Sea Birds History

WR Michael Irvin 1995 #1 Pick	1995 In the inaugural draft of 1995, the Sea Birds drew the last pick of the first round. With coveted RB Chris Warren of the hometown Seahawks going the pick before, the Sea Birds used their back to back picks on WRs Michael Irvin and Tim Brown. A couple of trades added the RB duo of Errict Rhett and Edgar Bennett, who combined with fan favorite Mario Bates to form a solid full house backfield. The Sea Birds and the Rooks got off to great starts, both going 7-2. A tie in week 11 dropped the Birds a 1/2 game behind the first place Rooks. Going into the final week of the season they still trailed by that mere 1/2 game. A loss by the Rooks opened the door, but the last place Zeppelins knocked of the Sea Birds by an impressive 88-64 score. Final standing: 10-6-1 record, 1041 points, 2nd place. Michael Irvin (131 points) and Tim Brown (122) were both impressive in the 1995 campaign. The San Francisco defense (243) was the best in the league. The QB duo of Eric Kramer (80) and Jim Everett (45) was average.
WR Tim Brown 1996 Team Captain	1996 The big story in Sea Bird camp at the beginning of 1996 was the trade for RB Barry Sanders. The trade left them without a QB or a #1 pick. Troy Aikman was brought in to try to add stability to the QB situation. WR Michael Irvin was suspended for the first five games of the season for violating league rules. All in all, it had the makings for an interesting year. The Sea Birds got off to another hot start, going 5-1 despite using three different QBs. In week 11, they were only 1 game out of first when WR Carl Pickens was acquired. Always willing to sacrifice the future, owner Matt Dropsey again traded away a #1 pick. With two weeks to go, the Dunces, Zeppelins and Sea Birds were all tied in first at 11-4. A miserable 17 point performance in Week 16 doomed the Sea Birds to another disappointing finish. Final Standing: 11-6-0 record, 868 points, 4th place. Barry Sanders (145) was impressive in his first season as a Sea Bird. Carl Pickens (78) contributed well in the second half. The QB situation was never settled, as Troy Aikman (51), Elvis Grbac (38) and Steve Bono (11) all had dismal years. Tim Brown (75) and Michael Irvin (39) both saw their production drop from last season.
RB Barry Sanders 1997 League MVP	1997 The Sea Birds didn't make any major changes before the 1997 season. Barry Sanders would anchor the ground game, Troy Aikman would try again at QB, and the WR corps would be the trio of Tim Brown, Michael Irvin and Carl Pickens. Without a first round pick , there would be no help coming from the draft. Again the Sea Birds got off to a hot start. They were all alone in first with a record of 6-1, thanks to big games from the star players, plus some timely scores from rookie RB Napoleon Kauffman. After dropping their next game, the Sea Birds went on to win their last 9 games in a row. The end result? A record breaking 15-2 season, the MACCFL championship, and an impressive 5 game lead over the 2nd place Whips. Barry Sanders was trailing RB Terrell Davis in the MVP race most of the year. But then during weeks 13 and 14 he broke out, scoring 35 and 39 points to put him in the lead for good. He finished the season with an amazing 244 points and MVP honors. Tim Brown (93) and Michael Irvin (82) both had solid seasons, but the QB situation was still a nightmare: four different QBs started for the Sea Birds in 1997. But things like that don't seem to matter much when the MVP of the league is holding the coveted Boz championship trophy...
QB Jon Kitna 1998 3rd Round Pick	1998 Coming off a 15-2 season, the Sea Birds were again looking for big things in 1998. Warren Moon, acquired down the stretch in 97, was named the starting QB for the 98 season. Barry Sanders, Tim Brown, Michael Irvin and Carl Pickens were all back to help defend the title. Another fast start had Sea Bird fans thinking repeat. At 4-1 they were in a tie for first place. But then Moon started struggling, and was eventually replaced by free agent pick up Doug Flutie. Then Barry Sanders started struggling, and then the unthinkable happened: The Sea Birds dropped to 5-6-1, the first time they ever had a losing record. With nothing to lose, rookie QB Jon Kitna started the last five games of the season, going 4-1 to lead the team back above .500. Final standing: 9-7-1 record, 957 points, 3rd place. Individual performances were down across the board. Some notes from the 98 season: Barry Sanders' production dropped from 244 points in 1997 to a mere 89 points in 1998. RB Mike Alstott only appeared in one game, but still scored 3 TDs. Free agent pick up Priest Holmes made his MACCFL debut, scoring 42 points in 5 games. Michael Irvin only scored 17 points in 11 games.
