Breaking bad home crowd's spirits

With a meeting with Mama Sherm in the rearview mirror, amongst other things.  I hopped on a flight from Seattle to Portland and then another from Portland to Phoenix.  Don't worry, I already know, I look absolutely ridiculous in the photo above.  Definitely not my finest moment, but hey, Mama Sherm steals the spotlight anyway.  And no, I'm not drunk (yet), just failing at life at an inopportune time, that's all.  Anyways, I was back in the Desert after having an earlier layover there a few days prior on my trip from NYC to Seattle.  I've got to say, I totally understand why people would move their and choose to live their lives there.  It's a beautiful place and the weather ain't too bad either.

My buddy Steve AKA LudwigsDrummer picks me up from the airport immediately after my plane lands.  His timing was impeccable.  I stick out like a sore thumb because I'm the only dude dumb enough to wear jeans and a hoodie in Phoenix.  The Weather reports say it's 86 degrees out and for someone coming from New York City and Seattle, that's quite the difference.  As I type this, it's 46 and blustery in Brooklyn.  Man, do I miss Arizona already!

Now, I must say, I have been incredibly fortuitous on my travels so far.  Not only have I been able to check out great, new places around the country, but I've met some incredible people along the way as well.  Steve and his wife Jackie are two of them.  These people took in a near stranger (Steve only having met me with the .Net crew in Houston before the Texans game), and fed me and gave me a bed to sleep on.  Having slept at Sea-Tac already this season, and ready to one day have to do it again, you don't understand how much this means to me.  Not only that, but there were Strawberry Margaritas and pre-victory cigars on deck as well!  Are you kidding me?!

I experienced a taste of the good life, with great people to share it with.  I one day hope to pay forward the kindness that was shown to me on this entire trip, starting back in Seattle.  I honestly couldn't have done any of this without such amazing people.  So thank you to everyone, I'll only try to repay the universe what has been paid to me.  And that's that kindness and generosity do have a place in this world, it's not all terrible, no matter how it may seem when you see the people that do suck.

The title of this post is an ode to Steve's neighborhood.  It looks like it's straight out of the show Breaking Bad, despite the show taking place in New Mexico.  One of the things that amazed me about this game with the Cardinals was how cheap the tickets for the game were.  I was able to purchase a ticket in Section 420, a pretty decent view actually, for $45.  Turns out it's even cheaper if you look at the face value of the ticket, but you've got to expect people to make their money somehow.  Still, at $56 with service charges and all, that's not bad for a nationally televised game.  I spent $235 to get into the game against San Francisco in Week 2, so this was definitely a bit of a relief.

I thought I'd be able to sleep better the night before a game this time because the game was on a Thursday and not a Sunday.  Maybe my body had become almost trained to Seahawks Sundays.  That wasn't the case.  My mind still drifted and I thought about all the scenarios, usually worst-case (I know, it's a bad habit that's starting to slowly die, unlike my nail-biting habit but that's another story for another time), and how the game was going to unfold.  I was relatively confident about this one, about as confident as a Seahawks fan could be heading into a divisional road game on a short week.  Still, I fought the demons and made it to next morning.  Better known as gameday!

Steve tells me some awesome stories of Seahawks lore over a great breakfast for a weary traveler.  His brother-in-law John joins us and I'm 100% positive that that man knows a hell of a lot more about the Seahawks now than he did two weeks ago.  We're then joined by Steve's son's friends Tim and Jessica.  They are huge Seahawks fans and seeing them decked out in full gameday attire no doubt got me hyped.  Steve, Tim, and I get ready for the game with non-stop Seahawks talk.  At one point, I was sent outside to retrieve them to come inside the house for some food...  I never made it back.  I failed my search and rescue mission.  What can I say, I'm sorry.  When there's good Seahawks talk I absolutely have to be involved or around it.  Having been deprived of people to talk Seahawks with back home for so many years, I can't help it.

Off to the game we went, fully equipped with parking passes and a spot to tailgate with Jay, a friend of Steve's who's a huge (both literally and figuratively, dude is tall), Arizona Cardinals fan.  Yes, they do exist.  What's cool about Jay is that he and his buddies do tailgating right!  I love their idea, they cook something from the opposing team's region that might be considered famous.  On the menu for the night, Clam Chowder!  I gotta say, Cardinals fans were pretty cool and didn't seem to mind hangin' out with some 12's.  As more and more people began to show up, we started to notice something strange.  There was a swarm of Seahawks fans headed towards us and it wasn't stopping!  Everywhere we looked, Seahawks jerseys and 12 flags!  It isn't until my buddy Jordan reminds me that UW is also in town playing Arizona State that any of this starts to make sense.  I mean, there were strong showings in Charlotte, Houston, and Indy, but this was insane!

We head in to the stadium and after a quick tour, it was time to head to my seat up in the 400's.  Steve, the lucky bastard, is sitting within spitting distance of the Seahawks bench.  Not that he would ever do such a thing.  As I get to my seat, I realize that while I'm technically there alone, I'm really not as I'm surrounded by 12's.  There are a few Cards fans scattered around me, but the 12th Man is reppin' strong tonight.  I think to myself if I've ever seen anything like this from the 'Hawks on the road and I can't come up with anything.  Sitting directly in front of me are two Cardinals season ticket holders, from Budapest.  Behind me, more season ticket holders, originally from LA.  It is definitely true that Phoenix is a huge transient city as my buddy Jordan rightfully pointed out to me.

