I keep seeing these things on the NFL network during my downtime (which is constantly) and they talk about like "best left handed QB's of all time". They are interesting and they do certainly fill programming time. But I got to thinking... it might be a fun exercise to rank the Seahawks. Now... there are different ways you rank people. You rank them either on potential, such as, "If I were to start an NFL team right now, which player off of the Seahawks would I draft first if all players were available in an expansion draft?" This is of course because you'd want to go with a young player to build around (like if it were 2002 and you had the chance to take Walter Jones... you know he'd be first on a whole lot of lists around the league, because you're building around the best left tackle in league history who is in his prime). However, this player may not be the best player on the team as far as stats, fantasy points, contract value, and on and on (maybe in 2002 Hutch would have been a better "value" because he wasn't making much.... who knows?).

I can remember a discussion about the NBA and the Sonics were highly involved due to their depth back in the mid-90's. Most GM's said they'd take Gary Payton with the first pick (I believe this draft excluded Michael Jordan and was based on building an expansion team) in a heartbeat, because he is a player you build a great team around due to his defense, offense, leadership abilities, ability to score, to pass, and the fact that all five starters were averaging double digits because of his amazing ball distribution and balance he maintained on the court. The question then was why not draft Kemp and a lot of GM's said the guy was a bit of a malcontent (which turned out to be true), but was clearly the most physically gifted guy on the team, and perhaps even the league as that year he had pretty much had his way with Karl Malone, which had never been seen to that point, but.... if you have Payton, then he can make any of a lot of big men look like great players and would lead them to greatness just as they felt Payton was so instrumental in making Kemp as Stockton was in making Malone into what he was.

So, to bring this back to football now... I'd prefer if you just ranked them from the best player on down. Don't consider it a draft, don't go off of fantasy points they would get for you (I hate fantasy points!!!!), just grab the player you'd go get if you had a team today or had to keep a Seahawks player for next week's game. Doesn't have to be an expansion team or anything else. Just pick your top 10 players in order of greatness as of this moment on the team. I'd like to see how people's lists differ.

After we get a few, we'll compile a Hawks top ten. You can feel free to make a list 53 players long if you want, but at some point the difference between 2 players is really very slim (example... Frank Omiyale and Sweezy... they are pretty much a draw).

I'd love to see your lists, so type 'em up. Remember, don't take anything into account but what they are capable of right now and what they can do like say this week for your team or the Seahawks. Not fantasy points, not "value", not contract status, just pure playing ability. Ready... go!

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R.I.P. Dad. I miss you. You will never be forgotten
1/12/39 - 8/7/08

1. Richard Sherman
2. Marshawn Lynch
3. Earl Thomas
4. Brandon Mebane
5. Sidney Rice
6. Zach Miller
7. Russell Wilson
8. Russell Okung
9. Michael Robinson
10. Max Unger

That was surprisingly difficult!

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"It wasn't just a dimb coincidence lik you probably tgought. They tested what makes you a fat slov and those colors won just like Emerald is telling you what happens be t...... next!" -- jamsomatic

My 2013 adopt-a-rookie: #humblethug

1 Russell Wilson
2 Richard Sherman
3 Russell Okung
4 Earl Thomas
5 Max Unger
6 Marshawn Lynch
7 KJ Wright
8 Kam Chancellor
9 Brandon Mebane
10 Brandon Browner

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Legal Notice: Any references made by the online entity know as SacHawk 2.0 or "Sac" in regards to "Currystopstheruns" being a pre-op tranny with an anal tampon fetish are entirely accurate.

Sounds like fun

1. Lynch
2. Okung
3. Sherman
4. Thomas
5. Clemons
6. Rice
7. Wilson
8. Mebane
9. Unger
10. Chancellor
11. Browner
12. Miller
13. Robinson
14. Wagner
15. Wright

1. Russell Wilson
2. Richard Sherman
3. Earl Thomas
4. Marshawn Lynch
5. Chris Clemons
6. Kam Chancellor
7. Russell Okung
8. Max Unger
9. Bobby Wagner
10a. Brandon Mebane
10b. Sidney Rice
10c. KJ Wright
11. Golden Tate

This is a tough list, because I can think of several others that I would have thought would be in that list. There are so many players on our team that aren't just fan favs, but they are so functional. For instance, I tried to think what our offense would look like without Golden Tate. I remember hearing Pete say early in the year something to the effect that Tate makes this offense completely different. He's so much better on the screens and yards after the catch than our other receivers. Yet, Rice is money when he is healthy. Man, I love this team. I think Earl is one of those guys this year, that if he wasn't our out team, our D might start to fall a part. Same with Kam. How did Browner not make my list? Wow! I just was impressed by how WTIII played and it makes me think Browner can be replaced (though I would rather have him). Big Red, The TE's, we have a lot of talent right now...

Very interesting responses so far. Once we get a few more in I'll start ranking them as an overall. I guess give a total average position on the list for each player and see where the fanbase sees players as ranking. I realized we could start messing with offense and defense and such too, but it does make it way harder when you have no way to differentiate and just have to pick your top 10. I think it takes a lot of thought. Thanks guys for chipping in so far!

