Seahawks News Thread
- Thread starter savage
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This is totally unofficial, merely an educated guess on my part as to how the Seattle Seahawks depth chart could look by the end of training camp if everyone stays healthy.
I've got five new starters among the 22 position players, plus nine newcomers among the 22 backups.
And if you want to count Justin Forsett as a new starter, given he was behind Julius Jones last year, that would make six new faces instead of five in the opening lineup.
That's a pretty big transition and we haven't even got to training camp yet with the new coaching staff.
Additionally, three other veteran returners will be playing different positions than were at the end of last season with the revamped offensive line.
Running back remains the biggest wild card as I have Forsett penciled in as the starter right now, but much there will depend on LenDale White's conditioning and Leon Washington's health.
Jones remains on the roster as well, for now, and would have to be considered a contender until he's either released or White and Washington prove they're ahead of him health and conditioning-wise.
Here's the two-deep as I see it developing, understanding that much can still change between now and September:
Offense
WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh.............Deon Butler
LT Russell Okung..........................Ray Willis
LG Ben Hamilton...........................Mike Gibson
C Chris Spencer...........................Steve Vallos
RG Max Unger..............................Mansfield Wrotto
RT Sean Locklear..........................Ray Willis
TE John Carlson...........................Chris Baker
WR Golden Tate............................Deion Branch
QB Matt Hasselbeck......................Charlie Whitehurst
RB Justin Forsett...........................LenDale White
FB Owen Schmitt..........................Ryan Powdrell
Defense
DE Chris Clemons.........................Dexter Davis
DT Brandon Mebane......................Craig Terrill
DT Colin Cole ...............................Red Bryant
DE Lawrence Jackson....................E.J. Wilson
OLB Leroy Hill...............................Will Herring
MLB Lofa Tatupu............................David Hawthorne
OLB Aaron Curry............................Matt McCoy
CB Marcus Trufant.........................Kelly Jennings
CB Josh Wilson.............................Walter Thurmond
SS Jordan Babineaux.....................Kam Chancellor
FS Earl Thomas.............................Jamar Adams
Specialists
K Olindo Mare
P Jon Ryan
LS Patrick MacDonald
KR Leon Washington
PR Golden Tate
http://blog.seattlepi.com/football/archives/203527.asp
I've got five new starters among the 22 position players, plus nine newcomers among the 22 backups.
And if you want to count Justin Forsett as a new starter, given he was behind Julius Jones last year, that would make six new faces instead of five in the opening lineup.
That's a pretty big transition and we haven't even got to training camp yet with the new coaching staff.
Additionally, three other veteran returners will be playing different positions than were at the end of last season with the revamped offensive line.
Running back remains the biggest wild card as I have Forsett penciled in as the starter right now, but much there will depend on LenDale White's conditioning and Leon Washington's health.
Jones remains on the roster as well, for now, and would have to be considered a contender until he's either released or White and Washington prove they're ahead of him health and conditioning-wise.
Here's the two-deep as I see it developing, understanding that much can still change between now and September:
Offense
WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh.............Deon Butler
LT Russell Okung..........................Ray Willis
LG Ben Hamilton...........................Mike Gibson
C Chris Spencer...........................Steve Vallos
RG Max Unger..............................Mansfield Wrotto
RT Sean Locklear..........................Ray Willis
TE John Carlson...........................Chris Baker
WR Golden Tate............................Deion Branch
QB Matt Hasselbeck......................Charlie Whitehurst
RB Justin Forsett...........................LenDale White
FB Owen Schmitt..........................Ryan Powdrell
Defense
DE Chris Clemons.........................Dexter Davis
DT Brandon Mebane......................Craig Terrill
DT Colin Cole ...............................Red Bryant
DE Lawrence Jackson....................E.J. Wilson
OLB Leroy Hill...............................Will Herring
MLB Lofa Tatupu............................David Hawthorne
OLB Aaron Curry............................Matt McCoy
CB Marcus Trufant.........................Kelly Jennings
CB Josh Wilson.............................Walter Thurmond
SS Jordan Babineaux.....................Kam Chancellor
FS Earl Thomas.............................Jamar Adams
Specialists
K Olindo Mare
P Jon Ryan
LS Patrick MacDonald
KR Leon Washington
PR Golden Tate
http://blog.seattlepi.com/football/archives/203527.asp
Seahawks LT Walter Jones announced his retirement from football.
A nine-time Pro Bowler, Jones is in the discussion for best offensive tackle in NFL history -- possibly slotting behind Anthony Munoz at No. 2. Standing alongside Steve Largent as the best player in franchise history, Jones was a phenomenal athlete who reportedly allowed just 23 sacks in his entire 12-year career. Mike Holmgren, who had Joe Montana with the 49ers and Brett Favre with the Packers, calls Jones the best offensive player he's ever coached. He's a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
A nine-time Pro Bowler, Jones is in the discussion for best offensive tackle in NFL history -- possibly slotting behind Anthony Munoz at No. 2. Standing alongside Steve Largent as the best player in franchise history, Jones was a phenomenal athlete who reportedly allowed just 23 sacks in his entire 12-year career. Mike Holmgren, who had Joe Montana with the 49ers and Brett Favre with the Packers, calls Jones the best offensive player he's ever coached. He's a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
^Adding on...
SEATTLE -- Four-time All-Pro Seattle Seahawks lineman Walter Jones has retired after a 13-year career during which he became a cornerstone of the team and one of the players against whom other left tackles were measured.
The 36-year-old Jones made the announcement in a team news release Thursday. It had been expected for months. Jones hasn't played since Thanksgiving Day 2008 and has had two knee surgeries in that span.
"What a great day to be a seahawk," Jones posted on his Twitter page Thursday afternoon.
Jones will be at a news conference Friday afternoon at team headquarters in Renton, Wash., to discuss his decision and his career.
The team is immediately retiring Jones' number 71 jersey. Former Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren has called Jones the best offensive player he ever coached, and Holmgren has coached Brett Favre, Joe Montana, Steve Young and Jerry Rice.
The Seahawks have only retired two other jerseys, No. 80 for Hall of Fame wide receiver Steve Largent and No. 12, for their "12th Man," the team's fans.
