February 12, 2009

Ranking the Squads: The Worst of the Worst

Today we start ranking all 33 squads in Seahawks history, with a big assist from Pro Football Reference... We're gonna start with the dregs... Hooray!

33. 1992

Record: 2-14
Offensive Rank: 28th out of 28
Defensive Rank: 17th out of 28
Team MVP: Cortez Kennedy
High Point: Seahawks 16, Broncos 13
Low Point: Cowboys 27, Seahawks 0

At least the 1992 Hawks were memorably bad, right? Behring finally chased Knox and Krieg out of town after the 1991 season, and the dark times swiftly began. A valiant defense led by NFL DPOY Cortez Kennedy was betrayed by an offense that could only muster 140 total points. In a mind-numbing 6-week mid-season stretch, Seattle scored ONE offensive touchdown.

Anyone who actually watched the entire 1992 season or went to any of the games earned their stripes as true Hawks fans...

32. 1976

Record: 2-12
Offensive Rank: 21st out of 28
Defensive Rank: 28th out of 28
Team MVP: Jim Zorn
High Point: Seahawks 30, Falcons 13
Low Point: Bears 34, Seahawks 7

The '76 Hawks were the mirror image of the '92 team... A decent, even occasionally exciting offense undone by the worst defense in the league. Jim Zorn did his best proto-Mike Vick impression (without, you know, the felonies), and fellow rookie Steve Largent showed his first flashes of brilliance too.

The best thing about the '76 Hawks? They weren't the '76 Bucs.

31. 1980

Record: 4-12
Offensive Rank: 21st out of 28
Defensive Rank: 25th out of 28
Team MVP: Steve Largent
High Point: Seahawks 26, Oilers 7
Low Point: Cowboys 51, Seahawks 7

First half of the 1980 season? Not so bad.. a win at the Astrodome over the playoff-bound Oilers, and a 4-4 record not unlike the '78 and '79 teams... The playoffs were still a possibility at Halloween.

The second half? A catastrophic 0-8 implosion capped by that humiliating 51-7 Thanksgiving beatdown at Texas Stadium. It's amazing that Coach Patera wasn't fired after the '80 season... Largent racked up over a thousand receiving yards while the Hawks seemingly fell far behind their expansion brothers in Tampa Bay...

30. 2008

Record: 4-12
Offensive Rank: 25th out of 32
Defensive Rank: 25th out of 32
Team MVP: John Carlson
High Point: Seahawks 13, Jets 3
Low Point: Giants 44, Seahawks 6

The best thing I can say about 2008 is that we all lived to tell the tale... This was easily the most disappointing team in franchise history, but I ranked it above the 1980 team because the '08ers actually showed some fighting spirit down the stretch.. What a grey mass of mediocrity, huh?

Speaking of mediocrity, you'll get a full-on blast of it in the next installment of Ranking the Squads... Stay tuned.

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