984, when he had 10 interceptions (2 returned for touchdown). As it stands, he’s a Ring of Honor guy, and the best safety in franchise history (eventually to be surpassed by the next guy on this list).

10. Earl Thomas – He’s our Ed Reed. Our Troy Polamalu. Our All Pro Machine striving to be the best this game has ever seen. The only thing that could cut him short on his quest is if he succumbs to injuries. His dedication to the game and being the best puts him in my Top 10.

11. Russell Wilson – Seems criminally low, I know. I don’t think it’ll be too much longer before he’s in my Top 10. Maybe even one more season. The way he’s playing right now, and with Lynch’s retirement, this will be HIS offense. If he manages to carry this team to unknown levels of awesomeness, I think he’s destined to skyrocket up my list.

12. Jacob Green – He was an absolute monster throughout the 80s, racking up the most sacks in franchise history with 97.5 (and that doesn’t even include his first two seasons, when the NFL didn’t record sacks as an official stat). Certainly one of the more underrated defensive ends of the 80s.

13. Joey Galloway – Probably another controversial pick – especially this high in the rankings – but I don’t care. He only really played 4 seasons for the Seahawks before holding out for 8 games in his fifth year before forcing Holmgren’s hand, but those four years were outstanding! He was an elite return man from the get-go, and a big play machine on offense as well. If we only could have paired him with a competent quarterback (he was saddled with Rick Mirer, John Friesz, and Jon Kitna before we were able to get Warren Moon in here for a couple of injury-plagued years towards the end of his career) he might have been even better, for as crazy as that sounds. Still, even the way he left things wasn’t so bad, as we ended up getting two first round draft picks (one of which we used to nab Shaun Alexander, with the other being traded for multiple picks so we could get Koren Robinson, Heath Evans, and some backup offensive lineman I’ve never heard of).

14. Doug Baldwin – Another player whose ranking could go way up on my list if we manage to keep him on the team beyond his current contract. He’s proven to be a clutch possession receiver, as well as a guy capable of making bigger plays downfield, and as of 2015, a touchdown monster. To think an undrafted receiver who has started since his rookie year could still be getting better in his fifth season is pretty amazing. I want to see the Wilson to Baldwin connection continue for at least the next half decade, if not longer.

15. Golden Tate – Maybe another controversial pick, but I like who I like, and I like me some Golden Tate. I kind of dismissed him when he left for Detroit, as we still had Percy Harvin, after all. But, when Harvin proved to be a huge chump, I’ve longed for Tate’s big play ability ever since. His loss is now mitigated by the drafting of Tyler Lockett, but there’s still a lot to like about a guy like Tate who was another outsize personality on a team full of ’em. A guy who got under the skin of opposing defenders (like the fucking Rams, for instance). And a guy who played bigger than his size. Not extending him, in favor of bringing in Harvin, is a move this team continues to regret.

16. Brian Blades – The wide receiver parade marches on, with Blades, who played significant minutes for a rookie under Chuck Knox, and who eventually went on to replace a legend in Steve Largent as this team’s #1. He was never super flashy, and only made one Pro Bowl in his career, but he’s this team’s second-leading career pass catcher. He has the team’s second-most receiving yards, and is fifth in touchdowns.

17. K.J. Wright – He cracks this in large part due to recency bias. He’s been here for five years, has played all three linebacker spots, has only missed a small handful of games, and should be in the Top 10 in franchise history in tackles by this time next year. I love his smarts, his professionalism, his toughness, and the fact that on a defense full of superstars, he just quietly goes about his business of being consistently great. He’s never been to a Pro Bowl, and probably never will, but when it’s all said and done, he’ll go down as one of the best linebackers in Seahawks history.

18. Marcus Trufant – He was rarely flashy, but he was a first round pick and a starter from day 1. He made a Pro Bowl in 2007 when he had 7 picks, and it doesn’t hurt that he was a local kid who made good. And, not for nothing, but we went to the same high school and played on the same Freshman football team (he was the superstar, I was the third string right tackle who never ACTUALLY got to share a field with him on gameday, because I was terrible).

19. Michael Bennett – In three short years, Bennett is already #10 on Seattle’s all time sacks list. Of course, he’s so much more than sacks, but that’s still pretty impressive. With his ability to play both inside and outside, against the run and against the pass, he’s probably the most talented defensive lineman in franchise history (just behind Tez, that is). If we can keep him happy and playing through the end of this contract – or onto another if he keeps producing – he could easily shoot up this list as well.

20. Kam Chancellor – He took a bit of a hit this year with his holdout. I don’t mind a guy who holds out of training camp and/or the pre-season, but I tend to draw the line when a guy starts missing regular season games (and starts costing us those games with his absence). Truth be told, his 2015 was far from ideal; but, that doesn’t wash away the previous four years of amazingness. If we can make him happy again and keep him around a few more years, he’ll return to his rightful place among the Top 15 or Top 10 on this list. For now, it’s sort of Wait & See mode, for fans and the franchise alike.

21. Lofa Tatupu – His career was relatively brief, but man did he shine bright! In only six years (one of them severely injury-marred), he made three Pro Bowls, one first team All Pro, and cracked the top 10 in tackles in Seahawks history. THIS is the best draft pick of Ruskell’s tenure, and a big reason why this team made the Super Bowl during the 2005 season.

22. Darrell Jackson – Fourth in franchise history in receptions, second in touchdown receptions, and the number 1 receiver for most of Matt Hasselbeck’s time here. His reputation was somewhat tainted by drops early in his career, but I feel he more than made up for it from 2003 through 2006. Another guy who never made a Pro Bowl, and will probably never make the Ring of Honor, but he’s a big part of those Holmgren teams that brought the Seahawks to a level of respectability we’d never seen to that point.

23. John L. Williams – Listed as a fullback, but he was really a do-it-all type of back. He had hands like a receiver (3rd all time in receptions, 6th all time in receiving yards in Seahawks history), had quicks like a running back (fifth all time in rushing yards in Seahawks history, 9th in rushing touchdowns), and the size of a bruising fullback (5’11, 231 lbs), he could really do it all. In an era that pre-dates these types of specialty backs who are equally as good at catching as rushing (LaDainian Tomlinson, Marshall Faulk, etc.), John L. Williams was truly a trailblazer. He’s securely third place in franchise history in total yards from scrimmage (behind bellcow back Shaun Alexander with 10,940 total yards, and Hall of Fame receiver Steve Largent, who had a total of 13,172 yards), ahead of other, more notable, running backs like Curt Warner, Marshawn Lynch, and Chris Warren. John L. played largely a reserve role, as a third or fourth option for this offense for most of his tenure here, but he played that role splendidly.

24. Bobby Wagner – He’s been great since his rookie year, I only expect further greatness going forward. He’s another who could easily skyrocket up this list, the longer he remains the quarterback of the greatest defense we’ve ever seen.

25. Jermaine Kearse – What can I say? He’s another local kid, another undrafted free agent, who worked his way through the practice squad into being this team’s #2 receiver. Doesn’t hurt that he’s a Husky. Also doesn’t hurt that he’s made some of the biggest catches in franchise history, including the 4th down touchdown against the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game, and the game-winning touchdown against the Packers the very next year in the NFCCG (not to mention the super-human TD catch in Super Bowl XLVIII, and the beyond-human bobbling/diving catch in Super Bowl XLIX). He might have played his last down in a Seahawks uniform, and if so, I’ll be sad. But, I’ll also be happy for a guy who started at the bottom and worked his way into a contract that was too big for the Seahawks to match.

Is Dustin Ackley The Most Disappointing Draft Pick In Seattle Sports History?

Posted on May 14, 2015 by dunderhead99

Right off the bat, don’t talk to me about the Sounders, the Storm, or any other lesser sport I don’t care as much about. This is a Seahawks/Sonics/Mariners discussion, so LAY OFF!