"Walter Jones: One of the all-time greats to ever play the game. You will always be a part of the Seahawks!" new Seahawks coach Pete Carroll tweeted later.
Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire is declaring April 30 "Walter Jones Day."
Last week, Seattle drafted Russell Okung sixth overall and immediately said the rookie from Oklahoma State would be Jones' replacement for 2010. Okung will be the Seahawks' second regular left tackle in 14 years.
Okung remembers passing by Jones' locker at Qwest Field a couple of years ago while Oklahoma State was in the Seattle for a game there against Washington State.
"My strength coach stopped me to look at it," Okung said. "And I thought, 'If I could ever be even as good as Walter Jones ...'"
Seattle used a sixth overall pick in 1997 to select Jones out of Florida State.
He immediately showed he belonged and he became part of the foundation that Holmgren used to help steady a previously meandering franchise.
Within two seasons, the 6-foot-5, 325-pound Jones became Seattle's first offensive lineman to make a Pro Bowl. He ultimately earned eight more Pro Bowl selections, his last for the 2008 season.
Jones led an offensive line that helped Shaun Alexander to what was then the fourth-best rushing game in NFL history, 266 yards against Oakland on Nov. 11, 2001.
On Sept. 29, 2002, Alexander ran behind the line anchored by Jones en route to an NFL-record five first-half touchdowns against Minnesota.
In 2005, Jones helped plow rushing lanes for Alexander's MVP year, during which he amassed a Seattle-record 1,880 rushing yards and what was then an NFL-record 28 total touchdowns. That season ended with Seattle's only Super Bowl appearance - and with Jones' offseason training regimen of pushing trucks in the stifling summer heat of the South gaining national attention.
Through it all, Jones impressed Seahawks teammates and employees with his humility.
The best testament to Jones' value to the Seahawks may have come in the last two years.
While Jones missed the final weeks of the 2008 season and all of 2009 following microfracture knee surgery and a follow-up procedure, three-time Pro Bowl quarterback Matt Hasselbeck had the worst statistical and most injury-filled seasons of his career.
Seattle tried four left tackles in Jones' place last season. They all struggled.
The Seahawks are 9-23 since Jones' last full season in 2007.
Jones tried to return from the microfracture surgery for training camp last summer. He made it through a couple of practices, then had arthroscopic surgery on the left knee in August. He later went on the injured reserve list. His pain was exacerbated by a kidney condition diagnosed when he was a rookie that keeps him from taking anti-inflammatories to combat swelling and pain.
He acknowledged in January that his knee still had a long way to go to get back to playing shape following months of rehabilitation in Florida.
"I understand my age, and what I'm coming back from," Jones said then. "And the reality is that if it's over, I can accept that. ... I've had a great career."
Hasselbeck posted a team video tribute to Jones on his Twitter page minutes after Thursday's announcement.
The title? "thankyouwalter."
http://www.seattlepi.com/football/2020ap_fbn_seahawks_jones_retires.html
SEATTLE -- Four-time All-Pro Seattle Seahawks lineman Walter Jones has retired after a 13-year career during which he became a cornerstone of the team and one of the players against whom other left tackles were measured.
The 36-year-old Jones made the announcement in a team news release Thursday. It had been expected for months. Jones hasn't played since Thanksgiving Day 2008 and has had two knee surgeries in that span.
"What a great day to be a seahawk," Jones posted on his Twitter page Thursday afternoon.
Jones will be at a news conference Friday afternoon at team headquarters in Renton, Wash., to discuss his decision and his career.
The team is immediately retiring Jones' number 71 jersey. Former Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren has called Jones the best offensive player he ever coached, and Holmgren has coached Brett Favre, Joe Montana, Steve Young and Jerry Rice.
The Seahawks have only retired two other jerseys, No. 80 for Hall of Fame wide receiver Steve Largent and No. 12, for their "12th Man," the team's fans.
"Walter Jones: One of the all-time greats to ever play the game. You will always be a part of the Seahawks!" new Seahawks coach Pete Carroll tweeted later.
Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire is declaring April 30 "Walter Jones Day."
Last week, Seattle drafted Russell Okung sixth overall and immediately said the rookie from Oklahoma State would be Jones' replacement for 2010. Okung will be the Seahawks' second regular left tackle in 14 years.
Okung remembers passing by Jones' locker at Qwest Field a couple of years ago while Oklahoma State was in the Seattle for a game there against Washington State.
"My strength coach stopped me to look at it," Okung said. "And I thought, 'If I could ever be even as good as Walter Jones ...'"
Seattle used a sixth overall pick in 1997 to select Jones out of Florida State.
He immediately showed he belonged and he became part of the foundation that Holmgren used to help steady a previously meandering franchise.
Within two seasons, the 6-foot-5, 325-pound Jones became Seattle's first offensive lineman to make a Pro Bowl. He ultimately earned eight more Pro Bowl selections, his last for the 2008 season.
Jones led an offensive line that helped Shaun Alexander to what was then the fourth-best rushing game in NFL history, 266 yards against Oakland on Nov. 11, 2001.
On Sept. 29, 2002, Alexander ran behind the line anchored by Jones en route to an NFL-record five first-half touchdowns against Minnesota.
In 2005, Jones helped plow rushing lanes for Alexander's MVP year, during which he amassed a Seattle-record 1,880 rushing yards and what was then an NFL-record 28 total touchdowns. That season ended with Seattle's only Super Bowl appearance - and with Jones' offseason training regimen of pushing trucks in the stifling summer heat of the South gaining national attention.
Through it all, Jones impressed Seahawks teammates and employees with his humility.
The best testament to Jones' value to the Seahawks may have come in the last two years.
While Jones missed the final weeks of the 2008 season and all of 2009 following microfracture knee surgery and a follow-up procedure, three-time Pro Bowl quarterback Matt Hasselbeck had the worst statistical and most injury-filled seasons of his career.
Seattle tried four left tackles in Jones' place last season. They all struggled.
The Seahawks are 9-23 since Jones' last full season in 2007.
Jones tried to return from the microfracture surgery for training camp last summer. He made it through a couple of practices, then had arthroscopic surgery on the left knee in August. He later went on the injured reserve list. His pain was exacerbated by a kidney condition diagnosed when he was a rookie that keeps him from taking anti-inflammatories to combat swelling and pain.