The game gets underway and right from the get-go you can tell that this game has a different feel to it.  Tony McDaniel's sack on Carson Palmer kills anything resembling a Cardinals opening drive for a score and the Hawks eventually get the ball on offense.  The offense's opening drive is a thing of beauty and is capped off by a vintage Russell Wilson moment.  I feel like I'm watching Russell back in his college days as he rolls to his right and launches one deep for Sidney, who makes the solid catch for the TD.  It's a thing of beauty.

I could watch that all day and if I didn't have to go to work at 4, I just might have.  Great job by Sidney of knowing exactly what to do in that situation.  People have been down on Sid so far, and yeah, he probably won't be back at the same pay next season, but he's probably also getting more and more comfortable with his knee each and every week.  I'm expecting Sid to come up huge for us down the stretch this season.  Him and the rest of the guys we have catching passes for #3.  I'm still having a hard time deciding whether I like this TD more than his pump-fake spin move TD pass to Zach Miller against Jacksonville in Week 3.  Both were vintage Russell Wilson and will be just two of the clips that get shown in Canton during his Hall of Fame induction.

The best part about that TD pass was the roar from the crowd immediately afterwards.  It felt surreal.  You just knew from that point on that the Seahawks were going to win this game and perhaps even dominate.  Wait, what's that Marshawn?

Oh they dominated alright!  The 34-22 final score was very flattering for the Cards, because the actual balance of play during the game was far more lopsided.  My absolute favorite play of the game was when Russell Wilson connected with Zach Miller.  Not the Touchdown Pass, that was still all kinds of beautiful in it's own right, but on a 3rd and 3 in the 3rd quarter with the score still only 17-13 Seahawks, Russell made some more magic.  How he got that wobbler off before hitting the ground is beyond my comprehension.  And yet again, like we've seen from Wilson dating back to even his college days, he brings the best out of his teammates as Zach Miller came to the rescue with the dramatic diving reception.

The Seahawks continued to pour it on and soon most of the Cardinals fans were gone.  The two sitting behind me were excellent sports and I had a great time talking football with them.  They knew their stuff.  Plus, they've been traveling the country checking out NCAA and NFL games, so they've definitely got my respect.  The game was finally over and the Hawks had accomplished an impressive mission.  6-1 for the first time in team history, now it was time to celebrate such an occasion!  As the game ended, there was a large commotion down by the field behind the Seahawks bench.  When I looked to see what was going on, I could see that a large swarm of 12's were by the NFL Network stage, chanting and screaming in the direction of Michael Irvin, Steve Mariucci, and the rest of the crew.  I tried to make my way down there, but stadium security decided to rain on my parade.  Luckily, all of you that got to watch at home know what it was like, I don't have to tell you.  If you somehow missed it, good thing everything is on the internet, so here you go...

Seahawks 12th Man in Arizona

So with 6-1 in hand, the gang headed home.  After an In-N-Out Burger and a few beers, it was time to get some rest.  Steve, the champion of a person that he is, offered (regretfully, I'm sure) to drive me to the airport for my 5:45 AM flight.  That meant being on the road at 3:30 AM.  What a warrior!  As luck would have it, I'm sitting next to another East Coast Seahawks fan, Robert from Pennsylvania, on the plane home.  To make things even better, there's an empty seat in between us so we actually had some room on the plane!  We talk Seahawks, Sounders, English Premier League, and life and before I knew it I was back home.  Sort of.  I was in Newark to be exact.  I wouldn't get to go home just yet, as my flight landed at 2PM, giving me only 2 hours to get to work.  Fear not, I made it in on time and I think the customers and my co-workers all knew that I was riding on the natural high of the Seahawks being 6-1, with legitimate championship aspirations.

I gotta say, I respect players and what they do so much more being on this qwest, errr quest.  Sorry, it's another habit I have.  Being at home this week was a nice change of pace from having to cram in work during the week and travel on the weekends.  I was able to enjoy some rest and relaxation, hang out with my girlfriend and my friends, go out and do things, all while keeping my eye firmly focused on the prize.  It was nice getting a bit of a breather but I'm definitely ready to hit the road again come Monday for the game in St. Louis.  As luck would have it, there will be a World Series game in town as well.  Sounds like a great time is waiting to be had.  More importantly, you can almost taste 7-1, can't you?

When dreams become reality

This must be what the bye week feels like for NFL players.  A week after a whirlwind of activity saw me leave New York City for Seattle, only to leave Seattle headed for Phoenix, now I've finally got some free time.  Not that I'm complaining, oh no, this last week was definitely one of the best of my life and one that I'll never forget.  Still, if there's one thing I've been thinking about a lot lately is how much respect I have for players and their ability to practice, live their lives, travel and play games, and do it all over again.

It seems like an eternity ago, but it was only two Saturday's ago that I set out from JFK airport in Queens, New York to my favorite destination, Sea-Tac!  This time, I'd be meeting a new friend that I had made while taking in the Hawks game in Charlotte at the start of the season.  Man, does that ever feel like an eternity ago already!  Anyways, it was in Charlotte that me and my girlfriend met Bob AKA PredatorHawk.  Bob's one of the good guys still out there and he was kind enough to bring my Indianapolis game tickets to me while we were in Charlotte.  It might not seem like much, but it was a very cool gesture.  We had a blast in Charlotte watching the 'Hawks fight their hardest for a tough victory, and despite the eventual loss, we had a great time in Indianapolis with the rest of the gang also.

