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 And the 2004 winner of the NEIL GRAFF AWARD is, for the second time in his career
... MACK STRONG!!! You might ask why Mack Strong has won this award twice. Surely if he's won the Graffy once he's no longer underappreciated. He's even won the Largent Award twice, and he is a Pro-Bowl Alternate! So why, oh why, is he eligible for a Graffy? Easy. Because he wasn't selected to the Pro-Bowl. Because he's been one of the most dependable players on the squad year after year. Because he's been one of the most durable players. And because he's been a team player. And now there's talk about him retiring before the 2005 season. I'd love to send him out in a blaze of glory, but his would be a huge loss to our beloved Seahawks. In fact, if I were Shaun Alexander and I received a contract with Seattle for 2005, I'd be on my knees begging Mack Strong to throw those blocks one more year. Shaun didn't come one yard shy from the NFL rushing record all by himself. Congrats to Mack Strong for 44% of the vote in this year's Graffy competition.
Mack Strong - 44%
Neil Graff? WHO'S NEIL GRAFF?!?!
This message from my in-box will explain it all!!
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 and Mr. Dilfer as well!
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