Tank, Hutch & Bruce

Sherman Smith: Beast Mode before we knew what to call that.

Happy Birthday to my man Sherman Smith (born 1954), Seattle's first star running back (1976-82) and the team's running back coach since 2010.

In college, Smith had helped Miami of Ohio dominate the MAC as a running quarterback. In the 1976 inaugural franchise draft, Seattle spent a second-round pick to draft Smith as a wide receiver--a curious position assignment since Smith ran more than he passed in college, but had few opportunities to catch passes. However, Coach Jack Patera noted the dearth of talent at running back and wisely switched the rookie to that position.

The ungenerous expansion rules of that era ensured a weak roster across the board, including on the offensive line. Smith adapted by bulling through tacklers and grinding out yards after contact. Marshawn Lynch hadn't even been born, so we didn't know to call it Beast Mode back then. We called him Sherman Tank, instead.



His most cherished memory as a player was helping Seattle win its first game in franchise history in November 1976, a victory over Atlanta in which Smith ran for 124 yards and scored two touchdowns.

Smith led Seattle in rushing yards for five of his six years with the team. He proved a capable receiver out of the backfield, too. Unfortunately, a knee injury in 1980 permanently slowed him and diminished his production. The Seahawks traded him to San Diego in 1983, where he played sparingly before retiring.

He taught PE and coached sports at public secondary schools in Redmond for five years, then became an assistant football coach at at Miami of Ohio and the University of Illinois. As the running back coach for the Houston Oilers and Tennessee Titans from 1995-2007, he helped mold Eddie George into one of the league's best at his position. Although Jeff Fisher had promoted him to assistant head coach by 2006, Smith left Tennessee to rejoin his former Seahawk comrade Jim Zorn as Washington's offensive coordinator from 2008-09.

Sherman Tank celebrates with Beast Mode. Darrell Bevell wants some love, too; no dice.

In 2010, Pete Carroll hired Smith to coach Seattle running backs. Sherman Tank has proven a capable mentor for Beast Mode and for former fullback Michael Robinson, who have earned Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors under his tutelage. They and Smith now have a Super Bowl rings, too.

Holmgren should have held on tighter.

Happy Birthday also to my man Steve Hutchinson (born 1977), the most dominant guard in Seahawk history and--after the incomparable Walter Jones, the best offensive lineman. With Jones, Robbie Tobeck, Chris Gray and Sean Locklear, Hutch comprised the best offensive line not just in team history, but arguably also in NFL history. His poison pill departure to Minnesota after Super Bowl XL was disappointing, but that would not have happened if Seattle's front office had had their priorities straight. At the time I thought re-signing Hutch was more important than keeping Shaun Alexander, and the subsequent play of the two athletes and Seattle's rapid decline amply confirmed my thinking. Hutch continued to perform at a high level individually, but never achieved the team success with the Vikings or the Titans that he had enjoyed with the Seahawks. Team clearly meant a lot to him--it was not by coincidence that he joined Matt Hasselbeck in Tennessee. Hutch and Seattle were much better together than apart.

Someone's gonna pay for not extending Irvin

Finally, Happy Birthday to my man Bruce Irvin (born 1987), who has become a beast at outside linebacker. Seattle rolled the dice on him with a first-round pick in the 2012 draft. A high school dropout with a checkered past including prison time, Irvin is also a freakish athlete who played safety, linebacker and defensive end at the college level. The Seahawks initially tried him at defensive end, but by 2013 we moved him to linebacker to capitalize on his diverse skill set. Though a great speed pass rusher with good coverage skills, rush defense had been his Achilles' heel for the first few years, but he has developed into a solid run stopper, too. Irvin is now a complete linebacker, but this may be his last season in Seattle. In the offseason, the front office chose to re-sign Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner, but could not afford to extend Irvin's rookie contract earlier this year. The linebacker has responded constructively by continuing to perform at a high level to maximize his value. I hope Irvin makes Matt Cassell miserable this afternoon.