Friday, September 27, 2013

Livin' the dream ain't easy, but it sure is fun!


After a record-setting night against your hated rivals, it'd be easy for there to be a letdown.  Not in a championship season though, and not when your fearless leader is one 'Russell Wilson.'  Maybe Seahawks teams of yesteryear find a way of making this past week's game closer than it ever should have been, but guess what, these ain't your granddaddy's Seahawks!

Much like the 2013 Seattle Seahawks, there can be no letdowns for yours truly.  After an insane day of sleeping in airports and traveling back East, it was back to work to continue to try and live the dream.  It's amazing what going to the games will do to your mindset as a fan.  In years past, I couldn't wait for Sunday to arrive.  My whole week, and the ensuing week emotionally, would hinge around the Seahawks.  I know,  doesn't sound too healthy, but I know each and every one of you knows or has known what I'm talking about.  Now, being in attendance allows me to enjoy the game and the gameday experience, while also going home and then having to focus on my real life responsibilities as well.  Family, relationship, friends, work, they all become increasingly more real and important to deal with.  Now, I look forward to the weekends but still try and stay grounded in today.

Once I was done with work at around 2 AM on Friday night, I headed for Newark where my 5 AM flight to Seattle by way of Charlotte awaited me.  Two of my best friends were hanging out, and I was definitely tempted to join them for a little while and cut it close with my flight, but the love of the Seahawks prevailed and I was on my way.  Sort of.  The trains weren't running to New Jersey from Manhattan yet, so I had to spring for a cab.  I somehow hustled the guy into only charging me $70 instead of the usual $90 or $100, and it was off to Newark.  Hustle like Russell baby.

When I finally landed in Seattle at around 10 in the morning, I saw a Jaguars fan that had taken the flight from Charlotte to Seattle.  I wished him good luck and we spoke briefly about the upcoming game.  He tells me that he really hopes that it rains to try and even things up a little bit.  Old Dave would have shot back with a "are you serious?  You don't want none of that!"  But new Dave has a little more tact and a lot more confidence in the Seahawks.  I just smiled and said "yeah man, hopefully it's a good game."  Jaguars fans are a pretty good bunch in general.  They realize how awful their squad is at the moment, have some humility and great self-deprecating humor, and generally know football well.  Can't help but respect that, and I sincerely hope that Gus Bradley helps get things turned around down south.

I didn't have any plans for Saturday, so I figured why not find a spot to watch some college football.  The upstart Cougs were set to take on Idaho, and the much hated but red-hot Huskies were set to face Idaho State.  When I entered the Lodge sports grill right by the stadium, my senses were overwhelmed with college football.  Utah State hangin' in there against USC, Florida and Tennessee goin' at it, Michigan State and Notre Dame fighting tooth and nail for a W in South Bend, it was really a great way to start up the weekend.  Especially after so much travel.  I got to just sit, drink some beers, and veg out.  Sounds like the recipe for a perfect Saturday to me.

Sitting next to me was a diehard Michigan fan who had come to watch the Michigan/UConn game with his wife.  Much to his surprise, the bar didn't carry the channel that the game was on and I could see the pain in this man's eyes.  Rage, anger, sadness, that why me feeling.  Apparently he hadn't missed a Michigan game in 22 years.  Much respect on such an amazing streak.  No need to fear though, my lovely girlfriend had charged my Kindle Fire for me before I left for the airport, so there was still hope.  All we needed was an internet password.  After securing that, we watched as Michigan struggled mightily with the more respectable version of the Huskies.  Actually, I'm not a UConn fan either, so maybe it's just all Huskies in general that I loathe?  Anyways, we didn't stop believing, no matter how hard we wanted to, and Michigan pulled it off.  It wasn't the prettiest win, but as we're learning with the Seahawks, style points matter none.

Turns out this gentleman's name was also David.  He was so pleased to have gotten to watch the game, that he bought me some drinks and paid for my tab!  I couldn't believe the generosity of this man until he took it one step further and secured me lodging for the Vikings/Seahawks game later this year at a very fine hotel in downtown Seattle.  It just so happens that that's the same hotel the Minnesota Vikings stay at when they are in town.  Something tells me that I'll be blasting music at 4 AM the night before kickoff.  This man also wants to help try and get me an interview for an internship at some point, as he used to work for the Minnesota Vikings.  It was a great night and it just had that magical feeling to it.  Like we were both supposed to be there, at that bar, on that night.