Great explanation on your process Starman44. It is a lot harder than you think at first glance. I figured I'd hold off until there was quite a list going. I also know that at some point the names already on the list will start to influence the remainder of those who post a list. This mentality is pretty common in voting for power rankings and the college polls. It isn't because people aren't trying... they just get to the point where they feel like others understand and have a good idea of who belongs where and kind of follow along with the whole groupthink thing.

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R.I.P. Dad. I miss you. You will never be forgotten
1/12/39 - 8/7/08

John Schneider
Pete Carroll
Russell Wilson

Man we got some good dudes on this squad.

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Tanzania¹²

1. Wilson
2. Sherman
3. Thomas
4. Turbin
5. Mebane
6. Chancellor
7. Okung
8. Tate
9. Wagner
10. Wright

I mainly looked at potential to these guys, thus many of my list are guys with little experience, low cost, and high upside.

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I blog, I tweet. When I'm not writing or goofing around on Seahawks.NET.

1. Richard Sherman
2. Marshawn Lynch
3. Russell Okung
4. Russell Wilson
5. Earl Thomas

6. Chris Clemons
7. Brandon Mebane
8. Max Unger
9. Sidney Rice
10. Brandon Browner

absolutely nuts that this list doesn't include Golden Tate, Kam Chancellor, Zach Miller, KJ Wright, Bobby Wagner - but hey, that's depth for you.

1. Russell Wilson
2. Earl Thomas
3. Richard Sherman
4. Russell Okung
5. Brandon Mebane
6. Max Unger
7. Bobby Wagner
8. Matt Flynn
9. Chris Clemons
10. Red Bryant
11. Marshawn Lynch
12. Golden Tate
13. Kam Chancellor
14. Zach Miller
15. Sidney Rice
16. KJ Wright
17. Bruce Irvin
18. Browner
19. James Carpenter
20. MVP Jon Ryan

Well I made this list that started with 10 and then I kept slotting people in and ended up just going for a round 20 and then I realized you didn't mean who you'd take to build a team around, you meant best player now/take.

So here's round 2 of players with instant awesome.
1. Wilson
2. Earl
3. Lynch
4. Sherman
5. Okung
6. Mebane
7. Unger
8. Clemons
9. Tate
10. MVP Jon Ryan

Anyway you guys want to build the list is fine. Use any criteria you want. It's all just going to be compiled into data and I'll come up with a ranking after we get say 25 responses? Then I'll plug in any new rankings in my spreadsheet and change them. Maybe we'll do a list of rankings prior to this Sunday's game and then again at mid-week after guys have a chance to make a new list or more people add to the list and see if guys trend up or down significantly based on one game's performance.

I miss doing this stuff with test scores for the school district, so now I'll just use my spreadsheet skills for ranking football players. Haha. It's more fun than charting reading scores for 800 kids for six straight years.

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R.I.P. Dad. I miss you. You will never be forgotten
1/12/39 - 8/7/08

1. Russell Wilson
2. Richard Sherman
3. Marshawn Lynch
4. Earl Thomas
5. Sidney Rice
6. Bobby Wagner
7. Max Unger
8. Russell Okung
9. Golden Tate
10. Jon Ryan

Wilson
Okung
Sherman
Lynch
Wagner
Thomas
Mebane
Miller
Bryant
Unger
Rice

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Seahawks + PC/JS + Russell Wilson + Jesse Williams = Superbowl

My criteria is simple: Which Seahawks are the best at their jobs in relation to other guys in the league with the same job.

1. Sherman
2. Thomas
3. Ryan
4. Lynch
5. Wilson
6. Okung
7. Unger
8. Mebane
9. Clemons
10. Bryant

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1. Russell Wilson
2. Richard Sherman
3. Marshawn Lynch
4. Sidney Rice
5. Russell Okung
6. Earl Thomas
7. Brandon Mebane
8. Max Unger
9. Brandon Browner
10. Bobby Wagner

1. Richard Sherman
2. Earl Thomas
3. Marshawn Lynch
4. Max Unger
5. Russell Wilson
6. Russell Okung
7. KJ Wright
8. Brandon Mebane
9. Kam Chancellor
10. Red Bryant

1. Richard Sherman
2. Marshawn Lynch
3. Russell Wilson
4. Earl Thomas
5. Max Unger
6. Chris Clemons
7. Sidney Rice
8. Russell Okung
9. Golden Tate
10. Brandon Mebane

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1. Marshawn Lynch
2. Richard Sherman
3. Earl Thomas
4. Max Unger
5. Brandon Mebane
6. Russell Wilson
7. Chris Clemons
8. Brandon Browner
9. Bobby Wagner
10. Russell Okung
11. Kam Chancellor
12. Sidney Rice
13. Paul McQuistan
14. K. J. Wright
15. Golden Tate

Surprised more people don't have RW#1. Have we already forgotten how hard it is to find a franchise qb? This kid is the absolute truth.

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Legal Notice: Any references made by the online entity know as SacHawk 2.0 or "Sac" in regards to "Currystopstheruns" being a pre-op tranny with an anal tampon fetish are entirely accurate.