Not so un-refined
The Seattle Seahawks have been blessed with many talented players over their history. Many players take time to reach their potential or to make an impact. Others step right in immediately and wreak havoc in one way or another.
While many NFL fans gawk at gaudy rookie numbers around the league, let’s take time here in the Pacific Northwest to admire our own first year studs.
We’ll start with the fresh faces of MLB Bobby Wagner and QB Russell Wilson.
Bobby Wagner
Bobby Wagner was thrown into the fire almost immediately and he didn’t disappoint. His first 2 games of the season, against Arizona and Dallas, he recorded his lowest season tackle total in each game: 4. It went up from there.
Bobby Wagner made an immediate impact on the Seahawks defense
As one of the many cogs in a young, explosive Seattle defense, Wagner had to share the glory with his Pro Bowl teammates. That didn’t stop him from getting his, though.
2012: 140 total tackles, 2 sacks, 3 interceptions, 4 passes defended.
Wagner finished 2nd in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting.
Russell Wilson
Russell Wilson is not like many players Seattle has ever seen come to town. His work ethic, his knowledge and his competitive spirit made him a fan favorite immediately as well as a favorite in the locker room.
After literally stealing the starting job from Matt Flynn in the pre-season, Wilson has never looked back. Not only did Seattle take notice, but the whole country wanted to know who this electric rookie QB out of Seattle was.
He did not disappoint in 2012. He threw for 3,118 yards this season. He threw 26 touchdowns (tying the rookie record set by Peyton Manning) and only 10 interceptions. He had a 100.0 QB rating. He added 489 yards on the ground and 4 rushing touchdowns.
Danger Russ Wilson proved to the league he was a force to be reckoned with. While the AP didn’t think highly of his season, only placing him 3rd in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting, Wilson did come away with the fan voted Pepsi Max Rookie of the Year.
Curt Warner
Curt Warner was a dynamic running back in his college career while at Penn State University. When he started his first game in 1983 as a rookie for the Seattle Seahawks, his dynamic ability did not go away – it got better.
Warner ran wild his rookie season, capturing the hearts of Seattle fans as well as dashing the hopes (pun fully intended) of opposing defenders catching him.
During that magical rookie campaign of 1983, Warner rushed for 1,449 yards and 14 touchdowns. He added 42 catches for 335 yards and a lone receiving touchdown on top of it all.
Warner was awarded for his stellar year, earning both AFC Rookie of the Year and AFC Offensive MVP.
Curt Warner is one of the best RB in Seahawks history
Joey Galloway
After a wildly successful college career at Ohio State, Joey Galloway found himself on the 1995 roster for the Seattle Seahawks after being selected 8th overall in that year’s draft.
Galloway was a wild card a speedster that left defenses bumbling to catch him. Perhaps one of the fastest players in Seahawks history, Galloway showed that speed in his rookie year.
He had 67 catches for 1,039 yards and 7 touchdowns. He also tallied 154 rush yards and a touchdown to boot. As the team’s punt returner, he returned 36 punts for 360 yards and 1 touchdown.
Many of Galloway’s accomplishments that season set Seahawk rookie records that have since fallen.
Jacob Green
Due to the lack of stat tracking in the early years, there aren’t many official numbers to attribute to Jacob Green’s career. In fact, sacks weren’t an official stat until Green’s third year in the league.
Unofficially, the Texas A&M product had 116 sacks total unofficially, but is credited with 97.5 over his career. This was not only a Seahawks record at the time, but was also third highest in NFL history at the time.
Obviously, I can’t back this with too many statistics due to the lack of tracking back then, but it is widely known by fans of the era that Green was hands down one of the most fierce and dominant defenders in the league.
Honorable Mention: Lofa Tatupu
Lofa Tatupu didn’t put up mind numbing numbers, but he made arguably one of the best contributions a rookie could to his team.
Lofa’s rookie season was the best season in Seahawks history. 2005 was memorable in so many ways, mainly the Seahawks Super Bowl run.
Tatupu was integral in helping the Seahawks get there, tallying a team-high 104 tackles, 4 sacks and 3 interceptions. This earned Lofa a spot in the Pro Bowl in just his first season in the NFL.
CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT THE SEAHAWKS BLOG PAGE IN OUR CLUBHOUSE SECTION AT NWSB!
About Brandon Choate