Then, it was on to my buddy Eric's house.  It's always a good time with Easy E, and it probably would have been better had I not passed out from exhaustion.  The travel and workload from the week before had gotten the better of me, but I can already tell that my body is adjusting to this new lifestyle.  When we woke up the next morning, it was time to look for some tickets.  Luckily, my Seahawk brethren had my back!  I immediately found a pair of tickets that a buddy named Vijay was selling.  His son was sick and due to the poor weather, he didn't want to risk taking him to the game and getting him more sick.  I pounced on the tickets like I was Michael Bennett, and Vijay was even kind enough to drive them out to me.  Thanks Vijay!


The Seahawks have some special powers y'all.  Eric was having a bit of a rough weekend, although he did his best not to show it and was a great host.  His 8 month old Pitbull had run away just days earlier, so as you could imagine that was weighing heavily on his mind.  I'm glad I got to take him to the Hawks game because it gave us some time to focus on some awesome distractions.  The energy at and around CenturyLink Field is definitely contagious.  You can't help but feel pumped up when you make the voyage to the game.  Once you pass through security and make your way for your seats, you have no choice but to be intoxicated by Seahawks football.  Eric used to play in High School in Tacoma, so he understands and appreciates the nuances of the game.  It was great to be able to watch the game a)with somebody, especially after watching the Niners/Hawks alone and b)with someone who loves the game, life, most importantly...  the Seahawks.


And just like that, it was game time!  Not before some brews with the .Net crew at Temple Billiards, of course.  What a great group of people who genuinely love the Seahawks and life.  They especially love life when the Seahawks win.  My kind of people.  Thanks again to Jordan for the invite!  All week, I had expected that the Hawks would use the Jacksonville game to address the loss of Left Tackle Russell Okung and try and get their feet underneath them without him.  I expected a ton of running and a quick game that would be rather painless for the Jags.  31-3 sounded right to me.  That was a result that would still see the Hawks covering the game's ginormous spread with ease.  A testament of how far this team and organization have come.  Vegas is putting up 19.5 point spreads.  That just doesn't happen in the NFL.  As far as my "prediction" for the game goes, boy was I WAY off!

What ensued was a slicing and dicing of the Jaguars secondary, both literally and figuratively.
Kudos to .Net member Johnny for making this awesome GIF!
That's just mean, Golden!  And I love it!  And that was on one of the first plays of the game!  Way to put a hat on somebody and set the tone for what was to come.  If you're the poor Jaguar, Dwight Lowery, you've just got to keep your head on a swivel.  Golden's the toughest 5'10" 180 pounds I've ever seen in my life, but he still shouldn't be embarrassing you like that with your family probably watching back at home.

The rest of the game was a lot like this play.  The Hawks just straight up overwhelmed the Jaguars and the gulf in class was obvious from the opening whistle.  Much to their credit though, Gus Bradley's Jags hung in there and continued to play tough throughout the whole game.  They did not give up in this one, which is more than what I can say about the 49ers.

This was a fun one to be at because the Hawks were making incredible plays all over the place, especially on offense, and especially the receiving core.  Russell and Golden have nearly perfected that back-shoulder, jump-ball type throw that we saw executed to perfection last season against the Jets for a TD.  Russell Wilson does an excellent job of taking advantage of defenders who are face-guarding the Seahawks receivers and Golden especially, does an outstanding job of locating the ball, but not getting his hands up too quick and alerting the defender of the incoming pass.  It's a beautiful thing to watch.  Also, Sidney Rice had a sterling performance and his second touchdown catch was particularly impressive.  Those were 2 men that are getting paid at least 6 figures to stop something like that from happening, and they failed miserably.

My favorite play of the game is still undecided.  It's a toss up between the TD pass from Tarvaris Jackson to Doug Baldwin and the pump-fake, spin and throw for a TD to Zach Miller.  Zach had an especially nice game, accentuated with 2 TD catches, and the rest of the Tight Ends looked capable as well.  Luke Willson had a nice day, which was good to see, and even newly-acquired 3rd stringer Kellen Davis had a nice showing.  If the Hawks can get this type of production from the Tight End position, they will truly be a nightmare to gameplan against once Percy Harvin returns from injury.  Hell, they already are!

It wasn't all roses, however.  The running game still appeared to be inconsistent and stuck in neutral, and the backups appeared to let up later in the game, especially in the secondary.  Still, one of the things that I love about these Seahawks is that you just knew that they wouldn't be satisfied with their performance.  Low and behold, just hours after the game, and the players are talking about how that type of performance was unacceptable and that they must improve upon it next week at Houston.  It'd be insane to harp on the "bad" for too long though, so some pleasant surprises were seeing Tarvaris in the game as well as throwing a beautiful bomb of a touchdown pass to Doug Baldwin.  Doug signed my Russell Wilson jersey in Training Camp and I told him that he was going to have a great season.  I'm not going to take credit for his impressive start to the season.  No wait, yes I am! 

