Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Say Goodnight to the Bad Guy!




"You need people like me. You need people like me so you can point your fuckin' fingers and say, "That's the bad guy." - Tony Montana AKA Scarface

Tony Montana would definitely be a Seattle Seahawk.  Pardon Tony's French here but this is still one of my all-time favorite quotes from one of my all-time favorite movies, and in a bizarre twist, it somehow applies to the Seattle Seahawks after last night. 


By now you all know what happened so I'll spare you the details.  Do I think it was a catch?  My heart tells me no, no it wasn't.  Do I feel apologetic about winning a game that way?  Again, no.  Wait, how bout HELL NO!  This notion that we as fans are supposed to bow down to the Packers is a tired one.  Do you think anybody would give a damn if it were the 'Hawks who had been on the other end of this?  Did ANYBODY give a damn in 98 when this happened?



How about in 2003 against Baltimore where a critical 10 second run off that would have sealed a win for the Seahawks was not applied.  And don't even get me started about Super Bowl XL.  These are just a few examples in a long, disheartening list of Seattle screwjobs.  And what's the prevailing thought and feeling around the NFL?  "Stop whining", "get over it", "deal with it", "bad calls are a part of the game", or my favorite "good teams find ways to overcome bad calls."  Now, suddenly, when the media darling Green Bay Packers are on the other side of the coin everyone with an opinion is voicing their outrage.  You also have the issue of the replacement referees but they were out there blowing calls against the Seahawks all night as well.  Tons of holding calls in the 2nd half that went uncalled and especially the egregious "pass interference" call against Kam Chancellor that helped the Packers score their only touchdown of the game.  Nobody seems to be making mention of that? 

Which brings me back to the ole cliche "good teams find ways to overcome bad calls."  Isn't it incredibly ironic that in a game where the Seahawks finally overcame horrid officiating to steal victory from the jaws of defeat the win is discredited by most because of spotty officiating against their opponent?  Unbeliveable.  You couldn't script this stuff!  In an even more comical twist, there appears to be a lot of backlash aimed directly at the Seahawks after this.  I fully expect to see the team get booed on the road far worse than they already would have in the remaining games this season.  The Seahawks, in one fell swoop, may see their image around the league transform from that of mysterious enigma that conjured up feelings of general disinterest to that of a team that many hold disdain for..  and I love it!

I hope to God that this team is fully prepared to embrace the image of the bad guy, like Tony Montana, and run with it.  One man who I know I will never have to question when it comes to embracing this attitude and demeanor is Brandon Browner.  Browner is, in my opinion, one of the nastiest cornerbacks to ever play the game.  He is such a unique player out there and I love his mean streak.  I know some have their problems with his knack for penalties of the personal foul variety and his pure mastery of the german suplex (Jerome Simpson) and the spinebuster (Greg Jennings) but I love the physicality with which he plays with and I don't think he needs to tone it down.  You wouldn't want to take that area of his game away from him if and risk him losing that edge.  I've watched this clip over and over again and still haven't gotten tired of it.  This is one of the reasons why I love you, Brandon Browner.






That's just embarrassing!  Owned..  Lost in all the media/fan/twitter hoopla over the game's final play was the outstanding play of the Seahawks defense.  12's, we asked for ages for a top defense and we now finally have one.  Just a downright scary group of nasty, intimidating, hard nosed, and most importantly TALENTED young men.  What's scary is that most of them are still improving as I type.  Bruce Irvin looked outstanding during the 1st half and really showed the world that he was worth a 1st round pick.  Chris Clemons had a legendary night that could have been even more productive if not for blatant holds that went uncalled during the 2nd half.  Clem was unstoppable and wasted no time in wiping the arrogant, smug smirk off of Aaron Rodgers' face.  Brandon Mebane was a terror as well and looks to be putting together an excellent campaign.  Again, if not for an awful call against Kam Chancellor on a 3rd and 2 that directly led to the Packers lone touchdown, we might be talking about how the Seahawks defense managed to keep two stellar offenses to single digits on the scoreboard in back to back weeks.  History had different plans.

Aside from a beautifully thrown touchdown pass from Russell Wilson to Golden Tate to open the scoring, the offense had a rough at the office.  If I'm to be honest, the offensive gameplan and the play calling left a lot to be desired and seemed fairly predictable.  Marshawn still ran well, especially when you consider the fact that the Packers were cueing in on the run all night after it became apparent that the Seahawks were as well.  However, I don't expect much to change with the philosophy or schematics on offense.  Pete Carroll, while I'm sure would love improvement, seems content with "winning dirty."  It might not make for exciting television, yet, but there are reasons to believe that there will be considerable improvement.  Besides, that's what the defense is there for!  Remember that this was only Game 3 of the Russell Wilson era and yet the team still sits at 2-1 and keeping pace with the upstart Arizona Cardinals.  I'll take it.  It's absolutely imperative now that the Seahawks erase this game from their memory and shift the focus to next Sunday's opponent, the St. Louis Rams.  The Rams have shown marked improvement under Jeff Fisher and you can never overlook a divisional road game.  The same intensity that went in to the Packers game MUST be carried over to the Rams contest or else we can expect a rude awakening by way of defeat.

Ultimately, no matter how hard anyone tries, they will NOT make me feel sorry for the Seahawks walking away from last night's showdown with a win.  Being a fan of the Seahawks has hardened me over the years when it comes to my outlook on life.  Nobody is ever going to feel bad for you in this life, especially in the NFL, so I refuse to feel bad for any other team.  I lost 80 dollars and a set of keys last night to go along with my voice and my sanity after I climbed up on the bar at Carlow East (shirtless) to celebrate the epic Hail Mary play that may define this season.  Think anybody feels bad for me?  Highly doubtful my friends, highly doubtful.  Just rest easy knowing the fact that the 12th Man was in full voice and incredible as usual and the Seattle Seahawks are 2-1 and one failed game winning drive in Arizona away from sitting at 3-0.  Say goodnight to the bad guy!  The last time you gonna see a bad guy like this again, let me tell you.  Take it away Tony!


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