He acknowledged in January that his knee still had a long way to go to get back to playing shape following months of rehabilitation in Florida.
"I understand my age, and what I'm coming back from," Jones said then. "And the reality is that if it's over, I can accept that. ... I've had a great career."
Hasselbeck posted a team video tribute to Jones on his Twitter page minutes after Thursday's announcement.
The title? "thankyouwalter."
http://www.seattlepi.com/football/2020ap_fbn_seahawks_jones_retires.html
Governor Christine Gregoire has announced that Friday, April 30, 2010 will be Walter Jones day in the State of Washington
WHEREAS, in 1997, Walter Jones was the sixth overall pick in the first round of the NFL Draft selected by the Seattle Seahawks; and
WHEREAS, Walter was named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month for October 1997, and earned consensus first-team All-Rookie honors from multiple publications; and
WHEREAS, Walter’s 180 starts rank second in Seattle history and 180 games played rank fourth in Seattle history; and
WHEREAS, Walter became the first Seahawks offensive lineman to play in the Pro Bowl, and was named to the Pro Bowl nine times-the most in team history; and
WHEREAS, Walter served as team captain during the historic 2005 Seahawks season, winning the NFC Championship while playing an integral role in helping Shaun Alexander become the 2005 NFL MVP; and
WHEREAS, Walter was named a six-time AP All-Pro and has secured his place as one of the most dominant left tackles of his time; and
WHEREAS, these on-the-field achievements rank second to Walter’s commitment to his family and community;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Christine O. Gregoire, Governor of the state of Washington, do hereby proclaim Friday, April 30, 2010
WALTER JONES DAY
in Washington State, and I urge all citizens to join me in saluting this remarkable player.
http://www.seahawks.com/news/articl...ones-Day/12d69182-b867-47be-970c-a5946753f132
The proclamation above reads as follows:
WHEREAS, in 1997, Walter Jones was the sixth overall pick in the first round of the NFL Draft selected by the Seattle Seahawks; and
WHEREAS, Walter was named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month for October 1997, and earned consensus first-team All-Rookie honors from multiple publications; and
WHEREAS, Walter’s 180 starts rank second in Seattle history and 180 games played rank fourth in Seattle history; and
WHEREAS, Walter became the first Seahawks offensive lineman to play in the Pro Bowl, and was named to the Pro Bowl nine times-the most in team history; and
WHEREAS, Walter served as team captain during the historic 2005 Seahawks season, winning the NFC Championship while playing an integral role in helping Shaun Alexander become the 2005 NFL MVP; and
WHEREAS, Walter was named a six-time AP All-Pro and has secured his place as one of the most dominant left tackles of his time; and
WHEREAS, these on-the-field achievements rank second to Walter’s commitment to his family and community;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Christine O. Gregoire, Governor of the state of Washington, do hereby proclaim Friday, April 30, 2010
WALTER JONES DAY
in Washington State, and I urge all citizens to join me in saluting this remarkable player.
http://www.seahawks.com/news/articl...ones-Day/12d69182-b867-47be-970c-a5946753f132
Farewell, Walter
“You’re simply the best, better than all the rest
Better than anyone, anyone I’ve ever met …”
It’s not just that the chorus from Tina Turner’s 1991 hit-turned-retirement-anthem has become a cliché; the redundancy of its overuse has spoiled the sentiment for occasions when it really is appropriate.
Like Thursday, when Walter Jones announced his retirement after 13 seasons with the Seahawks – and a decade of dominance as the best left tackle of his generation, and perhaps the best to ever play the game.
The decision is hardly a surprise, because Jones missed all of last season after having microfracture surgery on his left knee and the club acquired his long-term replacement a week ago by selecting Russell Okung with the sixth pick in the NFL draft.
But the circumstances don’t diminish the significance of Jones’ retirement.
The club is retiring his No. 71 – making Jones and Hall of Fame wide receiver Steve Largent the only players in franchise history to receive the honor. Also, Gov. Christine Gregoire has proclaimed Friday as Walter Jones Day in the state of Washington.
But there will be no farewell news conference, at Jones’ request – no, insistence.
“Not surprising,” tackle Sean Locklear said. “That’s Walt.”
Jones, 36, will leave the Seahawks just as he arrived as a first-round draft choice in 1997 – with a lot of other people saying glowing things about him, buy nary a word from the man himself.
Told that Jones was passing on stepping into the spotlight that he spent his career avoiding, Robbie Tobeck laughed and recalled Jones’ tweet on Super Bowl weekend that hinted at his retirement.
“As I said when he tweeted a few months back, ‘That’s probably your press conference right there. If he is indeed retiring, that’s all you’re going to hear and it’s over now,’ ” said Tobeck, the Seahawks’ center and Jones’ line mate from 2000-06.
In talking to his former teammates and coaches this week, the recurring themes were how freakishly talented Jones was on the field, and how incredibly quiet he was off the field.
On the field, he was voted to the Pro Bowl nine times, including eight consecutive selections (2001-08) – both franchise highs. Also included on his resume are six All-Pro berths. He was voted to the NFL Team of the Decade for the 2000s. His 180 starts rank second in club history behind only Largent (197).
Jones was so good, for so long, that any discussion of the best players to ever line up at left tackle quickly gets to his name, if not start with his name. In 2005, The Sporting News ranked Jones as the best player in the game, regardless of position.
“Walter is the best lineman I ever coached,” said Howard Mudd, Jones’ line coach in his rookie season. “And that’s saying something.”
Mudd, who just retired after 35 seasons as a coach in the league, also was a Pro Bowl guard for the San Francisco 49ers during his seven-season playing career. He has coached and seen a lot of talented left tackles, and his list of best-ever candidates includes Hall of Famer Anthony Munoz, Tony Boselli, Jonathan Ogden, Orlando Pace, Jim Parker and Russ Washington.
Big men who played even bigger, because of their skills and especially their passion. But in discussing them, Mudd was comparing them to Jones.
“Walt Jones, he set the bar really, really high,” Mudd said. “The next guy I think of is Anthony Munoz, and he played a long time ago. This is 20 years later, and you’ve got another one who is like that. And I’m not sure Walt isn’t better.