Also, we’re talking straight draft picks. Believe me, I’m well aware of all the bad trades and free agent signings, as well as the draft picks we’ve traded away, but this is a look at the most disappointing players we’ve seen drafted in this city for those three professional franchises. With that out of the way, let’s begin.

Dustin Ackley was taken with the #2 overall pick in the 2009 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. In 2008, the Seattle Mariners finished 61-101 for the right to pick #2 overall. You may recall that, going into the final three games of the 2008 season, the Mariners were 58-101 and in line for the #1 overall pick. The Washington Nationals, with three games to go, were 59-99. So, what happened? The Mariners swept the A’s and the Nationals got swept by the Phillies. As such, the Nationals were graced with the #1 overall pick and the right to draft the hottest pitching prospect since Roger Clemens: Stephen Strasburg.

You can say what you want about the injury-plagued start to Strasburg’s career, but you can’t deny he has elite stuff and you can’t deny he’s had three very good seasons from 2012-2014. We don’t know where his career will take him – and obviously, with Mike Trout being selected by the Angels with the 25th overall pick, it’s not like he’s the best player in that draft – but one thing we do know is that he’s a HELLUVA lot better than Dustin Ackley will ever be.

We got screwed. Dustin Ackley was supposed to be the clear best hitter and most Major League-ready player in that draft. We were going to get an athletic guy who could play the outfield or various infield spots, and a mainstay in our lineup. Your prototypical 2-hole hitter. He was supposed to have a good eye, get on base at a fantastic clip, and even hit for a bit of power (mostly doubles, but the occasional homer), with just enough speed on the basepaths to keep everyone honest.

What we GOT was a guy with a poor eye at the plate, poor pitch selection, a noodle-arm, who rolls over on balls to the second or first baseman 80% of the time. At a time (coming off of our attrocious 2008 season, continuing through our 2010 season where we were one of the worst offenses of all time), Ackley was supposed to breeze through the minors and give our lineup a boost. Instead, he’s been spoken in the same breath as Justin Smoak and Jesus Montero WAY too often for comfort.

He sucks us in because he’s a #2-overall pick, and because he sometimes has these wonderful second halves to seasons that trick us into thinking he’s finally gotten everything figured out. Then, he turns right back around the following spring and hits:

.200/.222/.341/.563, with 3 doubles, 3 homers, 7 RBI, and about 50,000 runners left on base in 30 games

This is his fifth year in the Major Leagues. Here are his career numbers: .243/.305/.365. You have to wonder, if he doesn’t turn it around and I mean SOON, if this is his last chance with the Mariners. I can’t imagine we go into 2016 with him as a starter, but I have to wonder if we go into 2016 with him even on the roster at all!

Does this make him the most disappointing draft pick in franchise history? Well, let’s take a little look back. Too soon to talk about Alex Jackson (2014) or D.J. Peterson (2013). Mike Zunino was the 3rd overall pick in 2012; he’s been less than ideal at the plate. But, he’s still probably too young (and at least hits for SOME power) to make a judgment. Danny Hultzen was the 2nd overall pick in 2011 and has been severely injured for much of his career of late, so he has to be in the running, right? Except, the thing is, he’s a pitcher, and the Mariners have been fairly flush with pitching in recent years since he was selected. Hard to call him as much of a disappointment when we haven’t really needed to rely on him for anything.

Maybe we should take a look at what it means to be disappointing in a sports setting. For starters, I feel like you have to be a first round pick. These are the guys who – in theory – should be the closest to helping your team right away. In baseball, you expect these guys to be on the fast track, to hit the Major Leagues in 2-4 years, depending on their development. In football and basketball, depending on how deep your roster is, you expect these guys to contribute immediately, and in some instances even start for you immediately. So, when they fail to live up to those reasonable expectations, they’re disappointments. Obviously, the higher you draft them, the bigger the disappointments.

Going back, here are the rest of the Mariners’ top-10 draft picks through the years:

2006 – Brandon Morrow (5)
2005 – Jeff Clement (3)
1995 – Jose Cruz Jr (3)
1993 – Alex Rodriguez (1)
1990 – Marc Newfield (6)
1989 – Roger Salkeld (3)
1987 – Ken Griffey Jr (1)
1986 – Patrick Lennon (8)
1985 – Mike Campbell (7)
1984 – Bill Swift (2)
1983 – Darrel Akerfelds (7)
1981 – Mike Moore (1)
1980 – Darnell Coles (6)
1979 – Al Chambers (1)
1978 – Tito Nanni (6)

Sure, Brandon Morrow was disappointing, but for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, we should’ve taken UW’s Tim Lincecum instead. Second, we kept dicking around with Morrow by starting off his career in the bullpen. Third, we probably gave up on him and traded him away too soon (for Brandon League, who was an all-around disaster). Ackley still has Morrow beat in the disappointment department.

Clement was disappointing, but I think we were all more disappointed in our front office moreso than the player. That 2005 draft was FUCKING STACKED; 6 of the first 7 players selected have been All Stars (with Clement being the only dud), and 8 of the first 12 have played in an All Star Game. Bill Bavasi at his finest!

Jose Cruz Jr was solid when he was a Mariner, then we traded him away for two shitty relievers, then he got really bad, and then he was gone. Again, more disappointed in our front office for giving up on a quality prospect too soon.

A-Rod was disappointing because he was a greedy scumbag & soon-to-be cheater. But, his level of play on the field was unmatched, so there’s no way I’m calling him a bigger disappointment than Ackley (also, yes, I would have taken the money and played for the Rangers, so eat me, he’s still a greedy fuck).

Anyone before A-Rod is out of my wheelhouse (aside from Griffey, of course, who was the single greatest draft pick in franchise history). You can post your reasons in the comments as to why you think some of those old timers might be more disappointing than Dustin Ackley, but for now, I’m saying this with full confidence: Dustin Ackley is the most disappointing draft pick in Mariners history.

***

Let’s jump right into the Seattle Seahawks. Who is their most disappointing first round draft pick? Again, I’ll run through all the top 10 picks (even though I think we all have a pretty good idea who this is going to end up being):

2010 – Russell Okung (6)
2009 – Aaron Curry (4)
2001 – Koren Robinson (9)
1997 – Shawn Springs (3)
1997 – Walter Jones (6)
1995 – Joey Galloway (8)
1994 – Sam Adams (8)
1993 – Rick Mirer (2)
1992 – Ray Roberts (10)
1990 – Cortez Kennedy (3)
1983 – Curt Warner (3)
1982 – Jeff Bryant (6)
1981 – Kenny Easley (4)
1980 – Jacob Green (10)
1978 – Keith Simpson (9)
1976 – Steve Niehaus (2)

Not gonna lie to you, I’m not up on my Steve Niehaus or Keith Simpson knowledge, but let’s just assume they’re not the most disappointing draft picks in Seahawks history. Green, Easley, and Bryant were mainstays of a dominant defense in the 1980s, so count them out. Curt Warner was only disappointing because we didn’t use that pick to try to trade up for John Elway (or trade back to take one of the other amazing quarterbacks in that class). Curt Warner the player was dynamic when he was healthy.

Cortez and Walter Jones are probably tied for the very best draft picks in Seahawks history, as both are Hall of Famers. Ray Roberts was a solid offensive lineman in his career (if not specifically his Seahawks career). Sam Adams was a fringe Hall of Famer for the Ravens, but had a nice and long career elsewhere (including Seattle for a few productive seasons). Joey Galloway and Shawn Springs were studs who had their best years away from the northwest (but, again, were no slouches in a Seahawks uniform). Okung has been a steady starter at left tackle (and a fine Walter Jones replacement when healthy) since he was a rookie.

For me, the disappointments come down to Aaron Curry, Koren Robinson, and Rick Mirer. But, before I talk about this trio of Top 10 turds, let’s take a look at some honorable mentions from a little lower in the first round.

