Readers choose the 5 worst Seahawks of all time

We asked our readers who the five worst Seahawks players of all time were. The results may surprise you……. or not.

Last year around this time we attempted to put together our “Seahawks Mount Rushmore,” to try and narrow down who the four greatest players were in the team’s history. But what about the other end of the spectrum?

What about the players who stunk up the joint;the draft busts, veteran imports who fell flat on their face, or the ones who teased but never fully delivered on their potential?

We put the question to Twitter (@12thMan_Rising) and got a huge response.

Here are, according to loyal readers of our website, the 5 worst Seahawks of all time:

5: BRIAN BOSWORTH, LB, 1987-89

“The Boz” was definitely an enigma. When the Seahawks landed him in the supplemental draft in 1987 Hawk fans were stunned….. “we got THAT guy?!” Bosworth was considered the best linebacker in the college game in quite some time, a potential dominating force at the next level. In fact, most agreed he was a can’t miss prospect as a player. As a personality, different story, but it seemed worth the risk at that point.

What none of us knew at the time was that there were significant physical issues that would prevent Bosworth from ever reaching the vast potential he flashed at times. For one, his frame was so small that it couldn’t support the (admitted) steroid-enhanced upper body he had built up. He had a weak base and was easily blocked. He might have been a better fit on the outside as a guy who could run down plays from the backside and get to the QB, but Chuck Knox insisted on playing him inside in their 3-4 defense.

But the real downfall was that Bosworth had a degenerative condition in his shoulders, and he knew it. Why else would he sign a TEN YEAR contract as a rookie? During his second year this was confirmed to me by a close college friend who was represented by the same agent as The Boz, Gary Wichard. They knew his shoulders wouldn’t hold up for long, so they went for the security of the long-term deal rather than banking on a bigger free agent pay day after 3 or 4 seasons.

What’s unfortunate here is that Bosworth was humbled during his two years in Seattle, and near the all-too-soon end to his football career he had toned down the bombastic sideshow. He still may have salvaged a decent career as a player had it not been for the damage he had done to his body.

Next: Big trade gone bad

4: PERCY HARVIN, WR/KR, 2013-2014

We don’t have to go back very far to find our 4th entry on this list. Our readers were adamant that the massive haul the Seahawks sent to Minnesota to obtain Harvin turned out to be a complete waste of resources.

Harvin arrived with a lot of fanfare and high expectations after 4 tumultuous seasons with the Vikings. His many off-field red flags were easily dismissed by most because of how electric he could be on the field as both a receiver and kick returner.

Sadly, Harvin got hurt during his first summer in Seattle and missed most of the 2013 season. His one highlight as a Hawk was the second half kickoff he returned for a touchdown in Super Bowl XLVIII to basically put the game out of reach.

The next year, presumably healthy, Harvin’s sour demeanor turned off his bosses, and he was shipped out to New York for a low draft pick just to rid the team of his divisive clubhouse influence.

Harvin spent last season (mostly injured) in Buffalo, and it now appears as if he’s played his last game in the NFL. Another bright star burned out way too soon.

3: KELLY JENNINGS, CB, 2006-2010

Jennings could serve as the poster child for the ill-fated Tim Ruskell era as General Manager. Ruskell seemed to place almost no value on size, particularly on defense. In an admittedly weak 2006 cornerback class (and actually an extremely weak draft class overall), Ruskell selected Miami’s Jennings with the 31st pick in the first round the year after Seattle made their first Super Bowl appearance. At 5’11” and only 175 lbs, Jennings was the anti-Pete Carroll version of an outside CB, and he struggled mightily against the bigger WR’s in the NFC West. Remarkably, however, Jennings started 14 games in Carroll’s first season at the helm. THAT is how bad the CB talent was on the roster Carroll inherited.

Jennings managed only 2 INT’s in his five seasons in Seattle and was gone after that first year with Carroll. He lasted one more year as a backup in Cincinnati before his career was finished.

Next: Two all time draft busts

2: AARON CURRY, LB, 2009-2011

Sosler is right, other LB’s selected in the 2009 first round include Houston’s Brian Cushing and Green Bay’s Clay Matthews. But if Tim Ruskell was wrong for thinking Curry was the 4th best player in that draft, then so were just about every other GM in football. Curry was widely regarded not only as a can’t-miss player, but had been proclaimed by some as the best LB prospect to come out in the draft in 10 years.

But for all of Curry’s physical gifts, he was never able to make the transition to the pros. Some said he had trouble picking up the scheme, while other’s pegged him as a guy who lacked the motivation to thrive and got comfortable after being drafted and paid. Whatever the case, Curry’s baffling inability to get to the quarterback (only 5.5 career sacks) made him, at best, an extreme overdraft at #4.

Curry was traded to Oakland in 2011 but appeared in only 2 games for the Raiders and was out of the NFL after that season.

From the 4th pick to washed up in just 3 years. Curry isn’t just one of the worst Seahawk players of all time, he’s also one of the league’s biggest draft busts.

And now for the #1 worst Seahawk player of all time as voted on by our readers………

1: DAN MCGWIRE, QB, 1991-1995

McGwire was, hands down, the runaway winner.

Satterthwaite is right. The story lives on in infamy now, head coach Chuck Knox wanted Favre in the first round (“I wanted the guy from Mississippi,” he said) as did many others in the building at the time. Unfortunately, then-owner Ken Behring fell in love with San Diego State’s McGwire, reportedly after watching him play one game on TV, an upset win over Miami.

Behring obviously won, and Seattle took McGwire with the 16th pick. Knox was so upset he skipped a couple press conferences set up to discuss the McGwire pick.

We all know what’s happened since then. McGwire only threw for 745 yards in the NFL, while Hall of Famer Favre is now in the conversation as one of the best to ever play the game.

Imagine what could have been.

On a personal note, I was always shocked by how McGwire’s game never matched his physical stature. He stood 6’8″ and weighed 240 pounds. You read stories about how he had a “rocket” for an arm, but when I was covering Seahawks training camp for KEPR-TV (Pasco, WA) in 1992 I was stunned at McGwire’s lack of arm strength. He had poor mechanics. He seemed to cup the ball, curl up his wrist and almost throw it like he was trying to get some hellacious curve on a whiffle ball. He never looked as advertised.

Next: Ryan Robertson a sleeper to watch

HONORABLE MENTION:

Other players who were mentioned by readers include Lawrence Jackson, Owen Gill, Tharold Simon and Kelly Stouffer.

Some players I’m surprised didn’t get a mention are Cary Williams, Stan Gelbaugh, Rick Mirer, or frankly anyone from last year’s offensive line.

But I guess these five were just THAT bad.