It's Now Time

And no, I'm not talking about the Seahawks promo from back in the day.

Man I miss Ricky "Running" Watters...  Anyway, what I am talking about is my mission for the 2013/2014 NFL season.  This has been a dream of mine for a very long time but it appears that this season, I will finally be able to achieve it.  And what better year, really?  This being the season where I firmly believe the Hawks will finally capture the Super Bowl and all.  Let me tell you a little story...

See, I had saved up some $ and was thinking about potentially going to Vegas to bet some cash on the Hawks and finally take in Las Vegas for the first time.  However, with the Hawks being an 8/1 bet now, I figured would it really be worth it?  Is there something better I can do with the cash?  What's that?  Life insurance you say and planning for the future...  nah!  How about I just follow the team around this season and go to EVERY single regular season and playoff game, and of course the Super Bowl!

And with that, the idea of actually living the dream began to come to life.  The ideas and the logistics all came together in my brain in glorious unison.  Now, it's basically set in stone.  I've already got my tickets for the Indianapolis and St. Louis games booked and they are just the first of many soon to come!  I'll be taking those games in with the Midwest Seahawkers, a great group of 12's that showed amazing 12th Man spirit in reaching out to me and ensuring that I get my spot for those games booked.  

The qwest (see what I did there) begins on September 8th in Charlotte.  The wallpaper on my phone is set to the Seahawks schedule so that I never lose sight of the goals ahead of me.  I will be bringing friends and loved ones with me, as well as meeting amazing strangers in the process.  This is probably one of the most exciting times in my life.  I'm like a kid on Christmas times 1,000.  Of course, I'll be attempting to document my travels along the way, as I'm sure I'll be able to capture some amazing moments from the fan's perspective.  I figured, some day probably not too far down the road, some fan of some other team is going to do something like this and I'm going to be left kicking myself thinking that I could have done it too.

No worries, Seafense will remain the same, except with more updates and fresh new content along the way with an even greater perspective since I'll have been at each game to witness the carnage, in the flesh.  The plan is to work Tuesday's, Wednesday's, Thursday's, Friday's, and Saturday morning/afternoons, then fly to wherever the Hawks are playing, then head back to NYC afterwards to snap back to reality.

And could there be a better ending than the man who travels around the country to follow his favorite team of all-time and one of the favorite things in his entire life, finally getting to go home (not finally, the Hawks do play the Giants at MetLife in Week 15, but still!) to see his and many others beloved Seahawks hoist their first ever Lombardi Trophy in his "backyard?"  I think not, even if New Jersey is a mess.  That's straight up storybook right there.

Enough about me though, what I'm really looking forward to is being a part of that 12th Man Experience every week, in a different way, most of the time in a different location even.  I just know it deep down inside my bones that we will represent the 12th Man proudly every single week, even during the bye week! I'm ready for the journey of my life and to meet some interesting, standup 12's along the way, as well as some questionable 49ers fans too haha.

I don't know quite for sure what the future has in store for me, or most importantly for the Seahawks, this year but I do know that I'm a firm believer that the hard work pays off.  Hopefully, we all get our storybook ending.

GO Hawks!!!

The kicks that will be supporting me on this journey, my new Air Griffey's...  only to me, they're Air Beast Mode's!  And no, no relation to Troy Polamalu, although I'm currently digging up the records to see if there's any relation with Seahawks LB John Lotulelei.

2013 Seattle Seahawks Mock Draft

(Photo provided by Rod Mar/Seattle Seahawks)
Schneider: "I need to know you've got my back in this draft, bro!"
Peter McLoughlin: "I've got your back, bro!"
Schneider: "Let's DRAFT!"

I figure that most of the rounds may not be a great projection of what some of these guys REAL value are, but then again there are risers and fallers in every draft. To make it easier, I just decided to show some Hawks love and use Seahawks Draft Blog's latest mock draft as my guide to who is and who isn't available. Thanks for all the hard work Rob and Kip. If not for you guys, there would be countless hours of more productivity but much less fun and knowledge in my life. Take a bow.  Now, let's begin!