It was also great to see Christine Michael out there, finally.  All the hype seems justified, as you can just see his explosiveness the second he touches the ball.  He runs with a purpose, although he does run a little bit reckless at times, which is probably why he's had problems with fumbles throughout his college career.  He'll be fine and it appears the Seahawks have another good, young one on their hands.  If I had the creativity and the talent to build a statue of Pete Carroll and John Schneider that would do them justice, I would.  It would be my life's mission.  Like Michelangelo painting the Sistine Chapel ceiling, it would be my defining moment in life.

And before you knew, 45-17 was the final and the Seahawks were victorious.  Not only that, but they covered the ridiculously high spread with ease.  Fun stuff.  What wasn't fun was me losing something that I covet deeply.  However, this loss was a possession, and it can and will be replaced.  In fact, within minutes of hearing about my loss, fellow Seahawks fans reached out to see if I needed help.  It's the type of thing I'm seeing on a weekly basis with the 12th Man.  There's a legitimate love for being a part of the 12th Man, there's love for your fellow 12th Man, and people are putting the "Earn Everything" philosophy to practice in their lives and making the Seahawks and this earth a better place.  It's all about perspective.  My friend lost his dog, a real life.  I was in no position to get too down over my loss with that in mind.

Me and Eric would wind the night down at Temple, where it started, with some brews with Todd, the creator of Seahawks.Net, and his best friend.  Just some great times with some great people, covering all kinds of topics, but mostly relishing the Seahawks 3-0 start.  We wrapped things up and headed home, with that sweet feeling of victory helping give solace to our feeling of loss.  I told you the Seahawks were special.

I wrapped up my stay in Seattle with a day downtown before heading to Sea-Tac to begin the voyage home.  Funny enough, I saw that same Jaguars fan that I had seen at Sea-Tac a few days earlier.  He was walking near Pike Place Market with his friends and he pointed me out and said "hey, it didn't turn out to be such a good game."  I told him good game and that I was impressed with the fight his squad showed.  I wasn't fibbing either.  As I waited for my flight to Charlotte, then Newark, with a 9:30 AM expected arrival in New Jersey the next day, I watched the Broncos pick apart the Raiders on Monday Night Football.  No doubt that the Broncos are clicking and will be the major force of the AFC, but something tells me, maybe it's just me being a homer, but something tells me that they can be beaten.  Another backbreaking Peyton Manning INT in January?  Possibly.  All this talk of the big bad Broncos doesn't have me scared one bit.  No one wants to play the Seattle Seahawks.

2 flights and 2 trains later and I was finally home.  No time to sleep though, as it was back to work in a few short hours.  Still, the adrenaline from such a great win spent with such great people was enough to carry me through the day, and it's actually carried me throughout the whole week.  Next up is Houston, a game that me and many others have had circled ever since the NFL released each team's schedule back in mid-April.  There's sure to be good food, good times, and good football and it could also possibly bring the first ever 4-0 start in Seattle Seahawks history.  Could it happen?  Everything that I've witnessed so far this season, up until this point, leads me to believe that hell yes it can happen, and it most likely will!

GO Hawks!!!

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Crackin' skulls and crushin' spirits

Look at us trying to recreate a picture of Russell Wilson surrounded by his O-Line
Was it all real?  I still don't know.  After a whirlwind of a weekend in Charlotte for the season opener, I returned home where it was right back to work.  Before I could attempt to be a part of the Guinness World Record attempt, I'd have to work every day straight through Saturday night, before flying out to Seattle early Sunday morning.  In the words of Pete Carroll, earn everything.  Knowing that the path in front of me was going to be littered with roadblocks would have probably deterred me or brought me down back in the day, now, it's part of the fun.  That desire to earn everything was instilled in me by a football team and it's coach.  Some (non-Seahawks fans) might find that pathetic, I find it poetic and absolutely amazing that a football team could change so many peoples lives for the better.

