Talking The Tawk Seahawks Expect Kendall To Add More Than Accent 1996 Seahawks Draft

It turns out that the Seattle Seahawks drafted Cliffy Clavin.

At least he sounds like it.

“I look foward to playing left god,” Pete Kendall said with a thick Boston accent. “I think I’ll get along real well with (offensive line coach) Howad Mudd.”

Actually, Kendall, the Hawks’ top draft pick from Boston College, said he’s never been in that famous neighborhood bar.

Nonetheless, when he arrived at Seahawks headquarters Sunday, everybody knew his name and the cheers were abundant.

“I can’t say enough about how thrilled I am to be here,” Kendall said Sunday. “You can thank me for bringing the sun out here from Boston.”

At 6-foot-5, 295 pounds, Kendall will likely get the chance to start at left god, er, guard, for the Seahawks.

For a guy whom offensive line coach Howad, er, Howard Mudd claims is “snarly,” Kendall was well behaved at his Kirkland debut.

Kendall laid the first brick in his reputation as tough guy during his first practice at BC. He got in a fight with a starting linebacker.

“I guess that sort of set the tone,” Kendall said. “By the way, I’m not planning on doing that here.”

Kendall is the son of an Irish policeman who is slightly larger than Kendall himself. “He’s a big, competitive, fiery guy and I think I got a lot of that from him,” Kendall said. “He never pushed me into football, but he was my first coach and he showed me the ropes.”

One other thing he got from his demanding father: “You learn how to behave. I learned at an early age that I didn’t want to get my father upset. You messed up once and you learned pretty quickly that you didn’t want to mess up again.”

Was he intimidating to Kendall’s friends? “Yeah, but more so to my sister’s boyfriends,” he said.

Although he’s eager to play for Mudd, who coaches the same techniques Kendall learned at BC, he wouldn’t have minded playing closer to Boston.

“My whole family wishes I was closer to home, but I have to give them credit - nobody started crying,” Kendall said.

The value of Kendall’s signing bonus had to drop as the Seahawks traded down from the No. 14 spot to No. 21 before taking him.

“I have a feel for the business side of it,” Kendall said. “I just didn’t think I had to see the business end of this the very first day I’m into it.”

He’ll learn even more when he gets on the practice field.

“It’s not going to be easy, but I’m looking forward to it,” Kendall said. “I’m sure (All-Pro defensive tackle) Cortez Kennedy has a few lessons I should learn.”

Mudd praised Kendall’s dedication and willingness to work.

“I came to college at 230 pounds and now I’m 295,” Kendall said. “You don’t do that, without chemical additives, without spending a lot of time in the weight room and a lot of time in Burger King.”

Hawks coach Dennis Erickson loves Kendall’s attitude. “He’s a real man’s football player,” Erickson said. “He’s a real blue-collar guy who will give you a day’s work.”

Other picks

The goals to solidify the offensive line, secondary and defensive line were met, Erickson said.

“I looked at our depth chart when we finished the draft and we’re much better,” he said. “To me, it’s a much better draft than last year.”

In addition to Saturday’s selections of Kendall, cornerback Fred Thomas, tackle Robert Barr (Rutgers) and fullback Reggie Brown (Fresno State), the Hawks on Sunday landed defensive end Phillip Daniels (Georgia), linebacker Eric Unverzagt (Wisconsin), guard Reggie Green (Florida), cornerback T.J. Cunningham (Colorado) and defensive end Johnie Church (Florida).

“We really felt we had to improve our offensive front,” Erickson said. “You look at teams like Kansas City that have had success and they have a real stable offensive front.”

Locals

In light action among local college athletes, Eastern Washington guard Tom Ackerman was taken in the fifth round by New Orleans, Idaho tackle Jim Mills was picked in the sixth round by San Diego and Washington State linebacker Chris Hayes was picked in the seventh by the New York Jets.

Ackerman said Sunday that he was unsure whether he’d be used as a guard or center, but would likely find out Thursday when he reports.

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