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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Seahawks Toughen Up Stowe, Moss Signed To Give Seattle An Attitude Adjustment On Defense

From his outside linebacker position, Winston Moss had herded a ballcarrier back to the middle of the field and was closing in for the tackle.

But a blur from the middle of the field - Tyrone Stowe - suddenly smashed into Moss and the running back, sending all three tumbling into a heap.

Seahawks teammates watching the play gasped at the force of the collision, but all three sprang up unhurt and ran back to their huddles.

While some may see this as proof of the old adage that a rolling Stowe batters no Moss, this training camp episode carries more immediate relevance to the Seattle Seahawks.

And that is that by signing free-agent linebackers Moss and Stowe, the Seahawks gave themselves a heavy infusion of attitude.

“Some players can get by on natural ability, but I have to get pumped up to play hard every day, every play,” Stowe said of his ferocious approach to practice.

“Yeah, some of the guys have kidded me about my attitude, about a little nastiness,” Moss said. “But that’s just the way I’ve developed as a player. You want to win so bad, you’ll do anything to get worked up and get into the playoffs.”

Some may recall that even quarterback Rick Mirer questioned last year whether this team could benefit from a little more toughness, from a few more guys willing to get in somebody’s face. That shouldn’t be a problem this season, not with these two on the roster.

Moss was defensive captain for the Raiders the past two seasons - once punching Mirer in the face after a play - and Stowe made a whopping 157 tackles for the Redskins last year.

And when Rod Stephens and Rufus Porter hit the free-agency highway last spring, the Seahawks were left with just one starting linebacker - Terry Wooden.

Within two weeks, they had conscripted Moss and Stowe.

Moss is expected to start at Porter’s outside linebacker spot, while Stowe is locked in one of the better training-camp battles, with Dean Wells for the job at middle linebacker.

“The whole reason of getting me in here was to make an immediate impression and do whatever it takes to help this team win,” said Moss, a member of the 1983 University of Miami national championship team.

Moss and Stowe were shocked by the realities of free agency, as neither expected to be on the market this spring.

“At first, there was some big-time animosity (toward the Raiders),” the 6-foot-3, 245-pound Moss said. “But the negative feelings have worn off. I don’t worry about those guys and what they’re doing. Now, they’re just another team in the way to our march to the playoffs.”

Stowe, a 6-2, 250-pounder from Rutgers, was surprised to learn that the Redskins felt he was expendable. He had, after all, made more than 100 tackles in each of the last three seasons - two of those with the Cardinals.

“I didn’t at first, but I see it all as a blessing now,” Stowe said. “You only want to be where you’re appreciated. I was making only half the money they were paying the new guys, and I was making all the tackles. What was that guy going to do for his money, make 300 tackles a year?”

Highly unlikely.

The Hawks couldn’t wait to land Moss, and actually upped their contract offer by $100,000 to cover a buy-out clause with the Raiders. “There was a 15-day waiting period built into the contract, but to the Seahawks, it was imperative to get it done quickly because they had just lost two free-agent linebackers,” Moss said.

Both of the new linebackers have competed against their new teammates a number of times.

Stowe recalls one game when he was with Arizona, a game in which Hawks back Chris Warren was unstoppable. “I remember us getting ready to stop Chris, gearing everything up to stop Chris, and he gained 200 yards against us. It wasn’t a pleasing sight, but we luckily got the win.”

Moss, however, detected some weaknesses.

“It was always a team we expected to beat if we played as well as we were capable,” he said. “We always thought that the individual talent was good, but the only thing that was keeping them from winning had to do with a lack of confidence.

“It looked like they had the talent to win the games, but didn’t have the expectations to win them.”

Both backers are familiar with the defensive scheme instituted by the new Seahawks, having only had to learn to translate terminology a bit.

And both praised the level of talent in the Hawks’ camp.

“The new staff helps, and if we can stay healthy, that will help,” Moss said. “Add it all together and I think we’re going to shock a lot of people this year. There’s a new team in town.”

With a new attitude.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo