Seahawks All-Time All-Awards Team

In choosing a 40th Anniversary Seahawks squad, it is wise to consider what Seattle players earned All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors, and which ones entered the hallowed spaces of the Ring of Honor and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Of course, these considerations need to be confined to honors earned as a Seahawk, or else we will find our all-star roster populated with Hall of Famers like Carl Eller, Franco Harris and Jerry Rice, who achieved greatness elsewhere before making brief and undistinguished drive-bys in Seattle en route to retirement. Or with athletes like Kevin Mawae or Michael Bates, who began their careers here, but became great after leaving.

Let us begin with the embarrassment of riches in the Seattle backfield.

QB: 

Dave Krieg (3x Pro Bowl 1984, 1988-89, Ring of Honor) 

Matt Hasselbeck (3x Pro Bowl 2003, 2005, 2007)

Russell Wilson (2x Pro Bowl 2012-13)

Warren Moon (Pro Bowl 1997, Hall of Fame)

Jim Zorn (Ring of Honor)

Like cream, Krieg, Hasselbeck and Wilson float to the top here. I'm paranoid, so I like to keep three quarterbacks on the active roster, but ranking this great trio on a depth chart would pose a real dilemma. Moon's tenure in Seattle was too brief to warrant consideration, and Zorn, while a sentimental favorite, makes the cut not as a player, but as perhaps the most distinguished quarterback coach in Seahawks history (2001-07).

RB: 

Marshawn Lynch (2x All-Pro 2012, 2014; 4x Pro Bowl 2011-14), 

Shaun Alexander (All-Pro 2005, 3x Pro Bowl 2003-05; ‘00s All-Decade), 

Curt Warner (3x Pro Bowl 1983, 1986-87; Ring of Honor), 

Chris Warren (3x Pro Bowl 1993-95)

Again, the top three candidates are so strong that one is forced to cut someone great... Chris Warren, in this case. The depth chart is easier this time: Lynch's ability to thrive without good blocking vaults him to the top. When your stable of running backs is so good that Ricky Watters hardly merits a mention, your team is in pretty good shape. Original Seahawk Sherman Smith makes the cut as a running back coach.

FB: 

Mack Strong (All-Pro 2005, Pro Bowl 2005-06), 

John L. Williams (2x Pro Bowl 1990-91), 

Michael Robinson (Pro Bowl 2011)

You can't really justify keeping more than two fullbacks on your roster, so the Real Rob gets cut. I give the starting role to John L. Williams, because he was a real rushing and receiving threat in addition to being a devastating blocker.

WR: 

Steve Largent (All-Pro 1985; 7x Pro Bowl 1978-9, 1981, 1984-7; ‘80s All-Decade; Ring of Honor; Hall of Fame)

Brian Blades (Pro Bowl 1989)

And now we come down to earth. The Seahawks all-stars are thin at wideout, with no backups behind Largent and Blades.

Other considerations: Sam McCullum, Joey Galloway, Darrell Jackson, Koren Robinson, Bobby Engram, Doug Baldwin

TE:

That's right. No Seattle tight end has ever earned any award of any kind.

Considerations: Mike Tice, Christian Fauria, Itula Mili, Jerramy Stevens, John Carlson, Zach Miller

LT: Walter Jones (4x All-Pro 2001, 2004-5, 2007; 9x Pro Bowl 1999, 2001-8; ‘00s All-Decade; Ring of Honor; Hall of Fame)

LG: Steve Hutchinson (2x All-Pro 2003, 2005; 3x Pro Bowl 2003-5; ‘00s All-Decade)

C: Max Unger (All-Pro 2012; 2x Pro Bowl 2012-3), Robbie Tobeck (Pro Bowl 2005)

RG: Bryan Millard (1988 UPI 2^nd team All-Conference guard)

RT: Russell Okung (Pro Bowl 2012)

We're pretty thin on the O-Line, too. Note how I had to dig deep to find an award for Bryan Millard. (I did that digging a few years back when I wrote the Wikipedia article on Millard.)

I also had to flip Okung over to right tackle. Tobeck can back up at center or guard, but we need more depth than that.

