Introducing the Worst NFL Starter You've Probably ... Heard of

by John Morgan on Sep 15, 2008 12:59 PM PDT

Captain Caveman asked my opinion on Brian Russell and I delivered. I've loved Kissing Suzy Kolber since the Sex Cannon days and read it regularly. Basically, it's 9/10 funny and 1/10 minstrel show. It's funny and offensive and fearless. Here's part of Caveman's lead up, but you'll have to follow the link to read my take.

If you’d like to know why the Seahawks have four Pro Bowl starters on defense but still give up 30+ points to the Bills and 49ers, Brian Russell is your answer.

If you’re wondering how J.T. O’Sullivan can get sacked 8 times, but still throw for 321 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions: Brian Russell.

Did you see that Isaac Bruce, who is something like 47 years old, got 153 yards on only 4 catches? There’s a secret ingredient to that formula, and his name is Brian Russell.

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funny and I agree.

I bought the hype when he got here, but ever since coming to this site I’ve actually paid attention to his play.

He’s fricking awful.

For all the talk of poor corner play yesterday, I dunno how any corner can cover a receiver deep when a) he has no help downfield and b) the QB has forever to throw the ball.

Martz really exposed our safeties yesterday.

BUT… do we have any options? What about Adams?

by djafrot on Sep 15, 2008 1:16 PM PDT reply actions

God I love that site

You may gain some yards on the ground, but eventually Lofa will end up biting you in the ass.

by Scruffy Lefty on Sep 15, 2008 1:50 PM PDT reply actions

Thank-you for using

the 3 step program

I literally laughed out loud

I was the poor bastard that had Tom Brady on my Field Gulls fantasy football team.

by Chickadee on Sep 15, 2008 1:50 PM PDT reply actions

Pretty good article.

But no mention of his moment in the sun when he blew up Chad Johnson for Cleveland? That was a great hit.

by PascoJoe on Sep 15, 2008 2:04 PM PDT up reply actions

Russell and Marshall are perfect for each other

Equally as bad as Russell’s play, is the fact that Marshall called a nickle man under cover 1 on 3 and 7 in overtime, blitzing Grant who is a much better deep cover safety than Russell.

Even if it was a good play call (which it wasn’t), it was the wrong personel to pull it off. REDICULOUS! I know that many plays lead to a win or a loss, but that was a pivotal play, and the coaches crapped the bed, leaving Wilson in single deep trail coverage with the hope that Russell would provide help over the top.

by Jo-Jo on Sep 15, 2008 2:42 PM PDT reply actions

This article is pure win

Digg it!

http://digg.com/football/The_Worst_NFL_Starter_You_ve_Probably_Never_Heard_Of

by aerozeppelin on Sep 15, 2008 3:12 PM PDT reply actions

I think I've been banned from The News Tribune

You may gain some yards on the ground, but eventually Lofa will end up biting you in the ass.

by Scruffy Lefty on Sep 15, 2008 3:21 PM PDT reply actions

nighthawk2 makes me hate life

Seriously, Hawks insider has the worst commenters in the history of comments. There are two or three decent comments a day, but there wiped out by the 4,312 bad ones (4,000 of those coming from nighthawk).

I want to comment there, but I’m worried someone like nighthawk would push me too far and I’d say something that could get me in big trouble.

by MFAN on Sep 15, 2008 5:48 PM PDT up reply actions

I got sucked in

Officially done posting there

You may gain some yards on the ground, but eventually Lofa will end up biting you in the ass.

by Scruffy Lefty on Sep 15, 2008 6:08 PM PDT up reply actions

Same red herring/strawman deflections every time someone points out his fallacious arguments?

by BrianL on Sep 15, 2008 8:22 PM PDT up reply actions

Ha! Nighthawk just left a comment on KSK

And it looks like a couple of his Insider buddies went over there too.

by Benne on Sep 15, 2008 11:56 PM PDT up reply actions

I just wasted 5 minutes of my life reading those comments....

5 minutes I’ll never get back. You are a bold man, Scruffy.

by Benne on Sep 15, 2008 11:26 PM PDT up reply actions

Babs/Wallace/Adams

Any of these guys at SS and Grant at FS is a monster improvement over what we are doing now.

by michaelfox99 on Sep 15, 2008 4:13 PM PDT reply actions

Even if it were Seneca Wallace

it’d be an improvement.

There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.

by misterjonez on Sep 15, 2008 6:06 PM PDT up reply actions

even Seneca Wallace

With a bum leg would be an improvement

I was the poor bastard that had Tom Brady on my Field Gulls fantasy football team.

by Chickadee on Sep 15, 2008 7:23 PM PDT up reply actions

As bad as Russell is...

that’s how good the post was.

by SlippereyPete on Sep 15, 2008 4:25 PM PDT reply actions

Awesome. Simply awesome.

KSK is a great blog too… but yeah, I was screaming at him yesterday during the game on some of those deep passes he was nowhere near.

by AtomicGarden on Sep 15, 2008 4:48 PM PDT reply actions

Give him credit though.

He does indeed suck…..but somehow he pimped a lucrative NFL career for himself.

It gets old watching an otherwise kickass defense do nearly everything right but get fucked by deep balls that were just way too easy. Even the next worst starting FS in the league would probably be a significant upgrade.

"When I'm a evaluating a player the first three things I look at are: Character, character, and character."
-Charles Armstrong esq.

by Big Jared on Sep 15, 2008 8:21 PM PDT reply actions

So answer me this...

How did we give up so few TDs through the air last year, with the same backfield, the same safeties especially, the same coaches, the same coordinator and the same schemes?

Were the others just pure brilliance in compensating for Russell? Have they gotten worse? Has he gotten worse?

by Hawkdawg on Sep 15, 2008 9:41 PM PDT reply actions

I think Russell has gotten a bit worse

and it feels like Marshall is calling for more Cover-1 (Russell all by himself out there…) plays thus far, small sample size, though.

by BrianL on Sep 15, 2008 9:45 PM PDT up reply actions

And then there was Issac Bruce with winged shoes

And Marshawn Lynch making us respect the run. Also, we’re giving up too much time in the pocket. I think sometimes we rush too hard. Sure we get plenty of sacks, but many times when Edwards or O’Sullivan made plays it was because our entire line and 1 or 2 linebackers were behind him.

I was the poor bastard that had Tom Brady on my Field Gulls fantasy football team.

by Chickadee on Sep 16, 2008 12:44 AM PDT up reply actions

Exactly what happened Sunday

It’s the big plays between the tweenties that are the problem. The bend but don’t break defense that has become the norm for the Seahawks over the past eight years, is beginning to become the bugaboo of this team. That philosophy only works when you have an elite offense (think SB Seahawks). The SB team traded TD’s for FG’s all year long.

This year, our offense is depleated and they are doing everything they can to stay competative. That combo = 0-2.

You’ll notice that the ‘Hawks defense looked great in the Red Zone on sunday, Marshall’s one saving grace over the years. But the back side of the Seahawks defense is just too weak, in both scheme and personnel, that the opponents get far to many Red Zone opportunities.

The defense played with it’s back against the wall for a good portion of this game, and when they didn’t, Martz exploited the weak deep coverage of the secondary with Isaac Bruce. Think back people, this is the same shit we saw from Martz when the ’Hawks struggled against the Rams a few years back.

by Jo-Jo on Sep 16, 2008 7:51 AM PDT up reply actions