Mack Strong Retires

by rhealz on Oct 8, 2007 4:05 PM PDT

How much do you want to bet he hoists the 12th man flag on Sunday?

Editor's Note: I thought Holmgren may have abandoned the run because Strong went down. Strong was still, a bit depressingly, Seattle's best receiver out of the backfield and lead blocker on rushing plays. Though well past his prime, Holmgren clearly had more confidence in Strong blocking than he does Weaver. I can't help but think this might be a pretty big blow for Seattle's already foundering rushing attack.

I'm crazy jacked for time, but after thinking about this a few minutes I realized that Strong should not be treated so pragmatically, like a part in a faceless machine.

Mack Strong joined the Hawks in 1994 as an undrafted free agent out of Georgia. He brought toughness, discipline, selflessness and the coolest name in football to Seattle sports. He also brought more than a few DBs to their knees. Whether leading Warren, Waters, Green or Alexander, Strong played like a free floating guard, busting holes and asking no thanks and nary a mention. Strong is part of a dying breed: a starting fullback; a man, that gave his career and ultimately his health for the glory of others. Anyone who has ever called themselves a Seahawks fan will miss you Mad Mack, thanks for the service, as a football player no man's dedication was ever stronger.

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Comments

Damn, you beat me to it.

We'll miss you, big guy.

I reject your reality and substitute my own!

by Phil Hatzenbuehler on Oct 8, 2007 3:59 PM PDT reply actions

wow

really don't know what to say.

We love ya Mack! see ya in the ring of honor.

Josh Brown is better than you.

by MFAN on Oct 8, 2007 4:00 PM PDT reply actions

I have to get that Strong jersey now.

We'll miss ya big guy, but you still have alot of life to live, and football isn't everything. Best of luck Mack!

And you're right MFAN, we'll see him in the Ring of Honor (we better).

"I'm not familiar with this type of.. thing I'm seeing."

by Thingray on Oct 8, 2007 4:04 PM PDT up reply actions

I also have to add,

I'm a big fan of Mack's, but I look forward to seeing more of Weaver as well.

"I'm not familiar with this type of.. thing I'm seeing."

by Thingray on Oct 8, 2007 4:12 PM PDT up reply actions

Holy posts

This sucks but I'm glad he is calling it quits before he can't walk

V. 1.0, mutherf***er, know what I'm sayin'?

by Scruffy Lefty on Oct 8, 2007 4:04 PM PDT reply actions

n/s

some more bad news: Branch will miss next weeks game. Which probably means Oba and Nate start at receiver.

Josh Brown is better than you.

by MFAN on Oct 8, 2007 4:18 PM PDT reply actions

Probably means a WR

is coming off the practice squad to fill in for Strong

V. 1.0, mutherf***er, know what I'm sayin'?

by Scruffy Lefty on Oct 8, 2007 4:22 PM PDT up reply actions

FREE JORDAN KENT!!

I actually hope it is Kent, I think he's got real good potential.

Josh Brown is better than you.

by MFAN on Oct 8, 2007 4:25 PM PDT up reply actions

It'll probably be Logan Payne

but I have high hopes for Kent as well

V. 1.0, mutherf***er, know what I'm sayin'?

by Scruffy Lefty on Oct 8, 2007 4:29 PM PDT up reply actions

Quote from Strong

Per Frank Hughes

I have the up most confidence in Leonard Weaver. I think he will make people forget about Mack Strong around here. He can have that type of impact because he has that type of ability. He's just a great guy to be around. ... The ball is squarely in his court and he'll take the ball and run with it.

It's always kind of awkward when you are the backup because you don't know, `What's my role? What's my responsibility? How should I approach things?' Now, he's the guy and hopefully, he can be that unsung catalyst for the offense that does the dirty work that helps this offense be successful.

He's even selflish in his own retirement speech

V. 1.0, mutherf***er, know what I'm sayin'?

by Scruffy Lefty on Oct 8, 2007 5:31 PM PDT reply actions

n/s

I added a picture I took at training camp before the 06 season.

V. 1.0, mutherf***er, know what I'm sayin'?

by Scruffy Lefty on Oct 8, 2007 5:46 PM PDT reply actions

looks good, I like it.

Josh Brown is better than you.

by MFAN on Oct 8, 2007 5:51 PM PDT up reply actions

Opportunity in despair

Great comment by the Mackster. We're as thin as Nicole Ritchie (ha!) at RB now. It'll be interesting to see how Ruskell handles that.

Maybe, though, this jumbles things up somewhat in the backfield. Now that Holmgren's lost half of the tandem that led to the rushing success in 2005, maybe it becomes more palatable for him to address the dot in the "i."

Losing Mack and taking a beating last week may be just enough to force Holmgren to gamble with his approach to the running game a bit. Do I have support for these speculations? No. Am I reaching for good news? Yes.

And so the Leonard Weaver era begins.

by jeager on Oct 8, 2007 6:55 PM PDT reply actions

This sucks.

by JI on Oct 8, 2007 9:03 PM PDT reply actions

I really have lost all hope

for this game. Thanks Pittsburgh, I hate you more than any team in sports.

"I think we know who the 'Hawks true rival is"-John Morgan

by Coach Owens on Oct 8, 2007 9:33 PM PDT reply actions

Dude, calm down.

Our schedule looks like this:

New Orleans--most likely a win.
St. Louis--most likely a win.
Bye
@Cleveland--probably a win
San Francisco--probably a win, Branch and Hackett will be back.
Chicago--could go either way
@St. Louis--probably a win
@Philidelphia--probably a win
Arizona--should be a win, but you never know
@Carolina--should be a big win.
Baltimore--could go either way.
@Atlanta--should dominate.

So let's see. By my conservative estimates, giving bad teams "maybes" and rarely claiming a definite win, we are probably likely to win 7-9 of our last 11 games. That would put us 10-12 wins, which is good enough for the playoffs. Sure, it'd be an empty 10-12 wins, but it gets us into the playoffs, and hopefully we'll be healthy by then....

by BrettJMiller on Oct 8, 2007 11:24 PM PDT up reply actions

Good luck Mack Truck

You were a symbol of power, discipline, and dignity and a stalwart part of our team's core. Always underrated and unappreciated until recently, Strong is forever our fullback.

Now go get 'em Weaver. You have some HUGE cleats to fill.

DAMNIT!

by TIF @ Field Gulls on Oct 8, 2007 11:52 PM PDT reply actions