2nd Round - Pick #56 Overall: Quinton Patton, WR, Louisiana Tech
6'0"
214 LBS
4.48 40

He's no one's favorite receiver in this year's draft, but apparently the Hawks have been a fan of his since 2011 and that's all that matters here. Reminds me a lot of Greg Jennings when he came out of Western Michigan. No one was blown away by him due to his measurables, quality of competition, etc. but he did 3 things very well. Catch the ball, consistently get open, and make big plays after the catch. Quinton Patton excels in those 3 areas as well. He's ultra competitive and has a ton of swagger, which probably also adds to Seattle's interest in him. He probably wouldn't be called upon to do too much in his rookie season with the Hawks, but he'd likely impress in Camp and during practices. With Sidney Rice' contract situation looming, and Golden Tate a free agent after this season, Seattle takes action and grabs a very underrated WR, in my mind.

3rd Round - Pick #87 Overall: Jordan Mills, RT, Louisiana Tech

6'5"
316 LBS

For the second season in a row, the Seahawks select a pair of college teammates (Wagner/Turbin - Utah State) from a WAC school. Mills has the nasty demeanor that Tom Cable loves, as well as possessing the size (6'5" 316lbs) to be a road-grader of the Breno Giacomini variety. With Giacomini entering the last season of his contract, and having played well enough to expect a raise, Seattle might be wise to draft his future replacement now so that they aren't stuck relying on a rookie with no experience to start next year. This quote from Mills gets me thinking that he's a lock to get picked by Seattle at some point, possibly even a round earlier than where I have him here.

"This is the world's greatest sport," Mills said. "It started with tough guys like Mike Ditka, Mean Joe Greene, Lawrence Taylor. I've watched their old games on NFL Network. They played the game with reckless abandon. You can't let nobody push you around. If they're going to be nasty, you've got to be even nastier. 

"I can get with the nastiest. I can be the nastiest. It comes with the territory. If you want to get dirty and grimy with me, I'm going to get even dirtier and grimier. You've got to have that edge."

You can check out the tape on him in the video above, which is only a few plays or for Quinton Patton. Killing two birds with one stone.

4th Round - Pick #123 Overall: Stefan Charles, DT/DE, University of Regina
6'5"
324 LBS
37" Vertical

I had no clue this guy existed before Scottemojo from Seahawks.Net (If you somehow still don't know about .Net you're seriously missing out on the greatest Seahawks website of all-time) mentioned him a few days ago. Now, he's one of the guy's I hope Seattle lands. After the success former teammate Akiem Hicks had with the Saints last season, I'm thinking the athletic, versatile Canadian can have a similar impact for Seattle. Nice potential going forward.

5th Round - Pick #138 Overall: Cooper Taylor, S, Richmond

6'4"
229 LBS
4.45 40

I don't know if they'd see Taylor as a Safety or a Weakside Linebacker but I could see him being this year's answer to 5th rounder Korey Toomer. Toomer was an uber-athletic, impressive physical specimen who used his rookie season to basically redshirt for the Hawks. Cooper Taylor has the same qualities. Taylor has the size, athleticism, and star potential that Seattle tends to look for around the 5th round. Truth be told, they are always looking for it, but they somehow seem to find it in the 5th (Kam, Sherm).  Enjoy the grainy, gritty "Bigfoot" footage which begs the question...  does Cooper Taylor TRULY exist?

5th Round - Pick #158 Overall: Latavius Murray, RB, UCF
6'2"
223 LBS
4.38 40

.Net's TeamoftheCentury gets the kudos for the heads up on this one. Murray's got a rare blend of size and speed at RB and I actually can't believe he's not getting more hype than he is. Apparently teams like him, as he's visited with a few teams already, most notably the Seahawks. While everyone is always talking about potentially adding a "change of pace" back, the Seahawks don't seem too interested in that and have never adopted such an approach under Pete Carroll. So I think they add another bruiser as their #3 guy, and one that has top flight speed to boot. The Seahawks have long needed an upright runner since the days of Ricky Watters came to an end and TJ Duckett failed to be that guy years ago when given the chance. The Hawks get it right this time with Murray. Plus, he's a New Yawkah, I gotta pull for him, even though I had no clue where Nedrow, NY was before looking it up.  There's an even better highlight video HERE, but the video above is of him following his FB and taking this one 83 yards to the house!

