Krieg finally gets his ring with Hawks` top honor
Saturday morning musings, while wondering if the Huskies plan on tackling anybody today in South Bend ...
* Glad to see Dave Krieg getting inducted into the Seahawks Ring of Honor tomorrow at halftime of the home opener. Hopefully, that will satisfy the vocal backers of the long-time quarterback who never quite got his due.
Though Krieg`s rise from defunct Milton College to NFL fame seemed like something out of Hollywood, he always drew mixed reviews in Seattle. Some felt he just couldn`t replace Jim Zorn, the flamboyant hero of the expansion Hawks.
Others figured he was more the product of a good team around him, a belief enforced by coach Chuck Knox, whose oft-stated strategy was to have a quarterback who didn`t LOSE games. And by Krieg himself, whose humble pie didn`t always serve well in the self-promotion world of professional sports.
Then there were the NFL record for fumbles and the small-hands stigma that hung on Krieg for years.
The fact was, he never was the biggest or fastest or most talented passer around. But Dave Krieg was a competitor and a leader and a quality quarterback who took the Seahawks to their greatest (and only) playoff thrills, including the AFC Championship game in 1983.
Not to mention, Krieg spent 19 years in the NFL and ranks eighth all-time in touchdown passes and 10th in passing yards and completions. Not bad for a guy who came to the Seahawks as an undrafted free agent and had such a small-college background that he`d never been in an airplane until he flew out to Seattle the first time.
It`s a good story. He`s a good guy. And his name in the Ring of Honor brings that story full circle, putting Krieg forever into a place of history for a franchise that just finally might be ready to win another playoff game for the first time since the man they called Mudbone was at the helm.
* I don`t get a vote, but if I did, I`d push for Knox as the one last name from the 1980s to be placed in the Ring of Honor. Knox was to the Seahawks what Lou Piniella was to the Mariners. He legitimized a franchise that had never won. He made it clear the Hawks intended to compete. He opened the doors for quality veterans to come to Seattle, knowing he`d give them a chance to win.
Bottom line, he changed the image of the Seahawks. And he sadly remains, out of six coaches in franchise history, the only one to have won a playoff game.
The Seahawks move slowly on these things, not wanting to dilute the impact of the Ring of Honor. But don`t be surprised if Knox is the next addition to the prestigious group in a year or two.
* It`s great to hear NASCAR is close to selecting Marysville as the site for a Northwest track that would bring one of the country`s most popular sports to our area.
But don`t expect Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. to be invading the neighborhood too soon. For one, the track isn`t expected to be finished until 2009 or so.
And secondly, I`m guessing the thought of a 75,000-seat facility being dropped into rural Snohomish County will result in more NIMBY than NASCAR talk in the coming days ... and years.
* Speaking of popular sports we never pay attention to in these parts, has anybody noticed yet that the NHL is on strike?
* It`s a good sports weekend for football fans, even if the Huskies are out of town. Small-college followers can catch Central and Western at the facility formerly known as Seahawks Stadium tonight at 6 in a game that always offers good entertainment for minimal prices.
Or if you`re a fan of semi-pro ball, the 10-0 Eastside Hawks begin their playoff run tonight at 6 at Juanita High Stadium in Kirkland against the Central Coast Barnstormers of Hollister, Calif.
The Hawks are owned by former Seahawk defensive tackle Sam Adams and coached by ex-Husky and Seahawk defensive back Nesby Glasgow. Former Husky linebackers Jeremiah Pharms and Sam Blanche lead the defense, while the quarterback is Chris Dixon out of Humboldt State.
* Not sure why, but I have a good feeling about the Huskies chances today at Notre Dame. Maybe it`s the sunny weather. Maybe it`s the rush I`m still enjoying from the roller coaster at the Puyallup Fair. Or maybe I`ve just lost my mind.
But these aren`t the Irish of old. And if the Huskies of young can put together a complete game (the Fresno State defensive attack and the UCLA offensive plan) maybe we`ll be in for a surprise.
If not, at least we have remote control options today, with the Huskies and Notre Dame on NBC and the Cougs at Arizona on ABC in the same 12:30 p.m. time slot.
* Pinch me if I`m dreaming, but is that really the Seahawks with the best defense in the NFL right now, allowing just 6.5 points a game? I`m ready to nominate Ray Rhodes for president, if only for the chance to watch him debate Kerry and Bush.
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