The maneuvering will continue right up until April 26th, as the Seattle Seahawks’ brain trust led by Tim Ruskell, Mike Holmgren, and now Jim Mora Jr., among others, work to resurrect a running game that might just be the key to once again attaining the heights and possibly winning a Super Bowl Championship.
Tim Ruskell Mike Holmgren Jim Mora Jr.
Since their appearance in Super Bowl XL against the victorious Pittsburgh Steelers, star running back Shaun Alexander’s health and then productivity went down the tubes. This decline occurred just one year after Shaun signed one of the richest contracts ever awarded to a running back. Alexander’s lack of production can’t be laid simply at his feet though as the loss of All-Pro Guard Steve Hutchinson to Minnesota was definitely a big contributing factor. Age has also become part of the equation as other offensive line starters from the XL days have since departed. The Hawk’s O-line has been bolstered by the drafting and steady improvement of four year veteran right tackle Sean Locklear (a 3rd round draft pick in ’04 out of N.C. State who was re-signed to a long-term contract this off season), three year veteran center Chris Spencer (a 1st round pick in ‘05 out of Mississippi), and third year pro guard Rob Sims, who provided a very pleasant surprise as a good, steady player selected with a 4th round pick in the ’06 draft out of Ohio State. Perennial All-Pro left tackle Walter Jones and a new Seahawk signed as a free agent, Mike Wahle, will team with these young players to become a formidable front line ready to pass protect and punch running lanes. Wahle, an eleven year veteran and two-time Pro Bowler who was a salary cap casualty with the Carolina Panthers, will most likely assume the left guard position next to Jones.
You know, an NFL General Manager not only requires an eye for on-field talent, but also for talent among the coaching ranks. Ruskell’s next move was to bring in a new offensive line coach. Mike Solari was brought in with a sterling resume’ built over eleven years with the Kansas City Chiefs. Mike was a key link in the Chief’s top running attack over the last decade and is expected to bring his expertise to bear with the Seahawks.
Ruskell then re-entered the free agent market and signed two new Seahawk running backs. T.J. Duckett, at 6’0” 254 pounds fills a direct need for the Hawks as their lack of a “punch it in” big back was very noticeable in 2007 and this is Duckett’s specialty. T.J. will join Leonard Weaver, a good situational change-up type fullback with excellent pass receiving and pass blocking skills. The Hawks appear to be well set with these two. Julius Jones was then brought in to directly challenge for the starting running back position amid much speculation that this move may spell the end to Shaun Alexander’s career with the Seahawks. Although nothing concrete has come out of the Seahawks’ front office to that effect (other than the obvious Jones signing), it is generally agreed that it is just a matter of time before Shaun is released. Some may hope for a trade, but that is simply wishful thinking. No, the Hawks will have to cut their losses and give Shaun his unconditional release. Thanks for the memories, Shaun.
Julius Jones was the lead back with the Dallas Cowboys in their two back system where, from my perspective, he was used early to force the opposing defenses to respect his slashing style and consequently give the Tony Romo little more time in the pocket off play action. Late in the game, and usually holding the lead, the Cowboys would then unleash Marion Barber on the opponent’s now softened up defense to much success. Jones’ style is in contrast to Alexander in that he is more of a head down, straight ahead then cut rusher whereas Alexander turned into a sideways dancer hoping to find an opening.
The other Seahawk running back, Maurice Morris, is entering his 7th season in the league and while being a steady back-up and kick returner, age is becoming a concern leading me to believe he is another candidate to possibly be released. I say this because I believe the Seahawks may use their first pick in the upcoming draft to secure another running back, and this is where the thrust of this article will now take us.
There have been rumblings coming out of Hawk land that Tim Ruskell has become infatuated with the University of Oregon’s early draft entry, Jonathan Stewart. As the days dwindle down before the 2008 draft, Stewart’s potential draft position has been on somewhat of a roller coaster. Prior to the Scouting Combine he was looked upon as the number two rated back in the draft. Then his performance in the combine created more questions than answers as his ability to run away from defenders was questioned. This while posting a 4.46 second 40 yard dash and running it 5 pounds heavier than his collegiate playing weight. Stewart’s strengths were said to be his power, size and tackle breaking ability while he was downgraded for his acceleration, breakaway speed and elusiveness. Next came the revelation that Stewart needed to undergo surgery to repair a turf toe injury suffered last November. These two occurrences lowered his draft value in many minds from a mid 1st rounder clear down to the middle of the 2nd. Now I’m no orthopedic surgeon, but wouldn’t that type of injury have a negative effect on a runner’s ability to accelerate, display breakaway speed and be elusive? So here we stand a couple of weeks in front of the draft and Stewart is being projected back into the top twenty.
