Raible takes reins as voice of Seahawks
Maybe it will be on the way home from grandma’s after Sunday dinner.
Or maybe when the wife notices the honey-do list hasn’t shrunk since football season started, so the garage has to be cleaned out — now.
Whatever the reason, even the most die-hard Seattle Seahawks fans may have to count on the radio to stay tuned into the team. Few, if any, can watch every minute of every game on television.
That gives the broadcaster that paints the picture in words a lot of responsibility.
“I don’t think I’m nervous, like when I used to play nervous,” says Steve Raible, former Seahawks wide receiver and new play-by-play voice for the team. “I think I’m excited, anxious a little bit to get it going … I want to do a good job.”
It’s not a big move for Raible, at least physically. The color commentary chair he filled is about 2 feet away. But, the reality is the jump could be a lot bigger when he and new analyst Warren Moon make their debut as a team on Monday.
“I’ve thought about it for a long time. For me I thought it was the next logical step,” he said. “I think the biggest change from what I have done the last 22 years is to not do Warren’s job … not be the analyst. That’s what I’ve always done and I’m very comfortable doing that.
“What I want to keep in mind, because I’m also used to doing TV where people see the pictures, (is that) doing radio you have to paint the picture. You can’t give them too much. I’ll be really focused on doing those kind of housekeeping things as often as I can. That’s going to be my biggest job.”
The Seahawks play the Packers at 5 p.m. Pacific time on Monday. The radio broadcast (locally on 630-AM) begins two hours prior to that with a pre-game show.
Raible was a wide receiver from 1976-81. When his on-field career ended, he moved into broadcasting, working for KIRO-TV and the Seahawks. He excelled at both, winning five local Emmys, including two for best anchor. In his spare time, he has done almost everything electronic media has to offer, including volleyball play-by-play and football on TV, but not radio play-by-play.
The Raible that fans will hear on Monday night is a combination of the partners he’s worked with, his analogy being a former player-turned-coach who learned a little bit from all his coaches.
Raible’s journey started with the late Pete Gross, the Hawks play-by-play voice for the first 17 seasons, and continued with Brian Davis for the last four.
“From Peter, my mentor, I got the preparation side of it, the excitement for the game,” Raible said. “Steve Thomas was a little more understated, which is a little more along the lines of the way I do things. Lee Hamilton had solid credentials, he worked at it a long time. Brian brought an excitement level to the game and allowed me to do my job.
“I hope to incorporate a little bit from all of them.”
Raible has been prepping for the first game since the change was made last spring, but one thing remains unknown: Will there be a signature touchdown call?
“I don’t know what I will do, just come out and say it or make something up,” he said. “I don’t know how much different you can be and still be effective. When it really comes down to it, no matter who scores, the team scores. Yes, Shaun (Alexander) runs it in or Koren (Robinson) catches it, but it counts for the Seahawks and everybody has a part on it.
“I just hope I will be able to give the listeners that sense of excitement I know we’ll feel.”
To the house
There were a number of nice plays during the Saturday morning practice in Cheney but the highlight may have been an interception by center Robbie Tobeck during an offense drill.
“That was the second touchdown of my career, seeing as how I will count that one,” Tobeck said, referring to a 1-yard reception when he lined up as a tight end for Atlanta in 1996. “It was a simple play. I was actually playing D-tackle and it was one of these zone dogs that they have nowadays. I dropped back into my zone. Read the quarterback’s eyes, went one way, came back the other way. Credit to the off-season conditioning program, I was able to open my hips and break on the ball. It was there and I just took it down the sideline.
“Once I caught it, I knew no one was going to catch me because of the speed and stuff. I had a nice convoy, Pork Chop (Womack) out in front blocking for me. It was a good play.”
In typical Tobeck fashion, the 12th-year veteran from Washington State arrived at lunch carrying the souvenir ball.
Notes
The biggest crowd of the preseason watched the Seahawks Saturday morning, even though it was 95 degrees… . Head coach Mike Holmgren cancelled the afternoon practice… . With the game Monday night in Green Bay the team won’t be back on the fields at Cheney until Wednesday morning… . The team had its second good day of practice following Thursday’s lackluster effort that drew the ire of Holmgren… . There were no changes in the injury list, but first-round draft choice Marcus Tubbs, who arrived on Tuesday, took part in his first team drills. “It felt really good,” he said. … WR Koren Robinson tweaked a quad muscle in practice and won’t play in Monday’s game.