Lawrence Jackson was taken 28th overall. He was supposed to come in and breathe life into our tepid pass rush. Instead, he joined our team in 2008 as the franchise bottomed out, let Mike Holmgren walk, and eventually ushered in the Era of Good Feelings that has been Pete Carroll and John Schneider. Oh yeah, and Jackson stunk the whole while and it wasn’t long before Carroll traded him away for scraps.

In 2006, the Seahawks selected Kelly Jennings with the 31st overall pick. Coming off of our first-ever Super Bowl appearance, we were in desperate need of shoring up our secondary. Kelly Jennings was no help in this regard. While it’s hard to expect super-greatness out of your 31st overall draft pick, he was still a member of this team – and a starter at that – for far too long, leading us to suffer a barrage of long bombs over his outstretched midget arms.

In 2002, the Seahawks selected Jerramy Stevens 28th overall. That’s all I need to say about this wretch.

In the 1987 NFL Supplemental Draft, the Seahawks took Brian Bosworth with what amounts to a first round draft pick. He was subsequently given the largest contract in franchise history, and rewarded us with lackluster and often embarrassing play. He was a better action movie star than a football player, and that’s REALLY not saying much.

But, let’s get back to our Top 3 disappointments from before. I’m scratching off Koren Robinson, for starters. Yes, he had the talent to be elite – and pissed it all away with addiction – but one has to wonder if he was even the right fit for this type of offense to begin with. And, while he wasn’t spectacular, he was far from dreadful. I’m giving him a pass.

This boils down to Aaron Curry and Rick Mirer. You may recall with Aaron Curry, we were coming off of our dreadful 2008 season. With the 4th overall pick, people were screaming for the Seahawks to take a quarterback. With Matthew Stafford already off the board, and Mark Sanchez sitting there, the Seahawks opted to do the prudent thing: take the “safest pick in the draft”. Aaron Curry was an outside linebacker and – depending on who you talked to – was some mix of Lawrence Taylor and Derrick Thomas. We were going to pair him with Lofa Tatupu and Leroy Hill to have the best linebacking corps in the entire NFL.

Instead, he was slow to pick up the game mentally, slow to pick up the intricacies of his position, and just all-around slow on the field. He did practically nothing for us, wound up being traded for a low-round draft pick, and was replaced on the field by a mid-round draft pick. But, considering the Seahawks were bottoming out all over the roster, it’s hard to peg all of our troubles on Curry. Even if he’d panned out as we’d hoped, he still would have been just a good player on a crappy team.

Rick Mirer, on the other hand, was supposed to save us. In 1992, the Seahawks shared the worst record in the NFL with the New England Patriots at 2-14. Thanks to our victory over those very same Patriots, they held the tie-breaker for the #1 overall pick. As a result, they got to select the best quarterback of that class – Wazzu’s Drew Bledsoe – while we had to settle for Rick Mirer out of Notre Dame.

Mirer came out of the gate on fire, breaking many rookie quarterback records that would eventually be broken by Peyton Manning (the only time Rick Mirer should ever be mentioned in the same sentence as Peyton Manning, by the way). He quickly either regressed or simply failed to develop, but either way, he SUUUUUUCKED thereafter. Adding fuel to the fire of his disappointment, I recently was referred to this article (hat tip to Dave Krieg’s Strike Beard) that revealed there was an outside shot of the Seahawks getting Steve Young from the 49ers for the rights to allow the 49ers to draft Mirer to be Joe Montana’s heir apparent. Isn’t THAT just the ultimate kick to the groin? Doesn’t that make Rick Mirer the ultimate slam dunk most disappointing draft pick in Seahawks history?

I want to say yes, but RACING PAST THE PACK ON THE OUTSIDE, OUR DARK-HORSE CONTENDER: 1991’s 16th overall draft pick, Dan McGwire!

What’s the meaning of THIS? Well, I’ll tell you: the Seahawks brass was very high on the 6’8 towering suckferno, while Chuck Knox – easily our greatest head coach in franchise history to that point – wanted to select a little guy out of Southern Mississippi, the 6’2 Brett Favre.

Dan McGwire started all of five games with the Seahawks in four seasons. Chuck Knox left the franchise after 1991, right before everything bottomed out in 1992. As stated above, the Seahawks would use the #2 overall pick on yet another quarterback two years later, and the franchise overall would founder in mediocrity for a decade until Mike Holmgren turned things around. All of this MAY have been avoided, if Chuck Knox had his way and we’d drafted a certain hall of famer who owns or owned just about every passing record in NFL history.

Most disappointing draft pick? For all those reasons, I’m going with Dan McGwire by a nose over Rick Mirer (bottom line: at least Mirer had ONE good season).

***

In an effort to prevent this post from going beyond the 5,000 word mark, I’m going to give the abbreviated version of the Sonics’ most disappointing draft pick: it doesn’t compare to what the Seahawks and Mariners have stacked against them. Purely for disappointment’s sake, it’s disappointing to see Scottie Pippen’s name as our #5 overall draft pick in 1987 (he would be traded to the Bulls and replaced by Olden Polynice, but again, this isn’t a post about trades), but at least Pippen’s departure eventually led to Shawn Kemp’s rise.

The fact of the matter is, the Sonics – for the most part, until the last decade or so – were a well-run and successful organization (crazy, I know). Our first round draft picks were generally low in the round, if we had them at all. The high ones tended to pan out (Payton, #2 overall; McKey, #9 overall; McDaniel, #4 overall). And, since once again I’m not all that familiar with all the old-timers, I’m not even going to go there and you can hash it out in the comments.

In an effort to save time, let’s just say the most disappointing draft pick in Seattle Sonics history is Robert Swift (#12 overall in 2004, when we were in DESPERATE need of a big man; he would be the first of three consecutive first round draft pick duds – Petro & Sene to follow – that would ultimately cost this franchise dearly). Now, let’s call it a day and everyone agree that Robert Swift is nowhere NEAR as disappointing as Dan McGwire or Dustin Ackley.

***

So, where do we land on all of this? Is Dustin Ackley the most disappointing draft pick in Seattle sports history?

Welp, I’ve already discussed the cases for both he and Dan McGwire. With Ackley, we’re still talking about an Incomplete. We don’t know how his career is going to pan out, even if we have a pretty solid idea that he’s going to continue to be terrible. With McGwire, we know how it panned out, and we know what we could’ve had with Favre. McGwire FEELS like the more disappointing of the two, but before we give him the crown, we have to speculate on the ol’ butterfly effect.

Dan McGwire kept us from drafting Brett Favre (or, rather, the organization choosing to go with him over Knox’s preferred choice). That’s the case, right in a nutshell. So, we have to wonder: how good could the Seahawks have been with Brett Favre at the helm?

Would Chuck Knox have stayed on past 1991? Would the team have drafted appropriately around him? It’s pretty safe to say that Brett Favre would’ve been great wherever he went, but how much of his career was molded by Mike Holmgren? I wouldn’t call the Packers a bastion of a franchise when they traded for him, so it’s not like the team was great and then Favre appeared as the last piece of the puzzle. He grew with that franchise to be one of the best in football. Could that have rubbed off on the Seahawks? Or, would our franchise bumbling have prevented Favre from being his very best?

I would argue that the Seahawks would’ve been rock solid throughout the 90s. Much better than the string of .500 (or near-.500) records we were saddled with. There was always talent on those 90s Seahawks teams, but we were ALWAYS missing out on the quarterback position. Warren Moon had a couple good years, but that was at the tail end of his career, and he kept getting injured when we needed him most. Every other quarterback we had in the 90s was terrible.

With Favre in Seattle, does Mike Holmgren become MIKE HOLMGREN in Green Bay? Does he find another quarterback to mold and turn that franchise around? I think it’s safe to say, Favre in Seattle means we never hire Holmgren later. And, you have to wonder if we have the group in place that we have now.

Does Favre turn this franchise around before Ken Behring sells the team to Paul Allen? Does he have a change of heart and decide to keep the Seahawks and keep them in Seattle? Do we have what is now CenturyLink Field? If Paul Allen isn’t the owner, we certainly don’t have our stadium in its current form; I’m sure it would look much different now. And, I have to wonder if we have the Sounders either, for what it’s worth.