Ruskell’s supposed interest in Stewart is now leading to speculation that the Seahawks just might try to move up from their 25th selection in the first round in order to secure Stewart. There are currently four teams drafting ahead of the Seahawks that have either a first or second priority at the running back position in this draft and possibly a fifth team depending on where Arkansas’ Darren McFadden might be available. There is a lot of speculation that if McFadden is on the board when the Raiders’ fourth pick of the draft comes up, Al Davis will take him even though this is not a position of need for them. With the sixth pick, the New York Jets are the first team to pick with a definite need at running back and they would surely jump at McFadden if the first five teams pass on him. After the Jets you have to drop clear down to the 13th and 14th picks (Carolina Panthers and Chicago Bears) before two teams with definite running back needs pop up. This sets the circumstances that the Seahawks have to work with.
Of the teams selecting between the 6th and 13th picks there are two that could be considered potential trading partners based on their areas of top need and the availability of players worthy of a high selection. Buffalo needs a top flight receiver and yet their 11th pick is considered too high for the available talent. The Bills second and third highest needs are cornerback and outside linebacker. All three of Buffalo’s highest need areas are for positions that this draft is talent rich in. I look for the Bills to make a deal for more draft picks, and they could use them, by the way. The Denver Broncos hold the 12th pick and in their situation, their top need is for an offensive tackle. With Miami, Atlanta, Oakland, Kansas City and Baltimore all possibly taking offensive tackles in the first round ahead of the Broncos, there may not be a tackle of high enough quality left by the time their pick comes up. Denver’s next highest needs are for a defensive tackle and an inside linebacker, both of which would probably be a reach with the 12th pick as well. Denver has a history of trading down for more picks.
Either the 11th or 12th pick would most likely cost the Seahawks their first round 25th pick and second round 55th pick based on the NFL Draft Value Chart. They would then have to take their chances on having a fairly good tight end still available when they make their third round pick with the 86th selection in the draft and considering that this is a fairly low need choice for most teams this year, the gamble might bring them someone like Notre Dame’s John Carlson or Tennessee’s Brad Cottam.
The defense was addressed over the last three years and has become the team’s strength with long term contracts written to secure key contributors and Pro Bowlers, Lofa Tatupu and Marcus Trufant. Now the attention is squarely centered on the offense…
I’ve got to believe Tim Ruskell is looking at all of this with an eye towards completing the puzzle that may well lead to a Super Bowl Championship in the not too distant future.
I first heard of this guy when my college education shifted from a community college in Central California to an agricultural school in Southern California. My sophomore year at College of the Sequoias was highlighted by the fact that our small college (around 3,000 students, and that seemed huge to me as my graduating class in high school had just over 100 students!) had just won the California State Championship in football by defeating Fullerton Junior College, a large community college from Orange County with an enrollment around 20,000 students.