So when I chugged that last bit of Guinness in my mug and stepped into the cab my best friend hailed for me at around 4:30 on technically Sunday morning, I knew the time had finally come.  All the hype, all the preparation, all the bad blood was finally going to mean something.  I have to admit, I wasn't completely 100% confident about this matchup during the week buildup or while I was traveling.  It's pretty much a 9 hour trip for me from New York City to Seattle.  I look for the best flight deals possible, obviously, so most of the time I'm catching a connection to Seattle in Charlotte.  I'm not fond of flying, so it's a pretty boring and miserable time for me.  Even if I've got magazines to read or something to watch, I'm just not a big fan.  Plus, I always completely forget that I'm an adult and I'm allowed to drink on an aircraft now.

One thing I did do a lot of while being suspended in the sky, was think.  I did a whole lot of thinking.  About a whole bunch of things but mainly the 'Hawks/Niners game that was about to go down later that day.  You start thinking of all the possibilities, both good and bad, and the outcome that seems most probable to your mind.  For some reason, I couldn't get passed the fact of how awful Colin Kaepernick handled the CLink in his last visit.  The rain, coupled with the ferocious play of the Seahawks defense, helped make it a miserable night for young Colin.  This would be different, however, or so the national media would have you believe.

We finally touched down in Sea-Tac at around noon local time and was quickly greeted by the sounds of football.  TV's were on in the terminals and as I walked out of the gate I was greeted by someone on the Green Bay Packers scoring a touchdown and leaping into the stands at Lambeau.  The day's early games were winding down and I had missed mostly all of them, save for this one moment from the Packers game, and I could hardly care at all.  That's not entirely true though, since I did check my phone to make sure that the Rams lost to the Falcons.  Everything else though?  Of no importance to me at the time.

The weather was absolutely perfect.  It had that fog in the air and that Seattle feel to it.  It just looked like what people might think of as the typical Seattle day.  First up on the agenda was a trip on the Light Rail to the International District to meet up with a legend.  I meet this legend, Leif, in a legendary place that I had never been to before.  King Street Bar and Oven is a staple in Seahawks gameday culture and Leif is one of the Seahawks biggest fans.  For those that think that my beard is getting long, you haven't the faintest clue of what a real beard looks like until you see this one.  It is most definitely a "championship beard."

He hands me a Rainier (thanks again Leif!) and ironically enough we're standing by a TV that has the Broncos/Giants game on.  The Broncos fumble inside the 5 yard line and I start to think that maybe the Giants might pull it off?  Boy, was I ever wrong about that.  Eli Manning is definitely trying out for the "reckless gunslinger" role now that we're ALMOST 100% sure that we've rid ourselves of Brett Favre.

In the short time that we were at King Street, I was able to meet Chuck McGowan (pictured above on the left) as well as Neil AKA Kiltman.  This was pretty damn cool because I always check out Chuck's 12th Fan View and have been for a few years now.  It's been a great way to try and experience the Seahawks home games despite being thousands of miles away.  Kiltman, on the other hand, was one of the "crazy fans" that I would see on TV whenever the 'Hawks were playing at home.  I saw people like Neil and thought to myself, it must be pretty damn cool to be one of those people.  I don't know if I so much aspired to ever be a Seahawks fan of that level, probably subconsciously somewhere, but I always knew that I respected the hell out of them.

And just like that, me and my bearded new amigo took off for a gathering of .Netters at Temple Billiards.  Seahawks.Net has always been one of the most important keys to me being such a diehard fan of the team.  For about 10 years now, I've always been able to find the quickest Seahawks news, most intelligent discussion on the team, as well as some damn hilarious stuff being said pretty much all the time.  I remember seeing pictures of Temple Billiards meetups in the past and thinking, "one day I'll be there."  And finally, I was.  And you couldn't ask for a nicer, more generous bunch of great people.  The game ended up being great, but finally getting to meet everyone was just as awesome.  We'll be throwing it down again in Houston for the Texans game, and I gotta be honest, that's been one of my favorite games on the schedule since it came out.  I've never been to Texas before, but I've heard some nice things about Houston.  It sounds like the perfect place to invade in Blue and Green!

Soon, it would be time to head to the stadium for the night's festivities and the night's real main event.  Random guys compulsively check their watches, announcing the time to anyone that would listen.  The day of reckoning was now truly upon us.  The moment we had all been waiting for had come.  A chance to prove to the NFL that the NFC's most viable contender resides in the Pacific Northwest, as well as a chance to prove to the WORLD that the world's loudest fans reside there as well.  As I walk down Occidental Avenue towards CenturyLink Field, the senses are overwhelmed.  The smell of weed and cigarettes clash with visuals of 49ers fans walking proudly with a smug look on their face and a glimmer of hope still left in their eyes.  Meanwhile, the constant barrage of "GO Seahawks" and "GO Hawks!!!" from 12's everywhere is all you hear.  You can tell from the get-go that this group of people is ready to make history.

