The Secret Weapon

After an exhilarating trip to Atlanta capped off with an emphatic Seahawks victory, it was time to head back "home."  While it's technically not my home, I've always been fond of the city of Seattle, the state of Washington, and the Pacific Northwest in general.  This season however, it's become my "home away from home" in a more literal sense than it already was.  The best part of being in and around Seattle this year has been seeing the anticipation and the love that the city and it's people have for the Seahawks.  Even as far back as August, on my maiden voyage to the motherland for Seahawks Training Camp, you could tell that the city of Seattle was ready for a championship.  Fast forward to the present and as you can imagine, the belief in this team is at an all-time high.

The trek to Seattle was a bit different from most of the journey's this season.  I still got a ride to the airport (Kennedy this time) from my lovely girlfriend at ridiculously early hours of the AM, that much remained the same.  What was different this time around was that this was a Nonstop flight from NYC to Seattle, my first of the season.  As a move to save money this season, I've always gone with the cheapest flight possible.  That usually means a connector somewhere whether it be Charlotte, Houston, Chicago, etc.  Luckily for me, a regular at the place I work at named Margaret blessed me with 25,000 flyer miles and a free roundtrip ticket from NYC to Seattle.  It, without a doubt, ranks as one of the nicest things anyone's ever done for me and one of the nicest gestures I've seen in my life.  Ever.  And I've experienced some good fortune in my life, especially this year, so that's saying a lot.

Not having to connect flights came up big in the clutch.  I hadn't slept much during the week so it was nice being able to just pass out on the plane.  It wasn't the best sleep in the world, but in the words of Russell Wilson, there's no time to sleep!  I landed in Seattle early in the morning on Saturday and headed down to the International District on the Light Rail.  After some dumplings in Chinatown, I headed to King St. to see if anyone was out and about and watching college football.  I'm still getting used to bars being crowded and games being on so early in the morning, but it's something that I could definitely get used to.  With an Old Rasputin in my hand, some dumplings in my belly, and the Cougs game on multiple TV's, life was good.

It was about to get better though.  Not only did the Cougs pull of an improbable upset (by WSU's standards, of course) of Arizona on the road in the Desert, but almost immediately after the game was over and I was headed to my next destination, I got a tap on the shoulder.  Turns out it was James, whom I had met earlier in the season in Indianapolis when we were introduced by our friend Leif.  He and his buddy were in the midst of their own Seahawks roadtrip, having come from Minnesota to check this one out.  Ya just gotta love seeing someone fly from Minnesota to Seattle for a football game, and not rooting for Minnesota.  I just love that kind of stuff.  It helps me realize how well represented around the country the 'Hawks are.  We downed a few more beers before calling it quits and heading separate ways for the night.

The next morning, gameday, I was supposed to be down at Touchdown City at 9 to meet my new friend Virgil to buy his ticket from him.  Turns out the 72 bus doesn't leave Lake City where I was staying until 9:07.  I knew I would be screwed by 10 because that's when the doors open and they start letting people in.  Without a working phone, I would have definitely been screwed.  The bus, which took the most agonizingly painful route ever and stopped at nearly every block, was sure to be the death of me on this day.  I finally arrived at International District at 9:56 AM.  I looked at the clock as I walked off the bus, thought about where I was in comparison to Touchdown City, and then thought about Russell Wilson and Marshawn Lynch.  The thought was that, sure, it might seem impossible to make it there on time but I absolutely had to give my best effort.  Russell and Beast would do it, so damn it, I had to do it too.

As I sprinted through the parking lot, long hair and beard flowing, backpack included, I knew that I slightly resembled a terrorist.  I saw some of the looks I was getting, however, I simply didn't care at all and just kept running.  As I pulled up to Touchdown City at what I would assume was 10:02 or something close to that, I saw Virgil's buddy who goes by the name "Rooster."  I screamed his name and luckily grabbed his attention.  He was next to go in to Touchdown City, so I had gotten there just in the nick of time.  Luckily, Virgil had left my ticket with him before he headed inside the WaMu Theater a few minutes earlier.  My body felt like it was about to shut down on me from all of the running, but it was worth it.  I had my ticket to the game and now it was time to meet up with some good people and make this day a good one.  I thought to myself, "Marshawn and Russell would be proud.  Or at least my little sister would be.