It was quite a come down to enroll at a school where sports had very little importance. There was a small group of us from Central California in the School of Agriculture at California Polytechnic University, Pomona, because it offered the only Bachelor of Science degree in Citriculture anywhere in the country. We were a bunch of bumpkins in the BIG city where we all must have walked around with wide eyes and mouths agape for at least two months after first showing up in smog land. One Saturday early that fall we all decided to take in our first Cal Poly football game. I was amazed! There were bigger crowds at my high school games than the number of fans in the stands for this Saturday night home game against Cal State Los Angeles! Other than the lack of support for our football team, the next biggest impression I recall centered on this young quarterback who was forced to scramble around as the opposing team’s defense continually collapsed the Cal Poly Broncos’ pass protection. The QB reminded me of the Viking’s Fran Tarkenton. He’d roll this way and that, stop and look downfield, no one open, dodge a defensive end, roll back this way and finally break downfield for a few yards. Next play, same thing. It got real old, but this young scrambler had the Broncos in front by four points with time running out. LA State had the ball and on their last desperation play of the game, their tailback ran into a big pile up on a surprise draw play. The players on the field actually began standing and everyone in the stands thought the game was over when all of a sudden this little guy comes out of the far side of the pile and sprints (wearing only one shoe!) all the way down the far sideline for a touchdown to win the game! My buddies and I just looked at each other and shook our heads while sharing a sour expression… So this was Cal Poly Pomona football… Over the balance of that season and the next, while I continued taking courses toward my degree, I went ahead and attended a few other games as one of the song girls and I were seeing each other and I felt like it was the thing to do… I know, I know… Anyway, this same quarterback continued to try and carry the team on his back, but with very little success. He was personally rewarded for his efforts by being named the Southern California College Division player of the year despite playing for a 4-6-1 team. That's because he passed for 2,367 yards and 16 touchdowns. I graduated before the next season and moved on, but that quarterback stuck around and ended up setting 10 school passing records, most of which will never be broken as Cal Poly Pomona eventually dropped intercollegiate football due to lack of interest in 1982…
The next time I heard about this guy I was surprised to find that he had been picked up by the NFL’s fledgling Seattle Seahawks. He was signed as an undrafted free agent and had beaten out a couple of older, established quarterbacks and he was actually
starting for them! Jim Zorn had come out of literally nowhere to be named the AFC Offensive Rookie of the Year following the Seahawk’s inaugural season in 1976 under Head Coach Jack Patera. Over the years, the left hander went on to make quite a name for himself as he continued to play his Houdini routine so that he could eventually hookup with his favorite receiver out of the University of Tulsa (and future Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee), Steve Largent. Jim’s NFL playing career saw him remain with the Seahawks for a total of nine seasons (seven as the starter) during which time he was honored as the team’s MVP and as a Pro Bowler in 1978. From 1978 to 1980, the left-handed QB passed for more than 3,000 yards each year and was only the third player in NFL history to throw for more than 10,000 yards in his first four seasons. After new Seahawks’ Head Coach Chuck Knox was brought in and had Jim playing back-up to Dave Krieg for the 1983 and 1984 seasons, he moved on to the Green Bay Packers where he played back-up and intermittently started for the Packers in 1985. Jim played his last full season of professional football for the CFL’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 1986 and then came back for a few games in 1987 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a strike replacement player. When asked in an interview what the highlight of his professional playing career was, Jim didn’t hesitate as he responded, “The thing I remember most about playing the Raiders and this truly was a highlight, was how spent everyone was after those particular games. Every time we played them it was an absolute fight to the finish. There wasn't much left when you came into the locker room. Everyone expended their energies onto the field and it was very grueling type of game mentally and emotionally. Physically it was just a real battle.”
Steve Largent and Jim Zorn
In 1991 Jim Zorn’s name was added to the Seattle Seahawk’s Ring of Honor where he once again joined his old teammate and close friend, Steve Largent, along with four other former Seahawks.
Jim naturally moved from playing football to coaching it as he began down that road as the Quarterbacks Coach for Boise State University. This lasted from 1988 through 1991 and then he was off to Utah State University as their Offensive Coordinator for a three year stint. His final collegiate coaching position was with the University of Minnesota under Head Coach Jim Wacker, where he once again served as Quarterback Coach for the Golden Gophers for two years through the end of the 1996 season.
In 1997, Dennis Erickson hired Zorn to his first professional football coaching position as an Offensive Assistant with the Seattle Seahawks. This lasted for two seasons before he became the Quarterbacks Coach for a two year term with the Detroit Lions under Bobby Ross and then Gary Moeller. Then, in 2001 Jim was again reunited with the Seattle Seahawks organization as the Quarterbacks Coach under Mike Holmgren. Jim was schooled by one of the best quarterback coaches in recent NFL history and developed into a disciple of the Holmgren version of the “West Coast” offense. Jim continued on in this capacity for seven full seasons until last year.
