Walter Jones, The End of an Era

In all of the excitement of the addition of talent with the NFL Draft over the last few weeks, we wanted to mark the loss of one of the best players to ever suit up in the NFL

The Seahawks’ four-time All-Pro and nine-time Pro Bowl offensive tackle Walter Jones officially said goodbye last week after injuries ended his career. Jones had been out since November 2008 and was due back this year. However, there were complications from a kidney condition, diagnosed when he was a rookie, which hampered Jones as he could not take many anti-inflammatory medications to treat the injury.

Big Walt, as he was known around Seattle, was a humble, hard-working, and intelligent man who coach Mike Holmgren once stated was the best offensive player he has ever coached. At 6’5″ and 325 lbs, Jones spent the offseasons pushing his SUV around a parking lot for strength training.

During his prime, Jones secured the line for the Seahawks as the team made five consecutive playoff appearances from 2003 through 2007 and helped RB Shaun Alexander become a rushing monster. According to the records of Seahawks coaches, Jones gave up 23 sacks in 180 career starts and he was penalized for holding just nine times.

Then there’s his technique. Over the years, Jones refined his ability to almost always pick the right angle, allowing him to slide wide and stop a spin move or stay put to thwart a bull rush. He studies tape of Pace and other tackles. And he uses leverage better than anyone Haskell has ever seen, the large man low to the ground, in perfect balance.

“I’ve tried to watch him since I got here and emulate what he does,” Locklear says. “You can’t. It’s not textbook. It’s just Walter.”

Jones was the sixth overall pick in the 1997 NFL Draft which is uncanny since his replacement, Russell Okung, was also drafted in the same slot this year. Okung may be in line to fill in for Jones but he’ll have to choose another number. Immediately after the retirement was announced, the Seahawks made a classy move and officially retired #71.

The Seahawks also made an official tribute video for Walter Jones to commemorate his many years on the field.

However, I wanted to point out on of the most dominating plays I’ve ever seen an offensive tackle make and illustrates how much he could dominate the field.

Check out this video from the NFC Championship game in 2005 against the Carolina Panthers when Jones drives Michael Rucker down the field for almost 20 yards. Note that Jones is running almost as fast as Shaun Alexander and he ends up taking a few other players out in the process.