RB Mike Alstott 1999 Team MVP	1999 The big story at the beginning of the 1999 season was the sudden retirement of star RB Barry Sanders. His departure left a major hole in the Sea Bird backfield. With Mike Alstott the only starter on the roster, the Sea Birds drafted three RB prospects in the 1999 draft: Kevin Faulk, Sean Bennett and J.J. Johnson. After his strong finish last year, Jon Kitna was named the starting QB. Derrick Alexander was named a starter at WR opposite Brown and Irvin. The Sea Birds got off to a slow start in 1999, going 2-4. Back to back wins got them back to even, and that's where they hovered all season long, eventually finishing in 6th place at 8-8-1. Mike Alstott won the loyalty of Sea Bird fans, scoring 82 points in a role he wasn't expected to play. Jon Kitna had an average season, but did manage to become the first Sea Bird QB to post 100 points.
QB Elvis Grbac 2000 Team MVP (with WR Derrick Alexander)	2000 After back to back disappointing seasons, original #1 pick WR Michael Irvin announced his retirement. With none of last years draft choices producing, the Sea Birds again took a RB prospect with their #1 pick, this time taking Shaun Alexander. Mike Alstott would again be asked to carry the load at RB. Jon Kitna was back at QB, and WR Derrick Alexander would be asked to step up to the next level. With 5 turnovers in the first game, QB Jon Kitna was quickly benched the following week. Elvis Grbac, a backup on the team since 1996, finally got his chance to start. He played well, but couldn't keep the Sea Birds from a poor 2-5 start. Their lack of depth at key positions was starting to show, and the team would suffer through a 6-11 season, their first losing campaign in team history. Grbac set a new Sea Bird QB record with 157 points. Derrick Alexander led the WRs with an impressive 101 points. Tim Brown bounced back with a steady 93 points. Mike Alstott couldn't match last years total though, falling to 40 points.
RB Shaun Alexander 2001 Team MVP	2001 Owner Matt Dropsey went back to his old ways, trading his #1 draft pick. This time RB Ricky Williams joined the team, much to the delight of owner and fans alike. Together with Shaun Alexander, the Sea Birds finally had a ground attack again. Elvis Grbac was back at QB, hoping to match last years impressive numbers. Tim Brown and Derrick Alexander were back at WR, joined by veterans Qadry Ismail and Johnnie Morton. Another slow start had fans discouraged early. After dropping their first three, the Sea Birds fought back to even their record at 5-5, but the 101 Boys' hot start still had them four games out of first. That's where they would eventually end up: in 5th place at 9-8, four games out. Owner Matt Dropsey was impressed with a winning record after last season's 6-11 debacle. Shaun Alexander led the team with an impressive 174 points. Tim Brown notched 99 points, his most since 1995. Ricky Williams was expected to score more than his 75 points, and seemed to fade as the season went on. QB Elvis Grbac (63) and WR Derrick Alexander (17) were major disappointments.