When I mentioned in passing in Indianapolis that I would be in Seattle for the game against the Titans, Bob immediately told me to crash at his hotel, as he would also be in town for a business conference.  Not only that, but in the buildup to the game, Bob told me that the guy who was supposed to go with him to the game had something else to do and that the ticket was mine!  Wait, there's more.  He then told me that he had passes to get on the field before the game.  As you could probably imagine, I was on cloud nine.  My last few days in NYC crawled by, as my mind was drifting away to what the future held.  

I'd always dreamed of being on the field in some capacity.  Whether it be with a press pass, pre-game pass, for a stadium tour (which I still haven't done), I had never been on the field at CenturyLink and I had only heard of the sheer awesomeness.  Soon, I would be afforded that opportunity.  Would I freak out?  Handle it in stride?  Who knew.  The not knowing helped me stay grounded in the present and in reality, so I finished out my work week and headed for my flight early Saturday morning.  I was especially excited for this trip because Seattle figured to be a hotbed for sports action for the weekend.  Not only were the Seahawks hosting the Titans on Sunday, but the Huskies (Boo) were hosting the Ducks on Saturday.  Add to that that my beloved Cougs would be hosting Oregon State with a chance to further add to their impressive 2013 campaign and you had the recipe for many a sportsgasm.

As if all that wasn't enough Washington sports one could possibly handle, I had the pleasure of sitting next to the Seattle University Women's Soccer Team on my connector flight from Phoenix to Sea-Tac.  What a cool bunch of girls that you can tell enjoy their teammates company and consider one another close friends.  It made me think of the Seahawks and how close-knit they have become since Pete Carroll and John Schneider took over.  Not surprisingly, this close group has experienced success this season, having started the season 5-0 up to that point, and having shutout their opponents in 5 straight matches.  Here's hoping they keep playing well and keep having a good time while they do it.

When I finally touched down in Seattle after nearly 10 hours of traveling, it was off to find Bob.  Fittingly enough for such a big Seahawks fan, I would find him at Easy Choppers and Tattoos, getting some more Seahawks ink of course.  He already had the Seahawks logo on his bicep, this time he was adding a great 12th Man tattoo, complete with feathers and 12th Man logo pointing to the heavens.  His tattoo artist, J-Sick, did an excellent job and also told me that he's done work on Seahawks Guard James Carpenter.  Despite what you might think, he says that Carpenter was nervous and apprehensive about getting his first tattoo.  However, J-Sick quickly pointed out that weeks later when he saw Carpenter again, he had already gotten more work done.  I guess getting inked really is addictive?  I don't know, I don't have any tattoos.

After the tattoo, it was on to Ivar's for some Bacon Clam Chowder and Halibut and Chips.  I hadn't been to Ivar's for years, so it was great to go back and taste all that great seafood once again.  Some Manny's Pale Ale to top things off and you couldn't possibly ask for much more from the meal they call dinner.  We skipped dessert, but I got my own personal dessert, the delicious tears of Washington Huskies fans after getting spanked for the 10th time in a row by rivals Oregon.  However, this sweet feeling would lead to quite the stomach ache, as I then watched the Cougs get humiliated (don't worry, we're used to it by now!) in the 4th quarter by Sean Mannion and the Beavers.  You win this time, state of Oregon.  Well played, the better teams won in both cases.

As is usually the case, I couldn't get much sleep that night as I kept thinking about how amazing tomorrow was going to be.  Not only could I not stop thinking about going on the field and all of that good stuff, but I also couldn't stop thinking about how the Titans might actually give the Hawks a run for their money.  Too many people were looking past Tennessee, a decent team, and that usually means things won't be that easy.  At no point did I fear defeat, but I did fear the game being much tougher than people thought, and Marshawn Lynch being needed much more than you'd like with just 3 days to rest before heading to the Desert to take on the Cards on Thursday Night Football.

Another reason why I couldn't sleep well is because I had a cyst growing on my back.  It's not the prettiest visual, but believe me, it was pretty painful.  It made it nearly impossible to sleep, travel, or sit comfortably, but I kept thinking about how Marshawn Lynch has way worse back problems and yet he still dishes out the punishment, as well as taking it, on a weekly basis.  The morning finally came around and it was time to get down to the stadium and proceed with the day.  The 550 was crawling with 12's that morning and everyone was in a pretty good mood, chatting it up with strangers and talking about the team.  Me and Bob made it to King Street Bar & Oven, where I took part in Bob's pregame ritual of drinking a Bloody Mary.  I have to say, I might be adding it to my repertoire.  We downed our drinks and just like that, we were off to CenturyLink to get on the field!

As you can tell from the picture above, Bob goes full on "Beast Mode" on Gameday.  PredatorHawk is born and he's truly a fan favorite.  He has fun with it, which is what this is all about anyway, and the 12th Man picks up on that and appreciates the time and effort put into it.  The same good guy still remains though, even behind the face paint, and as we stood there in Touchdown City waiting to hit the field, I couldn't help but be thankful for such an incredible opportunity.  To make things even more surreal, we meet Peter McLoughlin, the team's President and we chat with him for a New York minute.  Classy guy, no doubt, and his wife was pleasant as well.  It was definitely a huge honor and before I could collect my bearings, Chris (or DancinHawk as he's known because all he does is dance on the sidelines during warmup) rounds up all the fans who were going out there, gives us a pep talk, and just like that, we were off.

The first thing I do when I touch the field is kiss the turf.  Everyone looked at me like I was a maniac, but for the Seahawks I am.  With turf pellets and rubber engulfing my beard, I took in the subtle roar of the crowd.  Russell Okung and Breno Giacomini are just a few feet away from me and I now see what my buddy Jon was talking about when he told me about when he went on the field.  These guys are huge!  Monsters!  Then, out ran the players from the tunnel to warm-up for the game.  Oddly enough, I didn't feel overwhelmed by the moment.  It felt right, as if I belonged.  I had never had this feeling before that day, but I had that feeling people talk about when they mention accomplishing something they had worked long and hard for.  Here I was, on CenturyLink Field surrounded by Seahawks players and coaches on Gameday.  Surely, along with the birth of my little sister, this was the greatest moment and the greatest day of my life.

All I can say is that the pace of the warmups is incredible.  No wasted movement, no wasted time, everything being done with a singular purpose and that is preparing to win!  Max Unger runs over to a woman next to me and gives her a hug and takes a picture, he seems like a genuinely nice guy.  Everything about the experience is perfect, and as we're about to head to our seats, we bump into Beverly Sherman AKA Richard Sherman's Mama.  She signs my jersey and notices that it was also signed by Doug Baldwin.  She calls him "her other Stanford Son" and we talk about how he and Richard were teammates while playing for Jim Harbaugh, ironically enough.  I found it fitting that I got the chance to meet her on the field before the game, after having missed the opportunity to meet her in Houston because I was instead hanging out with other 12's and Luke Willson's father.

It was a lot to take in but as we left the field for our seats, it all sank in.  One of my boyhood dreams was finally complete.  It took over a decade, and I had almost completely forgotten about the possibility over time, but the dream had now become my reality.  What an amazing feeling.  

I swear I was still in a daze for most of the first half, about up until the now-infamous Chris Maragos channeling of Garo Yepremian.  As the Titans took the lead heading into the half on one of the craziest fluke plays I've ever seen in person, all the happy feelings from prior to the game started to wear off.  It was obvious that our boys were in for a bit of a struggle and that this one could still go either way depending on which way the ball decided to bounce.  Still, I knew deep-down inside that "my special day" would not be ruined.  Well, I'm a Seahawks fan so I definitely knew that that was possible, but it was more like Ryan Fitzpatrick would not beat the Seattle Seahawks at the CLink.  

Man, Earl Thomas was on fire in that game!  I know it's already over a week ago, and that in this day and age a week is the equivalent of about a month with the internet always churning out "new news", but I want you to remember this game as the game Earl Thomas stood up and took charge of this defense.  In fact, he's always been the silent leader back there, but I've never seen him so animated like he was in this one.  Need some proof?  Just ask Damian Williams of the Titans AND his own buddy, Kam Chancellor!

Earl was electric, and Richard Sherman was his usual Richard Sherman self.  Is there anything prettier than a Richard Sherman INT?  My girlfriend might hate this, actually, lose the word hate because she will, but the answer's gotta be no!  I'm telling you, when that pass went up and everyone in the stadium realized it was Sherm in coverage, the only thing left to do was...

Celebrate.  And that we did.  I then had the excellent opportunity of staying in Seattle until Wednesday before finally flying to Arizona for part two of my journey.  I'll get into that in a little more detail tomorrow, but I just couldn't stop thinking about what a great day it was.  First and foremost, the Hawks got a W and moved to 5-1 on the season.  It wasn't the prettiest win in Seahawks history, but if you've been a fan for long enough you know that any W is pretty, no matter how ugly.  And that's something this team has gotten very good at, is winning ugly.  Not to say they aren't capable of much more, no, we've seen in the past that they are.  But there's something to be said about winning when you're not on your A game, and the Seahawks have certainly proven they can do just that.

So, as I headed to the airport with my back a mess like Marshawn, 5-1 in the rear-view mirror, and with a trip to the Desert looming, I gave one last look to the beautiful city of Seattle, thanked her and Bob once again, and set out on my next mission.  To watch this team go 6-1, something that had never been done in team history.  I'd already seen one first this season, the first 4-0 start in team history, could it be that I would get to witness yet another first?  Well, you already know the answer to that, but I'll let you know how it all went down!  Man it's a beautiful time to be a Seahawks fan, remember that my fellow 12's!  GO Hawks!

The scene of the crime

I still think that one day it's going to happen.  The Seattle Seahawks, led by Pete Carroll, will complete an undefeated season.  Unbridled homerism?  Maybe.  But when that is one of your goals every season when you break Camp, and when you have a track record of accomplishing your goals like this team does, the possibility for an undefeated season is very real.  Just not this year.  Whether it be the horrid officiating, the inability to convert or stop on 3rd down, or Russell Wilson constantly running for his life, whatever it was all equaled a Seahawks loss, their first of 2013.  Still, as the dust has cleared, this loss doesn't feel like all the rest.

Truth be told, these aren't as fun to write after a Seahawks loss.  Being on hand to witness the carnage and the immediate aftermath of a tough loss from your favorite team could be considered a lot like just happening to walk by a terrible car crash and having to tell stories about it.  Still, unlike the terrible automobile wreck, there were still some good times with good people (which is always the case when Seahawks fans are involved, it seems.)  Despite the fact that me and mah boy Greg (who had just gone with me to Houston for the Texans game) were cutting it close with our 11:00AM arrival in Indianapolis on Sunday morning, we were confident things would work out.  And behold, despite calls for terrible weather through the Midwest over the weekend, we made it!  And earlier than we expected too, which was a bonus.