6th Round - Pick #194 Overall: Jayson Dimanche, WLB, Southern Illinois
6'0"
231 LBS
4.53 40

One of my absolute favorite players in this year's draft. Another great find from Scottemojo. I remember Kip Earlywine writing about how Irvin and Wilson were two guys that he couldn't walk away from the draft without. Dimanche is one of those guys for me. He's got the hustle, closing speed, and killer instinct that you just can't teach. All of the great LB's in league history have possessed it. He's aggressive but instinctive. Undersized but a ruthless hitter. I just love his game and hope that he hears his name called by the Hawks in a few weeks. He deserves to be on a team this good.

7th Round - Pick #214 Overall: Brice Butler, CB, San Diego State

6'3"
214 LBS
4.37 40

For the second year in a row the Seahawks take on a project switching sides of the ball, only this year Brice Butler does the opposite of JR Sweezy and switches from offense to defense. Just a guy at WR with San Diego State, the Seahawks have approached the former Pete Carroll/USC recruit/transfer about possibly playing defense (CB) in the pro's. Considering his size and the size of Browner/Sherm it's easy to see what they might like with Butler if he pans out. He'd be learning from one of the greatest WR/CB converts in recent memory in Richard Sherman. Granted, Sherm made the switch while at Stanford, but you get the point. With Sherm and Sweezy in his corner and able to relate with, this might actually work.  Not to mention what being around Brandon Browner could do for the physicality of his game as well.

Here's him looking pretty good in his RS-Freshman year for USC. It's easy to envision him being a CB in most of those plays when he's tracking the jump ball.

7th Round - Pick #220 Overall: Eric Rogers, WR, Cal Lutheran

6'3"
206 LBS
4.50 40

A guy that the Hawks have been linked to and a nice developmental prospect that could likely redshirt his first year or spend it on the Practice Squad. There's some pretty nice catches in those videos, and he looks like he's got some upside to possibly be a Sidney Rice type down the road.

7th Round - Pick #231 Overall: BJ Daniels, QB, USF

5'11"
217 LBS
4.63 40

If Jeff Tuel were still around at this point, it'd be a tough choice for me. Even still, I'd have to take off the crimson-colored glasses and go with Daniels, who just impresses me more. Dude's built like a tank and reminds me the most of Russell Wilson in this draft. Good find kearly. His highlight video is one of the most exciting to watch of any QB in this draft and that stiff-arm is just NASTY! I'd love to see that once or twice a pre-season.

7th Round - Pick #241 Overall: Dustin Hopkins, K, FSU
Who Cares
He Kicks

That's all you need to know

Don't know if he'll be available at this point. If not, I could see the team taking K/P Quinn Sharp out of Oklahoma State. Punted his whole career until his senior season, when he became the place kicker as well. Has the versatility JS/PC love (LOL) Hopkins on the other hand has a big leg and whoever gets drafted will probably have to compete with a veteran, probably Steven Hauschka for the roster spot. That sort of battle would come down to accuracy (Hauschka) vs. a big leg (Hopkins) and who the Hawks value more. That'd actually be a pretty interesting camp battle on a team where most of the starting positions are already resolved. Or, they could NOT draft a kicker and have Carson Wiggs, another younger kicker with a big leg, compete. Who knows at this point?

7th Round - Pick #242 Overall: Justice Cunningham, TE, South Carolina

6'2"
258 LBS
4.90 40

Tough call here for me between Kyler Reed and Cunningham, but for some reason I think someone will be enamored with Reed and pick him higher than people think. He had a great season two years ago setting the Nebraska TE TD record with 8 before having a poor senior season. Still, he just ran a 4.47 at his Pro Day and it actually be very well be the Seahawks, who are linked to Reed, who fall in love with him and pick him much higher than people expected him to go. However, for the sake of this mock, Reed's off the board so the Hawks go with Justice Cunningham. Although he had a poor showing at the combine, Cunningham's got the versatility the Hawks like. Played H-Back and TE at South Carolina and is a very solid blocker as well as having soft hands. He's a guy who got better every year during his career in Columbia. I just think he should be a Hawk based on the name alone. .Net's Attyla the Hawk tipped me off on Cunningham. I like the big fella and he adds another set of dreads to the team, something this draft desperately lacks outside of Dimanche. Cunningham is a little redundant and similar to Anthony McCoy and doesn't give the "Aaron Hernandez" type of TE that most want, but his intensity and aggression on the field will be the icing on the cake to a great draft and a great off-season.