“So the point I’m making is, Walt is maybe the best one that’s ever played that position. Walter was a phenomenal talent, and it started the day he showed up.”
Jones’ skills and athletic ability were so abundant that they transcended his position.
“I tell people, the two greatest athletes I ever played with were Deion Sanders and Walter Jones,” said Tobeck, who played with Sanders when both were with the Atlanta Falcons.
Let that sink in for a moment. Sanders was a flash-and-dash cornerback/kick returner who also played baseball for the Atlanta Braves as well as football the Falcons – once in the same day. An eight-time Pro Bowl selection, Sanders also played for the San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins and Baltimore Ravens.
“You don’t think of Walter being such a phenomenal athlete,” Tobeck said. “But when you look at the body size and makeup, and what he could do in the weight room, and what he could do on the field, it’s obvious.
“With Walter, you would say he’s one of the top athletes who probably ever played in the NFL.”
Statistics are hard to come back for offensive linemen, but those available more than support these lofty assessments of Jones’ domination and athletic ability. In 12 seasons, which included those 180 starts, he was penalized for holding nine times.
“That’s unbelievable,” said Randy Mueller, the Seahawks’ VP of football operations when Jones was drafted and now a senior executive with the San Diego Chargers. “That might be as good a stat as I’ve ever heard.”
But wait, there’s more. In 5,703 pass plays, Jones allowed 23 sacks – or one every 248 pass plays. That total includes two to Hall of Famer Bruce Smith in a 2002 game against the Washington Redskins at Qwest Field; and two to the Cowboys’ DeMarcus Ware in Dallas in 2008. The Dallas game was the final one Jones played, when he was hobbled by the knee that needed surgery.
“Walter was never out of position,” Lovat said. “If he got beat, and everybody does on occasion, it wasn’t because he was out of position. Usually something happened. Maybe a trip. Or somebody bumped him.”
With Jones, getting the occasional upper hand only made life more difficult for the opposing player.
“If somebody made him look like a fool once in a million plays, he took it personally,” said Steve Hutchinson, the All-Pro left tackle who played next to Jones from 2001-05. “And when Walt got pissed, there was no chance for whoever he was facing.”
Former Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren once called Jones the best offensive player he had ever coached – which is saying something when you consider that vast group included Joe Montana, Steve Young and Jerry Rice as an assistant with the San Francisco 49ers and Brett Favre as head coach with the Green Bay Packers.
Holmgren, now president of the Cleveland Browns, softened that statement after hearing from some of those players.
“I’ve been privileged in my career to have coached Hall of Famers Jerry Rice, Joe Montana and Steve Young, in addition to a potential Hall of Famer in Brett Favre,” Holmgren said. “Walter Jones, the great Seattle left tackle, is in that category. His quiet leadership and tremendous skills were an inspiration.”
There it is again: Quiet leadership. Jones was the epitome of letting his actions speak so loudly that there was no need to hear his words – the few words he did offer, that is.
“He’s the quietest future Hall of Famer you’ll ever meet,” said Mack Strong, who played fullback for the Seahawks from 1994-2007. “Unless he’s around people he’s really comfortable with, you probably won’t get five words out of him.”
But once you cracked that comfort zone and gained Jones’ trust, well, he could be the life of the locker room – if not the party.
“Early on, I heard he didn’t say much,” said Locklear, who didn’t join the Seahawks until 2004 and then played opposite Jones at right tackle on the line that paved the way for the Super Bowl run in 2005.
“But he was like a kid almost as he got older. He was yelling stuff across the locker room. He enjoyed being funny. He was almost like the clown on the team. You just didn’t see that side, until he got to know you.”
Or, you got to know him and his family, as Tobeck did at the Pro Bowl after the 2005 season. Jones turned his annual Pro Bowl selection into a family vacation – and his extended family, at that.
“Meeting his family at the Pro Bowl one year was a real special treat, because you see how special family is to him,” Tobeck said. “It takes awhile for him to get to know people and become ‘family.’
“That’s what happened over the years with the Seahawks. He was in one place so long that all the faces around him became family to him.”
This humble man comes from humble beginnings. He grew up in Aliceville, Ala., and a billboard on the rural road that leads there sports Jones’ picture and proclaims the community’s pride: “He grew up in Aliceville,” it reads, “and boy, did he grow up.”
Jones weighed 11 pounds, 15 ounces at birth. “Big and beautiful,” is the way older sister Beverly Jones described the baby Walter to the Seattle Times in 2006.
Walter is the next-to-youngest of Earline Jones’ eight children, a brood that also includes, in order: Beverly, Cornelius, Gwendolyn, Danny, Valerie, Tony and Tanya. As for his own family, there’s his wife, Valeria; stepson Rafael; and the twins with the hard-to-forget, just-as-part-to-pronounce names, Walterius and Waleria.
It takes a family that large to provide the roots necessary to nurture a man of Jones’ size (6 feet 5, 325 pounds).
“Walter isn’t just a good football player, he’s a good person,” said Tom Lovat, Jones’ line coach from 1999-2003.
Not to mention a wealthy one. Jones played the game – and beat the system – when the Seahawks named him their franchise player in 2002, 2003 and 2004. Jones skipped training camp and the preseason, finally reporting and signing his one-year tender that was an average of the Top 5 players at his position – at price tags of $4.9 million, $5.7 million and $7.1 million.
Jones didn’t just step in upon his return, he stepped up. He was voted to the Pro Bowl each season, and named All-Pro in 2004 and 2005.
Then he signed the long-term deal that both sides had preferred – a seven-year, $52.5 million contract in 2005 that included a $15 million signing bonus.
“There’s no question Walter beat the system,” Mueller said. “Plus you throw in the fact that he missed three training camps, which is when everybody works on their trade. He’s already the best. So it’s scary to think that he could have been even better.
“So he beat the system in every way.”
Just another chapter in his lengthy legacy, as Jones turned out to be worth every comma, decimal point and dollar sign.
Just how good? The best left tackle of his generation? Definitely. Which brings us back to that question: The best to ever play the position? Very possibly, perhaps even likely.
