5 best backup quarterbacks in Seattle Seahawks history

Seahawks backup QB No. 1: Dave Krieg

Dave Krieg went to Milton so no one really knew much about him when he joined the NFL as an undrafted player in 1980. Heck, Krieg's college doesn't even exist anymore as it went under two years after Krieg left the school. Maybe they thought, "Well, Dave Krieg is the best we can do so I guess we will close now." If they thought that, they were at least correct about Krieg.

Krieg started off as the third-string QB for Seattle and saw only a handful of snaps in his first season and didn't complete any passes. In 1981, Krieg played well enough in practice that he became the main backup to starter Jim Zorn. Zorn had been the starter since the franchise's inception in 1976 and had led the team to a winning record in its third season with another in its fourth. But after a disappointing 1980 year, Zorn began to slowly fall out of favor. Plus, Krieg had played pretty decently in mop-up duty in 1981 after Zorn was injured late in the year.

By 1982, Krieg had overtaken Zorn as the starter and stayed there until he injured his thumb. Zorn then regained the starting job, but in the last game of the season Krieg came in for Zorn and led Seattle to a come from behind victory over the Denver Broncos. Zorn began 1983 as the starter but struggled again and Krieg took over in Week 8 and Krieg played so well that he led the Seahawks to the AFC Championship game.

Krieg remained the starter at the beginning of 1984 and stayed there through the 1990 season. He made three Pro Bowls (1984, 1988, and 1989), and he is currently third on Seattle's all-time list for passing yards, second in victories (70), second in touchdown passes (195), and second in fourth quarter comebacks (16). That's pretty good for a guy who was a backup for a few years and came from a college that no longer exists.

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