The 2013 Seattle Seahawks aren't the prettiest team in the NFL. At least not yet. No, not by a long shot. However, take a look back at some of the past Super Bowl winners in recent NFL history and you'll see that most champions aren't the most aesthetically pleasing team or the one that's easiest on the eye. Instead, they are the toughest. Living in New York City, I've had the recent misfortune of bearing witness to two improbable Super Bowl runs by the New York Giants. It wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for their insufferable fans and their "2-6... We got 'em right where we want 'em!" type attitude, because the actual teams that won those Super Bowls were impressive from a toughness standpoint. The same can be said for the Packers in 2010, who won 3 straight road playoff games before finally knocking off Pittsburgh in the Super Bowl and taking home the Lombardi. And I don't need to elaborate further on the Ravens with that Super Bowl run still fresh on everyone's mind. The point is, not many would have said those teams would be the eventual Super Bowl champions if you polled the nation at the season's midway point.
Much like the Seahawks, my journey to watch every Seahawks game this season, hasn't always been the prettiest. From sleeping at airports, to losing things, to having a tooth pulled, it's not been the easiest road. That's a good thing though, because it's those rough spots that breed character and toughness. If the road were paved with gold, it'd be half the experience and probably wouldn't even be worth it to me. The struggle makes it way more satisfying. That's why I'm really enjoying these games this season, a hell of a lot more than if I were watching them at home. And obviously, no offense to the beautiful people at Carlow East.
When I was watching games back at home, I'd make the 'Hawks game the focus of my week, I'm not ashamed to admit it. A Seahawks win and I'm feeling like a million bucks. A loss and I want to crawl under a rock until about Thursday, then drink heavily over the weekend until it's time for next week's game to roll around. Such is the life of a diehard, especially for an out-of-state fan like myself. Putting so much stock into these games meant that actually watching them was the most amazing form of torture ever. I'd enjoy the games, of course, in my own sick way. Watching Seahawks games is one of my favorite things to do in life. Life just wouldn't be the same without it.
Thankfully though, this season has been different. Getting to travel and see tailgates around the country and meeting new people in new places has actually helped me enjoy the games more and not get so high or low after a single given play. Having said all that, this past Sunday against the Buccaneers tested the fibers of my fandom. It was a game where, as a fan, you had to decide whether you were going to believe or whether everything you previously thought about your team just got shot in the face with a shotgun.
My girlfriend was nice enough to drive me to Laguardia Airport in Queens, waking up super early like a champ and helping me get my shit together. I'm eternally grateful for my lady and the sacrifices she's made this season to support my craziness. My first flight to Chicago was the most surreal feeling I've ever had in my life. I swear I thought I was dreaming. Picture getting on a normal sized jet, only to see that it's only you and maybe 20 others on the plane with you. Empty seats everywhere. I felt like I was at a Tampa Bay Rays game. Be thankful, I spared you there M's fans.
The rest of my travel out was pretty uneventful, except for trying to land a plane on one of the windiest days of the year to date. Things got dicey there for a minute, but we made it safely to Sea-Tac. Then, it was on to Pioneer Square for me. I had wanted to check out what was going on down by Mecca aka CenturyLink, when all of a sudden I realized that I had inadvertently found myself in ground zero of a Sounders/Timbers playoff game! 16 year old Dave would have known the game was going down, but ten years later I was oblivious to it. I gotta say though, it was a pretty awesome environment to randomly come across. Sounders fans definitely bring it and it's cool that they bring it in their own unique way.
The game didn't go as hoped, and things eventually got worse as the Timbers sealed the deal last night, but it was still a great experience. I tried to watch the game with a Bucs fan from Philly and his buddy. The Bucs fan had the textbook American approach to futbol/soccer, in that it's the most boring game ever and it sucks. And that watching paint dry is better. I disagree, but I digress. When I told my newfound Bucs compadre that I thought the Bucs would keep things close with Seattle, he laughed and said "We suck! We won't even score a touchdown!"
After a night at the Tac, I spent the early morning trying to find a ticket for the day's game. It's a weird feeling not having a ticket until gameday, but each week I feel more and more comfortable with the fact that no matter what, I'll find a way in. Luckily, I had someone looking out for me. A fellow 12 that many know as Riley was kind enough to point me in the direction of another diehard 12 with an extra ticket to sell. Even without having a phone, just like that I had myself a ticket for face value. $76. Not bad. Little did I know what awaited me.
I hustled like Russell down to the stadium and even though it was only 9 in the morning, things were spring to life. Every time I go to Seattle now, I fall more and more in love with the gameday culture. It's a thing of beauty and it's all centered around the Seahawks and the 12th Man. It's a Seahawks Nirvana. If I could capture that feeling and take it with me everywhere, I'd never lose in life, I'm sure of it. I scooped up my ticket from a 12 named Virgil. He could have sold his ticket for a profit, but instead he was kind enough to sell it to face for me. We talked shop outside of Touchdown City for a minute with another diehard named Rooster. You've probably seen his Sea-Believe signs up on the JumboTron, and it was perfectly fitting when it showed up there during the 3rd Quarter of this week's game.