One thing that Jones definitely became was the “gold standard,” as Mueller put it, for left tackles. Since leaving the Seahawks, Mueller has worked for the New Orleans Saints, Miami Dolphins and now the Chargers.
“Every place, guess what they wanted? They’re trying to find the next Walter Jones,” Mueller said. “You compare everybody now to, well, he’s not Walter Jones. Everybody compares to him. That’s the way the conversation goes.”
It’s also the way the conversation began when the Seahawks were able to trade up to the sixth spot in the 1997 draft to select Jones.
“What you had to keep telling yourself was: This is a 300-pound guy, because he moves like a point guard,” Mueller said. “He just danced and played with people.”
Mueller will get no argument from Pro Bowl defensive end Patrick Kerney, who retired two weeks ago after playing with Jones (2007-09) as well as against him while with the Falcons (1999-2006).
“I faced a number of other Hall of Famers who were fantastic players, and Walt was head and shoulders above them,” Kerney said.
What was it like to play against Jones? “It was like wrestling a bear for three hours,” Kerney once said of the matchup in the 2004 season finale at Qwest Field – when Kerney entered the game with 13 sacks and left with the same total.
This week, when asked that question again, Kerney elaborated.
“Really frustrating, is the best way to put it,” he said, laughing. “For someone who moves like that and is so light on his feet, you’d figure, ‘OK, I’ll be able to move this guy.’ Then you drive you head in his chest to try and bull-rush him. He doesn’t move an inch and you bounce back two feet.
“It really is frustrating. That’s what made Walter so special.”
The essence of Jones’ 13-season run is not lost on the player who will replace him: Okung, the tackle from Oklahoma State the Seahawks drafted last week. While playing a game against Washington State at Qwest Field in 2008, Okung got his first glimpse of the world Jones lived in – and dominated.
“Just seeing his locker made me think that this somewhere that I definitely want to be one day,” Okung said.
When that day finally arrived – last Saturday – Okung took a moment to check out Jones’ cubicle during his tour of the team’s facility on the shores of Lake Washington. It is adorned with the brick-a-brack befitting a warrior of Jones’ stature – decals to signify the team’s AFC West title in 1999, the wild-card playoff berth in 2004, the four consecutive NFC West division titles from 2004-07 and the NFC championship in ’05.
“It’s impressive, definitely,” Okung said of Jones’ locker.
Just like the player who used it.
Now, Jones gets to hurry up and wait – for his induction into the Seahawks’ Ring of Honor and his election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
With him, it’s not a matter of if, but when. For all the obvious reasons.
“The young man,” Strong said, “is a freak of nature.”
http://www.seahawks.com/news/articles/article-1/Farewell-Walter/5a295ff1-0403-474a-81b8-26f1e3ca3b82
“You’re simply the best, better than all the rest
Better than anyone, anyone I’ve ever met …”
It’s not just that the chorus from Tina Turner’s 1991 hit-turned-retirement-anthem has become a cliché; the redundancy of its overuse has spoiled the sentiment for occasions when it really is appropriate.
Like Thursday, when Walter Jones announced his retirement after 13 seasons with the Seahawks – and a decade of dominance as the best left tackle of his generation, and perhaps the best to ever play the game.
The decision is hardly a surprise, because Jones missed all of last season after having microfracture surgery on his left knee and the club acquired his long-term replacement a week ago by selecting Russell Okung with the sixth pick in the NFL draft.
But the circumstances don’t diminish the significance of Jones’ retirement.
The club is retiring his No. 71 – making Jones and Hall of Fame wide receiver Steve Largent the only players in franchise history to receive the honor. Also, Gov. Christine Gregoire has proclaimed Friday as Walter Jones Day in the state of Washington.
But there will be no farewell news conference, at Jones’ request – no, insistence.
“Not surprising,” tackle Sean Locklear said. “That’s Walt.”
Jones, 36, will leave the Seahawks just as he arrived as a first-round draft choice in 1997 – with a lot of other people saying glowing things about him, buy nary a word from the man himself.
Told that Jones was passing on stepping into the spotlight that he spent his career avoiding, Robbie Tobeck laughed and recalled Jones’ tweet on Super Bowl weekend that hinted at his retirement.
“As I said when he tweeted a few months back, ‘That’s probably your press conference right there. If he is indeed retiring, that’s all you’re going to hear and it’s over now,’ ” said Tobeck, the Seahawks’ center and Jones’ line mate from 2000-06.
In talking to his former teammates and coaches this week, the recurring themes were how freakishly talented Jones was on the field, and how incredibly quiet he was off the field.
On the field, he was voted to the Pro Bowl nine times, including eight consecutive selections (2001-08) – both franchise highs. Also included on his resume are six All-Pro berths. He was voted to the NFL Team of the Decade for the 2000s. His 180 starts rank second in club history behind only Largent (197).
Jones was so good, for so long, that any discussion of the best players to ever line up at left tackle quickly gets to his name, if not start with his name. In 2005, The Sporting News ranked Jones as the best player in the game, regardless of position.
“Walter is the best lineman I ever coached,” said Howard Mudd, Jones’ line coach in his rookie season. “And that’s saying something.”
Mudd, who just retired after 35 seasons as a coach in the league, also was a Pro Bowl guard for the San Francisco 49ers during his seven-season playing career. He has coached and seen a lot of talented left tackles, and his list of best-ever candidates includes Hall of Famer Anthony Munoz, Tony Boselli, Jonathan Ogden, Orlando Pace, Jim Parker and Russ Washington.
Big men who played even bigger, because of their skills and especially their passion. But in discussing them, Mudd was comparing them to Jones.
“Walt Jones, he set the bar really, really high,” Mudd said. “The next guy I think of is Anthony Munoz, and he played a long time ago. This is 20 years later, and you’ve got another one who is like that. And I’m not sure Walt isn’t better.
“So the point I’m making is, Walt is maybe the best one that’s ever played that position. Walter was a phenomenal talent, and it started the day he showed up.”
Jones’ skills and athletic ability were so abundant that they transcended his position.
“I tell people, the two greatest athletes I ever played with were Deion Sanders and Walter Jones,” said Tobeck, who played with Sanders when both were with the Atlanta Falcons.