The collective mass continues forward, stopping only for the security search immediately before entrance.  I can't get the change out of my back pocket and it keeps setting off the metal detectors.  For a brief moment in time, I'm "that guy."  You know the one, the one who's ruining everything else for everyone.  Even the security guard looks pissed that I'm slowing things down for him.  I finally get the change out, pull out my ticket that I only purchased the night prior (somehow, I found 1 seat for $200.  That's a miracle for anyone who was following ticket prices for this game all off-season like I was.)  It's almost time for the 12th Man flag to be raised and after tons of speculation, it's Shaun Alexander who gets the call.  

Like I told .Net's creator, Todd, I'd love it to be Alexander because of everything he did for the 'Hawks on the field, but I was also a little worried because I know his perception around the fanbase as a whole isn't always a great one.  I wasn't the biggest fan of his running style, in fact I used to shamefully call him 'Alexdancer' back in the day (sorry Shaun) and I even went as far as to say his career would be done once he lost Hutch and Walt, but now that I've been able to sit back and reflect upon his career and time with the team I've got to say that I have nothing but respect for the man.  Still, there were more than a few boos coming from the fans around me in Section 334.

This also now marks the second week in a row where I haven't paid attention to the Coin Toss or the announcement from the refs.  Both times now I've missed the Seahawks deferring.  I'm a big fan of it and I hope they keep with it throughout the season.  It appears the defense has now hit that level where they can be trusted on almost every single drive, so allowing them to set the tone for the game while also giving the offense the ball to start things in the second half is as win-win as it gets.  What a nightmare for the opposition.  You've gotta love it!

Another thing I questioned all week was whether or not it was actually possible to beat the existing Guinness World Record for the loudest crowd, especially without any prompts or anything like that from the team.  I was worried that if we didn't break the record, some part of that feeling of invincibility at the CLink would be gone.  Well, the 12th Man brought their A+++ games and made my look like a little child for worrying at all.  The second the 49ers ran onto the field for their first play of the night on offense, the place went ballistic.  Every single person around me (save for the three people sitting directly to my left) brought the noise on that opening drive and helped set the tone for what the night would look like for our "friends" from the Bay.

Still, the Seahawks offense looked sluggish.  The normally heroic Russell Wilson appeared mortal, the OLine struggled to provide time or space for much of anything, and we appeared to be headed for a slugfest of the 12-9 variety.  I was perfectly okay with that and having seen the team's performance in Carolina, I wouldn't have really blinked an eye.  As long as they come out with a W I'd be good.  The next thing I know, Jon "Better than Brendan" Ryan is swarmed by 4 or 5 49ers as he tries to get off a punt and the thing gets blocked.  It never stood a shot really.  People start mentioning about a fake whistle but I didn't really hear it, although I did hear one later in the game and thought about what type of an idiot you have to be to a) do that during a game and b) to think that it's actually funny.  So with the 49ers taking over in Seattle territory, this wasn't looking like the start most Seattle fans envisioned.  The drive, however, would not finish the way 49ers fans would want it to either, with Colin Kaepernick trying to fire a fastball into a sea of 'Hawks defenders.  Walter Thurmond III was there to get a piece of the ball and it went flying into the air and into the waiting arms of Earl Thomas III.  Lovely teamwork from the third descendants on that one.

Offensively, the Seahawks were still challenged.  Russell Wilson seemed a bit off for sure and the running game was hit or miss, although Marshawn was gashing San Fran for a nice gain hear and there.  Consistency still alluded the unit however, and it appeared to be another long day at the office for Darrell Bevell and the boys.  That is until the skies opened up, the rain began to fall, and the display in the air that Seahawks fans hoped to see this night came from the lightning storm above, not Russell Wilson's right arm.  With the refs calling the game to a hault I realized that I'd never been to a football game that was delayed due to weather before.  While I definitely wanted to watch the game, this added to the surreal experience.  All you could do was sit and wait, or spend some $ on some ridiculously overpriced beer or food.  

As the announcement came that it was getting closer to the restart of the game, Cris Collinsworth makes some slobbish comment about how this delay, just like the one at the Super Bowl last year, works to the 49ers advantage because crowd's don't bounce back well from delays, or something along those lines.  The entire crowd boos in his general direction as if to state "you have no idea what you're talking about.  Do you?"  Soon, the players were back on the field and finishing warmups and it was time to pick up where we left off in this defensive struggle for supremacy in the NFC West.