Ultimately, does Brett Favre lead the Seahawks to be world champions? THAT, I’m not totally sure about. It’s nice to think so, but you have to wonder how it happens. How long does Chuck Knox stick around if we give him the quarterback he wants? He was already getting up there in age by 1991; how many years does he stick around after that? And, who becomes his replacement? I would argue Tom Flores was the worst head coach we’ve ever had in Seahawks history; I don’t think he wins even with the mid-90s Cowboys. Does he still replace Knox? Do we grab someone else?

The point is: there are SO MANY “what if’s” that go into the Brett Favre as a Seahawk scenario. And, what I would argue is most important in all of this is: if Brett Favre never leads us to a world championship (whether or not it’s his fault, or the fault of ownership, or just the players we saddled him with), then he is 100% not worth the trouble. The way things actually happened – with the Seahawks winning it all in the 2013 season – made a lot of the previous suffering worth it. That’s all that matters.

Now, if Brett Favre coming here means the Seahawks would’ve been a dynasty much earlier, then I think he is worth it and I think Dan McGwire wins the title of most disappointing draft pick. Even if it means the team we have now (in this hypothetical universe) looks nothing like the team we have in our real, actual universe.

Ultimately, my gut tells me that even if the Seahawks had taken Brett Favre, and he’d turned into the franchise quarterback we waited SO LONG to get, I kinda doubt we ever would’ve won it all with him. Too many variables. We likely wouldn’t have had the type of hall of fame coaching staff that Holmgren assembled in Green Bay, and we likely wouldn’t have gotten the type of championship talent to put around Favre like they were able to do under Ron Wolf. Let’s face it, for a lot of reasons, the Seahawks were just plain broken as a franchise in the 1990s. It took all the tumult, the disaster of an owner, the mis-management of the general manager, the bumbling of the coaching staff, and the underperforming of the players to lead to Paul Allen, Mike Holmgren 2.0, Matt Hasselbeck and our success in the 2000s, the bottoming out in 2008 & 2009, and the foresight to bring in Pete Carroll and pairing him with John Schneider to finally turn this organization into a world-class sports franchise.

You COULD say that Dan McGwire was a big part in giving us all of this! And, I must say, as a fan in my 30s, I’m certainly appreciating all of our good fortune MUCH more than I would have been as a fan in my teens in the 1990s.

Yes, Dustin Ackley is a disappointment. Yes, there were truly great players taken after him (including the aforementioned Mike Trout). And yes, he’s been a big part of all the sucking the Mariners have been a part of in his time in the Major Leagues. He’s been given MANY more chances to start and play a huge part on this team, and he’s done JUST enough to keep earning those chances even though he’s never broken through to make good on all of his promise. Dan McGwire, for as enraging as his selection was, was never much more than a longshot prospect. His college career wasn’t some amazing slam dunk; we were picking him based on his size, his strong arm, and the fact that he “looked” like a starting quarterback. These types of quarterbacks are selected in the first round every single year, and these types of quarterbacks end up falling well short of their potential every single year.

#2 overall Major League Baseball draft picks are supposed to be different. At #2, you know you have the opportunity to draft that year’s very best pitcher or hitter. In our case, we took the “best hitter”. That guy isn’t supposed to continuously be as mediocre as Ackley has been. Either he’s great, or he gets injured and we all sit around wondering “what if”. Ackley has been nothing if not healthy, and he’s been sometimes intriguing, but most of all he’s been a complete failure.

The Mariners missed and missed big when they selected Dustin Ackley. He not only prevented us from taking a better hitter, but he’s actively hurting us now with his sucking. If he panned out – as the so-called best hitter in his class should have – we’d be looking at a monster lineup with him paired with Cano, Cruz, and Seager. Instead, he’s one of our ever-growing cadre of black holes. We can’t sit him, because we don’t have anyone better (depending on your opinion of Justin Ruggiano), we can’t trade him because we’ll get nothing in return, and we can’t cut him because – as I said before – we don’t have anyone better. The bottom line in all of this is, while the Mariners are improving as a franchise, there are too many holes on this team for it to be a championship contender. Dustin Ackley is a huge reason why there are as many holes as there are. And, for that reason, I’m calling him our most disappointing draft pick in Seattle sports history.

The First Round of the NFL Draft Happened Yesterday

Posted on May 1, 2015 by dunderhead99

You’ll notice how little of it applied to the Seattle Seahawks. Quick Reminder: Jimmy Graham.

The real story of yesterday ended up being the three players picked from the University of Washington. Danny Shelton kicked it off for us, going 12th to the Cleveland Browns. He was the first interior defensive lineman taken and projects to be a BEAST. If he tops out at a Sam Adams level, I think the Browns would be ecstatic.

Next up, at 18, the Kansas City Chiefs took Marcus Peters. This almost feels like cheating, considering the Huskies kicked him off the team and everything. Is he REALLY a Husky, or is he more accurately an ex-Husky who finished his college career as an unemployed independent contractor? I mean, for better or for worse, when they list the college for Russell Wilson, they’re not listing NC State, even though he spent the bulk of his time there. Anyway, Peters was the third corner taken, but arguably has the highest grade based on talent alone. Obviously, getting kicked off the team – and the reasons therein – didn’t help matters. But, landing in the Top 20 is pretty damn good all things considered.

Finally, probably the biggest surprise of the first round (aside from the general lack of trading that went down) had Carolina taking Shaq Thompson at 25. Seems a little high to take a weakside linebacker – and a LOT high to take someone who arguably doesn’t have a set position whatsoever – but with his raw talent, you gotta figure a smart organization will plug him in and sort of re-work the defense around him to utilize his talents to their fullest. Admittedly, I’m not super high on Thompson’s pro potential – at least, compared to the Huskies who went before him – but the kid’s got gifts. At the very least, you know you’re getting a special teams dynamo (which, obviously, isn’t something you draft for in the first round, but at least you’ll know you’re not getting a total all-around bust either).

The University of Washington had the most players selected on Day 1 of any school in the nation. I suppose that speaks more to Sark’s abilities as a recruiter, but it still looks good for the program in general. The Huskies also went a long way towards the Pac-12 dominance we saw, as our conference tied the ACC with 9 picks each (ahead of the SEC’s 7, for what it’s worth). The Pac-12 for football isn’t NEARLY as disrespected as the Pac-12 is for men’s basketball, but you can’t help feeling somewhat ignored by the national media when it comes to bowl season. Not for nothing, but you have to wonder how the Pac-12 would fare if Oregon was just another mediocre program (still doesn’t mean I’d ever root for them under any circumstances – up to and including an Oregon victory preventing the end of the world – but it’s interesting to think about).

From a Seahawks perspective, it’s nice seeing 4 of the top 6 draft picks going to AFC teams. Those players, you figure, are the cream of the crop, so it’s nice keeping them out of our hair for the most part.

The Rams took Todd Gurley, so prepare for dozens upon dozens of Hans & Franz “Gurley Man” references. He’s an elite – top 5 level – running back talent if he ever returns to 100% following his injury. Or, he’s a Reggie Bush type who will flash greatness in between bouts in the training room. He doesn’t really scare me too much considering the Rams apparently have a God-awful offensive line. Nick Foles makes the Rams much more interesting, but again, you have to wonder how good he’s going to be with that line and his team’s overall lack of weapons to throw to. I don’t know if that pick moves the needle too much from their 8-8 baseline.

The 49ers traded back and took a defensive end out of Oregon. That franchise is a mess right now, so don’t be shocked if this guy flames out hard.

The Cardinals took an offensive lineman which is absolutely the right thing for them to do. It’s not like they’re going to find their quarterback of the future with the 24th pick, so you might as well do everything in your power to keep what quarterbacks you do have healthy and upright. I don’t like living in this world where Arizona knows what it’s doing on draft day, combined with some whip-smart coaching that’s able to turn moderately-talented individuals into NFL studs. Let’s hope more misfortune befalls this organization, for all of our sakes.

