Out-Drafting Bonanza Part 3 - Seattle Seahawks & Mike Holmgren/Tim Ruskell

Welcome to part 3 of the Out-Drafting Bonanza. This is the (mostly) Holmgren Coach/GM draft (Tim Ruskell is responsible for the 2006 product). Seattle is so incredibly similar to Philly in front office and playing style that its an ideal comparison to get a margin of error. Andy Reid is a Holmgren-ite and fan of the WCO, though his defensive scheme isn't terribly similar (as it's mostly Jim Johnson's). So sit back, relax and enjoy the recaps. Remember, the goal of this exercise is to compare a few different "successful" NFL regimes and discover who's good, who's bad and where the hell we'll put Andy Reid.

In case you don't remember, here's a look at our Scoring System again.

And here's the regimes we'll be looking at:

• Philadelphia Eagles (Andy Reid)
• Detroit Lions (Steve Mariucci/Dick Jauron/Rod Marinelli...all under Matt Millen and we'll use this is the baseline/epitome of crap)
• Seattle Seahawks (Mike Holmgren)
• New England Patriots (Bill Belichick)
• Jacksonville Jaguars (Jack Del Rio)
• Dallas Cowboys (Jerry Jones err Wade Phillips, though we'll be counting the Parcells years because of how involved Jones was regardless)
• Denver Broncos (Mike Shanahan)
• Chicago Bears (Lovie Smith)
• San Diego Charges (Norv Turner...but all the A.J. Smith era)

Let's not tie up any more of your time. Let's get to the Holmgren (and one Ruskell) Era Drafts:

Year	Round	Name	Score (1-5)	Bonus	Note
2002	1	Jerramy Stevens	3	0	Stevens, most famous for being a Super Bowl flop, he was an adequate player and nothing more
	2	Maurice Morris/ Anton Palepoi	2	-1	Mo Morris is the essence of career solid backup but Palepoi was a total flop, starting once and rarely playing beyond that
	3	Kris Richard	2	0	Adequate special teamer
	4	Terreal Bierria	2	0	His family a victim of Hurricane Katrina, he left the Seahawks to care for his family and never returned to football after being the starting SS in 04
	5	Rocky Bernard/ Ryan Hannam/ Matt Hill	2	2	Rocky Bernard (4) is an excellent DT and crucial to the Seahawks SB run, Hannam (2) was a career special teamer/backup and Matt Hill (1) rarely played. Bonus points for Bernard as he's a stud DT
	6	Craig Jarrett	0	0	Never played a down as a Seahawk
	7	Jeff Kelly	1	0	Career 3rd string QB, first pass was a Pick-6

Honestly, this draft was a respectable draft. It's highlighted by Rocky Bernard, a solid DT (though the 5th round score is hampered by two shitty players also selected). Jerramy Stevens was a TE with all the assets needed to play the game except a brain and Maurice Morris is the essence of a backup RB (that's a good thing). So its a pretty average draft based on the results so far.

2002 Score: 13 Points. First Round Hit Total: 1/1. Quality Players Selected (total): 1/10

Year	Round	Name	Score (1-5)	Bonus	Note
2003	1	Marcus Trufant	4	0	Trufant is a solid starter and pro-bowler regardless of this season
	2	Ken Hamlin	4	0	We'll give Hamlin a 4 here because he was very good in Seattle, but he's been better in Dallas
	3	Wayne Hunter	0	0	Hunter had legal trouble leading to his release and never played a down as a Seahawk
	4	Seneca Wallace/ Solomon Bates	2	1	Wallace (3) has been an adequate backup QB/interesting WR, but Bates (1) never stuck, starting just once and out of football in 2 years
	5	Chris Davis	1	0	Played a few downs
	6	Rashad Moore	2	0	A career backup, he's bounced around the NFL
	7	Josh Brown/ Taco Wallace	2	1	A guy named Taco? He played sparingly (1) while Brown (3) has been a solid NFL kicker

Let's get this out of the way right now. How can you fault Mike Holmgren for drafting a guy named "Taco." I know I can't. Beyond that, he drafted two DBs who are excellent and pro-bowlers (and vital to their Super Bowl Run) as well as a decent backup QB. Toss in a above average kicker and you just had a good draft.