Let that sink in for a moment. Sanders was a flash-and-dash cornerback/kick returner who also played baseball for the Atlanta Braves as well as football the Falcons – once in the same day. An eight-time Pro Bowl selection, Sanders also played for the San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins and Baltimore Ravens.
“You don’t think of Walter being such a phenomenal athlete,” Tobeck said. “But when you look at the body size and makeup, and what he could do in the weight room, and what he could do on the field, it’s obvious.
“With Walter, you would say he’s one of the top athletes who probably ever played in the NFL.”
Statistics are hard to come back for offensive linemen, but those available more than support these lofty assessments of Jones’ domination and athletic ability. In 12 seasons, which included those 180 starts, he was penalized for holding nine times.
“That’s unbelievable,” said Randy Mueller, the Seahawks’ VP of football operations when Jones was drafted and now a senior executive with the San Diego Chargers. “That might be as good a stat as I’ve ever heard.”
But wait, there’s more. In 5,703 pass plays, Jones allowed 23 sacks – or one every 248 pass plays. That total includes two to Hall of Famer Bruce Smith in a 2002 game against the Washington Redskins at Qwest Field; and two to the Cowboys’ DeMarcus Ware in Dallas in 2008. The Dallas game was the final one Jones played, when he was hobbled by the knee that needed surgery.
“Walter was never out of position,” Lovat said. “If he got beat, and everybody does on occasion, it wasn’t because he was out of position. Usually something happened. Maybe a trip. Or somebody bumped him.”
With Jones, getting the occasional upper hand only made life more difficult for the opposing player.
“If somebody made him look like a fool once in a million plays, he took it personally,” said Steve Hutchinson, the All-Pro left tackle who played next to Jones from 2001-05. “And when Walt got pissed, there was no chance for whoever he was facing.”
Former Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren once called Jones the best offensive player he had ever coached – which is saying something when you consider that vast group included Joe Montana, Steve Young and Jerry Rice as an assistant with the San Francisco 49ers and Brett Favre as head coach with the Green Bay Packers.
Holmgren, now president of the Cleveland Browns, softened that statement after hearing from some of those players.
“I’ve been privileged in my career to have coached Hall of Famers Jerry Rice, Joe Montana and Steve Young, in addition to a potential Hall of Famer in Brett Favre,” Holmgren said. “Walter Jones, the great Seattle left tackle, is in that category. His quiet leadership and tremendous skills were an inspiration.”
There it is again: Quiet leadership. Jones was the epitome of letting his actions speak so loudly that there was no need to hear his words – the few words he did offer, that is.
“He’s the quietest future Hall of Famer you’ll ever meet,” said Mack Strong, who played fullback for the Seahawks from 1994-2007. “Unless he’s around people he’s really comfortable with, you probably won’t get five words out of him.”
But once you cracked that comfort zone and gained Jones’ trust, well, he could be the life of the locker room – if not the party.
“Early on, I heard he didn’t say much,” said Locklear, who didn’t join the Seahawks until 2004 and then played opposite Jones at right tackle on the line that paved the way for the Super Bowl run in 2005.
“But he was like a kid almost as he got older. He was yelling stuff across the locker room. He enjoyed being funny. He was almost like the clown on the team. You just didn’t see that side, until he got to know you.”
Or, you got to know him and his family, as Tobeck did at the Pro Bowl after the 2005 season. Jones turned his annual Pro Bowl selection into a family vacation – and his extended family, at that.
“Meeting his family at the Pro Bowl one year was a real special treat, because you see how special family is to him,” Tobeck said. “It takes awhile for him to get to know people and become ‘family.’
“That’s what happened over the years with the Seahawks. He was in one place so long that all the faces around him became family to him.”
This humble man comes from humble beginnings. He grew up in Aliceville, Ala., and a billboard on the rural road that leads there sports Jones’ picture and proclaims the community’s pride: “He grew up in Aliceville,” it reads, “and boy, did he grow up.”
Jones weighed 11 pounds, 15 ounces at birth. “Big and beautiful,” is the way older sister Beverly Jones described the baby Walter to the Seattle Times in 2006.
Walter is the next-to-youngest of Earline Jones’ eight children, a brood that also includes, in order: Beverly, Cornelius, Gwendolyn, Danny, Valerie, Tony and Tanya. As for his own family, there’s his wife, Valeria; stepson Rafael; and the twins with the hard-to-forget, just-as-part-to-pronounce names, Walterius and Waleria.
It takes a family that large to provide the roots necessary to nurture a man of Jones’ size (6 feet 5, 325 pounds).
“Walter isn’t just a good football player, he’s a good person,” said Tom Lovat, Jones’ line coach from 1999-2003.
Not to mention a wealthy one. Jones played the game – and beat the system – when the Seahawks named him their franchise player in 2002, 2003 and 2004. Jones skipped training camp and the preseason, finally reporting and signing his one-year tender that was an average of the Top 5 players at his position – at price tags of $4.9 million, $5.7 million and $7.1 million.
Jones didn’t just step in upon his return, he stepped up. He was voted to the Pro Bowl each season, and named All-Pro in 2004 and 2005.
Then he signed the long-term deal that both sides had preferred – a seven-year, $52.5 million contract in 2005 that included a $15 million signing bonus.
“There’s no question Walter beat the system,” Mueller said. “Plus you throw in the fact that he missed three training camps, which is when everybody works on their trade. He’s already the best. So it’s scary to think that he could have been even better.
“So he beat the system in every way.”
Just another chapter in his lengthy legacy, as Jones turned out to be worth every comma, decimal point and dollar sign.
Just how good? The best left tackle of his generation? Definitely. Which brings us back to that question: The best to ever play the position? Very possibly, perhaps even likely.
One thing that Jones definitely became was the “gold standard,” as Mueller put it, for left tackles. Since leaving the Seahawks, Mueller has worked for the New Orleans Saints, Miami Dolphins and now the Chargers.
“Every place, guess what they wanted? They’re trying to find the next Walter Jones,” Mueller said. “You compare everybody now to, well, he’s not Walter Jones. Everybody compares to him. That’s the way the conversation goes.”