Love his Elway "helicopter" impression and how he eats the shot against Vandy.

Okay ladies and gents. Pick it apart, do whatever you'd like to it. How would you feel if the draft turned out this way?

An Open Letter to Antoine Winfield

Dear Mr. Winfield,

When word broke that the Vikings handed you your release on March 12th, the 12th Man immediately perked up and thought about the possibilities.  This is a very smart fan base, one that actually knows about other teams and players around the league.  A lot of that has to do with years of futility, spent toiling away watching draft prospect after draft prospect, hoping for someone who could help turn things around.  Even you, for instance, were once a possibility to help turn the Seahawks around coming out of college.  Buckeye/Seahawk (they exist, we are everywhere) fans everywhere must have been going nuts in 1999 when the Seahawks were on the clock and you were still on the board.  They must have gone even crazier when Seattle pulled the trigger on Lamar King of Saginaw Valley State.  With all due respect to Mr. King, he's not the guy a grown man is writing an open letter to right now.

Ask any Vikings fan about you and your release is still a sore subject to them.  As is your potential departure.  This shows the type of player you were during your time with the Vikings and the player you still are.  It also shows what kind of leadership you bring to the team and the respect you command in the community.  All of these things must be tough to leave behind.  You've got your family situated in Minnesota.  I can't imagine this kind of decision.  I uprooted once.  From New York City to Pullman, Washington but that was just a kid going to college.  This wasn't a man leading his family halfway across the damn country.  I actually think that I respect you most for still considering staying in Minnesota despite the fact that you were given your release.  I think that speaks a lot to the type of character you possess and it's impressive in this day and age.

But Antoine, the city of Seattle needs you.  No, the city of Seattle deserves you.  You've paid your dues to the league.  You paid your dues to the great cities of Buffalo (love the grit!) and Minnesota.  You and Seattle deserve each other.  Now it's time to cash in on what you deserve.  A legitimate chance at a championship.  The ever elusive ring that's somehow, wrongfully, managed to evade you for the past 14 years.  Over those 14 years you've made play after play at times when your team needed you most.  The reckless abandon that you play with, while now being frowned upon around the league, is not something foreign to the Seattle Seahawks.  Antoine, you were destined to be a Seahawk.  Watching one of your highlight reels is enough to give you chills and make you wonder "wait, this is during an NFL game?!" all the while making you smile because you're glad that players like Antoine Winfield still exist.

It's important that you know that you'd be filling some pretty big shoes.  Marcus Trufant, much like yourself, has always been a humble, hard-working guy who has deep-rooted ties to the area.  He's played here his whole life, from high school to the NFL.  Sadly, it seems that his run with the Hawks might be coming near an end, but I couldn't think of a more honorable replacement than Antoine Winfield.  In a dream scenario, the man we call Tru would be on the sidelines helping coach the crew we call the "Legion of Boom" to a Super Bowl victory this season.  I know you're a student of the game, so you've watched the film on the Seahawks secondary countless times, but you'd be a perfect fit.  The passion, the physicality, the reckless abandon, you've all got that gift.  Who knows, maybe you could even teach them a thing or two back there.  I wouldn't doubt it.  You're that damn good.

Regardless of the decision you make (unless it's Washington!), everyone will understand, especially us Seahawks fans.  At the end of the day, you've got to do what you've got to do as a man, especially one with a family.  However, from someone who made that trip all the way across the country a few years ago, I'll tell you that the city of Seattle and the state of Washington is my "home away from home."  Just ask Heath Farwell, Sidney Rice, Percy Harvin, and Darrell Bevell.  It won't ever replace Minnesota in your heart, but maybe there's a special place for you in Seattle lore.  A chance to be a part of history that not many get the chance to be a part of.  This team and this city is waiting to celebrate that 1st Lombardi Trophy.  They're waiting to have one of the craziest celebratory parades in sports history.  Come join the celebration.  Oh, and somebody's got to do the Bernie.

With Much Respect,

The 12th Man

And Michael Bennett?!!? That's just not fair!