Before I could make it to Temple Billiards though, I bumped into 3 guys from Minnesota that I had met the night before in downtown Seattle.  I had reached into my pocket for my wallet and the wallet was upside down and thus unloaded all of it's contents on to the pavement.  I scrambled to pick up the cash that had fallen out, and these 2 guys in Vikings gear and their friend stopped to help me pick everything up.  As luck would have it, I bumped into them again.  As I thanked them and wished them good luck during the game, one of the guys said the only thing he wanted in return for helping me the night before was a green rally towel to take home to his son.  A pretty simple request considering what he had done for me the day before, so his son is now a soon-to-be-proud owner of a Seahawks rally towel.  Who knows, maybe this is the moment that turns him into a lifelong Seahawks fan?

So finally, after all the running and still struggling to catch my breath, I made it to Temple Billiards.  Plans of an early meetup at Triangle Pub had gone by the wayside for me, but I was just happy to be there at the moment.  I had the chance to meet some great new people like Adam and Scotte, as well as some old friends in Dom and James.  Now, you've probably heard about the "Seattle Freeze" if you've ever been to Seattle, or maybe you've just heard of it's legend.  I would say that it's real and that I've felt it before, although it's no match for me because I just ignore it until I eventually break the person down and force them to want to engage in conversation or I just leave it alone.  Some times people just need their space.  However, the most amazing thing has been seeing how the Seahawks have absolutely destroyed the "Seattle Freeze."  I've had some amazing times talking Seahawks and life with some great members of the 12th Man.  The two go much more hand in hand than I had the perspective to even understand before this season started.  Seeing people travel from Minnesota, Oklahoma City, and even Iowa for 'Hawks games has been great to witness.  No matter where you're from or what you're doing, we've all got some serious love for the 'Hawks in common and seeing that love shared has been truly awesome.

It was time to leave Temple and head down to Touchdown City ourselves for an opportunity to try and get some good 12's some access to the field.  I had gotten on the standby list a few weeks earlier prior to the Tennessee game, and wanted to "Hawk it Forward" for some deserving 12's.  We even bumped into Luke Willson's dad, Mike, while we were down there!  What an excellent, humble guy who was just hangin' around with some normal folk prior to the first time watching a game in Seattle.  He and his friend were impressed with the Seahawks gameday experience already, and this is before the game even started!

Sadly, life isn't full of happy endings.  Our access to the field was denied and I felt like a doctor who had just lost a patient in the ER.  We didn't make it.  I was pretty devastated about letting the team down.  A damn good group of people that definitely deserved to be out there but sometimes thems the breaks in life.  What can you do?  Having Mr. Willson there to cheer me up and tell me not to be devastated was pretty cool though, further solidifying his status as a living legend.

With the taste of life-defeat firmly still in my mouth, we headed to our seats to see if the Seahawks could make it 10-1.  That doesn't even seem real when I type it.  God I love it though.  First, I headed to a friend named Michael's seat (pictured above) to take in some of the pre-game festivities.  I don't know if I've seen a more perfect seat at a sporting event.  Outrageous is all I can say.  Beautiful is another word that comes to mind.  Michael, like me, is also going to every game this season and I had met him in Atlanta the week before.  Like mostly every other 12 I've had the pleasure of meeting, he's quality people.  

Finally, it was time for kickoff and it was time for me to get to my seat!  The Seahawks defense wasted no time in getting to work, forcing a fumble on the opening drive of the game.  Cliff Avril is the master of the forced fumble, the one last Sunday being his 3rd of the season.  I still don't understand how it's possible that the Seahawks ended up with both Avril AND Michael Bennett this past offseason.  Both have 6.5 sacks now through 11 games, incredible and exactly what this defense needed.

The season of firsts continued for me and the Seahawks at half time this week.  Before the game, I had never seen someone receive a Purple Heart before.  Those in attendance at this one got to watch as a few soldiers received their awards for injuries sustained while in the line of duty.  It was definitely an inspirational moment and it gave me some perspective.  While I was thinking about how bad I felt because I couldn't get people on to a football field, there's some guy getting a medal because he was injured in a rocket launcher attack.  I don't think I've got anything on him when it comes to having a reason to feel bad about things.  Leave it to life to give you a swift kick in the ass when it comes to times like this.