The Seahawks don’t pick until the 31st pick of the second round later today. Rumors abound of the Seahawks trading up (as we have approximately a million picks in the 4th, 5th, and 6th rounds), so I guess we’ll see. Could be a long, boring few hours, as the Seahawks technically only have two picks today before their nine picks tomorrow.

Revising My All-Time Seahawks Greats

Posted on January 8, 2015 by dunderhead99

The last time I did something like this, we were in the middle of the offseason in 2011. In all likelihood, I was looking for some way to fill space in the dreadful month of March when all the other local sports are effectively shut down and you can only say so much about Spring Training.

You may recall at the time that we were just coming off Pete Carroll’s first year with the team. We made the playoffs at 7-9 and upset the reigning champion Saints in the Beastquake Game. It was all very fun, but built on a house of cards. The roster was aging, as leftovers from the Holmgren Era clung for dear life. We drafted some promising rookies before the 2010 season – including Russell Okung, Earl Thomas, Golden Tate, Walter Thurmond, and Kam Chancellor – which may go down as the all-time greatest draft class in franchise history (and, indeed, probably ranks pretty high in NFL history as well).

To be fair, my list of the greatest Seahawks of all time was pretty solid for what it was. But, it’s CLEARLY out of date now. So, I thought I’d go back and compare what my list would be today vs. what it was nearly four full years ago. Let’s go to town:

Quarterback

2011: Matt Hasselbeck, Dave Krieg, Jim Zorn
2014: Russell Wilson, Matt Hasselbeck, Dave Krieg

You’re going to see a pattern here as we go forward: better players from the current era will be pushing down players from previous eras. It’s difficult to compare someone like Wilson – who is working on his third year in the pros – against someone like Hasselbeck who played for us for so much longer. But, in this case, I’m going to keep it nice and simple: Russell Wilson led us to three playoff appearances, two division titles, two #1 seeds, and one Super Bowl title (pending what happens in this year’s playoffs). Wilson is a winner, and he’s the guy who’s starting for me in my hypothetical Greatest Seahawks Team Of All Time.

Running Back

2011: Shaun Alexander, Curt Warner, Ricky Watters
2014: Marshawn Lynch, Shaun Alexander, Curt Warner

I opted to throw out the numbers here. If I went strictly by numbers, Shaun Alexander would still be the clear starter for this team. 9,429 yards and 100 TDs with the Seahawks for Alexander against 5,930 yards and 54 TDs with the Seahawks for Lynch. The numbers say it’s a no-brainer. But, I’m going with my heart on this one, and my heart says BEASTMODE!

Wide Receiver

2011: Steve Largent, Brian Blades, Bobby Engram, Darrell Jackson, Joey Galloway, Paul Skansi
2014: Steve Largent, Brian Blades, Bobby Engram, Darrell Jackson, Joey Galloway, Golden Tate, Doug Baldwin

So, the thing is, it’s going to be VERY difficult to overtake the top three (and damn near impossible to overtake the top receiver on my list, because Largent is my favorite), what with how this offense is constructed and executed. Furthermore, I realize Skansi was a reach, but I’m not sure I had a whole lot to work with. Also, with Golden Tate playing for the Lions now, he’s obviously stuck where he is, with no chance for advancement unless he – by some miracle – returns to the Seahawks. Doug Baldwin, on the other hand, if he sticks it out long term, could be a quick riser. We’ll see where we are in another 3-4 years. I could see someone like Baldwin topping out in the top 2 or 3.

Tight End

2011: Itula Mili, John Carlson, Christian Fauria
2014: Zach Miller, Itula Mili, John Carlson

The tight end position for the Seahawks throughout history is a vast wasteland of sadness. Numbers might say that Jerramy Stevens deserves to be in the top 3, but numbers can suck my dick because Jerramy Stevens can suck my dick. Zach Miller is a lynchpin for this offense who’s equal parts offensive lineman and soft-hands-pass-catcher. He’s adorbs and I hope he gets well soon and sticks around another couple years. I also hope someone like Luke Willson improves his catching ability, because I could see him being a fast riser here too. It’s pretty sad that someone like Carlson is still hanging around on this list, what with how short his time was with us.

Fullback

2011: Mack Strong, John L. Williams
2014: Mack Strong, John L. Williams

While the fullback position is going the way of the dodo bird, I still got love! And, while I think the world of Michael Robinson as a leader, a special teams stalwart, and a powerful lead blocker for Beastmode in previous seasons (before being forced into retirement and a new career in the media), there’s just no way his impact surpassed what Mack Strong and John L. Williams were able to do. And, not for nothing, but I think those two names are going to be 1 & 2 on this fullback list for the duration of my lifetime.

Offensive Line

2011: Walter Jones, Steve Hutchinson, Robbie Tobeck, Bryan Millard, Howard Ballard
2014: Walter Jones, Steve Hutchinson, Robbie Tobeck, Bryan Millard, Howard Ballard

So, the thing here is: I’ve made a conscious decision to list a man for every spot along the line (as opposed to, say, listing the five best linemen regardless of where they played along the line). That having been said, if I felt like cheating (or, if I had the power of some sort of god), I’d probably look to put Russell Okung in at right tackle (because, let’s face it, he nor anyone else will be supplanting hall of famer Walter Jones). Max Unger is a curious omission, but quite frankly, he’s been too injured in his stint as this team’s starting center to get serious consideration. An interesting case will be J.R. Sweezy. If he sticks around and continues his trajectory of improvement, we could be looking at a switch at right guard. But, for now, Sweezy’s a little too loose in pass protection to take over that spot.

Defensive End

2011: Jacob Green, Michael Sinclair / Jeff Bryant, Phillip Daniels
2014: Jacob Green, Michael Sinclair / Jeff Bryant, Michael Bennett

Chris Clemons gets an honorable mention here. I’ve split these up by first and second team. Green & Sinclair are the clear 1 & 2 in Seahawks history and will be for the foreseeable future. Michael Bennett jumps up into the second team because he’s been a force since his return and can pretty much do it all. I opted to put him in with the ends because, to be honest, there are too many good defensive tackles, which you will see shortly.

Defensive Tackle

2011: Cortez Kennedy, Joe Nash / Rocky Bernard, Sam Adams, John Randle
2014: Cortez Kennedy, Brandon Mebane / Joe Nash, Rocky Bernard

The only reason Mebane was left off of my 2011 list is because he hadn’t quite played long enough, and because there was a question about whether he’d be sticking around long term. Luckily for us, Carroll & Schneider saw fit to extend him, which has been a boon to our line. You get a great sense of his value with him out of the lineup, as there are many things we just can’t do without him. It has taken a rotation of 3-4 guys to try to make up for Mebane’s absence, which is about as impressive as it gets.

Also, can you IMAGINE what a defensive line would look like with a healthy Mebane in at nose tackle and an in-his-prime Cortez playing right alongside him? Partner those two up with literally any of the defensive ends I’ve listed above and you’re talking about a powerhouse line on par with some of the best in the history of the NFL!

And, for the record, I understand going with a 3-man second team in 2011 was a total cop out. Glad Mebane is here on this list to clean up my mess.

Linebacker

2011: Chad Brown, Lofa Tutupu, Rufus Porter
2014: Chad Brown, Bobby Wagner, K.J. Wright

So, yeah. In my hypothetical defense here, I’m sticking with just the lone middle linebacker, but I’ve opted to essentially interchange who plays at outside linebacker. In other words, I haven’t differentiated between strongside and weakside. K.J. Wright’s primary position is weakside, but I THINK that’s where Brown played as well. What puts Wright ahead of most other linebackers in Seahawks history is his versatility. He can play all three spots, he’s been a stud since he joined the team, and he was just extended long term. For the record, if I was picking linebackers regardless of position, Lofa certainly makes this list. But, Bobby Wagner is lethal and should be for many more years than Tatupu.