With Coach Holmgren’s announcement that 2008 will be his last as the Seahawk’s Head Coach making a coaching shake up inevitable before the 2009 season when Jim Mora takes over, Jim began looking for a new challenge. On January 26th, he accepted the Offensive Coordinator job with the Washington Redskins, in a move that left many wondering what was going on. Following the team’s opening playoff game defeat and the subsequent second retirement of Head Coach Joe Gibbs, team owner, Dan Snyder, and the team’s upper management group immediately began filling out the team’s coaching staff before a new Gibb’s replacement had been hired. Now I’m not sure if these moves were unprecedented or not, but as a longtime NFL fan, I’ve never heard of such a thing. I always thought the hiring of assistant coaches was considered sacred ground, an entitlement left to an incoming head coach and understandably so since it’s his neck on the line…
So here we are, the playoffs are continuing and the Redskins are filling out the team’s coaching staff while a search for a new Head Coach was continuing. Prospective Coaches were being interviewed with much fanfare, and the month long search went on.
The candidates for the job included New York Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, Jim Fassel, Steve Mariucci, Jim Mora and Ron Meeks.
Suddenly, on February 9th, the Redskins announced their search had ended as Jim Zorn was elevated from his new position as the Redskin’s Offensive Coordinator to become the sixth coach hired during Dan Snyder’s Redskin ownership tenure which began in 1999.
Throughout Jim Zorn’s football career as a player and coach, he has turned to his strong Christian faith as he has confidently faced his critics and proved himself a winner. If he continues to follow this script, Dan Snyder and his Redskins may well have finally found their coach for many years to come.
I’m a little biased when it comes to Jim Zorn as he represents the last bastion of the Cal Poly Pomona Bronco’s football legacy and I wish him nothing but smooth sailing as he leads one of the NFL’s most storied franchises, the Washington Redskins!
I'm a sports fanatic living on the west coast of Florida. I'm a rare bird that moved here from the left coast a couple of years ago. I advocate an even playing field in all of life's endeavors.
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departed. The Hawk’s O-line has been bolstered by the drafting and steady improvement of four year veteran right tackle Sean Locklear (a 3rd round draft pick in ’04 out of N.C. State who was re-signed to a long-term contract this off season), three year veteran center Chris Spencer (a 1st round pick in ‘05 out of Mississippi), and third year pro guard Rob Sims, who provided a very pleasant surprise as a good, steady player selected with a 4th round pick in the ’06 draft out of Ohio State. Perennial All-Pro left tackle Walter Jones and a new Seahawk signed as a free agent, Mike Wahle, will team with these young players to become 
a formidable front line ready to pass protect and punch running lanes. Wahle, an eleven year veteran and two-time Pro Bowler who was a salary cap casualty with the Carolina Panthers, will most likely assume the left guard position next to Jones.
for on-field talent, but also for talent among the coaching ranks. Ruskell’s next move was to bring in a new offensive line coach. Mike Solari was brought in with a sterling resume’ built over eleven years with the Kansas City Chiefs. Mike was a key link in the Chief’s top running attack over the last decade and is expected to bring his expertise to bear with the Seahawks.
pounds fills a direct need for the Hawks as their lack of a “punch it in” big back was very noticeable in 2007 and this is Duckett’s specialty. T.J. will join Leonard Weaver, a good situational change-up type fullback with excellent pass receiving and pass blocking skills. The Hawks appear to be well set with these two. Julius Jones was then brought in to directly challenge for the starting running back position amid much speculation that this move may spell the end to Shaun Alexander’s career with the Seahawks. Although nothing concrete has come out of the Seahawks’ front office to that effect (other than the obvious Jones signing), it is generally agreed that it is just a matter of time before Shaun is released. Some may hope for a trade, but that is simply wishful thinking. No, the Hawks will have to cut their losses and give Shaun his unconditional release. Thanks for the memories, Shaun. 
used early to force the opposing defenses to respect his slashing style and consequently give the Tony Romo little more time in the pocket off play action. Late in the game, and usually holding the lead, the Cowboys would then unleash Marion Barber on the opponent’s now softened up defense to much success. Jones’ style is in contrast to Alexander in that he is more of a head down, straight ahead then cut rusher whereas Alexander turned into a sideways dancer hoping to find an opening.