Only the 49ers didn't get the memo apparently.  To steal a line from the Chappelle Show, what ensued over the next 3 hours or so was one of the most spectacular ass-whoopings ever witnessed in the Pacific Northwest.  The wave of noise not only gave me the most awesome headache of my life, but it completely sabotaged any chance the 49ers would have of making a game out of this one.  The Seahawks weren't at their sharpest, but how scary is that for the rest of the NFL?  These guys didn't even bring their A game and they still beat one of the best teams in the league by 26.  Not only that, but they absolutely destroyed every spirit and every soul of every fan, player, coach, employee, resident of San Francisco, etc.  It's gotten so bad that Whiners fans are resorting to wanting the NFL to step in and make the Seahawks and their noise-junkie fans go away.  That's music to my ears and makes me even prouder to have been there and to be able to be a part of the 12th Man.

And if there was ever any doubt, the Guinness record was smashed just like the hopes and dreams of the Red and Gold.  The loudest crowd I've ever heard in my life now has the distinction of saying that they are the loudest crowd of all-time and it really is well deserved.  Literally every time the 49ers had the ball, on every play (even punts and FG attempts), the place was a madhouse.  There was no time to think and with each incredible play the place got louder and louder.  Colin Kaepernick never stood a chance.

As the clock struck zero and yet another game was history and added to the record books, this one had an extra special feel to it.  All the hard work had paid off and an extremely young and talented squad and it's fans had proven to the world that they are the real deal and should no longer be doubted, even though eventually they probably will.  Blue Thunder played an outstanding set outside of the CLink after the win and everyone was in full on party mode.  Except for the contingency from San Francisco of course.  I tried to offer my sympathies to one grief-stricken Niners fan who refused to offer the Seahawks credit and instead said that "his uncle was right about Vegas influencing games.  Colin Kaepernick was throwing balls at people's feet and over their heads.  That just doesn't happen."  It does buddy, it does.  Only in Seattle though.  As an honorary member of this city, welcome, and have a safe and rather sad trip home.

The glimmer of hope and the smug look on their faces was entirely gone.  Their players skulls cracked and their spirits crushed.  I would have loved to stick around for the festivities after the game, but with my flight leaving in the morning I decided simply to crash at Sea-Tac.  I was shot from all the cheering, drinking, working, and traveling.  It wasn't over, not by a longshot, as my flight home would get cancelled, only for me to barely make it (they were literally closing the doors) to my re-booked flight to Philadelphia, then on to an express plane from Philly to Newark, capped off with a ride on the NJ Transit from Newark to Penn Station and finally a ride from Penn Station to Brooklyn on the A train.  I walked through my doors at 2AM on technically Tuesday morning, living proof of "earn everything."

It all seams like it was just a dream sequence.  Maybe that's because amazing things like this don't always happen to this team and it's fans.  However, those times are changing and have been for the past few years.  With Pete Carroll and John Schneider, this feeling is the new norm.  My friends were amazed by how little time I actually spent in Seattle and how much time I spent travelling to get there and back and asked me if it was worth it...

I wouldn't change it for the world.  It was perfect.

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Proof that a win can be both ugly and beautiful

The 12th Man gets hyped for the season opener.
What started with a 13 1/2 hour bus ride from Chinatown, NYC to Charlotte, North Carolina, ended with a 13 1/2 hour bus ride back home.  With a W, and that's all that matters.  Thank you, Charlotte.  Truly one of the hidden gems of the South.  They played a good host to the 12th Man on opening weekend, and when I say a good host I mean a REAL good host.  Southern hospitality really is no joke.  You know what else isn't a joke?  The 12th Man!  Just an absolutely unbelievable showing from literally everyone who played a part in it.  I have no doubt that the players could pick up on that magical energy that was in the air, and neither do Doug Baldwin or Richard Sherman.  Hey, there's even a brief cameo from yours truly in this clip from KIRO7 that'll show you just how real the 12th Man was this past weekend in Charlotte.

 

It was seriously very tough to get back in to the swing of things back home after such an amazing weekend on the road.  And that's even without the W!  Good friends abound, both new and old, and just some really great people all around.  I suspect that my girlfriend might even be catching the Seahawks itch, and I've gotta admit, she looks great in Seahawks blue!  And how could you not, really, after such an outstanding weekend with so many outstanding people?  People like Damon and Deb, who helped organize Saturday night's event at Tilt bar in uptown Charlotte.  12's going out of their way to make sure that other 12's are taken care of and treated well on the road.  That's a beautiful thing right there.