Luckily Indy isn't as spread out of a city as Houston is.  Everything is pretty centralized downtown, stadiums included, so the trip from the airport was painless.  Finally, after a few minutes of empty Indiana nothingness on the open road, Lucas Oil Stadium emerged from the distance.  It's a pretty gigantic structure and it certainly stands out in comparison to the rest of the Indy skyline.  Within minutes of our flight landing we were already at the Midwest Seahawkers Tailgate, with drink and chips in hand.  You couldn't have asked for a better scenario.  Still, it got better as my buddy Dale, a Carlow East stalwart back in NYC, greeted me with Makers Mark in hand.  Did I mention that Seahawks fans are great people with excellent taste?  With familiar faces Bob, Leif, and Jordan also in attendance and good karma on overdrive, it seemed that the Seahawks were destined for victory.

Fittingly, the rain intensified as we all made our way to the stadium.  The day of reckoning was upon us.  Or something like that.  In no way did I expect anything other than a damn good football game from two very fine football teams.  You could tell that even the fans of both teams knew how tough of a matchup this was.  Indianapolis fans are friendly, respectful, and fairly humble by nature and I even heard a few saying that they were worried about playing the Seahawks.  It feels good to finally hear that from fans who have solid knowledge of the game on a somewhat regular basis now.  By the same token, I wasn't completely sure of victory (maybe that's what went wrong?) and I definitely had a pretty high level of respect for the Colts and where they're headed.  Luckily, the time for talk was over and it was time to settle it on the field.

Lucas Oil Stadium is a pretty nice stadium.  I'd say it's better than Reliant and it's what I'd expect Ford Field to be like in Detroit.  Aesthetics aside, and more importantly, our view was a halfway decent one from Section 604.  Even if the view had been a terrible one, it still would've been a ton of fun being surrounded by a ravenous pack of 12's like the one we had!  Our entire section was practically all 12's and we definitely helped try and support the boys from up near the rafters.  As the game started to unfold, it was actually pretty weird to see the 'Hawks come flying out of the gate the way they did.  Mentally, I had prepared myself for more of the usual "it's not how you start but how you finish" type stuff and was genuinely okay with that happening.  Didn't happen.  Instead, the Hawks were up 10-0 and had just blocked a punt before things started to get a little weird.

If you had to ask this guy, and our whole section for the most part, Jeron Johnson got in, with possession, before sliding out of the endzone.  Hell, even the guy who was sitting behind us (who I still think was Tim Robbins), a Colts Season Ticket Holder, muttered to his son that the Colts might have gotten lucky.  Still, no surprise here, so they had to move on.  I've now come to expect the comical, WWE-level officiating this league has to offer us, so occurrences like these fail to shock me anymore.  What WAS shocking was seeing Golden Tate called for Offensive Pass Interference.  Not because he clearly didn't commit a penalty, but because that referee just penalized Golden for executing an amazing catch, one you dream of as a kid, all in an actual NFL game in front of thousands of people.  That amazing feel, and the yardage that he also accumulated, as well as the team's momentum, were robbed.

I think you get where I'm going with this one.  When I saw TY Hilton flop to the ground as if he were imitating Reggie Miller after being unable to muster up anything on the play against Richard Sherman, I knew what the deal was.  Once the pink flag came flying from the official and scudded across the turf, it was solely confirmation.  These guys had no clue what they were doing.  They were in over their heads.  Reggie Wayne pushoff on a 2 point conversion attempt perhaps?  Ehhh, the officials couldn't be bothered to care.  

To make matters worse, Andrew Luck was the real deal Holyfield, TY Hilton looked like the second-coming of Titus Young, and the Indianapolis front 7 had no problem knifing through the Seahawks make-shift line and forcing Russell Wilson to do everything on the move.  Should the Hawks have stuck with the ground game that was working so well in the first half?  Maybe.  Still, I have no problem with putting the game in Russell Wilson's hands at any point, he's that damn good.  Having said that, something tells me we'll be seeing A LOT of Marshawn in this week's game against the Titans.

Maybe that's why this loss feels different, because we can still look forward without gloom.  Believe me, I know my share of Seahawks losses and I've seen my share live and in person too.  This might be the first loss of this season, but it's still a Seahawks loss like all the rest of 'em.  This one though, I don't know, it just doesn't feel like too big of a deal.  I'm not left feeling like this week just needs to end already so that I can watch the Seahawks get retribution like I had always done in my life's history.  This one feels like, damn, shit happens but what can you do?  Momma said there'd be days like this, and this was definitely one of those days.  Too many factors just conspired to make sure that this wouldn't be Seattle's day, and that they wouldn't be going undefeated.

However, that wasn't to say that it couldn't still be our day, so we returned to the scene of the tailgate, despite defeat, and we proceeded to finish what we started.  Still, the mood was rather upbeat and positive despite what we had all just seen go down.  We crushed some brewski's, talked Seahawks and life, and then set out on separate ways.  For Bob, it was back home, as luck would have it Leif would go on to meet the President of the Seahawks Peter McLoughlin, and for Dale, Greg, and I it was time to check in to the hotel and finally sit down for a minute.  A crazy day was finally coming to an end.  Note that it was only around 7PM and still everyone was already exhausted.