Other considerations:

Tackle: Steve August, Ron Essink, Howard Ballard, Sean Locklear

Guard: Tom Lynch, Edwin Bailey, Bob Cryder, Pete Kendall, Chris Gray

Center: John Yarno, Blair Bush, Kevin Mawae

DE:

Jacob Green (2x Pro Bowl 1986-87; Ring of Honor)

Michael Sinclair (3x Pro Bowl 1996-8)

Patrick Kerney (All-Pro & Pro Bowl 2007)

DT:

Cortez Kennedy (3x All-Pro 1992-4; 8x Pro Bowl 1991-9; ‘90s All-Decade; Ring of Honor; Hall of Fame)

Joe Nash (All-Pro & Pro Bowl 1984)

John Randle (Pro Bowl 2001; Hall of Fame)

Seattle is in much better shape on the D-Line, needing just a little more depth.

Other considerations:

Ends: Jeff Bryant, Grant Wistrom

Tackles: Red Bryant, Brandon Mebane, Michael Bennett

OLB: 

Julian Peterson (3x Pro Bowl 2006-8)

Chad Brown (All-Pro 1998; 2x Pro Bowl 1998-9)

Rufus Porter (2x Pro Bowl 1988-9)

MLB: 

Fredd Young (All-Pro 1987; 4x Pro Bowl 1984-7)

Lofa Tatupu (All-Pro 2005; 3x Pro Bowl 2003-5)

Bobby Wagner (All-Pro & Pro Bowl 2014)

Seattle is similarly stacked at linebacker.

Other considerations:

Outside linebackers: Keith Butler, Michael Jackson, K. J. Wright, Bruce Irvin

Inside/middle linebackers: Terry Beeson, Dave Wyman, David "Heater" Hawthorne

CB:

Richard Sherman (3x All-Pro 2012-14; 2x Pro Bowl 2013-14)

Dave Brown (Pro Bowl 1984; Ring of Honor)

Brandon Browner (Pro Bowl 2011)

Marcus Trufant (Pro Bowl 2007)

Shawn Springs (Pro Bowl 1998)

SS:

Kenny Easley (3x All-Pro 1983-5; 5x Pro Bowl 1982-85, 1987; ‘80s All-Decade; Ring of Honor)
Kam Chancellor (All-Pro 2014; 3x Pro Bowl 2011, 2013-14)

FS: 

Earl Thomas (4x All-Pro & Pro Bowl 2011-14)

Eugene Robinson (2x Pro Bowl 1992-93)

Darryl Williams (Pro Bowl 1997)

Um... this secondary doesn't need much help.

Honorable mentions: John Harris, Jordan "Big Play Babs" Babineaux

K: Norm Johnson (All-Pro & Pro Bowl 1984)

P: Rick Tuten (Pro Bowl 1994)

KR: Leon Washington (Pro Bowl 2012)

PR: Bobby Joe Edmonds (All-Pro & Pro Bowl 1986)

ST: Alex Bannister (Pro Bowl 2003)

Given his long tenure, Norm seems a shoe-in (!), but Todd Peterson, Josh Brown, Olindo Mare and Steven Hauschka also deserve mention.

Jon Ryan is on course to overtake Tuten as the best punter in team history.

Other notable punt returners include Leon Washington, Nate Burleson, Charlie Rogers and Joey Galloway, who owns the Seahawk record with four punt return TDs.

The only competition for Leon Washington at kick returner is Josh Wilson, but Washington's team record four touchdowns (Wilson had one) settles it in his favor.

Head Coach: 

Chuck Knox (NFL Coach of the Year 1984; 2x UPI AFC Coach of the Year 1983-4; Ring of Honor)

Jack Patera (NFL Coach of the Year 1978)

Few remember that Patera won this honor for leading Seattle to a 9-7 record in the franchise's third year. (He repeated the feat in 1979 before tanking to 4-12 in 1980, 6-10 in 1981, and 0-2 before getting fired in 1982.) 

Mike Holmgren and Pete Carroll need to be in the conversation.

Comments and suggestions welcome on any of the foregoing.