RB Ricky Williams 2002 Team MVP	2002 With Elvis Grbac's poor performance in 2001, the Sea Birds were left without a probable starter at QB for 2002. Then the Rebels traded up and took both QB prospects in the draft (David Carr & Joey Harrington). With Harrington gone, the Sea Birds instead drafted TE Jeremy Shockey. Then they made a draft day trade, acquiring QBs Jay Fiedler and Matt Hasselbeck. Fiedler was named the starter, becoming the latest in a long line of Sea Bird quarterbacks. Fiedler played well, but the team still struggled to a 2-4 start. RB Shaun Alexander struggled early, but then set a record with a 5 TD, 54 point performance in Week 4. Fiedler was injured in Week 6, and was replaced by backup Ray Lucas. Lucas turned the ball over 6 times and was quickly benched. It was fan favorite Jon Kitna who jogged onto the field to start the next game. Kitna played well but just couldn't seem to win. The Sea Birds were in last place for a part of the season, but then Ricky Williams stepped up and scored 141 points down the stretch to help the team finish in 9th place at 6-11. Ricky Williams (222) and Shaun Alexander (177) finished 2nd and 3rd in Top RB scoring, behind only MVP Priest Holmes. Jon Kitna posted a career high 107 points, even though he only played in 9 games. Tim Brown scored a career low 20 points, leading to speculation as to the team captain's future role on the team.
RB Shaun Alexander 2003 Team MVP	2003 After a disappointing 2002 season, the Sea Birds decided to focus on their biggest need - receivers. The team traded up to get the number one pick in the draft, selecting Lions' rookie Charles Rogers. After his great finish last year, Matt Hasselbeck was named the starter. Marc Bulger was drafted to add stability to the position. With all these changes, it was still Shaun Alexander and Ricky Williams that would need to carry this team in 2003. A good start to the season (5-2) was overshadowed by the Skid Marks perfect 7-0 record. Still, a head to head game against the Skids in Week 8 would pull the team within one game. The Skid Marks won easily, 82-30, and the Sea Birds dropped three games back. A second half surge, capped by a thrilling 103-97 victory over the Dunces, pulled the Sea Birds into a first place tie with the stumbling Skid Marks at 9-4. But that turned out to be the high point of the season, as the Sea Birds would drop three of the final four games to finish in fourth place at 10-7. Shaun Alexander (163) was steady, but Ricky Williams (118) saw his production drop considerably. Matt Hasselbeck (114) had a fine season in his first as a Sea Bird starter. Darrell Jackson (56) rebounded well, but the receiver corps is still a concern. Rookie Charles Rogers (22) had a nice debut, but his season was ended early by injury.
RB Shaun Alexander 2004 Top RB in the League	2004 The Sea Birds were looking to improve on their 10 win performance in 2003, but before the 2004 season even started Ricky Williams surprised the team by announcing his sudden retirement. That meant Shaun Alexander would have to shoulder the load at RB. The Sea Birds drafted Julius Jones in the first round to add some depth at the position. Matt Hasselbeck returned as the starter at QB, but the receiver position would again be a major weakness. The team started strong at 4-2, thanks mainly to Shaun Alexander's hot start. Back to back losses would drop the team to .500 where they would hover all season long. They would actually end the campaign in 7th place at 8-8-1 Shaun Alexander (207) was the league's top RB and finished 3rd in MVP voting. Marc Bulger (84) and Matt Hasselbeck (63) both played well while splitting time at QB. Julius Jones (80) finished strong after being injured early in the season. Darrell Jackson (80) and free agent pick up Antonio Gates (76) led an improved receiving corps.
RB Shaun Alexander 2005 League MVP	2005 Going into the 2005 season, the Sea Birds were happy with their RB situation. Shaun Alexander, top RB last year, would anchor the team along with the returning Ricky Williams and the young Julius Jones. Marc Bulger was named the starter at QB, but Matt Hasselbeck was expected to see action as well. With Darrell Jackson being the only WR threat, Mike Williams was selected in the first round of the draft. With hot starts from both Marc Bulger and Shaun Alexander, the Sea Birds started the season 4-2. Narrow victories over the Vipers (by 5 points), Skid Marks (1 point), and Dunces (2 points) helped prolong a 10 game winning streak. At the end of the season the team would finish in first place with a 14-3 mark, 3 1/2 games ahead of the second place Rebels. Shaun Alexander (301 points) was named the league's MVP with an impressive 188.1 rating and a record 28 touchdowns. Marc Bulger (101) and Matt Hasselbeck (72) both improved over last year's numbers. Kevin Curtis (71) had a solid season due to increased playing time. Ricky Williams (49) was only a spot starter, Julius Jones (50) struggled early and never got on track, and Darrell Jackson (28) missed 10 games due to injury.