I've got to hand it to the city of Indianapolis.  It's way cooler than I had expected.  I was expecting nothing but desolate power plants and Steak and Shake's on every corner.  Oh, well there was that too.  Still, it passes my number one litmus test for every great city, and that's great people.  As I was waiting in line at Shapiro's for a sandwich, a gentleman next to me turned and told me to get the Corned Beef.  He said it was the best, no doubt about it.  He wasn't lying, as me and my friends agreed it was a pretty awesome sandwich.  Hospitable, welcoming, and laid back, I gotta say people from Indy are a decent bunch and I had a great time, despite the loss.

Before we headed home to finally leave the scene of the crime, a local news reporter stopped to speak with Greg and I about Indianapolis and a future bid for the Super Bowl in 2018.  Hilarity ensued and I'm probably now a D- list celebrity with two random news report appearances on the season.

http://launch.newsinc.com/share.html?trackingGroup=10557&siteSection=ndn&videoId=25233521

The flights home were as routine as flying through the sky can be but there was still some excitement.  Greg, a lifer Jets fan, got to watch in multiple airports as the Jets pulled off an improbable upset and dumped the Falcons to 1-4.  What really struck me about this game was the final score and the way it ended.  It was as if the Jets were the 2012 Falcons and the Falcons were the 2012 Seahawks in their playoff game last season.  The Falcons, like Seattle, fired back with an outrageous comeback before finally taking the lead late in the game having trailed.  Then the Jets, like the Falcons a season prior, marched down the field for a winning field goal and a 30-28 victory.  This definitely made me smile and helped me realize that even though the Seahawks lost over the weekend, the trip wasn't a total wash.  

Now Tennessee rolls into town and I think it's fairly safe to say that the Seahawks will be fired up and ready to go.  With the 12th Man back in their corner, after the first 4-0 start in team history, and after a tough defeat on the road, there's nothing like some home cookin'!  However, I hope the Flaming Thumbtacks aren't expecting any southern hospitality on their trip to the Pacific Northwest.  Oh no, I hope they know that they're in for 60 of the worst collective minutes of their 2013 calendar year.  I think this one will be a tough one early but it'll get ugly late.  It's time for the Seahawks to restore balance to the universe and get a W at the CLink.

GO Hawks!!!

Legends were made

Sometimes, the universe just has a way of finding you.  Through a series of explainable events, things just seem to find a way to work themselves out and go your way.  At first, you shrug them off as mere coincidence, and who knows, maybe they are just that, coincidence.  After a while, however, the coincidences just keep on happening until you can't possibly ignore the fact that the universe just wants you to stop, listen, and embrace what's in front of you.  That's where I'm at right now, and most likely that's where the rest of the 12th Man is right now.  Also, that's where the Seattle Seahawks are right now.  Now please, do excuse me if you see me pinching myself repeatedly, for I still can't believe that any of this is really happening.

After making that now-familiar trek home across country after the Jaguars game, there was no letup for the weary.  It felt good knowing that I was heading back to NYC having seen the Hawks just start the season 3-0, but I knew the end wasn't anywhere in sight.  Similarly, although I had finally made it home on Tuesday morning from Seattle and then Newark, I knew that this was only the beginning.  It was right back to work for yours truly just a few hours later.  Truth be told, I actually found this refreshing as it kept me focused on the task at hand.  Work hard, earn everything, have no regrets.

It was a typical week at work and about midway through the week the thoughts about the upcoming game started.  Once news broke that Max Unger and Breno Giacomini might both miss the game on Sunday, a sudden panic broke around Seahawks Nation, and rightfully so.  Breno is an intimidating figure for the Hawks out there, and his loss is a big one, both literally and figuratively.  Unger's loss is even more massive because as the Center he's responsible with line calls, as well as being a leader, as him being voted the Team Captain on Offense in 2012 would certainly attest to.  For some reason though, I wasn't panicked.  Maybe it's the fact that my buddy Eric, whom you might remember had his pitbull run away from home last week, gave me news that the dog was found and safe and at home.  A definite spirit lifter for sure. 

I had made the past two voyages by my lonesome, but this week would be different.  A good friend of mine, Dah-Un, is a huge Texans fan and the minute we saw this game on the schedule in April we knew we had to go.  Dah-Un used to live in Houston and that's where his Texan fandom emanates from.  In addition, another long time friend of mine, Greg would also be accompanying us on the trip.  Greg's a long-suffering Jets fan who has watched almost as many Seahawks games as I have over the years through association.  He's long noticed the potential the team has, and has found himself more often than not cheering for the Hawks alongside me through their rise from the proverbial ashes.  Hey, a friend of the 12th Man is definitely a friend of mine.

So after completing work on Friday night, it was off to Laguardia Airport early Saturday morning for my first trip to the Lonestar State.  The plane actually landed in Houston 30 minutes early, a new personal record, and it was off to somehow find the Crowne Plaza Suites.  Wait, you didn't think things would be THAT easy, did you?

Immediately after stepping foot outside of the airport and in to our new surroundings, one thing was clear, it was HOT!  Worst of all, it was humid.  However, I was prepared for this.  It felt just like Charlotte had a few weeks earlier, so I basically knew what to expect and that I'd just have to deal with it, no matter how terrible.  Another thing we noticed immediately is that Houston is HUGE!  If you don't have a car, you're screwed, because although there are cabs around, everything is so spread out that they'll cost you an arm and a leg.  Luckily, we are able to split things 3 ways, otherwise my journey's might be over.  Or I wouldn't have been able to partake in the festivities.  Oh, and were there festivities!