The event at Tilt was great.  On the shockingly quick drive over from Indian Land, South Carolina where I was staying, to the bar in uptown Charlotte, I wondered how many 12's I think would show up.  I finally settled on 50 being a reasonable number.  The only good part about my prediction is that if we were playing by Price is Right rules I'd still have a chance because I was UNDER.  Way under.  About 150 people under.  Everywhere you looked there was a new 12 walking through the mob of people standing outside to try and get inside to take advantage of the ridiculous beer specials that awaited them inside.  I'm pretty sure I even saw one of the Seagals in attendance.  Although I couldn't tell because the swarm of dudes trying desperately to talk to her had swallowed her up.

After Tilt, some went to bed but I stayed awake to watch the waning moments of the Cougs upset victory over USC.  Little did I know that it would be some amazing foreshadowing by life on what was to come, but what an ugly win that was.  I asked a fellow Coug if it was the most beautiful, ugly win you've ever seen.  We agreed that it was up there.  Regardless, it felt good to see the Cougs finally not be the ones to Coug it.  Jeez, USC looks awful under Lane Kiffin.  I wonder how much time he'll get before he walks the plank.  Maybe Al Davis was right for once in the last decade of his life?

So with a surprise W already in tact for the weekend, I "woke up" (I say that because I did a whole lot of tossing and turning but very little sleeping, as I mostly always do on a night before a Hawks game) with visions of the victory we all came to Charlotte to watch in my head.  I tried to imagine the big plays of the day and how insane Russell Wilson was about to go on the Panthers defense.  Note to self, a whole lot of pacing around, nervous and serious facial expressions, nailbiting in my case, and mimicking Russell Wilson touchdown throws will get the people around you thinking you're a lunatic if they aren't diehard football fans.  My girlfriend's used to it by now, her friends on the other hand probably thought I might be truly insane behind closed doors.  Very well then, on to the game!

Did I mention how hot it was on Sunday?  No?  Okay then...  it was brutal with a capital B.  From the moment you stepped outside you were convinced that your skin was melting.  I felt like I was in the episode of the Twilight Zone ('The Midnight Sun' for my fellow Twilight Zone lovers out there) where life comes to a screeching halt because of a record heat-wave.  The only difference of course being that it wasn't actually cold outside and my mind was just shot, no, it was really this freakin' hot out!  Which all made me wonder...  if I'm dyin' out here and I'm 5'8", 170...  what the hell is going through Brandon Mebane's mind right now?!  Or James Carpenter?!  He must absolutely hate this!

Sadly, Bojangles was closed so there was no Bojangles breakfast like I had dreamed when thinking about the season opener being in Carolina.  However, there was a MONSTER tailgate!  There were many of the same faces from the night before at Tilt, so good conversation and good food were all over the place.  At the tailgate I had the pleasure of meeting Mike Flood, the Seahawks VP of Community Relations.  A truly great man who genuinely enjoys, appreciates, and cares about the 12th Man.  He had some great stories about watching Phil Niekro and Tom Seaver go at it in a pitcher's duel at the old Shea Stadium.  The man truly is a Seahawks ambassador and we're very lucky to have him.

I also had the pleasure of meeting Ian from the UK.  A massive (damn that's a tall dude!) Hawks fan who drives a truck for a living in England.  His dedication and passion for the team is immeasurable and he's someone who inspires me as a fan to always be proud of the 'Hawks.  The same goes for other 12's I met like PredatorHawk, Dave the dude who went to every game last season, Mr. Mohawk, and many, many more.  It's great knowing that there are people out there who love something just as much as you do.  That was on full display on Saturday night and Sunday prior to the game.  Finally, however, the time had come.  It was time for some football and for the 2013 season to kickoff.

Me and Bob AKA PredatorHawk.  I love the shot of the DLine in the background
What better way then with an imperial march, if you will, through the parking lot?  I know Panthers fans must have been wondering what the hell was going on, although they were mostly too polite to say or do anything about it.  I think things would be a lot different had we been in San Francisco, but I digress.  Once we were inside and looking for our seats, I saw a man wearing an "It ain't easy being Sweezy" t-shirt.  The shirts are pretty sweet actually.