2003 Score: 17 Points. First Round Hit Total: 2/2. Quality Players Selected (total): 3/19

2004	1	Marcus Tubbs	2	0	Tubbs is/was a talented player but has been hampered by injuries. He started a few games but never really became a force
	2	Michael Boulware	3	0	A career backup Boulware lasted three years with the Seahawks, starting occasionally
	3	Sean Locklear	3	0	Locklear is a quality starter at both Guard and Tackle
	4	Niko Koutouvides	2	0	Career backup/Special Teamer
	5	D.J. Hackett	3	0	Hackett was an adequate fringe starter
	6	Craig Terrill	2	0	Career backup/Special Teamer
	7	Donnie Jones	1	0	Punted a few times, waived after a season

2004 was the kind of draft that stocks your team relatively well, but doesn't do all that much. A lot of average starters/career backups were drafted (Locklear, Hackett) but Marcus Tubbs really kills the draft. You can't fault Holmgren for taking him and he is a talented player but he could/can not make it on the field. The score is certainly deceiving here.

2004 Score: 16 Points. First Round Hit Total: 2/3. Quality Players Selected (total): 3/26

Year	Round	Name	Score (1-5)	Bonus	Note
2005	1	Chris Spencer	3	0	Injury prone but a quality starter at both center and guard
	2	Lofa Tatupu	5	0	All-Pro LB
	3	David Greene/ Leroy Hill	2	-1	Never played a down as a Seahawk while Hill is a decent starter at LB
	4	Ray Willis	1	0	Special Teamer/Backup
	5	Jeb Huckeba	0	0	I could not find a down he played as a Seahawk
	6	Tony Jackson	0	0	I could not find a down he played as a Seahawk
	7	Cornelius Wortham/ Doug Nienhuis	1	0	Wortham was a special teamer before being cut in 2006 and Nienhuis never made the 43 man roster

Bow down and respect Tatupu who saved an otherwise shitty draft. Chris Spencer is a respectable 3 position lineman/starter but otherwise this draft was crap. Again, bonus points for Tatupu (not really) who saved Holmgren from our lowest score to date (6 - tied with the Lions in 2005)

2005 Score: 11 Points. First Round Hit Total: 3/4. Quality Players Selected (total): 4/35

Year	Round	Name	Score (1-5)	Bonus	Note
2006	1	Kelly Jennings	2	-1	Nickleback/special teamer, not good enough to start
	2	Darryl Tapp	3	0	Tapp is a decent starter and that's about it
	3	Compensation for Nate Burleson signing	1	0	Really, a 3rd plus a boat load of cash for Burleson? Ouch
	4	Rob Sims	3	0	Respectable career backup, could become a solid starter
	5	David Kirtman	1	0	Never stuck with the Seahawks
	6	Traded for Mike Green	1	0	Career backup as a Seahawk, released before the start of this season
	7	Ryan Packemeirer/ Ben Obomanu	2	0	Plackemeirer was an adequate punter and Obomanu still is a question mark with some talent

Ruskell clearly can't do much better with his first draft. About par for the course over the last three years as 2005 wasn't special and 2004 was a bit deceiving. Sims and Tapp were the decent players selected here and they're only decent starters to career backup level.

2006 Score: 12 Points. First Round Hit Total: 3/5. Quality Players Selected (total): 4/41

And there you have it. The Holmgren and 2006 Ruskell led Seahawks scored 69 points. If 76 produces a similar team with one Super Bowl run (and probably a little more success in the playoffs) you can see the subtle difference. I have a feeling the Patriots might score closer to high 80s or 90s. And they're next. So let's see what type of drafting they do to complement the video camera. Stay Tuned for Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots.

Scores:

• The Philadelphia Eagles and Andy Reid/Tom Heckert: 77. First round % (3 or better): 80%. Quality Players Selected (4 or better): 15%
  
• The Detroit Lions and Steve Mariucci/Dick Jauron/Rod Marinelli: 47. First round % (3 or better): 40%. Quality Players Selected (4 or better): 5%
• The Seattle Seahawks and Mike Holmgren/Tim Ruskell: 69. First round % (3 or better): 60%. Quality Players Selected (4 or better): 10%

Note: 14.28% represents 1 pick out of 7 (per draft) is a quality player

Questions, concerns, comments, errors, Omissions? Please leave in the comments for send to Justin@badnewsbloggers.com