I've met some incredible people throughout my life, and some of the best of them reside at Seahawks.Net.  And I'm not just saying that because they are Seahawks fans and share the same rooting interest and passion as I do, no, it's much more than that.  These folks are good people, first and foremost, and amazing 12's immediately after that.  So it should come as no surprise that Lon and Scott, two .Net members, would go out of there way to set-up a weekend full of awesomeness.  Oh, I guess I forgot to mention that me and my buddies checked out downtown Houston for a little while, but it was easy to forget since there was nothing going on down there!  Seriously, a downtown that closes on the weekends?  If it weren't for the Yankees being in town for Rivera and Pettitte's farewells, the place would have been a dead-ringer for downtown Atlanta in the Walking Dead.  An absolute ghost town.  All it needed were some tumbleweeds to complete the effect.

Where was I?  Oh, that's right, the festivities!  First up on the docket was Twin Peaks.  It was there that I got the pleasure of meeting the legends themselves, Lon and Scott, as well as some familiar faces in Leif, Jordan, Bart, Dom, Matt, Vijay, and the ole' gang.  There were also some new faces, Steve, who has damn good taste in drummers (he's a John Bonham fan much like myself), as well as Greg and many more.  Sorry if I didn't shout you out by name, my memory's been such a whirlwind since this all started.  It all just feels like a never-ending dream sequence.

Everyone shot the breeze, drank some beers, and shared stories and laughs and a great time was had by all.  I'm pretty sure Venison Chili has changed my life, and I've got Twin Peaks to thank for that.  I can safely say that Twin Peaks was a much classier joint than Hooters or Canz, which might not sound like much, but it should.  Sort of.

Soon, word broke that Beverly Sherman (Richard's mother) and the SoCal Seahawkers were in Houston at a nearby Buffalo Wild Wings.  The troops were rallied and headed towards the next spot for the night, when soon after we heard talk that there were already 350 12's at the bar and they were at capacity!  Absolutely amazing.  As me and my friends plotted our next move, a man sitting next to us told me "this guy's son plays for the Seahawks!"  I asked the man who his son was and he replied "Luke Willson."

Now, let me tell you, I've got love for Luke Willson.  Asides from him being my 2013 Adopt-A-Rookie, I'll tell you why he was my choice for Adopt-A-Rookie.  Luke is not only a member of the Seattle Seahawks with a bright future ahead of him, he was also a member of the Toronto Blue Jays as well.  If you know me, you know that I'm a diehard Jays fan as well (I know, miserable season, don't remind me), so Luke Willson has a special place in my heart.  He's the first, and possibly the only and last, Blue Jay/Seahawk to have ever existed.  I have to love him, there's no choice.  On top of that, I genuinely believe that he's going to turn into something with the Hawks, so it was an absolute pleasure to meet his father.

Luke's dad, Mike, is an awesome guy and you can tell that he's beaming with pride for his son.  As he said when I asked him what it was like to watch his son suit up for one of (I know, THE BEST!) the best teams in the NFL, "it's pretty cool!"  He said that Luke is improving every day, and that he's spoken to his son and his son can't believe how talented the Seahawks secondary, noting that practice is always tough when you're going up against Kam Chancellor or Earl Thomas on a daily basis.  Luke's a lot tougher than me, obviously, but that's probably due to the fact that he's a natural Hockey player, being from Canada and all, as Mike pointed out to me.

So while I was missing the rest of the gang and the opportunity to rub elbows with Mama Sherman, I got something that meant a little more to me.  Blue Jay/Seahawks just don't grow on trees, and to meet one's father was an incredible honor and an amazing moment overall.  Don't worry, I let the poor guy enjoy his time with his buddy and me and some of the others decided to make a last-ditched effort at heading over to Buffalo Wild Wings.  However, by the time we got there the show was nearly over, the Cougs were getting annihilated on National TV, and it was time for the 12's to head back home and catch some sleep (something tells me not everyone slept and some just continued drinking.  God bless you brave souls, the world is a better place because of people like you.)

Being the team-oriented guy that I am, and an avid member of the "Couch Guy Maffia", I assumed my rightful position on the Hotel Room floor.  I'm not much for sleeping the night before Seahawk games anyway, so I figured I'd let my friends get as much rest as possible for tomorrow, because they were going to need it!  I woke up at 6:30am and just waited, waited for any sign of life from my friends.  Slowly, they rose, and it was soon time to check out of the hotel.  One problem, we now had our bags on hand and everyone knows that there's literally no chance in hell that you'll get a backpack into an NFL game anymore.  Luckily, Steve, whom we had met the night before, gladly obliged when we asked if we could store our bags in anyone's car.  This wouldn't be the only time Steve would go on to save us from definite failure.

The four of us made the quick walk over to the Reliant Stadium parking lots for the next chapter in the weekend's planned festivities.  The Tailgate!  First, let me mention that Texans fans do tailgating right!  They've got ample room (surprise, it's Texas) and the enthusiasm for football and for good eats is contagious.  You can literally smell it floating in the air.  Not only that, but people from Houston were nice as hell!  They were hospitable, quick to chat us up, and were genuinely interested in hearing what we had to say.  Not too often that you'll find that!  Still, we were on a mission, and it was time to get ready for an absolutely huge game between the 3-0 Seahawks and the 2-1 Texans.  At stake was a chance to witness the Seahawks first 4-0 start in team history, so it's safe to say that excitement was in the air.  Or was that just the fumes still in my nostrils from burnt Matt Schaub jerseys?