Just when you thought it was safe to get back to living your normally scheduled life, John Schneider and Pete Carroll say "nah, F that BS!"  I was at work when I saw that the Hawks had signed Michael Bennett for a "measly" (to Paul Allen at least) $5 Million.  I couldn't contain myself for the rest of the shift and literally jogged home from the train chanting "SEA... HAWKS" under my breath.  Yeah, I'm pumped.  Bennett's 1 year deal is almost identical to the one signed by Jason Jones last season during Free Agency.  It gives Bennett the opportunity, like Cliff Avril before him, to improve his market value with a great showing in 2013.  Moves like this are becoming a John Schneider trademark, so I don't really know why I'm surprised.  I guess I just never thought I'd see the day where very good players were taking bargain contracts in order to get a chance to come play for a winner in Seattle.  Everyone in the Seahawks Front Office needs to take a bow right now for making this happen.

Bennett was the guy I was hoping Seattle would land this off-season.  Even more so than Desmond Bryant, I was hoping that Seattle would see what I saw and bring in Bennett to play all along the Seahawks line.  I expect him to line up at the 3-Tech in the Hawks Nickel D, while also spelling Red Bryant at the 5-Tech.  He should offer a nice change of pace on the outside, as Bryant is strictly a run-defender at this point.  Bennett offers much more in terms of pass-rush ability, while also being a stout defender against the run on the edge.

At this point, the rest of the NFL must be feeling like Tony "Duke" Evers (Apollo's trainer up above) right about now.  Yet again the Seahawks have been able to turn a position of weakness into a position of strength.  They acted quick and wisely.  The much-maligned pass rush just got a whole lot better with the addition of two of the best DL's that were on the market.  All at remarkable value for the club.  This deal, like the Avril one, injects the Hawks with talent for 2013 without tying their hands financially in the future.  Unbelievable work by John Schneider and no, typing that NEVER gets old.

Bennett's no stranger to the Pacific Northwest.  Signed by the Seahawks as a UDFA out of Texas A&M, Bennett had an excellent showing in Training Camp and the preseason before being cut for no apparent reason except for the team to keep OT Kyle Williams instead.  Williams went on to never do anything for the Hawks and it continues to serve as a reminder that Tim Ruskell did a pretty miserable job in Seattle.  I can't believe I once uttered the phrase "In Ruskell We Trust!" proudly.  My Seahawk fandom should be revoked for that but luckily it hasn't been and I've been able to watch the present unfold right before my eyes.

So Bennett is back in Seattle, but meanwhile back in Tampa, Bucs fans are none too pleased with the decision to let Bennett walk over $5 Million.

Bucs fans react to losing Bennett

It appeared that Bennett was going to allow the Bucs a chance to match any offer he received and that he wanted to end his career with Tampa Bay.  His agent later retracted those statements on his behalf, likely to preserve his value on the market, but the sentiment remains.  Bennett preferred staying in Tampa Bay and yet somehow John Schneider and co. came away with him for $5 Million on just a one year deal.  I'm in agreement with the Bucs fans in that thread, this is a major steal for the Seahawks and a great value signing. Bennett is now entering his prime and I could see him putting up a great season for the Seahawks.  He appears to be exactly what the Hawks were looking for in Jason Jones, only more durable and stronger against the run.  He lacks the speed and athleticism that Jones has, but the traits above more than make up for it.  You can't argue with the kind of production he's provided in Tampa Bay over the last two years.  The Avondale, Louisiana native has registered 13 sacks over the past two seasons since working his way from UDFA backup to starter.  His 9 sacks in 2012 were a career high and something that Seattle hopes he can build upon in 2013.

So what will the Seahawks think of next?  Could Charles Woodson be coming to town?  He's currently visiting with the 49ers but we've already heard Pete Carroll gush over him a few weeks ago.  Whoever they bring in next, it's sure to surprise almost everyone.  The beautiful part about all of this is that now, not having our 1st round pick doesn't seem so bad anymore when you consider we turned it into Percy Harvin and bolstered the pass rush with 2 guys that will probably be better this season than anyone we'd get at 25, especially on the defensive line.  It usually takes time for defensive linemen to develop, so counting on a bunch of rookies to get the job done might not have cut it when the team is this close to being Super Bowl ready.  Now, Schneider and Carroll can kick back and relax, crank up those reggae tunes, and let the draft come to them.  Maybe the rest of the NFL SHOULD just throw in the towel?