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... BOBBY ENGRAM!!! Congratulations Bobby Engram for being the 2nd winner of the annual Neil Graff Award. This award is presented to the Seahawk player who explifies the spirit of Neil Graff, that is, the most under-appreciated player on the team. The award is voted on by fans; all players are eligible for consideration. What makes Mr. Engram this year's standout? Easy. His consistency. His determination. His ability to get the crucial yardage, particularly on 3rd down. In an excerpt from the Seattle-Pi, Clare Farnsworth said: Despite playing a much lower percentage of snaps than Robinson and Jackson, Engram caught 50 passes. No other third wide-out in franchise history has caught more. In fact, 17 times in the previous 26 seasons, the Seahawks' No. 2 wide receiver didn't catch as many passes as Engram. Totaling his receptions tells only part of Engram's story. A closer look reveals: Forty-three of his receptions produced first downs, a league-high 86 percent. Twenty-five of his receptions came on third down, which trailed only the Pro Bowl trio of Terrell Owens (30), Randy Moss (29) and Joe Horn (26) in the NFC. He failed to produce the needed yardage on third down only three times. Two of his catches came on fourth down, with each producing the yardage needed for a first down. Twenty of his receptions came during scoring drives (13 touchdowns, seven field goals). "It's uncanny what Bobby has been able to do this season," said Hasselbeck.
Neil Graff? WHO'S NEIL GRAFF?!?! Of all the 1976 Seahawks - all 54 players on the roster in the year - Graff is the only one who didn't play in a single regular-season game. That's right - zero starts and zero appearances while on the active roster. [Note: He had one pre-season start which went like this -- "When the 49er lead rose to 24-0 in the third period, Patera lifted the starting quarterback, Neil Graff, and sent in Zorn."] It occurred to me that if we ever wanted a definition of an under-appreciated footballer, Neil Graff is our man. I think we need an award for the Seahawks' best kept secret player. The guy who's doing the hard work without getting the recognition. That's the message from my in-box! I think it's a terrific idea! We implemented the plan in 2001, when Mack Strong was awarded the 1st annual Neil Graff Award! Congrats, Mr. Strong, and now to Mr. Engram as well!
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