Walter Jones to Join Class of 2014

By Dan Trammel
@HighwayToHall

It was recently reported that former Seattle Seahawks left tackle Walter Jones will be eligible for the NFL Hall of Fame in 2014, a year earlier than anticipated. Although Jones retired following the 2009 season, he spent that entire season on injured reserve. So the Hall determined his 5-year waiting period should start a year earlier. As mentioned in our preview of the Class of 2014, we reserved the right to amend our predictions if it was determined that Jones was in fact eligible. Let’s go ahead and do that now, beginning with Walter Jones’ unusual journey to the NFL.  

Jones didn’t begin playing football until the 9^th grade. Poor grades led him to Holmes (Miss.) Community College where he played two years before transferring to Florida State in 1995. He redshirted his first season then played one season for the Seminoles, a season in which he allowed only one sack and was called for one penalty. He was named 2^nd Team All-ACC behind Clemson’s Jim Bundren and Georgia Tech’s Curtis McGee. After that one season, Jones decided to turn professional, a surprise to many. According to then Tampa Bay Buccaneers director of college scouting Tim Ruskell, “We didn’t really know that much about him because he didn’t play the year before. He came out of nowhere almost because we weren’t looking at him.”[1]

Measuring 6’5 and 301 pounds, Jones turned heads when he ran a 4.65 40 yard dash. Teams marveled at his athletic ability. One scout said, "Walter Jones is the most intriguing player in this draft, as rare a player at his position in about 10 years. He is a combination of massive size and marvelous speed."[2] Another scout added, "He's my favorite player in the draft. When all is said and done, this guy will be a better player than [Orlando] Pace."[3]

Not every scout agreed. While no one could deny his athletic prowess, some teams were scared by his lack of experience. According to one scout, "One year of major-college football and he's going to line up in the NFL? It's going to be a shock when he gets power rushed or lines up against bigger guys. He's a young, immature guy right now with great physical tools.”[4]

While Jones was rocketing up draft boards, teams were playing Let’s Make a Deal. By the time the NFL Draft rolled around, the draft order bore little resemblance to what it did initially:

                                                                       

Initial Draft Order
1	New York Jets
2	New Orleans Saints
3	Atlanta Falcons
4	Baltimore Ravens
5	Detroit Lions
6	St. Louis Rams
7	New York Giants
8	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
9	Arizona Cardinals
10	Oakland Raiders

Final Draft Order
1	St. Louis Rams
2	Oakland Raiders
3	Seattle Seahawks
4	Baltimore Ravens
5	Detroit Lions
6	Seattle Seahawks
7	New York Giants
8	New York Jets
9	Arizona Cardinals
10	New Orleans Saints

Then New York Jets head coach Bill Parcells held all of the cards entering the draft. Ohio State offensive tackle Orlando Pace was the most coveted player in a weak draft. How weak? See the list of the quarterbacks selected, shown in the order in which they were drafted:

Jim Druckenmiller	Virginia Tech
Jake Plummer	Arizona State
Danny Wuerffel	Florida
Pat Barnes	California
Mike Cherry	Murray State
Chuck Clements	Houston
Tony Graziani	Oregon
Koy Detmer	Colorado
Wally Richardson	Penn St.
Tony Corbin	Cal State-Sacramento
Ron McAda	Army

According to then San Francisco 49ers player personnel director Vinny Cerrato, ''It's a so-so draft. There are seven, maybe eight, top-notch picks. After that, it's what you're looking for. You can get rich with a bunch of No. 2s…There's quantity, not quality. We could easily take the same guy at 10 as we do at 26. That's how crazy it could be.”[5]

Parcells, looking for a defensive player, actively shopped the number 1 pick, before finding a taker in the St. Louis Rams, who ultimately selected Pace. The Jets settled in at #8 and selected 2-time Pro Bowl linebacker James Farrior from Virginia.

The Raiders, picking second after a trade with the Saints, selected USC defensive tackle Darrell Russell. The Seahawks were then on the clock.

Seattle had traded Rick Mirer and a 4^th Round Pick (#105-Darnell Autry) to the Chicago Bears in exchange for the Bears 1^st Round Pick (#11). The Seahawks then traded the #11 pick, a 2^nd Round Pick (#41-Byron Hanspard), a Third Round Pick (#70-OJ Santiago), a 4^th Round Pick (#100-Henri Crockett) to the Falcons in exchange for Atlanta’s 1^st Round Pick (#3) and a third round pick (#63).

With the #3 pick, the Seahawks drafted Ohio State cornerback Shawn Springs. But they were not done. The Seahawks then traded the #12 pick and the #63 third round pick acquired from the Falcons to Tampa for the Bucs’ #6 pick. After the Ravens drafted Florida State defensive end Peter Boulware and the Lions chose Texas cornerback Bryant Westbrook, the Seahawks drafted Walter Jones, while the Bucs acquired Florida State running back Warrick Dunn and Auburn guard Frank Middleton.

After a lengthy holdout, Jones signed a 6-year/$12 million contract with a $4 million signing bonus.

With 2 preseason games under his belt, Jones was named the starting left tackle for the season opener, a 41-3 drubbing at home by the Jets, a team that finished 1-15 the previous year. Things got better for the Seahawks, however, and they finished the season 8-8. Despite being hobbled for much of the season by ankle sprains, ultimately causing him to miss 4 games, Jones was named to the NFL All-Rookie team, joining Green Bay’s Ross Verba at the tackle position.