Prior to the Scouting Combine he was looked upon as the number two rated back in the draft. Then his performance in the combine created more questions than answers as his ability to run away from defenders was questioned. This while posting a 4.46 second 40 yard dash and running it 5 pounds heavier than his collegiate playing weight. Stewart’s strengths were said to be his power, size and tackle breaking ability while he was downgraded for his acceleration, breakaway speed and elusiveness. Next came the revelation that Stewart needed to undergo surgery to repair a turf toe injury suffered last November. These two occurrences lowered his draft value in many minds from a mid 1st rounder clear down to the middle of the 2nd. Now I’m no orthopedic surgeon, but wouldn’t that type of injury have a negative effect on a runner’s ability to accelerate, display breakaway speed and be elusive? So here we stand a couple of weeks in front of the draft and Stewart is being projected back into the top twenty.
year at College of the Sequoias was highlighted by the fact that our small college (around 3,000 students, and that seemed huge to me as my graduating class in high school had just over 100 students!) had just won the California State Championship in football by defeating Fullerton Junior College, a large community college from Orange County with an enrollment around 20,000 students. 
because it offered the only Bachelor of Science degree in Citriculture anywhere in the country. We were a bunch of bumpkins in the BIG city where we all must have walked around with wide eyes and mouths agape for at least two months after first showing up in smog land. One Saturday early that fall we all decided to take in our first Cal Poly football game. I was amazed! There were bigger crowds at my high school games than the number of fans in the stands for this Saturday night home game against Cal State Los Angeles! Other than the lack of support for our football team, the next biggest impression I recall centered on this young quarterback who was forced to scramble around as the opposing team’s defense continually collapsed the Cal Poly Broncos’ pass protection. The QB reminded me of the Viking’s Fran Tarkenton. 
He’d roll this way and that, stop and look downfield, no one open, dodge a defensive end, roll back this way and finally break downfield for a few yards. Next play, same thing. It got real old, but this young scrambler had the Broncos in front by four points with time running out. LA State had the ball and on their last desperation play of the game, their tailback ran into a big pile up on a surprise draw play. The players on the field actually began standing and everyone in the stands thought the game was over when all of a sudden this little guy comes out of the far side of the pile and sprints (wearing only one shoe!) all the way down the far sideline for a touchdown to win the game! My buddies and I just looked at each other and shook our heads while sharing a sour expression… So this was Cal Poly Pomona football… Over the balance of that season and the next, while I continued taking courses toward my degree, I went ahead and attended a few other games as one of the song girls and I were seeing each other and I felt like it was the thing to do… I know, I know… Anyway, this same quarterback continued to try and carry the team on his back, but with very little success. He was personally rewarded for his efforts by being named the Southern California College Division player of the year despite playing for a 4-6-1 team. That's because he passed for 2,367 yards and 16 touchdowns. I graduated before the next season and moved on, but that quarterback stuck around and ended up setting 10 school passing records, most of which will never be broken as Cal Poly Pomona eventually dropped intercollegiate football due to lack of interest in 1982… 
as a Pro Bowler in 1978. From 1978 to 1980, the left-handed QB passed for more than 3,000 yards each year and was only the third player in NFL history to throw for more than 10,000 yards in his first four seasons. After new Seahawks’ Head Coach Chuck Knox was brought in and had Jim playing back-up to Dave Krieg for the 1983 and 1984 seasons, he moved on to the Green Bay Packers where he played back-up and intermittently started for the Packers in 1985. Jim played his last full season of professional football for the CFL’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 1986 and then came back for a few games in 1987 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a strike replacement player. When asked in an interview what the highlight of his professional playing career was, Jim didn’t hesitate as he responded, “The thing I remember most about playing the Raiders and this truly was a highlight, was how spent everyone was after those particular games. Every time we played them it was an absolute fight to the finish. There wasn't much left when you came into the locker room. Everyone expended their energies onto the field and it was very grueling type of game mentally and emotionally. Physically it was just a real battle.”
out the team’s coaching staff before a new Gibb’s replacement had been hired. Now I’m not sure if these moves were unprecedented or not, but as a longtime NFL fan, I’ve never heard of such a thing. I always thought the hiring of assistant coaches was considered sacred ground, an entitlement left to an incoming head coach and understandably so since it’s his neck on the line… 