Cornerback

2011: Dave Brown, Marcus Trufant, Shawn Springs
2014: Richard Sherman, Dave Brown, Marcus Trufant

This one is kind of irritating. Right off the bat, Richard Sherman is the greatest cornerback we’ve ever had, full stop. Dave Brown is a Ring Of Honor member and a VERY good corner in his own right. Before Sherm came along, it was Dave Brown and everyone else a distant second. Now, if I’m going by any cornerback who has ever put on a Seahawks uniform, then I’m looking at either Brandon Browner or Byron Maxwell over Trufant in a heartbeat (gun to my head: I probably pick Maxwell because he can play inside and outside corner spots). BUT, Trufant had a Ring Of Honor career in his own right, and Maxwell will only have a year and change as a starter before he moves on to another team (as the Seahawks surely won’t be able to afford to extend him). And, not for nothing, but Trufant in his prime was as good as any other corner, so I don’t feel SO bad putting him third on this list. Nevertheless, if the Seahawks do somehow find a way to squeeze blood from a stone and extend Maxwell, I’m coming back to this page and revising it immediately!

Safety

2011: Kenny Easley, Eugene Robinson
2014: Earl Thomas, Kenny Easley, Kam Chancellor

If I’m being 100% honest, I’m probably not splitting up Earl & Kam if I’m starting up this team. But, I know I’m not the only one who wonders just what it would look like if Earl played alongside Kenny in his prime. SICK!

Special Teams

2011: Norm Johnson (Kicker), Rick Tuten (Punter), Steve Broussard (KR), Nate Burleson (PR)
2014: Steven Hauschka (Kicker), Jon Ryan (Punter), Leon Washington (KR), Nate Burlson (PR)

I hope I’m not totally jinxing things, but I’m taking Hauschka as my all-time kicker. Jon Ryan is sort of a no-brainer (he is, after all, the MVP of our hearts). Leon Washington, while short in his time with us, made a HUGE impact (plus, let’s face it, the Seahawks don’t have a long and storied history with kickoff returners; also, Percy Harvin can suck it). And the challengers to Nate Burleson’s throne never quite did enough (in this case, Joey Galloway – who didn’t last long as a return man – and Golden Tate – who was awesome, but is no longer with us, and wasn’t quite as dynamic).

So, there you have it. A blog post for Thursday. Giddyup.

What If This Is It For The Seahawks’ Defensive Line?

Posted on March 27, 2014 by dunderhead99

I’m of the opinion that the most important aspect of a defense is its secondary. If you would’ve asked me this five years ago, I would’ve given you a different answer, but after seeing what this secondary is capable of – after witnessing the football genius that is the Legion of Boom – I’m convinced that as long as you’ve got a top-notch secondary, you can fake it everywhere else and at least have a passable defensive effort.

Now, obviously, the secondary’s job is made a lot more difficult if you’re not getting pressure on the quarterback. The two phases really do go hand in hand. The quicker you’re able to make the quarterback throw the ball, the less time your corners and linebackers have to cover their receivers and tight ends. Of course, on the flipside, the longer you’re able to hang with those receivers, the better chance your line has of eventually getting home. And, of course, if you’re able to generate that pressure with only four guys (and if you’re able to keep the rushing attack at bay), that means you’ve got seven guys out covering the rest of the field (with, at best, five receivers to throw to).

If I had to choose one over the other – an elite secondary with a pedestrian line, or an elite line with a pedestrian secondary – I’m choosing the elite secondary every time. That’s all there is to it.

In 2013, the Seahawks were blessed like they’ve never been blessed before. This defense was the best we’ve ever seen in franchise history. Better than 2005, better than 1984. Better than most defenses in the history of the NFL! The 2013 defense had the aforementioned Legion of Boom in all of its glory – a unit that will go down in history as probably the greatest secondary ever. And, they also had a D-Line that did more than its share of the damage (saying nothing of our linebacking corps, which is as fast and underrated as it gets).

The Seahawks have been more or less blessed on the defensive line for as far back as I can remember. Jacob Green, Joe Nash, and Jeff Bryant took care of business in the 80s. Cortez Kennedy, Michael Sinclair, Rufus Porter, and a young Sam Adams held down the 90s. Rocky Bernard and a bunch of hired guns – John Randle, Patrick Kerney for a season, and Grant Wistrom for a few games in his three years here – did the lion’s share of the work in the 2000’s. But, by the time Holmgren’s tenure ended, there was a real deficiency in the D-Line. A lot of those Holmgren teams were lucky to have one guy who could effectively get pressure on the quarterback. By the time Pete Carroll took over, though, the cupboard was bare. He immediately went out and traded for Chris Clemons to be our starting LEO defensive end (and primary pass rusher), and that’s who we had for a while.

Knowing the importance of an effective defensive line – and knowing that we already had the secondary on lockdown with L.O.B. – in the offseason prior to the 2013 season, the Seahawks went out and picked up Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril. We’ve talked about it a million times, but it’s no less amazing how we got those guys at the prices we paid. With Clemons coming off of an ACL tear in the playoffs the previous season, the pass rush was a real concern, and we needed as many guys as we could get. Had the Seahawks JUST gotten one or the other of the Avril/Bennett duo, I think the fans would’ve been happy. But, we managed to get both, and a whole new day in Seahawks football came to light.

Because in 2013, we had guys coming from everywhere. Avril and Bennett, of course. But, Chris Clemons also came back and played the bulk of the year. Bruce Irvin was converted to a strong-side linebacker for another element. Bobby Wagner didn’t rush a lot, but when he did he seemed to always wreak havoc. Clinton McDonald was a revelation on the interior. Tony McDaniel was another free agent signing who was a manimal at times. Brandon Mebane and Red Bryant were their usual massive, immovable selves. When you put them all together, I’m sorry to say, it’s probably the best defensive line rotation we’re ever going to see ’round these parts. Every man had a role, and every man played his role to the hilt. And, without a clear weak link, we were able to rotate guys constantly to keep them fresh not only during games, but throughout the season. They were just as disruptive in Game 19 as they were in Game 1. Simply amazing.

As all good things do, of course, this incarnation of the defensive line had to come to an end. Red Bryant and Chris Clemons were let go for obvious cap-related reasons (and for not-so-obvious age-related reasons). Clinton McDonald found more money elsewhere. That’s two key pass rushers and three key guys against the run, playing for other teams. In their places … we don’t know yet. Michael Bennett is back long-term, and Tony McDaniel is back shorter-term. But, there are still a couple openings to fill.

As has been the case in this free agency period, the Seahawks are seemingly tied to just about everyone. I wouldn’t think the Seahawks are finished adding to this roster, but it’s pretty clear – with Jared Allen coming off the board – there aren’t a lot of major upgrade options out there on the free market. I can’t imagine there’s a guy left who’s worthy of a major long-term extension. You’ve got a couple of over-30 types in Will Smith (who missed all of 2013) and Shaun Phillips, and you’ve got Anthony Spencer, who’s never been all that great and ALSO missed most of 2013. These guys can and should be had for a small fraction of what it would’ve taken to get Jared Allen (and for good reason, because they’re not as good, nor as reliably healthy).

So, maybe the Seahawks grab one (or more) of these guys, or maybe they get someone else we’ve never heard of. OR, maybe they stand pat and look to draft some linemen. Let’s just assume, for the sake of argument, that what you see is pretty much what you’re going to get in 2014.

Well, if that’s the case, I would direct you not to the 2013 Seahawks, but the 2012 Seahawks. Remember that team? The one without Avril and Bennett? The one that was pretty much just Chris Clemons and Bruce Irvin (whenever he wasn’t getting lost in the shuffle for long stretches of season)? That defense was built a lot like this hypothetical 2014 defense is shaping up to look like, and they did all right for themselves. Number 1 in scoring defense, number 4 in total yards. 11-5 record overall and 30 seconds away from the NFC Championship Game and a possible Super Bowl appearance. WITHOUT Bennett and Avril, that defense was pretty fucking good.