It’s also the way the conversation began when the Seahawks were able to trade up to the sixth spot in the 1997 draft to select Jones.
“What you had to keep telling yourself was: This is a 300-pound guy, because he moves like a point guard,” Mueller said. “He just danced and played with people.”
Mueller will get no argument from Pro Bowl defensive end Patrick Kerney, who retired two weeks ago after playing with Jones (2007-09) as well as against him while with the Falcons (1999-2006).
“I faced a number of other Hall of Famers who were fantastic players, and Walt was head and shoulders above them,” Kerney said.
What was it like to play against Jones? “It was like wrestling a bear for three hours,” Kerney once said of the matchup in the 2004 season finale at Qwest Field – when Kerney entered the game with 13 sacks and left with the same total.
This week, when asked that question again, Kerney elaborated.
“Really frustrating, is the best way to put it,” he said, laughing. “For someone who moves like that and is so light on his feet, you’d figure, ‘OK, I’ll be able to move this guy.’ Then you drive you head in his chest to try and bull-rush him. He doesn’t move an inch and you bounce back two feet.
“It really is frustrating. That’s what made Walter so special.”
The essence of Jones’ 13-season run is not lost on the player who will replace him: Okung, the tackle from Oklahoma State the Seahawks drafted last week. While playing a game against Washington State at Qwest Field in 2008, Okung got his first glimpse of the world Jones lived in – and dominated.
“Just seeing his locker made me think that this somewhere that I definitely want to be one day,” Okung said.
When that day finally arrived – last Saturday – Okung took a moment to check out Jones’ cubicle during his tour of the team’s facility on the shores of Lake Washington. It is adorned with the brick-a-brack befitting a warrior of Jones’ stature – decals to signify the team’s AFC West title in 1999, the wild-card playoff berth in 2004, the four consecutive NFC West division titles from 2004-07 and the NFC championship in ’05.
“It’s impressive, definitely,” Okung said of Jones’ locker.
Just like the player who used it.
Now, Jones gets to hurry up and wait – for his induction into the Seahawks’ Ring of Honor and his election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
With him, it’s not a matter of if, but when. For all the obvious reasons.
“The young man,” Strong said, “is a freak of nature.”
http://www.seahawks.com/news/articles/article-1/Farewell-Walter/5a295ff1-0403-474a-81b8-26f1e3ca3b82
True to their word, the Seahawks have wasted no time tossing top rookie draft picks Russell Okung, Earl Thomas and Golden Tate into the fray at their first minicamp this weekend.
And as expected, the introduction has been both happy and harsh as the youngsters try to acclimate to the new world of the NFL.
Okung has been at left tackle with the first unit offensive line from the first snap of the weekend, a huge undertaking even for a fellow selected with the sixth pick in the first round.
He's held his own, for the most part, and certainly looks the part at 6-foot-5 and 302 pounds. But Okung is still a 22-year-old college kid making a big leap into the professional world and he'll need time to learn the playbook, the speed of the game and the ways of the NFL.
"I feel like I'm swimming a little bit," Okung said after Saturday's two-hour practice concluded. "I'm a bit overwhelmed. But I'm taking everything in.
"I'm learning, I'm getting in the playbook, I'm being patient and everything is going to get rolling."
Okung is leaning heavily on offensive line coach Alex Gibbs and veteran left guard Ben Hamilton, a free-agent signee who was brought aboard largely to help shorten the rookie's learning curve.
Hamilton hails from a Denver Broncos system where offensive linemen didn't talk to the press, so his thoughts remain unknown. But Okung surely appreciates the shared wisdom.
"He's a tremendous help," said Okung. "He's a veteran guy and knows the offense very well. As long as we communicate and stick together, I'm going to get better."
Thomas, the Seahawks' other first-round pick, is undergoing his own rapid initiation in the secondary as the first-unit free safety.
The 20-year-old from Texas acknowledges it was a bit weird being on the field the past two days with players he grew up watching on TV.
"It's kind of overwhelming," he said. "I see Julius Jones over there running the ball and I wanted to ask him for his autograph. But it's just a great experience and it's a great group of guys and I'm glad to be out here."
Thomas has his own veteran mentor in Lawyer Milloy, who re-signed with the Seahawks on Friday at age 36.
"It's a great feeling knowing somebody that's been in the league for 15 years," Thomas said. "He kind of took me under his wing. I sit by him in meetings and if I have any questions, that'd be the first person I ask.
"He already gave me some real solid advice. He just told me, 'You're not going to learn everything the first day. Take everything and take the coaching and you'll be fine.'"
The most impressive of the rookies in the first two days has been Tate, the second-rounder out of Notre Dame. As a wide receiver, he's able to display his talents a little more obviously, but he's also taken advantage with some nice plays.
Particularly in Friday's opening session, the All-American receiver made several outstanding catches and showed he has the speed to get deep.
"I'm just coming out trying to show I can compete," said Tate. "They drafted me for a reason. That wasn't to come in and not play so I am trying my best to earn my way and earn my respect on this team."
With Deion Branch and T.J. Houshmandzadeh both sidelined as they recover from minor surgeries, Tate also has been tossed right into the fire and certainly looks like a guy who can provide a needed big-play element to the offense.
But he dropped a couple balls Saturday and clearly will have his own adjustment period as well.
"All these guys are fast. All these guys are smart," Tate said. "It's tough. I have to learn the plays. I have to figure out certain techniques to work. I have to study film a lot more.
"It was tough, but overall, I think I'm doing OK. I have a lot to do until I can help this team out, but I am excited."
Matt Hasselbeck sounded as if he's already developing a belief in Tate's ability to go get the ball in traffic and other things he showed consistently at Notre Dame.
"As a quarterback, if you go to a guy and he makes a play for you, you're probably going to go back to him and keep going back to him. I think it gives you confidence and it gives him confidence," Hasselbeck said.
"He's done a really nice job. I had lunch with him today and he basically said, 'Hey, my head is swimming right now. This offense is different.' It's hard for these guys coming in when we throw so much at them. It's hard for all of us. But I thought he's done a nice job."
The Seahawks figure to get some impact out of their lower round draft picks as well. Fourth-round cornerback Walter Thurmond is sitting out as he continues recovering from a knee injury, but the rest of the group is being worked in on back-up roles initially.
