Fanatic Fiction: The Reign of Tim Numbskull

Pandion Haliaetus

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 16, 2013
Messages
3,982
Reaction score
1,006
This story begins in the year 2004, when Bob Whitsitt and Bob Ferguson are the Seahawks' executives.

The Seahawks in 2003 win 10 games and return to the playoffs for only their 2nd time since 1988.

2004 draft, Everybody wants a DT. The Seahawks. The Fans. The Pundits.

New England with the 21st pick selects DT Vince Wilfork. The Seahawk's war-room probably at the time becomes deflated, I believe they tried desperately to trade up to the 20th pick at the time. 23rd pick comes up... the top DTs on the board are Marcus Tubbs, Randy Starks, and Darnell Dockett. All three have a 1st round to 3rd round grade... Seahawks want still want to go big after missing out on Wilfork, Tubbs is 6'4, 223 pounds... the selection is made... Tubbs is the pick.

A teenage boy only beginning to understand football in a more intelligent way... curses out in expletive angst... with the 24th pick the Rams take Steven Jackson.

- more expletive angst -

Of course this teenage boy knows of Steven Jackson, the boy played high school football… and one of the backup RBs for Oregon St was an alum of that boy’s very school, and became a volunteer coach for the school at various times over a couple of summer… when asked with a barrage of questions the only person this guy talked about was how great Steven Jackson was. Jackson this. Jackson that.

It was ingrained in this boy’s head that Steven Jackson was great, of course, the Seahawks had Shaun Alexander, the Seahawks also had Morris, would it have been so crazy to have used 3rd top pick in 4 years on a Running Back. But this kid wanted Steven Jackson as a Seahawks. He didn’t care, he rationalized his hunger… Alexander is awesome but he’s so tentative and cautious, Morris is only a 3rd down back at best, Jackson is the total package of pure dominance. Running. Catching. Blocking. Badass.

What could have been if the Seahawks drafted RB Steven Jackson with the 2004 pick?

2004:
1st round: Jackson, Seahawks get a multi-faceted bruiser to complement the talented Alexander. Alexander's biggest weaknesses are Jackson's strengths. Jackson is built like a back that can last forever. The immediate pay-off is Holmgren figures out that Steven Jackson is an elite receiver out of the backfield with better hands that almost any one on the team not named Bobby Engram. In 2005, Antonio Peirce still may call out Alexander for "dancing with a kitty" and "beating around the bush" but NO WAY he say that about Steven Jackson.

2nd Round: With a stroke of luck both Randy Starks and Darnell Dockett still remain… Seahawks can pick either and grab one of the two 3 techs in the game today. Since Dockett became a Cardinal, I’ll choose him. Which likely means Stark goes to Arizona instead.

The rest of the draft will remain the same but the Seahawks thirst for a safety out of this draft leaves them taking a flyer on SS, Erik Coleman out of Washington St. in the 4th round over Niko Koutovides.

At the end of this season the Seahawks re-sign Ken Lucas. The Seahawks don't know it yet but it will save them a first round pick of Kelly Jennings.

2005: My best intentions wants to pick up Aaron Rodgers but that won’t be the case here.

1st round: Seahawks again complete the trade down but not for Spencer, they pick the guy they’ve should have in WR Roddy White.

2nd Round: Seahawks still move up to select, MLB Lofa Tatupu.

3rd Round: Seahawks still go QB and LeRoy Hill but the QB is Kyle Orton not David Greene.

4th round: Seahawks still hunger for another safety prospect, so they roll with FS, Kerry Rhodes out of Louisville instead of OT, Ray Willis.

5th Round: After not drafting an OT, they take OT Frank Omiyale.

2005 season is over, I’m not going to say the Seahawks won the Superbowl or even played in it. However, with Steven Jackson in the stable, the Seahawks choose not to re-up Alexander… whose historic 2005 season was deflated by Jackson’s presence. They instead choose to re-up Steve Hutchison, not really caring about 7 years, 49 million. Give the guy a contract.

2006 draft: Seahawks go into this draft with a weakness still at backup center. However, they binge on pass-rushers.

Drafting Mathias Kiwanuka in the 1st, Daryl Tapp in the 2nd (we still need him to get Chris Clemons), and Mark Anderson in the 4th.

2007 draft: Seahawks have Roddy White, Ruskell doesn’t trade Branch to New England. Instead he drafts TE Zach Miller and finally an OC in Ryan Kalil with Mebane in the 3rd.

Seahawks do win the Superbowl after this season. Everything finally comes together.

However, the parade doesn't last long as the Seahawks decimated by injuries still crap the bed in 2008 and 2009. Holmgren is extended until 2010. And Ruskell has a better track record. Yet, Paul Allen decides he wants what all great teams have a very simpatico Coach- General Manager relationship dynamic and so the Seahawks owner deconstructs his front office that just won a Superbowl only two seasons ago.

2010 happens exactly the way it does, however, the team is a cool 9-7 and doesn't make the playoffs based on premise. Furthermore, the 3rd round pick used to acquire Whitehurst, instead is the pick given up for Marshawn Lynch who the Seahawks still acquire to have the leagues most elite backfield of Steven Jackson, Marshawn Lynch, and Leon Washington. Saints still get Beastquake'd. And the rest is history as we know it.
 

volsunghawk

New member
Joined
Mar 5, 2007
Messages
8,860
Reaction score
0
Location
Right outside Richard Sherman's house
Considering the hissy fit Alexander threw when Holmgren didn't give him an end-of-the-season carry so he could win the rushing title in 2004, how do you think he would have reacted had the Hawks spent that year's 1st round pick on a guy who had the talent to take his job?

Tubbs wasn't a terrible pick... The guy flashed a lot of promise in his rookie season and started to deliver on that promise in the 2005 season. And yeah, he missed a few games both of those seasons, but even so, it wouldn't have been possible to predict that Tubbs would only play 5 more games after that.
 
OP
OP
P

Pandion Haliaetus

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 16, 2013
Messages
3,982
Reaction score
1,006
Sorry for the "language" and my computer was dying, so I didn't have time to proofread before I could post... so many errors. It makes much more sense now.

Tubbs wasn't a bad player at all, the Seahawks were much more dominant vs the rush when he was healthy and playing, however, Steven Jackson was right there, this was a guy in my head who was going to be a sure fire Hall of Fame Running Back.

I was a little green at the time, you know, I had my Alexander jersey, the only one I'd ever own until I got Russell Wilson's last year. I loved Alexander, and I defended his running style when he had many haters. But you grow up, you learn more... no matter how comparable I would think Alexander and Tomlinson were, they weren't even close. Alexander was a great RB but it became apparent he truly was a product of his O-line. RBs like Tomlinson and Jackson and a few others find ways to be successful through injuries, through bad O-lines...

And when I saw Steven Jackson still available all the way to the Seahawks pick at 23... there was a glimmer of hope... that perhaps the Seahawks would shock the world by picking Steven Jackson. And all the teams Jackson could have went to, it had to be the Rams.
 
Top