Not even the most diligent matching service could have created a better union than the Seattle Seahawks and defensive end Bryce Fisher.
The Seahawks quietly have gone about their business of becoming one of the top teams in the NFL this season, and Fisher has used the same show-it-on-the-field measuring stick throughout his career to attest to his standing as a football player.
Fisher was an all-conference star at Air Force and continues to thrive in his fifth NFL season. He was on military reserve status for two years after the Buffalo Bills selected him in the seventh round of the 1999 draft, and played his first season with the Bills in 2001. He moved to the St. Louis Rams for the next three seasons before becoming an unrestricted free agent after last season and joining the Seahawks.
Fisher had to be under contract and on a roster of a pro team before his request to change from active to reserve status in the military could be considered and approved.
His entry into the NFL was much different from most draft picks. In order to take part in training camp, Fisher had to take unpaid leave from his Air Force assignment.
“It was pretty much on my own dime,” Fisher said.
AFA football coach Fisher DeBerry wasn’t surprised by Fisher’s determination.
“Once he made up his mind to be a great football player, he really went after it,” DeBerry said.
Fisher’s NFL career is the second- longest for an AFA graduate. Defensive lineman Chad Hennings played nine seasons with the Dallas Cowboys (1992-2000).
Fisher’s performance with the Seahawks has made him one of the top pickups in the league. He has started 12 of their 13 games, and is second on the team in sacks with eight.
Being back in Seattle takes Fisher to the beginning of his campaign to show he could play with the best. He graduated from Seattle Prep High School and had his sights set on playing for the University of Washington.
“The coaching staff at Washington basically said I wasn’t good enough to play there,” Fisher said. “They had a chart that showed what they wanted in players, and I didn’t fit. I’m glad I’ve had a lot of chances to stick it in their eye.”
Though disappointed, Fisher turned his attention to Air Force. As with the Seahawks, Fisher’s confidence was a good match for the Falcons.
“When I was a sophomore (in 1996), people were questioning whether Air Force could compete at the Division I level in football,” Fisher said. “We were 22-4 over the next two seasons.”
He thinks the Falcons are capable of the same turnaround after enduring back-to-back losing seasons.
“It’s all about hard work, discipline and accountability down there,” Fisher said.
The Falcons won the Western Athletic Conference championship in 1998, Fisher’s senior season, and he got another chance to rub it in on Washington when Air Force beat the Huskies 45-25 in the Oahu Bowl.
“He was a great teammate,” said Capt. Blane Morgan, a former Air Force quarterback and now an AFA assistant coach. “He didn’t carry an attitude, and he was willing to do anything for the player next to him.
“He’s a very honest person. He doesn’t inflate himself or try to deflate how good the players are who are lined up against him. If he got beat, he gave the opposing player credit.”
Fisher’s knack for coming out on top in football could have been an omen for this season. When testing the market for a new team, Fisher focused on the Seahawks and Broncos. Both are among the NFL’s best, the Seahawks at 11-2 and the Broncos at 10-3.
“I wanted a situation where I had the chance to be a starter,” said Fisher, 28. “That was first and foremost. I also wanted to earn as much money as possible as a player.
“Seattle was coming home for me, and I don’t have any regrets about the decision I’ve made.”
Irv Moss can be reached at 303-820-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com.
