I've written before about the guilty pleasure of watching the various list programs produced by NFL Films. Taking a cue from VH1 and other cable channels, the NFL Network has discovered that nostalgia shows provide a cheap and inexhaustible source of irresistable programming.
The formula is simple:
1) Poll some unnamed experts (i.e., NFL Network employees) to compile the list;
2) Dig up some familiar footage from the NFL Films archives; and
3) Film some interviews with retired players and coaches, and with sports media personalities, wherein they sound off about the list. It is neither necessary nor desirable that these "authorities" know what they're talking about, only that they be provocative or entertaining when they speak.
Of course, the formula works like a charm. Resistance is futile. I can't stop DVRing these shows. Even my indifferent-to-football fiancee finds watching NFL Top Ten preferable to viewing an actual game. Or Psych. Or The Colbert Report.
In earlier posts, I've complained about Seahawks getting snubbed on these list shows. Specifically, I protested Dave Krieg's exclusion from "Top 10 Backup Quarterbacks," and the failure by NFL Films to include any Seahawks on The Top 100: The NFL's Greatest Players.
I've also acknowledged NFL Top Ten when they have given appropriate recognition to Seattle players, like when Jim Zorn ranked among "Top Ten Lefty Quarterbacks," and when Krieg made the list of "Top Ten Quarterbacks of the '80s."
Today, I want to discuss two more Seahawks who made the cut on two other installments of NFL Top Ten.
Incidentally, this is far from breaking news. Although I only saw these episodes recently, both originally
aired in July 2009.
The great Chuck Knox ranked among the "Top Ten Coaches Who Never Won a Championship." Here's the list:
10. Jim Mora (the elder)
9. Jeff Fisher
8. Don Coryell
7. Andy Reid
6. Chuck Knox
5. Dan Reeves
4. Mary Schottenheimer
3. George Allen
2. Marv Levy
1. Bud Grant
The program gave Knox props for turning around the Los Angeles Rams, the Buffalo Bills, and the Seattle Seahawks. Predictably, the talking heads knock him for "Ground Chuck" conservatism, without acknowledging his bombs away Air Knox offense of 1984, nor the groundbreaking courage that led him to defy Los Angeles fans and make James Harris the modern NFL's first black starting quarterback in 1974. Knox liked to run the ball, but he was no gutless mossback.
Similarly, the commentators criticize Knox for his teams' many playoff meltdowns. However, Knox twice took formerly losing teams to the playoffs in his first year as head coach. Under those conditions, just getting there is an achievement.
Knox might have coached Seattle to a Super Bowl if the front office had not made such poor personnel decisions. (For example, wasting several first-round picks on fruitless efforts to replace Pro Bowl quarterback Dave Krieg, even as the offensive line deteriorated.)
Steve Largent calls Knox "the best coach I ever played for."
Speaking of Largent, the Hall of Fame wide receiver, though snubbed on The Top 100, did win recognition on "Top Ten Greatest Hands." Here's the list:
10. Marvin Harrison
9. Lynn Swann
8. Sterling Sharpe
7. Jerry Rice
6. Kellen Winslow
5. Fred Biletnikoff
4. Larry Fitzgerald
3. Steve Largent
2. Raymond Berry
1. Cris Carter
Note that the show did not purport to rank the greatest receivers in NFL history, focusing instead on the quality of good hands. This explains Rice ranking only 7th.
Initially, I was surprised to see Cris Carter top the "greatest hands" list, but the footage makes the case for him very well. (I missed a lot of football in the '90s, as I spent most of the decade in the Deep South without NFL Sunday Ticket, subject to the programming decisions of local broadcast affiliates. So I didn't see many Vikings games. Or Seahawks games, for that matter. In retrospect, it was a good era of Seattle football to miss.)
But we're here to talk about Seahawks.
Of course, I'm pleased with Largent's high ranking on the list. He did have great hands. But his hands weren't his best attribute as a receiver. Like Ray Berry, Largent had an unstoppable work ethic, and he developed those great hands through hard work.
However, it doesn't matter how well you can catch if you can't get open. (Unfortunately, Seattle's current stable of wideouts illustrates the truth of this proposition.)
In the "Greatest Hands" program, Hall of Fame defensive back Rod Woodson marvels at how often Largent managed to get wide open, despite having only average speed.
The program does not explain why this was so.
And that's a shame, because Largent's ability to lose defenders was his greatest trait as a receiver. Like his great hands, Largent's ability to get open resulted from hard work and preparation.
He studied film, noted his opponents' weaknesses, and learned how to set them up for failure on game day.
Then, to capitalize fully upon that mental advantage, he gained a physical edge: through conditioning, Largent developed incredibly powerful ankles and calves, which allowed him to make cuts sharper than the defenders of his era could manage.
And that's how Largent won the space he needed to let his great hands operate.
I wish more of today's Seahawks would emulate that work ethic.
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