Seattle Seahawks: 6 Most Overrated Players in Franchise History

The Seattle Seahawks have been accused of reaching during the draft, grabbing guys they feel will be stars but were underrated by media outlets. But finding players who are overrated is difficult for a team that lives mostly in NFL obscurity. 

Seattle has certainly had a few players who were overrated coming into the NFL. They've also had a few whose actual performance on the field didn't live up to the hype of the Seahawks front office, the 12th Man and other NFL fans.

A few of these names will be hard for some fans to swallow, but there is merit with their inclusion on the list of the most overrated Seahawks. Feel free to defend them in the comments section.

Honorable Mention: Dave Krieg, QB, 1980-1991

Dave Krieg is in a very close race with Matt Hasselbeck as the greatest quarterback in Seattle's history. I personally give the nod to Hasselbeck by virtue of him winning the conference championship game he played in, but I can't take issue with those who put Krieg in the top spot.

However, there has been a fan push for Krieg as a Hall of Fame candidate. 

As good as he was, he isn't in the same class as Dan Fouts or Warren Moon...let alone Joe Montana or John Elway.

When "Mudbone" was playing well, he was in the elite class. But his inconsistency keeps him from making the step from franchise-great to Hall of Fame-worthy.

Playing on five different teams in five seasons certainly didn't help Krieg's performance. Neither did playing behind several poor offensive lines and having talent issues at the other skill positions.

Krieg's legacy might be different had Ken Behring not been trying to run the franchise into the ground. But the team opted to let Krieg leave in favor of Dan McGwire.

Krieg was a great quarterback and should be remembered as such. It shouldn't be hard, as his name is included in the Seahawks' Ring of Honor.

But for fans calling for him to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame...that would make him overrated.

T.J. Houshmandzadeh, WR, 2009

Perhaps it isn't fair to place T.J. Houshmandzadeh on this list, as he wasn't considered a true No. 1 receiver by many in the NFL. But the Seahawks opted to pay him like one, easing their need to take a receiver early in the 2009 draft.

Ironically, not signing him might have saved Seattle from striking out on another overrated player.

Houshmandzadeh lasted just one season in Seattle, gaining 911 yards on 79 receptions. His biggest issue was his attitude and a new coaching staff in 2010 that wouldn't accept his lackadaisical attitude.

During training camp in 2010, Pete Carroll told Houshmandzadeh to hustle back to the huddle. He continued to walk, hands in his pockets and a smile on his face.

It wasn't surprising that he was cut from the team.

Shaun Alexander, RB, 2000-2007

Ironically, Shaun Alexander could qualify for for the most overrated and underrated lists. Despite becoming the first Seahawk to win the NFL MVP Award, no player is more polarizing among the fan base.

Alexander set NFL records for most consecutive seasons with 15 or more touchdowns (five), consecutive games with 100 rushing yards against divisional opponents (nine) and most touchdowns in a single season (28).

He also drew the ire of fans for seemingly being tackled too easily or stepping out of bounds instead of fighting for extra yards. It appeared as though he reserved his hard-nosed runs for when he was near the first-down marker or had an opportunity to reach the end zone.

Alexander's production fell dramatically as the offensive line quickly disintegrated following the 2005 season. He averaged over 4.9 yards per carry while gaining over 3,500 yards in 2004 and 2005. That averaged dropped to just 3.5 YPC over 2006 and 2007.

Yes, he did have a 200-yard snow-aided game in 2006. But in his other nine games that season, he averaged just 3.3 YPC.

While health issues contributed to his downfall, it is hard to deny Alexander was the beneficiary of tremendous blocking.

For the record, Shaun Alexander remains one of my all-time favorite Seahawks.

Darrell Jackson, WR, 2000-2006

Darrell Jackson was a quality receiver for the Seahawks, notching three 1,000-yard seasons in seven years with the team. He also set a record with five receptions in the first quarter of a Super Bowl.

The problem is he was shut down after the Seahawks' second drive in Super Bowl XL. The only other catch he had on the day was a touchdown that was nullified by a pass interference call.

Jackson might not have made this list except some Seahawks fans have talked about him being one of the team's best receivers. He doesn't belong in that discussion, as his production was the result of a quarterback who knew how to distribute the ball to receivers.

Any questions about Jackson's value can be measured in the Seahawks' decision to trade him to the division rival San Francisco 49ers. They realized his success was the result of the system and not his talent.

The 49ers found that out in his lone season, as he failed to reach 500 yards on 46 receptions.

Aaron Curry, LB, 2009-2011

Aaron Curry was the top-rated defender in the 2009 draft class and labeled as a can't-miss prospect.

Labels simply aren't a good thing in the NFL.

The $60 million man might have been worth 10 Lee Majors on the football field. But the fourth pick in the 2009 draft lost his starting spot to a rookie selected in the fourth round. 

The Seahawks sent him to Oakland for the Raiders' seventh-round draft pick in 2012 and a conditional pick in 2013.

Some fans might want to see Brian Bosworth in this spot, or at least on this list, but Bosworth at least had the talent to play at a high level in the NFL. His body just couldn't take the beating.

Deion Branch, WR, 2006-2010

When Seahawks fans learned the team had added Deion Branch to help a struggling receiver corps, there was a fair amount of excitement. 

The elation was tempered when fans learned the team had surrendered a first-round draft pick for the disgruntled player's services. Branch was holding out with the New England Patriots, who refused to meet his asking price for a new contract (he was in the final year of his five-year, $3 million rookie deal).

Throw in a new six-year, $39 million contract, and fans were wondering exactly what he had accomplished outside of a Super Bowl MVP Award.

The answer to the last question was simple. Branch was a role-player in a powerful Patriot passing attack. He wasn't an elite receiver, and the Seahawks overpaid in terms of draft capital and financial compensation.

Seattle eventually received a fourth-round pick back from the Patriots for Branch, which is the most production they received during his four-plus seasons in Seattle. 

Rick Mirer, QB, 1993-1996

There are many reasons to place the under-performing Rick Mirer on this list. He was highly rated coming out of college, and the Seahawks had one of their few top-three draft picks in franchise history. 

It appeared the timing was setting them up to get their future franchise quarterback.

Mirer had one of the best rookie seasons for a quarterback at the time, setting NFL rookie records for attempts, completions and yards. But in a sign of things to come, he also threw 17 interceptions to go with 12 touchdowns.

The real sign that Mirer was overrated came courtesy of the next team he played for.

The Chicago Bears sent the Seahawks their first-round pick in 1997 in exchange for Mirer and Seattle's fourth-round pick. He started three games for Chicago with seven total appearances in 1997.

He completed just 53 passes in 103 attempts. He failed to throw a touchdown but did manage six interceptions. He was released after the season.

Surprisingly, Mirer bounced around the league for seven more seasons.

At least the Seahawks weren't the only franchise that overrated his abilities.