Friday, September 28, 2012

Remember the Hate



Coming off a short week and a wave of controversy, the Seahawks are now going full gear in preparation for the St. Louis Rams.  Under Pete Carroll we've seen the team show the ability to respond to tough losses and while this isn't a loss, you wouldn't think that if you've read anything from mainstream or social media this week.  Why do I do that again?  For the most part it's just a bunch of senseless drivel driven by a mob mentality and a desire to get more hits, views, and readership and eventually make some serious cash.  But I digress..

Simply put, the 2012 version of the Rams can't be taken lightly.  I've always been a big fan of Jeff Fisher and I'm glad he's back on the sidelines.  However, I'm not too thrilled that he's a member of the Rams because that's only sure to make them a better franchise.  And I don't want that.  I never want that, no offense Rams fans I'm sure you're great people.  See, it was only a few short years ago that the Rams were the Seahawks most hated rival and the mere mention of Isaac Bruce or Torry Holt got my blood pumpin.  I remember going to the NFL Draft with my friends one year when Holt was a draft analyst.  I let him have it all afternoon, called him soft, told him Ken Hamlin was going to annihilate him, the works.  I look back at it now and it's funny to think how much I "hated" this dude.  Then again, I love "sports hate."  Sports hate is one of the rights of passage of being a fan and as long as you don't go all De Niro in the Fan, you should be good.  




I'll never forget October 10, 2004.  One of the worst days of my life in general and as a Seahawks fan.  Just thinkin about it now makes me think "how and why the hell did that happen?!"  The Seahawks were seriously looking at a 4-0 start and were hosting the rival Rams who were 3-1 at the time.  It was seriously one of the last times the NFC West had multiple competitive teams prior to the present.  Well, you know the story so I don't want to cut open some old wounds TOO deep..  but the Seahawks blew a 24-7 Halftime lead and ended up losing the game in overtime on a bomb from Marc Bulger to Shaun McDonald.  I was 17 at the time and don't remember too many more times in my life since then that I've been that pissed.  Watching the Seahawks slowly crumble and implode like they were the Kingdome was one of my worst sports memories ever, and still is.  Seeing Isaac Bruce stand over his helmet at midfield, taunting the 12th Man evoked some of the strongest feelings I've ever had watching sports.  I can look back at it now and just shake my head and smirk but during the heat of the moment the feelings weren't so fuzzy.




8 years and a myriad of changes have occurred since then.  The NFL is truly an ever changing league and these two teams are almost entirely different.  In fact, the only player from either team that will play in the game this Sunday is Seahawks Corner and local living legend Marcus Trufant.  No, seriously, that's it.  1 guy from 2 teams and it's only been 8 years.  So I'm not expecting any of the players to really have the same contempt for each other as the fans might.  However, I do think that if Pete Carroll can tap in to some of this energy while getting the team ready it could go a long way in avoiding the trap that this game presents.  The 'Hawks have won 13 of the last 14 meetings between these two, something I thought would never, ever happen back in 04.  The Rams are definitely tired of getting kicked around and Jeff Fisher's sure to have them ready to attack Seattle, the team coming off a short week and a ton of controversy.  He's been around the game a long time and I'd say the odds are good that he knows which buttons to press to ensure that his team comes out fired up for this one.  Meanwhile, the Seahawks offense has struggled to get on track early so far this season and outside of the 2nd half of the Cowboys game it hasn't been pretty for the most part.  Enter the defense.

I think it's going to be absolutely imperative that the defense try and match the same energy and intensity that they've brought each of the first three games early on in this one.  It'll be tough to bring that kind of intensity every week but that's what champions do, except for the Giants but kudos to them for getting it done, I guess.  That's also what elite defenses do.  They set the tone for the game and the offense just feeds off of that.  

If you'll remember the Monday Night Game last season the Hawks tried two halfback passes against the Rams and didn't execute either of them.  That's besides the point.  Pete Carroll could even be seen chuckling about it on the sidelines.  That's the exact opposite of the kind of mindset that will be needed on Sunday.  This team's going to have to come out pissed, focused, and with a Ralphie May sized chip on their shoulder in this tangle.  More importantly, that respect for the Rams as a divisional opponent also has to be there.  No divisional opponent can be taken lightly.  We need not look any further than Week 1 for evidence of that.  The Rams nearly stunned Detroit and DID stun Kory Lichtensteiger and the Redskins, showing Jeff Fisher's propensity for physical teams by roughing up RGIII in the process.  So while this team can eventually be broken by Seattle's physical nature, they most certainly will not back down.

So embrace the hate.  Watch some clips from that game in '04 no matter how much it hurts.  Remember that feeling you had when Ken Hamlin finally stepped up to Isaac Bruce as the cameras cut away from the newly named Qwest Field that October day.  Remember the feeling you had when Bobby Engram collided with the back judge who shouldn't have even been stadning there in the first place later that year.  Remember how bad it hurt when Bobby had a chance at redemption in the playoffs but couldn't quite haul it in (don't worry Bobby we'll always love you!) Remember that while the guys wearing the uniforms on the other sideline might be different, they are still wearing the same jersey.  Still those same blue and gold helmets that used to drive us insane whenever we'd see Marshall Faulk, Isaac Bruce, Marc Bulger, or Torry Holt playing to the referees and getting away with it.  Remember that you hate the St. Louis Rams and that like a lion tackling a gazelle it'll always be there because it's ingrained in your DNA.

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