I would argue that, on paper, this 2014 defensive line as it sits right now is superior to the one in 2012 that did so well on its own. And you KNOW we’re not actually done, but if we were, I don’t think there’s all that much to worry about.

When you look at that 2013 defensive line, you saw Clemons, Avril, and Bennett all working together to destroy opposing offensive lines. Well, we lost Clemons, but the other two are still here. I would argue that Clemons is due to start declining any time now (if he hasn’t already, considering his diminished output in 2013 as he recovered from ACL surgery). I would also argue that, when we traded for Clemons, he was a relative unknown in the NFL. When he came to Seattle and started playing within our system, THAT’S when he broke out as an 11-sack-a-year guy. I don’t think that’s a coincidence. I think the Seahawks saw in Clemons the type of guy who fit their LEO defensive end quite well. That braintrust didn’t automatically start drinking Stupid Juice once they won the Super Bowl. They can find another relative unknown to replace their last relative unknown and be just fine. They haven’t done that yet because they thought they’d take some fliers out on guys like Jared Allen and Co. Why not? If you can get a proven stud for a fraction of his worth, why wouldn’t you at least try? It didn’t work out this year, but that doesn’t mean we’re stuck. It just means the guy we DO bring in will be far less heralded (yet, I’m sure, no less effective).

So, in conclusion, I want you to remember two things: if this is it for the Seahawks’ defensive line, we’re still in very good shape. But, since this is likely NOT it for the Seahawks’ defensive line, just remember who’s running the show. The Seahawks will be fine in 2014. The only thing that can stop us is a slew of injuries at key positions (and even then, you have to think the depth we’ve still got will be enough to carry us through).

The Greatest Seahawks First Round Draft Picks Of All Time

Posted on April 26, 2013 by dunderhead99

In honor of the Seattle Seahawks not having a draft pick last night, I decided to go through all the drafts and rank all the best Seahawks first rounders.

I don’t want to shock you, but there are Hall of Famers on this list! There are some Ring of Honor folks, there are some good players, there are some guys still playing, and there are busts. A whole lotta busts. And not-busts who are just sorta sub-par. You get the idea.

I didn’t totally discredit what these players may have done once they left the team, but I weighted heavily their time in Seattle. For the record, there are people I’ve never heard of on this list, as well as people I don’t remember very well (because who remembers offensive linemen from teams they followed when they were five?), so don’t expect the most thorough of analysis. Just sit back and bask at how much you disagree with my order.

The Hall of Famers

1. Walter Jones (1997, #6 overall)
2. Cortez Kennedy (1990, #3 overall)

You know me (no, you don’t), I love me some Tez. That guy was right behind Steve Largent for my Most Favorite Football Player Of All Time pretty much since he won Defensive Player of the Year back in ~~the day~~ 1992. But, Walter Jones is Walter Jones. Cortez Kennedy is a Hall of Famer, but Walter Jones might be the best who has ever played his position. He’s a legend. And if you don’t think he’s a legend, go look up some stories about his off-season training regimen. How many guys do you know who go around pulling cars to get in football shape?

The Ring of Honor-ers

3. Shaun Alexander (2000, #19 overall)
4. Jacob Green (1980, #10 overall)
5. Kenny Easley (1981, #4 overall)

Shaun Alexander is the best running back to ever put on a Seahawks uniform. He was an MVP, he set the single-season touchdown record (until it was broken by LDT the very next year), and he led us to a Super Bowl. THAT’S why he’s ranked ahead of the other two. Jacob Green is the career sacks leader in team history. And Kenny Easley is one of the greatest safeties in league history. Had he not been injured, he would’ve been in the Hall of Fame. Easily.

Next-Tier, Really Good Players

6. Steve Hutchinson (2001, #17 overall)
7. Marcus Trufant (2003, #11 overall)
8. Jeff Bryant (1982, #6 overall)
9. John L. Williams (1986, #15 overall)
10. Curt Warner (1983, #3 overall)
11. Joey Galloway (1995, #8 overall)
12. Earl Thomas (2010, #14 overall)

I can’t imagine Hutch ever making the Ring of Honor, simply because he played elsewhere for longer than he played for Seattle. Though, had Ruskell not fucked things up so royally, Hutch would’ve been on the inside track and probably would’ve landed at #3 on this list. Good going, stupid.

People are kind of down on Marcus Trufant because he’s old and washed up, but you have to remember that for most of a decade he was a quality starter for this team. Right out of college! Remember all those shitty secondaries that were run out there by Ruskell? Well, don’t lump Trufant into that group, because he was the only thing holding the back end of our defense together!

Jeff Bryant was another quality starter for our defensive line through most of the 80s. He and Jacob Green really tormented opposing quarterbacks. Bryant lands at 3rd all time in sacks.

We can argue John L. Williams and Curt Warner’s spots on this list until the cows come home. Curt Warner had 6,705 rushing hards, good for third on the Seahawks career rushing list. And that’s WITH all his injuries that drastically shortened his career! I mean, let’s face it, Warner is in the Ring of Honor and Williams is not. Do the Seahawks know more about this than I do? Probably, but here’s my rationale for putting John L. ahead of Curt. Yes, Mr. Warner is third all time rushing. But, John L. is fourth, with 4,579 rushing yards. And don’t forget, John L. Williams was one of those hybrid fullbacks who could run you the ball, could block for you, and who caught a lot of passes. 471 to be precise, for 4,151 yards (6th all time). If we’re talking total yardage, then we’re talking John L. Williams – 8,730, Curt Warner – 8,172. Advantage: me.

Joey Galloway was a firecracker when he hit the scene in 1995. He would’ve been a surefire Ring of Honor guy too had he been willing to play ball and not hold out on Holmgren. We ended up trading him, and he ended up having a nice little career for himself. Injuries prevented him from really breaking some records, but his longevity was impressive considering what he was forced to play through.

Earl Thomas is a curious choice to have so high on this list, considering he has only played three seasons. But, I’m giving him a little extra juice because I fully expect him to be great. Also, not for nothing, but you’ll see why he’s so high as we get to the rest of the names.

Good Guys With Better Careers After Leaving Seattle

13. Pete Kendall (1996, #21 overall)
14. Sam Adams (1994, #8 overall)
15. Shawn Springs (1997, #3 overall)

Pete Kendall played his first five years in Seattle and played pretty well along our line. He was never a Pro Bowl guy, but paired with Walter Jones, he really helped improve this team’s running game. Then again, who knows? Maybe Walter Jones just made him look better than he really was. Either way, he went on to Arizona and seemed to improve. I think his three years as a Cardinal were better than any he had as a Seahawk. He would go on to finish his career with the Jets and Redskins, playing many more years as a non-Seahawk than a Seahawk.

To be honest, I remember Sam Adams having all the potential in the world when we drafted him. I also remember him largely being a disappointment. I wouldn’t call him that; I like the guy. I’ve got one of his old practice jerseys signed by him; I think he’s great. But, you can’t deny the fact that he really stepped his game up once he left Seattle and started playing for Baltimore. He was a Pro Bowler both seasons he was in a Ravens uniform. And, oh yeah, he helped them win a Super Bowl with one of the best defenses of all time.

Shawn Springs had a couple of good seasons with the Seahawks, but he wasn’t worthy of hanging on to for the duration of his career. I seem to remember him having a bigger impact with the Redskins than with the Seahawks, even if the numbers don’t necessarily bare that out.

Linemen! (Both offensive & defensive, so leave me alone)

16. Tony Woods (1987, #18 overall)
17. Russell Okung (2010, #6 overall)
18. Steve August (1977, #14 overall)
19. Andy Heck (1989, #15 overall)
20. Ray Roberts (1992, #10 overall)

Right here, we’re talking about guys who were starters, who were fairly productive, but who were never superstars. The exception might be Okung, who has a lot of room to climb this list as long as he stays healthy and keeps his production up.

