Dumbest Non-Futch moves that Ruskell made in Hawks history

[SharkHawk]

I'm going to throw one out... I'll be interested to see how long this list gets. It is appropriate on the main forum, because I want to see if Schneid makes any of the same cutdown mistakes that Ruskell made continually. I'll leave it to you to mention them... cough cough Michael Bennett cough cough.

First: A team with NO offensive line depth at all has Olindo Mare as their kicker, yet he KEEPS Brandon "Captain Caveman" Coutu on the 53 man for a whole freaking season. Later we find out that Couto was HURT the entire year, and is ultimately released after Mare has one of the best seasons a Seattle kicker has ever had (and a vastly superior kickoff range than Coutu or the "slave to the businessman" ever had). Ruskell loved him some really crummy SEC players.

GO!

 

[AROS]

His insistence on signing cornerbacks who make Russell Wilson look 6'4".

 

[themunn]

chris spencer kelly jennings deion branch lawrence jackson aaron curry

the sum of our 1st round picks

 

[ivotuk]

Housh

 

[camdawg]

For those of you youngins who weren't watching the Seahawks in the Kelly Stouffer and Dan McGwire days, but were around for the Ruskell years.....David Greene played like Stouffer and McGwire. Interceptions that were stunningly bad...and against third teamers! David Greene has to be on the list somewhere.

Brian Russell...Tom Ashworth....the misses keep on coming.

 

[Seahawk Sailor]

So many uh... "great" moves to choose from it's not even funny. His tenure here, but for the key arrival of Pete Carroll, could have made us as relevant as the Raiders or Jaguars for the next quarter of a century.

The dumbest moves in my book were the drafts. He was absolutely horrible in most of them, and hit on very few good players. Arguably the best player he drafted in 2006 was Ben Obomanu, a fringe talent at wide receiver, who only really made the team because of his special teams abilities. When that's the best player out of an entire draft, you have a very serious problem drafting.

In the first round, he was notoriously horrible: Chris Spencer, Kelly Jennings, Josh Wilson, Laurence Jackson, and Aaron Curry, none of whom lasted long after his tenure, and arguably none of whom would make the 53-man roster. And those are FIRST ROUNDERS!

 

[ensett]

The michael bennett situation has to be one of the worst because it makes absolutely 0 sense

 

[razor150]

His absolute lack of interest in going out and drafting good young lineman. When he did he drafted Spencer, and then Unger who he promptly made a guard. Unger is an awesome center, but he is a pretty mediocre guard. The complete lack of attention for the LT position was just as boneheaded as Hutch. The over paying for an old guard to replace Hutch who hadn't been healthy in years and whose best years were obviously behind him was another great Ruskell move. Trading a first rounder for a receiver who never had a 1000 yard season with Tom Brady throwing him the ball was another brilliant move.

 

[OrFan]

His worst move was not looking in the mirror and saying, "you're fired!"

 

[Trrrroy]

Deion Branch was awful.

 

[Throwdown]

Julius jones... And then the subsequence passing up of Chris Johnson.

 

[themunn]

also deciding they didn't like the way Arian Foster answered the phone

 

[Tical21]

Definitely Deion Branch. You don't just, ugh, nevermind. Just, nevermind. Geez, I hated that deal the second it got rumored.

You kind of have to give him a pass for Curry, don't you? I personally wanted Crabtree or Oher, simply because you don't ever take a LB that high, especially one that doesn't rush the passer, but I have to admit I was pretty pumped for him when I heard his name called out.

Another one I have is not paying Darrell Jackson. We kinda left Matt out to dry, and he was never the same.

Not trading up one spot for Wilfork who slid 15 spots, only to take Tubbs a pick later instead.

Jerramy Stevens. We were on the phone all day trying to trade up for Shockey and decided the price was too high.

 

[Throwdown]

^ those last two weren't Ruskell, bro.

 

[chris98251]

Shutting out Holmgren on personnel decisions.

 

[Happypuppy]

For myself it was his infatuation with small quick defensive backs. The games we played against AZ with their tall receivers was laughable

 

[jammerhawk]

Which was worst? Houshmandzedah, Branch, his inability to compromise with Holmgren, almost every one of his draft picks along with his profligate cap spending, they rank high. His total inability to fix the OLine after screwing it up ranks as the worst to me, but his drafting and personnel management sucked the life out of a franchise that Holmgren had brought back to life. Ruskell left the team old, slow, weak, small, and cap strapped. There was little he did that was much good when he was here. He took a team he inherited to the Super Bowl and then destroyed it. I was overjoyed when he left.

 

[oldhawkfan]

The thing about drafting Curry that always bothered me is that it wasn't a position of need until he made it one by trading away Julian Peterson. Sure Peterson was around the 30 years old mark, but he clearly had a few more seasons in him. So you trade away one of your best defenders for a guy with potential when you most certainly have more pressing needs on the roster.

 

[DeletedAccount]

I truly can't see how any move other than keeping 2 kickers can possibly be the worse move in Ruskell history.

Many other moves didn't work out, but keeping two kickers is just beyond inexcusable! Complete paralysis to make a decision. Could you possibly imagine Pete/Schneid in a million years keeping 2 kickers? Making a mistake like trading for a QB that didn't work out (Charlie), or giving up a draft pick for a RB that just doesn't care enough to get in football shape (Lendal White), are excusable mistakes along the road to making your team better. But keeping 2 kickers?!?!?!?!?!?

Go suck your thumb in the corner there Timmay, and let the big boys make decisions. For better or worse, at least make a decision!

 

[Hawkstorian]

Keary Colbert.