Book Review | Ex-players revisit successful eras in Seahawks past

This Seahawks season might be a disappointment and no fun, but this book about the franchise written by two ex-players is enjoyable.

It is a page-turning mix of history, anecdotes, behind-the-scenes information and opinion. The book concentrates on the two most successful eras in franchise history — the Chuck Knox regime and the Mike Holmgren years.

Moyer and Wyman are ex-Seahawks who now appear on the team's postgame radio show. Moyer was an assistant coach from 1990-94. Cluff is a former Seattle Times desk editor whose expertise was the Seahawks and NFL. This is his second book about the team.

A Seattle fan is going to have plenty of "I-forgot-about-that" moments. Examples: Marv Levy, later the Super Bowl coach at Buffalo, was a finalist for the first head-coaching job in Seattle. Mike Blatt, who was briefly general manager in 1989 when Ken Behring owned the team, stood trial twice for murder but each trial ended with a hung jury. The Seahawks would have had the first pick in the 1993 draft and taken Drew Bledsoe instead of Rick Mirer if they hadn't defeated New England in 1992.

The book, which comes with a CD of audio highlights from the first game in 1976, is loaded with insider information.

We learn that Knox liked scotch and delivered his best pep talks on Saturday night rather than before kickoffs.

Once, two unnamed players almost got into a gunfight at team headquarters before a coach intervened.

In the 1980s, before direct deposit, players had to get their checks in person from finance vice president Mickey Loomis and had to walk by Knox's office to do it. Loomis was adept at making underperforming players feel that they were all but stealing money from the franchise.

Moyer and Wyman are candid in discussing former teammates.

Quarterback Dave Krieg was so competitive he once was caught cheating at Pictionary in a game with players and wives, according to Moyer.

"There's not one person that Dave hasn't ticked off at some point," Moyer writes. "But there also isn't a single person who hasn't had a good time with him."

Wyman roomed with Brian Bosworth and writes that Bosworth as himself was likeable but was insufferable when in "The Boz" persona.

"I was totally intolerant of all that 'Boz' crap," Wyman writes.

There is a good analysis of the pros and cons of running back Shaun Alexander, who had "a nose for the end zone" but was accused of avoiding contact, failing to block or catch and "leaving yards on the table" by running out of bounds.

Safety Kenny Easley, the 1984 NFL defensive player of the year, is described as mercurial, often intimidating on and off the field, and possessing NFL Hall of Fame skills.

Moyer maintains that the 1987 players strike prompted the Nordstroms to sell the team to Behring before the 1988 season. The authors call John Nordstrom "a classy guy" and describe Behring as a sloppy dresser who "came across as a used-car salesman."

The book's format requires double-checking at times to see who is writing at the moment (Moyer? Wyman? Cluff?). The wrong hometown is given for Curt Warner, and an index would have been useful.

Overall, though, this is a fun read about a franchise with more than its share of ups and downs and characters.

Craig Smith: 206-464-8279 or csmith@seattletimes.com