Fifth-round pick Kam Chancellor is a big, physical-looking strong safety at 6-3, 232 pounds. Sixth-rounder Anthony McCoy looks like athletic pass-receiving threat at tight end.
Fourth-round pick E.J. Wilson gives the Seahawks a big body at defensive end in a group that needs to develop a run stuffer to complement a fleet of speed rushers that have been accumulated, a group that includes seventh-rounder Dexter Davis.
The other draft pick is the developmental project, Jameson Konz out of Kent State, who has been splitting time between the tight end and wide receiver groups.
This minicamp concludes Sunday, at which point the rookies will return to school and not be able to rejoin the club until classes end.
http://blog.seattlepi.com/football/archives/204268.asp
And as expected, the introduction has been both happy and harsh as the youngsters try to acclimate to the new world of the NFL.
Okung has been at left tackle with the first unit offensive line from the first snap of the weekend, a huge undertaking even for a fellow selected with the sixth pick in the first round.
He's held his own, for the most part, and certainly looks the part at 6-foot-5 and 302 pounds. But Okung is still a 22-year-old college kid making a big leap into the professional world and he'll need time to learn the playbook, the speed of the game and the ways of the NFL.
"I feel like I'm swimming a little bit," Okung said after Saturday's two-hour practice concluded. "I'm a bit overwhelmed. But I'm taking everything in.
"I'm learning, I'm getting in the playbook, I'm being patient and everything is going to get rolling."
Okung is leaning heavily on offensive line coach Alex Gibbs and veteran left guard Ben Hamilton, a free-agent signee who was brought aboard largely to help shorten the rookie's learning curve.
Hamilton hails from a Denver Broncos system where offensive linemen didn't talk to the press, so his thoughts remain unknown. But Okung surely appreciates the shared wisdom.
"He's a tremendous help," said Okung. "He's a veteran guy and knows the offense very well. As long as we communicate and stick together, I'm going to get better."
Thomas, the Seahawks' other first-round pick, is undergoing his own rapid initiation in the secondary as the first-unit free safety.
The 20-year-old from Texas acknowledges it was a bit weird being on the field the past two days with players he grew up watching on TV.
"It's kind of overwhelming," he said. "I see Julius Jones over there running the ball and I wanted to ask him for his autograph. But it's just a great experience and it's a great group of guys and I'm glad to be out here."
Thomas has his own veteran mentor in Lawyer Milloy, who re-signed with the Seahawks on Friday at age 36.
"It's a great feeling knowing somebody that's been in the league for 15 years," Thomas said. "He kind of took me under his wing. I sit by him in meetings and if I have any questions, that'd be the first person I ask.
"He already gave me some real solid advice. He just told me, 'You're not going to learn everything the first day. Take everything and take the coaching and you'll be fine.'"
The most impressive of the rookies in the first two days has been Tate, the second-rounder out of Notre Dame. As a wide receiver, he's able to display his talents a little more obviously, but he's also taken advantage with some nice plays.
Particularly in Friday's opening session, the All-American receiver made several outstanding catches and showed he has the speed to get deep.
"I'm just coming out trying to show I can compete," said Tate. "They drafted me for a reason. That wasn't to come in and not play so I am trying my best to earn my way and earn my respect on this team."
With Deion Branch and T.J. Houshmandzadeh both sidelined as they recover from minor surgeries, Tate also has been tossed right into the fire and certainly looks like a guy who can provide a needed big-play element to the offense.
But he dropped a couple balls Saturday and clearly will have his own adjustment period as well.
"All these guys are fast. All these guys are smart," Tate said. "It's tough. I have to learn the plays. I have to figure out certain techniques to work. I have to study film a lot more.
"It was tough, but overall, I think I'm doing OK. I have a lot to do until I can help this team out, but I am excited."
Matt Hasselbeck sounded as if he's already developing a belief in Tate's ability to go get the ball in traffic and other things he showed consistently at Notre Dame.
"As a quarterback, if you go to a guy and he makes a play for you, you're probably going to go back to him and keep going back to him. I think it gives you confidence and it gives him confidence," Hasselbeck said.
"He's done a really nice job. I had lunch with him today and he basically said, 'Hey, my head is swimming right now. This offense is different.' It's hard for these guys coming in when we throw so much at them. It's hard for all of us. But I thought he's done a nice job."
The Seahawks figure to get some impact out of their lower round draft picks as well. Fourth-round cornerback Walter Thurmond is sitting out as he continues recovering from a knee injury, but the rest of the group is being worked in on back-up roles initially.
Fifth-round pick Kam Chancellor is a big, physical-looking strong safety at 6-3, 232 pounds. Sixth-rounder Anthony McCoy looks like athletic pass-receiving threat at tight end.
Fourth-round pick E.J. Wilson gives the Seahawks a big body at defensive end in a group that needs to develop a run stuffer to complement a fleet of speed rushers that have been accumulated, a group that includes seventh-rounder Dexter Davis.
The other draft pick is the developmental project, Jameson Konz out of Kent State, who has been splitting time between the tight end and wide receiver groups.
This minicamp concludes Sunday, at which point the rookies will return to school and not be able to rejoin the club until classes end.
http://blog.seattlepi.com/football/archives/204268.asp
I can't wait to see Golden Tate on the field in a real game. Grabbing him in the 2nd round when we did has got to be a steal for the Hawks.
I hope Russell Okung turns out to be the Seahawks' primary LT for a long time. I think he will be. He won't be no Walter Jones, but he'll be good enough....I hope.
And Earl Thomas....Damn am I glad that he fell to the Seahawks in the draft. That has got to be a steal and a 1/2. The Seahawks were hurting at S when Deon Grant was cut. Now they get to work with Jordan Babineaux and a top 3 S in the draft.
I hope Russell Okung turns out to be the Seahawks' primary LT for a long time. I think he will be. He won't be no Walter Jones, but he'll be good enough....I hope.
And Earl Thomas....Damn am I glad that he fell to the Seahawks in the draft. That has got to be a steal and a 1/2. The Seahawks were hurting at S when Deon Grant was cut. Now they get to work with Jordan Babineaux and a top 3 S in the draft.