1998 featured more of the same for the Seahawks, who again finished 8-8. But they finally got over the hump in 1999, finishing 9-7 and reaching the playoffs for the first time since 1988. Jones was named to his first Pro Bowl.

In 2000, Seattle took a step backwards, finishing 6-10. The Seahawks were left out of the Pro Bowl for the first time in 20 years.

Beginning in 2001, Seattle’s fortunes changed. They traded their 1^st Round pick (#10) and 3^rd Round pick (#72) to Green Bay for quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and their 1^st Round pick (#17).[6] With the #17 pick, Seattle selected 7-time Pro Bowl guard Steve Hutchinson from Michigan, who teamed with Jones to form one of the most dominant offensive line tandems in history, opening holes for running back Shaun Alexander, who was inserted into the starting lineup that season.

Seattle finished the 2001 season 9-7, and Jones was selected to the first of 8 consecutive Pro Bowls.

Seattle finished 7-9 in 2002, but when Hasselbeck became the full-time starting quarterback in 2003, the Seahawks soared, making 5 consecutive playoff appearances and winning 4 division titles and an NFC Championship between 2003 and 2007. Walter Jones was the cornerstone of the franchise during this era, paving the way for several record-breaking Alexander seasons. Head coach Mike Holmgren described him as the best offensive player he ever coached, a list which includes Brett Favre, Joe Montana, Steve Young and Jerry Rice.[7]

Upon his retirement, his jersey #71 was immediately retired, and Washington Governor Chris Gregoire declared April 30 “Walter Jones Day.”

Jones played in a strong era for offensive tackles. Anthony Munoz retired in 1992. Gary Zimmerman retired in 1997. At that time, these men took over:

Richmond Webb	1990-2002
Erik Williams	1991-2001
Willie Roaf	1993-2005
Tony Boselli	1995-2001
Jonathan Ogden	1996-2007
Willie Anderson	1996-2008
Walter Jones	1997-2008
Orlando Pace	1997-2009

With these men playing at the same time, there were not a lot of All-Pro spots available. Things were further complicated when Larry Allen spent time at tackle and took post-season honors away from some of these players.

Nonetheless, Walter Jones was selected to 9 Pro Bowls, named a 1^st Team All-Pro 4 times, and named a 2^nd Team All-Pro twice. He was chosen a 1^st team member of the All-Decade Team of the 2000s alongside 2013 Hall of Fame selection Jonathan Ogden. He helped the Seahawks to 6 playoff appearances, spending his entire career with the club, appearing in 180 regular season games.

His accolades place him in some exclusive company. Here is a list of offensive linemen with 8+ Pro Bowls and 4+ 1^st Team All-Pro selections:

Jim Otto	Lou Creekmur
Ron Mix	Alan Faneca
Anthony Munoz	Jim Ringo
Jim Parker	Jim Tyrer
Forrest Gregg	Billy Shaw
John Hannah	Mike Webster
Bruce Matthews	Lou Groza
Randall McDaniel	Walter Jones
Larry Allen	Jonathan Ogden
Roosevelt Brown

 All of these men are Hall of Famers, except for Alan Faneca (not yet eligible), Jim Tyrer, and Jones. Tyrer spent most of his career in the AFL, and his accomplishments are likely downplayed due to that fact.  Nonetheless, this is an impressive list.

Let’s look at one more list, offensive linemen with 4+ 1^st Team All-Pro selections since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger:

Anthony Munoz	Dermontti Dawson	Mike Webster
John Hannah	Alan Faneca	Walter Jones
Bruce Matthews	Ron Yary	Jim Langer
Randall McDaniel	Steve Hutchinson	Jonathan Ogden
Larry Allen	Larry Little	Dwight Stephenson

This list is comprised of 15 men. 12 are current Hall of Famers, 2 players are not yet eligible, and Mr. Jones.

Walter Jones stands among the all-time greats. Despite playing during a wonderful era of offensive tackles, Jones collected enough accolades to join some exclusive company. He consistently erased the opponent’s top pass rusher while opening gaping holes for Shaun Alexander. Like Larry Allen and Jonathan Ogden last year, Jones will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. The only suspense remains who joins him.

As we explained in a previous post, Marvin Harrison and Derrick Brooks are also first-ballot Hall of Famers, leaving Michael Strahan and Charles Haley as the final two selections. Aeneas Williams falls off our previous prediction.

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[1]Landman, Brian. “FSU tackle Jones is big man on the block.” St. Petersburg Times. 14 Apr. 1997. 1C. Print.

[2] McGinn, Bob. “NFL DRAFT: OFFENSIVE LINE – Florida State tackles moves to head of the class – Scouts rank Jones ahead of Ohio State’s Pace.” Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 14 Apr. 1997. C. Print.

[3] Id.

[4] Id.

[5] Judge, Clark. “NFL draft thin on top, receding after early picks.” San Jose Mercury News. 6 Apr. 1997. 1D. Print.

[6] Green Bay selected Florida State defensive end Jamal Reynolds (#10) and Oklahoma linebacker Torrance Marshall (#72).

[7] Williams, Eric D. “On the field, few kept up with Jones.” The News Tribune (Tacoma, WA). 30 Apr. 2010. B1. Print.