HOF

[TriCitySam]

Former Seahawks on the Hall of Fame ballot: Dave Krieg and Shaun Alexander. Seahawk part-timers John Kasay and Jeff Feagles.

Ricky Waters is also on there, but hard to think of him as anything but a 49'er. Also local products Drew Bledsoe; Corey Dillon; James Hasty. Ryan Longwell was born in Seattle and played a short time with Seahawks.

Unlikely he'll get there, but I'll root for Krieg. He played hard, would get flattened and then get up smiling and clapping his hands. Tom Flores is on the list, but he was pathetic with Seattle both as a Coach and GM. Worst offense in Seahawk history (one year thru November they had more punts than points).

[c_hawkbob]

Alexander needs to be in. If you can't tell the story of the NFL without a player they need to be in. Being league MVP for a season should be an automatic qualifier. To have been named the best player in the league for a full season makes you HOF worthy.

[RiverDog]

Not sure if Alexander gets in or not. His career lasted just over 8 years (he only appeared in 4 games in his last season) and his total rushing yards doesn't crack the top 25. He does rank tied for 8th in career rushing touchdowns and as Cbob mentioned, he has an MVP to his credit but has just 3 Pro Bowl appearances. I'd have to see how that compares with other RB's of his era. Not sure if just the MVP gets him in as that would mean that players like Steve McNair and Rich Gannon would also be in and not too many people think of those guys as HOF worthy. Same with Cam Newton and Matt Ryan.

As far as the others are concerned, I don't think they're within spitting distance. Krieg and Bledsoe put up some impressive career numbers due to their longevity but neither have a SB appearance or have been thought of as at the top of their position.

[obiken]

Blesoe, no doubt, SA no question, first ballot. Karl Mecklenburg's Santa Claus, not a chance, I was opposed to ROH status. Can you imagine if we would have paid the guaranteed money for Moon instead using Kreig as a back position, oh my gosh!!

[RiverDog]

Blesoe, no doubt, SA no question, first ballot. Karl Mecklenburg's Santa Claus, not a chance, I was opposed to ROH status. Can you imagine if we would have paid the guaranteed money for Moon instead using Kreig as a back position, oh my gosh!!

Players become eligible for HOF induction after they've gone five consecutive years without playing. Being inducted in their first year of eligibility, like Walter Jones and Steve Largent were, is what's generally accepted as 'first ballot'. Bledsoe and SA are long past that threshold.

Although I'd love to see him wearing a gold jacket as he's from my hometown and I saw him play in high school, Bledsoe doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell at induction. He was an above average QB, but never a great one, his career being overshadowed by the likes of Elway, Manning, Steve Young, Bret Favre, et al. No MVP's and his only SB ring was earned by holding a clipboard.

SA probably has a better chance as at least he has an MVP to his credit, but IMO at 8 years, his career was a little short even for a running back and it didn't exactly end it on an exclamation point, starting in just 10 games in each of his last two seasons with us before being released. Curtis Martin, who's career overlapped SA's, played in 11 seasons and ranks 7th in all time rushing yards, isn't in yet, and it's hard to see SA getting in until Martin is inducted.

The next viable candidate we have waiting in the HOF wings is probably Kam Chancellor, but I don't think he gets in, either, at least not in his first year of eligibility. His 8 year career, the last 3 missing multiple games due to injuries and an ill advised holdout, is a bit on the short side. But who knows. Although it took him awhile, Kenny Easley made it in on a 7 year career.

[obiken]

River, I used to live in Milton-Freewater, my dad and I used to watch him play at Wa-Hi!! Man among boys in HS.

[RiverDog]

River, I used to live in Milton-Freewater, my dad and I used to watch him play at Wa-Hi!! Man among boys in HS.

Yeah, my boss lived in M-F and commuted to work every day to his job in Pasco. Of course, it helped that he had a company pickup and didn't have to pay for gas. I've played my fair share of baseball in M-F.

I remember the first time I saw Bledsoe play. He was a junior in high school, prior to when college scouts started swarming over him, and Wa-Hi had come over to the Tri Cities to play Kennewick. I had just seen John Elway play against the Hawks the previous weekend and had gotten a chance to go down close to the sidelines and watch Elway warm up from about 50 feet away. When I saw Bledsoe start playing pitch and catch, I thought to myself "that kid throws the ball just like Elway" and "he has Sundays written all over him". But unfortunately, I never mentioned those thoughts to any of my friends so it was hard to legitimize my prediction.

But he was far from the best all around athlete to have gone to the school. Even though he was 6'5" and obviously athletically talented, he didn't start on the basketball team as a senior. He drew my mother's wrath when in college he got caught speeding through Dayton on his way home from WSU, promised to come back and give a talk to some kids in school in lieu of paying a fine, then never fulfilled that promise.

[obiken]

River, Its not hard to speed threw those towns, they are a pain in the neck. A straight Highway bypassing them would go along ways but will never happen. Walla Walla to Lewiston takes forever due to the curves and those towns!

[TriCitySam]

I remember Mike Price taking some coaches to see Bledsoe when the okayed Kennewick.
Saying: "this is what an NFL QB looks like"

[RiverDog]

River, Its not hard to speed threw those towns, they are a pain in the neck. A straight Highway bypassing them would go along ways but will never happen. Walla Walla to Lewiston takes forever due to the curves and those towns!

Bledsoe is back Walla Walla and built a winery that he operates. Interesting story about his retirement if anyone is interested:

https://doubleback.com/