Wow I initially had been duped into thinking this might be a better year than expected for Seattle.. Seemed like Barton and Burr-Kirvin were on track to start. Figured they'd have a couple Honkeys on OL, but this is next level caste.
Great post, Buck! Ever heard of
Ken Geddes? Don't feel bad, neither had I, until recently.....Looked it up, Geddes was the first black starting linebacker (1976-78) in Seattle Seahawks history.
My point? I think Seattle would start 74 year old Ken Geddes before they start a white linebacker. At least, while white-male hating defensive coordinator
Ken Norton Jr. is around. Okay, perhaps a 74 year is too old, but I bet Norton Jr. would bring back 35 year old "
superbust" Aaron Curry (4th overall 2009 Draft/left NFL in 2012) before he'd allow an entrenched white starter on defense.
Back in the mid-1990's I was listening to sports talk radio. Someone asked the host what he thought about the "major rift/feud" between Norton Jr. and Ken Norton Sr. because Uncle Tom Jr. preferred "white women". The jewish host started to stutter and refused to answer...simply stammering something like:
uhhh,da, uhhh.... it's not my business...what, what, what goes on in other families".
Norton Sr., a Boxing Legend, would not even talk to Jr. or return his messages for years. A jewish writer from the
L.A. Times ran a major story over the feud, but refused to give the reason for the rift -- Junior's penchant for race mixing didn't sit well with the family?
So what? I honestly believe Junior was publicly humiliated by his own family -- two sisters might've even refused to talk to him? I'm thinking he's so scarred by the
Uncle Tom label, that he's been taken it out on white players he's coached for years. Norton Jr. will
never allow a fulltime white defender while he's in control. Perhaps, and this is a long shot, if Seattle drafted a white top 5 overall (i.e a Bosa brother type), Norton Jr.
might relent?
So,
Cody Barton, who possesses first round athletic ability (check Combine numbers), is screwed over and relegated to special teams coverage, because Norton Jr. wants to shed his well earned
Uncle Tom label? As far as
Ben Burr-Kirven, does anybody really think Norton Jr. would allow a white, 5th round pick to start at linebacker? LOL, I have a bridge to sell you!
P.S: We've been referring to Pete Carroll as
Plantation Pete for years at CF, but it wasn't always like that. When he was HC of the Patriots between 1997 to 1999, he usually
started 3 to 4 whites on his defense full time.
Chris Sullivan (overachieving 4th rounder from B.C.) started at DE for a couple years. DT
Chad Eaton went from a long-haired, tattooed backup with Bill Parcells at the helm to a border-line All-Pro (short hair, tattoos brushed off) with Pete....He also started 4 white linebackers for at least 1 full season, including
Ted Johnson and
Andy Katzenmoyer. I remember Pete excitedly telling ESPN (TV) how Katzenmoyer was his personal pick. Andy, a first round pick, looked like a rising star, until he was forced to retire due to a neck injury.
How about at USC? Did Pete not have several all-white starting LB crews?
Brian Cushing,
Clay Matthews III and Dallas Sarz (sp?) being most notable? They also had a blonde strong safety Pete loved and raved about. He started 2 years with the crew above, but did not get an NFL sniff after running a 4.8 at the Combine.