Seattle Seahawks: The Great Cortez Kennedy Should Be in Hall Of Fame

The NFL recently announced its 2011 Hall of Fame finalists and Cortez Kennedy is on the list for the second time.  Kennedy was a great player and his time has come to join the other greats in Canton.

Going into the 1990 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks held the third overall pick and then coach Chuck Knox was looking for what he dubbed an "impact player."  The Seahawks found that player in Kennedy, a University of Miami defensive tackle.

Kennedy was big, strong, quick and spent his college years disrupting offensive plays.  When arriving in Seattle he came with a lot of expectations, and over his 11-year career, all in Seattle, he became the impact player Knox was looking for and more.

His Hall of Fame resume is complete and there is no reason the voters should ignore him again this year.  Kennedy was a mainstay at the Pro Bowl representing the Seahawks eight out of his 11 years in the league.  Along with that he was named first team All-Pro three times from 1992 through 1994.

In 1992 Kennedy was named Defensive Player of the Year.  This was an impressive feat considering how bad the team he played on was; the Seahawks finished that season with a 2-14 record.  Despite fielding an offense that was dead last in the league, the defense, led by Kennedy, still managed to stay ranked in the top 10.

That season, as well as most, Kennedy faced double teams all game long.  That didn't stop him from compiling 14 sacks and 92 tackles from the interior of the defensive line.

He was also named to the 1990's All-Decade team and has been enshrined in the Seahawks' ring of honor.  Playing his whole career in Seattle he never complained or wanted out, despite spending the majority of his time in Seattle on losing teams.

After the 2000 season his contract was up and he fielded offers from several other teams, but Kennedy decided to hang them up and retire as a Seahawk.

Kennedy was unlucky in that he was mired in Seattle during one of the worst stretches in their franchise history.  His first year, in 1990, looked promising as the Seahawks finished just out of the playoffs at 9-7.

The next season the Seahawks slipped to 7-9, Knox was out and ex-Raider coach Tom Flores was brought in.  The Seahawks entered into a dark period and for the remainder of the decade never won more than eight games.

Mike Holmgren came in to Seattle for the 2000 season and things began to turn around.  Finishing 9-7, the Seahawks won the AFC West and Kennedy finally got his first taste of playoff action.  As the Seahawks hosted the Miami Dolphins in what would be the last game in the Kingdome, Kennedy was the last player announced to an ear-shattering ovation.

The crowd that day recognized the effort Kennedy put out every game, every year.  It didn't matter that he played mostly in games that didn't matter.  Kennedy played hard and the fans loved him for it.

Playing in the Northwest doesn't allow players to get as much media attention as elsewhere in the league.  If Kennedy had been a New York Giant or a Dallas Cowboy he probably would already be in the Hall of Fame. 

Kennedy was a gamer every Sunday.  The average fan may not have seen a lot of his games, but ask any Seahawk fan about him and they will smile.  They will remember the player they knew simply as "The Tez" and will tell you how he was the face of the Seahawks for over a decade and easily one of the best players they've ever had.

It's time.  It's time for the voters to look at his body of work and the lack of talent around him during his career and realize there is no other vote but to vote him in.