Old Guys I Know Next-To-Nothing About

21. Terry Taylor (1984, #22 overall)
22. Keith Simpson (1978, #9 overall)
23. Manu Tuiasosopo (1979, #18 overall)

I went and looked them up on Pro Football Reference and I STILL have no idea who these people are or what they did for the Seahawks. I know what Manu did for the Huskies, he fathered one of the greatest Husky quarterbacks of all time. Good for you!

Disappointments

24. Anthony Simmons (1998, #15 overall)
25. Koren Robinson (2001, #9 overall)
26. Rick Mirer (1993, #2 overall)
27. Chris Spencer (2005, #26 overall)
28. Kelly Jennings (2006, #31 overall)
29. Jerramy Stevens (2002, #28 overall)

These are players who flashed some potential, but ultimately didn’t live up to the hype. I always remember liking Simmons, and lamenting he couldn’t stay on the field. I also forgot that he was a first round pick. We all know about Koren Robinson. He’s the guy who drank and drugged his way out of the league, right? I don’t really care enough to look it up to confirm; all I know is that he was supposed to be a stud receiver for us and he wasn’t. Mirer was the pick just AFTER Drew Bledsoe, who was drafted by the Patriots (who were also 2-14 in 1992). Why was he drafted by the Patriots? Because the Seahawks BEAT the Patriots, thereby giving the tie-breaker for the #1 overall pick to New England. Spencer was supposed to lock down the center position for us for a decade; he did not. Jennings was a joke, but he started for us because this team was incapable of finding anyone better. The less said about Jerramy Stevens the better (because I hate that guy).

Hopefully NOT A Bust

30. Bruce Irvin (2012, #15 overall)

He had a fine rookie season with 8 sacks. Is that the best we’re ever going to get from him? Or, will he explode for double-digits pretty soon? It could go either way and it wouldn’t surprise me. He could be a fast-climber on this list too if he plays his cards right.

A Supplemental Bust

31. Brian Bosworth (1987 Supplemental Draft, #28.5 overall)

This guy, QUITE the character. If you have a few hours to spare, I’d recommend reading his biography. If you like The Boz, then I’d recommend NOT watching that 30 for 30 featuring Bo Jackson. Because The Boz looks like The Bitch.

Injury Plagued

32. Steve Niehaus (1976, #2 overall)
33. Marcus Tubbs (2004, #23 overall)
34. James Carpenter (2011, #25 overall)

The Seahawks entered the league at the same time as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs received the #1 overall pick. That, and a lot of weird happenstance, has resulted in the Seahawks never having the #1 overall pick. Ever. Steve Niehaus was the first player drafted in franchise history and he was largely injured for his brief career. Tubbs was a force on the inside during our Super Bowl run. But, he got injured and never recovered. He played in 29 games over 3 seasons and was out of the league. Carpenter is a 2-year vet and he has finished both of his first two seasons on the IR. Not a good sign. Here’s to 2013 being where he turns his career around.

The Huge Busts

35. Lawrence Jackson (2008, #28 overall)
36. Aaron Curry (2009, #4 overall)
37. Lamar King (1999, #22 overall)
38. Chris McIntosh (2000, #22 overall)

L0-Jack was a microcosm of the Tim Ruskell years. His inability to draft quality players in the lower half of the first round doomed this team. Many other teams are able to find starters in the second and/or third rounds. It would stand to reason, then, that you SHOULD be able to find a starter with the 28th overall pick in the first round. Think again.

Because of all the shitty drafting, the Seahawks found themselves the very next year with the #4 overall pick. Aaron Curry was the “safest” pick on the board and we all looked at him to dominate for years to come. He did nothing of the sort and ultimately got Ruskell’s ass fired.

Mike Holmgren’s first couple drafts resulted in a couple of terrible players. Lamar King was just a bad pick any way you slice it. McIntosh was supposed to be good, but he couldn’t stay healthy (and was soon replaced by Steve Hutchinson). Put them together, and you wonder how the Seahawks ever turned their fortunes around under Holmgren.

The Very Worst First Round Draft Pick In Seahawks History

39. Dan McGwire (1991, #16 overall)

This doesn’t need a whole lot of explanation. Rest assured, it’s picks like this and Mirer two years later that doomed this franchise to the wilderness for the entirety of the 1990s.

Apathy Reigns Supreme: Seahawks Lose To Dallas

Posted on November 7, 2011 by dunderhead99

I’m not gonna lie to you, I woke up yesterday with plenty of time to catch this 10am contest (the end of Daylight Savings certainly helped with this), but I just had no desire whatsoever to sit here and actually watch it. But, I did dip in and out a little bit.

What did I see when I DID see some of the action? Well, I saw DeMarco Murray running all over our defense. I saw Tarvar make terrible decisions on the way to three interceptions. I saw Tony Romo do enough good things to justify his status as a starting quarterback in the NFL. And I saw our defense completely unable to make any plays whatsoever.

No sacks. Only three QB hits. No picks. One recovered fumble at the goalline after the Cowboys drove down the length of the field. I’m all for a bend-don’t-break defense, but that’s only worthwhile when your offense isn’t worthLESS. Now, I know we’re breaking in a lot of young players (especially in the secondary), but this defense is never going to take the next step into the Elite status if they can’t find a way to get to the quarterback!

We’ve got Chris Clemons with 5.0 sacks in 8 games. The next-closest Seahawk in sacks is 7 guys … tied with 1. The Seahawks as a team have 13 sacks, which puts us tied for 29th with the Indianapolis Colts. The only teams worse are Tampa and Kansas City; not exactly the class of the NFL. Now, I’m not gonna sit here and blame someone like Red Bryant – who I spend all this time raving about for how he’s helping our run defense – but someone HAS GOT to step up! You know, it’s not completely unheard of for defensive tackles to get sacks! The offensive line can’t double-team EVERY wide-body we have in the middle of that line! Somebody needs to take the pressure off of Clemons, so he’s not the ONLY guy getting to the quarterback!

You know, it’s tough. When a team – from an overall talent standpoint – falls as far as the Seahawks have fallen, you’ve got to build through the draft to fix certain positions on the team. The Seahawks have chosen, the last two years, to fix the offensive line and the secondary (to the detriment of the Quarterback position and the defensvie line). I know and fully understand that we HAVE to make a big splash in the draft for a QB, but sooner or later we’re going to have to take a high draft pick and shore up that D-Line with a big, fast, talented freak of nature. We’ve spent too many years trying to play catch-up by signing past-their-prime free agents who inevitably get hurt inside of two seasons and never play football again. At some point, we’ve got to build from within.

The 90s may have been a highly frustrating time to be a Seahawks fan (some of the most frustrating seasons ever), but one thing those teams could do was get after the quarterback. Michael Sinclair, Cortez Kennedy, Michael McCrary, Phillip Daniels, Sam Adams … those were high-quality to All-Pro type guys! An active and tenacious defensive line can single-handedly keep you in games. They make quarterbacks rush their throws, they sack the quarterback & stuff the run, they put teams in 3rd & Long situations and they generate fumbles. Obviously, all of that doesn’t mean anything if you’ve got the Seahawks’ offense playing they way they played yesterday.

BUT. This is a defense I think we can all agree is starting to look like it’s going places. We’ve got two huge playmakers at our safety position; we’ve got a couple more tall, lanky cornerbacks who are quickly making us forget the names Kelly Jennings & Josh Wilson; we’ve got hard-hitting, low-draft choice linebackers out there making plays; and we’ve got Red Bryant being a total game-changer at the defensive end spot (even though he doesn’t get sacks). We’re ALMOST there. We just need a guy now who can help Clemons (and eventually replace Clemons) as a pass-rushing monster.

Defensive line is a need and it has been a need for some time now. Mike Holmgren spent his entire tenure neglecting the position. We can’t continue with this trend under Pete Carroll. Sunday’s game is one of the MANY reasons why.

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Apathy Reigns Supreme: Seahawks Lose To Dallas