Temple Billiards was the next spot on the agenda, as I met up with Dom and his lady, Todd and his, Jordan, Matt, and a friend of Matt's. All good people and people that I've met before that I enjoy sharing a beer with and talking 'Hawks. We all agree that while our hearts would appreciate a nice beatdown of the winless Bucs, it probably wasn't in the cards judging by how things had been going lately. When we were about to leave, we got treated to one of my favorite parts of the Seahawks gameday culture, the Blue Thunder. They're intense, passionate, and do their jobs better than they've ever been done before. Of course they'd be the Seahawks drumline.
How could you not get hyped up after seeing that?! Game time was now upon us so I made the trek over to the CLink, got through security, and made my way to my seat. To my amazement, I was at the base of the Hawks Nest and just a few rows from the first row of the North End Zone. Without question, the best seat I've ever had in my life for a football game. My Dad once got tickets to a Giants/Mets playoff game for us back in the day, about 3 rows back on the 3rd Base Line, so those were pretty awesome. However, these were just as nice.
So here I am, thinking this is absolutely perfect and there's no way things can get any better. It's almost scripted perfectly enough to wear I can see the Seahawks mauling of the Bucs coming. Too bad things don't usually unfold that way in real life. They were gashing the Hawks on the ground, Mike Glennon was looking competent, and the Seahawks were turning the ball over. Not only that, but Mike Carey was in charge of this one, which meant that everyone in the stadium and at home was going to remember who refereed this game. In Mike Carey's world, Sundays are about Mike Carey, not the game of football. This game was no different. That "Pass Interference" call on Earl Thomas III, if you can even call it that without your fists balling up, goes up there with the Golden Tate "Offensive Pass Interference" in Indy as the worst calls against the 'Hawks on the season. Both calls have me worried about the future of the NFL, to be quite honest with you.
Still, no matter how bleak things looked, you just had to know that it wasn't going down like this. Russell Wilson's career home unbeaten streak and the team's unbeaten streak at home in general were not about to fall to the 0-7 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Running backs throwing for touchdown passes be damned, this wasn't how things were going to be remembered in the not-so-distant future. So, despite the injuries to the OLine, and the inability to stop Mike "Not LeBron" James, and "The Buzzard" Sean Glennon, as Jordan nicknamed him, looking fairly capable and confident in the pocket, the Seahawks managed to dig deep and bring it back.
At one point late in the game, when everything was at it's craziest and the CLink had their collective hearts in their throats, I focused on Russell Wilson. He was slowly walking on to the field, focused as usual, with his hands in his handwarmer and his head down. I thought to myself how amazingly calm he was, despite the grim-seeming scenario that lay in front of him. It was at that moment that I realized the Seahawks were going to win the game and that I didn't need to worry anymore. I've learned not to count this team out and it just seemed like the Bucs had everything go their way in the early stages of the game and that it wouldn't stay that way.
So #3 led the way and despite a potentially backbreaking INT in the end zone, the Seahawks showed the resiliency that we've all come to know and love and fought their way into OT. It was there that they finally put the finishing touches on their pesky rivals from the South and Seahawks fans could breath easy, for once, because the 'Hawks were now 8-1! That's a first in Seahawks history. The 21 point deficit that they had just erased and overcome? That was a Seahawks first too. That's pretty cool. Play of the game you might ask? I'd say it had to be Golden Tate's punt return! Man is he electrifying! Please excuse the insanity towards the end of the video, but this is how it looked from my spot in the stands.
Cash-strapped and without a place to stay, I thought a night at Sea-Tac was in the cards before Jordan said I could crash at his place. Staying there for a day made me realize that Northern Seattle has to be one of the most beautiful places on earth. How anyone could ever leave there is beyond me. Sadly, all good things come to an end and I was the one who had to leave. After walking around Seattle for a little while, I decided to call it a trip and head back to Sea-Tac for my flight. One thing I love about flying out on a Sunday or a Monday night, is that there's always a game to watch at the airport as I wait. That Bears/Packers game was pretty solid, but did anyone else notice how different the officiating in that game was from the one the day prior in Seattle? Just something to think about. I get the feeling that the Seahawks are now playing the game by a different set of rules than most.
At this point? Who gives a damn. Bring it on, I say. It'll just add to the struggle and make that first Super Bowl, one you always knew the Seahawks would make you suffer for anyway, that much more special. Just make sure to enjoy the ride, because when it's all said and done, it's those memories that are all you've got. Fire Bevell, poor run defense, are the receivers getting separation? It's easy to get caught up in those things on a weekly basis and to lose sight of the fact that the Seahawks are 8-1, this never happens, and each game has it own little story that we'll remember for the rest of our lives. Or at least until early onset dementia sets in. But until then, GO Hawks!
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