Don't let the final score fool you, this one wasn't always a laugher in the way that the Falcons game was.  Minnesota did their best to hang in there and give Seattle their finest effort.  That's often been the case this season, with teams like Tampa Bay and other struggling clubs mustering up their finest effort against the Seahawks.  That's just what happens when you've got the target on your back.  The Vikings brought a decent game, but vaunted RB Adrian Peterson could never get going and the Vikings defense struggled to slow down Russell Wilson and company.

Speaking of #3, what a stellar performance from the young man.  Between the picture-perfect threading of the needle to find Doug Baldwin in the endzone for 6 right before the end of the first half and the poetic underhanded flip to Marshawn Lynch, Russell had one of "THOSE games."  You know, the ones that guys like Bill Polian and Mel Kiper said that he'd never have in the NFL.  Well, he's having THOSE kinds of games at an alarmingly high level right now.  Life's moving in slow motion out there for Russell.  I'm honored to be able to witness it.

And how could I forget Percy Harvin?  I've had the sneaking feeling for a while now that people are underestimating the return of Harvin and the impact that he will have on the Seahawks as they get ready to make their playoff push.  I don't think anyone will be sleeping on Percy anymore though.  What an introduction to the team!  First, a breathtaking catch to keep the chains moving on a key 3rd and 10 with the game tied at 10.  What concentration, such focus!  Expect more top-notch stuff like that from #11 in the very near future.  Also, expect more kick returns like Percy's first with the team.  The speed he showed when he hit that massive hole was jaw-dropping.  I was drooling thinking about the possibilities of getting to see that every game.  Whether the team uses Harvin sparingly as a Kick Returner, or if he becomes "THE GUY" back there much like Golden is on Punt Returns, he's going to make plays when he gets the ball in his hands back there.  However often that may be.

As much as I can talk about the offense, and there's plenty more to talk about especially with the return of Russell Okung, Max Unger, and Breno Giacomini, it was the defense who salted this one away.  It just wasn't a good day for Vikings QB's.  Things started decently for Christian Ponder, even beating Richard Sherman for a TD to tie the game at 10 early on, but things went to hell shortly thereafter.

You know the rest.  The Seahawks turned it on late and only turned it off when they pulled their starters and let the backups get some work to finish things off.  I love it when I see Tarvaris Jackson in there.  You know things went really well if you turn on the TV and #7's doing his thing by game's end.  Finally, the game clock struck zero's all around and the Seahawks had finally done it.  10-1 and only beginning to start to scratch the surface of their potential dominance.

What could make the day more perfect you ask?  How about stopping in the middle of the street on Occidental Ave. to watch the Saints beat the 49ers from outside of a bar with a bunch of 12's?  That was the scene last Sunday, as everyone had their fingers crossed as Garrett Hartley stepped up to give the 49ers another defeat.  A roar let out as the kick went through the uprights.  Luckily, I was standing next to a guy from New York City who happened to be a Saints fan.  Dressed in his Jimmy Graham jersey, we wished each other good luck in preparation for the battle that will take place on Monday, December 2nd.  It figures to be a great one.

The troops gathered one last time at Temple Billiards for the night.  Jordan and Scotte joined James and his buddies and I as we celebrated a huge win while watching the Chiefs try and knock off the Broncos.  It didn't work out for them but that also meant some good news for the 'Hawks.  They were now a top of the NFL as the best team in the league in the standings.  A truly amazing accomplishment for this organization when you consider how far they've come since Pete Carroll and John Schneider took over 4 short years ago.

The bizarre coincidence of the night came when I was at the bar and was thinking about the #33.  It was the number of the aisle I was in on my flight to Seattle and it was also the number of the avenue of the house where I stayed.  I'm not big into coincidences and stuff like that, but for some reason I was thinking Christine Michael was going to have a big game.  He ended up with 1 carry in garbage time.  Then, it happened.  Right when I was trying to piece things together, this appeared in front of me at the bar.