Who knows, all I do know is that tailgating in Texas was a blast!  I actually felt like I was back home in Queens, with Mexican ballads filling the dead-air, competing with the smell of Tacos and Fajitas being cooked in the background.  However, I was a long way from home, just like the Seahawks, and as time grew closer, the opening kickoff drew near.  Thanks again to Lon and Scott for setting up such a great time!

And just like that, it was game time!  However, a funny thing happened when we got to our seats.  A familiar face, Jayson, was randomly sitting 3 seats over from me and Greg.  The two people sitting directly next to me were kind enough to switch seats with him and we now had our own Seahawks cheering section up in Section 528.  Needless to say, outside of this run in the first quarter...

And this miraculous triple deflection turned improbable interception...

Things were not going the Seahawks way.  As one of my favorite Seahawks, Michael Bennett, lay face-down on the turf with the Hawks down 17-3, it seemed like this wasn't to be the Seahawks day.  My mind was on Bennett, a Texas native who's family was most definitely in attendance.  I actually just watched a video on NFL.com of Bennett's father reacting to the apparent injury and it wasn't fun.

However, this would almost act as a rallying cry for the boys from the Pacific Northwest.  Section 528 certainly never gave up.  We told anyone who would listen, Texans fan or 12th Man alike, that this game wasn't over and that there simply was no quit in Pete Carroll's warriors.  They had been through adversity before, will go through it again, and as always, they overcome.  And overcome they did.  With the score 20-3 and almost half the time gone in the 3rd quarter, a seemingly harmless fumble by Houston gave the Seahawks some life after Bobby Wagner recovered.

Then, despite a M*A*S*H unit of an OLine, Russell Wilson began to show signs that we were about to all witness something special.  Then, a little while later, we saw this and it was all but confirmed.  The Seahawks were going to come back!

Despite the early start, on the road, injuries, all that, they just kept on fighting and Russell Wilson just kept on leading.  I really don't know why we doubt these guys anymore.  I understand that it's years of failure that have been ingrained in our DNA, but it's time to embrace the same championship mentality that the team possesses.  I know for a fact that my buddy Leif has embraced it, now let's all do the same.

Before you knew it, Russell Wilson was Houdini on a football field personified, which then caused the Texans to sleep on Marshawn as he coasted into the endzone, yet again, for a Seahawks touchdown and a whole new ballgame.  It's amazing to watch teams as Russell Wilson starts to take over a game.  You can tell that they know the improbable is about to happen, and when they try and focus all of their energy on stopping #3, well that's just something you can't do with Beast Mode also a member of the same offense.

As exciting as this all was, our lovable group of American Football players were still down where it matters, on the scoreboard, 20-13, and Russell's bag o' magic tricks appeared to have run out of it's pixie dust.  An interception from Johnathan Joseph looked like it might snuff out Seattle's chance for a dramatic comeback on the surface, but underneath it all everyone who had still believed up until that point knew that this was only delaying the inevitable.

The inevitable had a name on this day, and that name was Richard Sherman!  Sherm did what elite NFL players do, change games, and took a Matt Schaub floater to the house to tie things up.  I can't tell you how crazy we were going in 528.  I had told Greg and Jayson that the Texans were going to try and go to the flats and that hopefully Sherm would be ready for it.  Well, there ya go!  I like to call this, one shoe and a cloud of dust!

    
After that back breaker, you just knew that the rest would be history.  What more could the Seahawks possibly need to ensure victory.  If you were a Texans fan watching the game, you should have just turned off the TV at this point...

I didn't get to see this moment live, although I now wish I had the presence of mind to focus on Pete before Overtime.  If I had seen this, OT would have been a lot easier on my blood pressure and my heart.  I'd love to know what was said.  Whatever it was, it worked.  The Seahawks defense bent but didn't break in the extra quarter of free football and Steven Hauschka sent all of the traveling 12's who made the trip down to Houston on a direct flight to Cloud 9.  And it must have been a One-Way ticket because I haven't come back down yet!  Pandemonium ensued and the .Net crew who got together to tailgate before the game got together to celebrate what was one of the most amazing wins in team history and the most amazing comeback win I've ever seen live.

Sadly, I was unable to witness the burning of any Matt Schaub jersey's.  To continue with the theme of the week of barely getting by, me and my friends were lucky enough to get a ride to the airport from our new friend, Steve.  Like a man possessed, he got us to the airport with literally no time to spare.  As I passed through security and headed for the plane, I knew that I had just gotten away with one.  Much like the Seahawks, it was close, and it wasn't pretty, but it got the job done.  Special thanks, once again, to my friend Steve for playing Russell Wilson for the night and getting us to our flight on time.  I'll never forget that.

Special thanks to the city of Houston as well, for being such great and hospitable hosts.  To Lon and Scott for making the weekend's events all possible, and for all the great people in between for all the good times.  Most importantly, a massive thank you to the Seattle Seahawks for making it one of the most memorable weekend's of my life.  Had they lost, I'd still think it was special, but for them to win the way they did, that's what legends are made of!

There's something special brewing.  I'm proud to say that I've been there every step of the way so far for the first 4-0 start in team history.  This team is just different.  The universe is speaking, hopefully we can all just listen and enjoy this amazing ride!