Better than the shirt was that it turns out the guy wearing it was actually J.R.'s Head Coach back in high school, Barclay Marsh.  Marsh was with his son, so I decided to keep it brief, but I congratulated him and thanked him for helping mold a Seattle Seahawk.  We finally made our way to our seats and we were pretty high up.  How high?  About 3 rows from the absolute back of the stadium.  Still, we were around midfield and the view was great.  I've got to admit, me and my girlfriend both agreed that we liked Bank of America Stadium better than the New Meadowlands.  Yeah, that's a random and unnecessary Giants dig.

Before the game I had imagined that the game would be a defensive slug-fest, much like last year's meeting between the two teams.  16-13 Seahawks was my official prediction and I was confident that the Seahawks would struggle early yet somehow find a way to pull it out.  I figured that this was the type of game the team needed to "learn how to finish" and right the wrongs of blown leads last season.  Even still, I was taken aback at how poorly the Hawks started, although you could realize even from the cheap seats that the Panthers D was playing inspired ball.  Their front seven completely neutralized the Seahawks ground game and made sure that it would be Russell Wilson who would eventually have to beat them.

And that he would, as if there were any doubt.  Before he did, however, there were struggles.  The Offensive Line had it's hands full with the Panthers front seven all day and I came away from this game very impressed with Luke Kuechly.  Star Lotulelei's impact on this defense is obvious.  About the only constant for the Seahawks offense early on was the poise of Russell Wilson and his ability to not make any fatal mistakes, and the reliability of Doug Baldwin.  Baldwin had an outstanding game, was all over the field, and came up big whenever the Seahawks needed him.  He also completed one of the best plays of Week 1 around the league, no doubt, with this insane circus catch.


I'll take the credit for Baldwin's performance.  He signed my jersey (a Wilson jersey at that, he was none to pleased about that haha) at Training Camp in August so he now has me to thank for his opening day performance.  Anytime Doug.  Doug was one of the only bright spots for the Hawks, however, as it proved to be a tough day at the office for our boys in Blue.

However, this year's team IS different.  A tough day at the office doesn't mean a probable loss anymore.  Even though the Hawks weren't firing on all cylinders they made just enough plays on defense, limited the big play death blow, and had that moment of inspiration from Russell Wilson and Jermaine Kearse that led them to victory.  It's funny, because after the missed bomb to Stephen Williams I thought to myself, "Russell Wilson doesn't make the same mistake twice, he'll connect next time."  Little did I know that next time was literally going to be the next play.  And this time he did connect, with Jermaine Kearse on a beautifully thrown ball that was equally as impressive of a catch.  #3 never ceases to amaze me.

Want more proof that this squad is different?  The Panthers actually responded with an impressive drive and appeared poised to wrestle the lead back from Seattle.  That was until the Seahawks D forced Deangelo Williams to fumble at the 8 yard line.  I've got to be honest, it took a lot out of me trying to NOT have flashbacks from last season.  Thoughts of Kevin Kolb pulling a Kirk Gibson and coming off the bench to shred the Seahawks D in the season opener were colliding with thoughts of Matthew Stafford connecting with Titus Young for the game winner in Detroit.  However, newer, better memories were forged on that fumble.  My heart would personally like to thank the Seattle Seahawks for not breaking it one more time.

A patented Tom Cable/Pete Carroll, grind em out type of drive to milk it and the Hawks were victorious, 12-7.  Not the prettiest game I've ever attended, but definitely one of the most beautiful Hawks road victories I've witnessed.  This is now the 2nd "10am" game I've seen the Hawks win in person in about 6 tries, the other being the upset over the Super Bowl Champion Giants in 2011.  My girlfriend was in attendance for both victories.  Maybe she's the Seahawks good luck charm during early East Coast road games?  Hopefully not because she won't be there in Houston (only a 2 hour time difference technically) or Indy!

All in all, a great day.  Many a monkey was harmed in the making of this Seahawks season opening win.  The road monkey, 10am monkey, blistering heat monkey, holding on to a lead late monkey, and the overcoming injuries monkey were all savagely slain in this one.  Sorry PETA, we just had to.  The win capped off an excellent weekend for yours truly and made the 13 1/2 hour bus ride back to Chinatown somewhat bearable, despite the near donnybrook over a seat dispute at 12am.  The bus ride and the Cougs win were perfect foreshadowing now that I look back at things.  It was tough, it wasn't pretty, and it was uncomfortable as all at times but at the end of the day we got it done and left victorious.

No Chinatown bus next week, oh no.  Instead it's work straight through Saturday night and than a 6am flight from Laguardia airport with a 12:08 arrival at Sea-Tac.  The game needs no further buildup so I'll just keep it simple...

GO Hawks!!!