  
After watching the Broncos do away with Kansas City, it was time to head to the airport to do away with the weekend.  The Seahawks were 10-1, life was good, and a great time was had.  As I headed to the Stadium station for the Light Rail, I looked back at CenturyLink one last time and just thought about how lucky I've been.  A giant poster of Marshawn Lynch stares back at me, as if to tell me that Beast Mode already exists inside of each of us, we just have to be prepared to earn everything.  To put an exclamation point on the weekend for me, a young man at JFK Airport sees my Seahawks jacket and starts chatting with me.  His name is David too, and he wanted to tell me that even though he's a Cowboys fan, he thinks CenturyLink is the best stadium in the NFL.  It might not have the giant big screen that Jerry Jones built in Texas, but he says it more than makes up for it with fan experience.  "Everything is about football in Seattle", he says.  He tells me that even though he was only a 12 for a day, it's going to be hard for him to go back to the drudgery of being a Cowboys fan.

Enjoy the bye week, everyone.  The team has earned the rest and hell, the fans have too.  Some of these games haven't been easy to watch but they make the ride that much sweeter.  I'm so incredibly proud of this team and it's fans that I can't even begin to express it in words at the moment.  I won't try.  All I'll say is 10 and 1 and GO Hawks!

The Art of Storytelling

Please, allow me to tell you a story about one of the greatest weekends of my life.  To all those who were apart of it and to all those who helped make the memories and the good times happen, I thank you in advance.

After making the 12th Man sweat a little bit at home against the then-win less Tampa Bay Buccaneers, many thought the trip to Atlanta would be much of the same.  Most fans that I knew were predicting yet another tough, gritty victory from the Seahawks and it seemed like the right call.  With 3 of the 5 starting Offensive Linemen out due to injury, including their 2 best ones in Max Unger and Russell Okung, it was a pretty safe assumption that Russell Wilson would be harassed all day.  Well, sometimes in life you just don't know.  No matter all the analysis or time that goes in to dissecting each matchup and the matchups within the game, sometimes life just throws you a curveball to keep you guessing.  This Atlanta game was that curveball.

Prior to the voyage, there was some excellent news upon returning from Seattle to NYC.  One of the regulars at my job, a woman named Margaret, gifted me 25,000 of her Frequent Flyer Miles and got me a round-trip ticket to Seattle and back home for the game against the Vikings.  Earlier in the season, her boss who is coincidentally named Paul just like the Seahawks' boss, had blessed me with two free tickets to the game at the Meadowlands in December between the Seahawks and the Giants.  Without question, these are some of the nicest, kindest, and most generous things anyone has ever done for me.  Margaret and Paul have been my guardian angels, regularly checking in and asking about the quest and how it's shaping up and I'm eternally grateful for them and all they've done for me.  I one day hope to be able to do the same for them and pay on forward the tremendous support they've shown me.  

As you can imagine, I was on cloud nine.  After a rough week at work, this gave me the shot in the arm that I needed to get through the week and start looking forward to the upcoming trip to Atlanta for the game against the Falcons.  A special shout out goes out to my lovely lady Laura for giving me an early ride to LaGuardia Airport, even though she probably didn't really want to get out of bed.  As we entered the airport, I told her that she could drop me off anywhere and that I'd find my way to the Terminal I needed to get to.  I didn't want to keep her there any longer than she had to, seeing as how she was already going out of her way to drive me there on a Saturday morning in the first place.  I was at Terminal B and so I asked someone working at the airport where I could find US Airways departures.  I was told to head to Terminal D, and that the shuttle bus would be the most efficient way to get there.  After waiting along with another gentleman for the bus, we both realized that the shuttle bus was no safe bet.  It had been a few minutes and it hadn't arrived, and who knew how long it would take us to zig-zag around the airport to get from Point B to Point D.  We were conveniently standing right near the Taxi line, and so we both decided to get the next Taxi and split it since it turned out we were heading in the same direction.

Once we were in the cab, this man whose name was Craig (I think, I met a ton of people this past weekend and I'm already pretty bad with names.  More of a know-by-face kind of guy) and I started talking.  I asked him where he was headed and he told me that he was flying to Wisconsin for business, and that his company was putting him up in a suite to check out the Eagles/Packers game.  I let him know that I, too, was headed for a football game, only in Atlanta and not Wisconsin.  We laughed at the amazing coincidence and a few minutes later after shooting the breeze, we had arrived at Terminal D.  We split the cab and wished each other well on our respective trips and just like that we were on our way.  A brief encounter, but an interesting one nonetheless.  

When I arrived at Terminal D, I quickly found out that I was sent to the wrong terminal!  Turns out I needed to be at Terminal C, not D, and that the guy who told me I needed to go to D was wrong.  With the clock ticking in my mind I asked where C was and when another airport employee told me where it was, I took off running.  $5 and a brisk 5 minute run with a backpack later, I was finally at US Airways.  It wasn't pretty, but it got the job done.  A recurring theme so far for the Seahawks, and my life, so far this season.

Joining me on this week's journey would be my buddy Greg.  This would mark Greg's 3rd trip on the season, having previously joined me in both Houston and Indianapolis.  Greg's a great person to travel with because he knows the best places to eat and places to check out.  Not only that, but he's an extremely cool dude as well.  How many other New York Jets fans would be so down to travel the country to check out Seahawks road games?  I nominate him for honorary Seahawks fan status.  He's gone "All In" this season, for sure. 

Also meeting us in Atlanta would be Dale, a friend of ours from Carlow East aka New York City's official Seattle Seahawks bar.  A Seattle native, this would be Dale's 3rd road game of the season, having trekked it out to Charlotte in Week 1 and Indianapolis in Week 5 as well.  Dale's another good guy and it's been a blast meeting up with him in various US cities to help cheer on the 'Hawks.  The stage was set for a memorable weekend that would hopefully be capped off by a Seahawks victory in the ATL.  

When we got in on Saturday afternoon, I could tell that I already really liked Atlanta.  As an OutKast fan, I had heard of places like Decatur in various songs, and I was now finally surrounded by them.  It was a pretty cool feeling and no doubt the OutKast was bumpin' during the trip.  To make the trip even more "typical down South", our first meal was at a Chic-Fil-A.  I can now speak of the goodness that is the chicken at Chic-Fil-A.  It's not overrated, that's for damn sure.

Afterwards, we head on downtown for the weekend's official gathering of 12's at STATS bar.  It was a gala event, and every time you looked there were more Seahawks fans pouring in.  Not only were fans everywhere, but players parents and family were all over the place as well.  Beverly Sherman was there, as was Kam Chancellor's brother Cornell, whom I met weeks earlier in St. Louis when our flight from DC to St. Louis was delayed.  I told him I owed him a beer for the time he got me one at the airport and he responded with a resounding "you don't owe me anything!"  Truly a standup guy, with an excellent family to match.

Also in attendance was Mike Willson, Luke's father, and his buddy Shawn whom Greg and I had met in Houston.  Mr. Willson is one of the best guys you'll ever meet, and he remembered our names and was happy to see us.  The four of us talked for a while about life and the Seahawks, before Mike and I did interviews for KIRO7.  You can tell that Mike is so proud of his son, and we all are, he's coming along nicely in his development with the 'Hawks.  I'm especially excited about Luke, to the point where I'm thinking of buying his jersey, since he also played baseball for my favorite team, the Toronto Blue Jays.  It's for that reason that he was my "Adopt-A-Rookie" for this season on Seahawks.Net.  It's great seeing his father Mike, and his dad's friend Shawn, being embraced by the city of Seattle and the 12th Man.  They both deserve it with the way they treat people.

The craziest, most random part of the night was probably when two people approached me telling me that they sat two rows behind me at the Seahawks/Giants game in the Meadowlands two seasons ago.  They witnessed me nearly have to fight an entire section of Giants fans who were out for my blood.  My hair definitely makes me a target around more, shall I say, primitive fanbases like that of the Giants.  In true Seahawks fashion though, they had my back.  We all we got!  We all we need!  Other highlights of the night include meeting Albert, the proud owner of the most amazing Seahawks smoking jacket that I've ever seen, and bumping into SeaPimp aka Shannon whom most of you probably know from the CLink.  Just amazing people all around and an absolutely outstanding vibe that feels like bliss for this 12.  Thanks to everyone for making it happen!

So after just a tremendous night at STATS, which is an awesome place by the way, Greg and I called it quits and went back to the hotel to catch some shuteye before hitting the road early for some tailgating with 12's!  I had heard stories, legends in fact, about the tailgate from the Divisional Playoff game in Atlanta the season prior.  Anyone who was there speaks about it glowingly.  Well, this season's showing certainly did not disappoint!  The swarm of 12's was overwhelming and it just continued to grow.  One of my favorite parts of catching every game so far this season has been watching the 12th Man show some legendary, amazing support in these road games.  I certainly didn't expect the levels of amazing fandom that I've seen exemplified by our fan base this season.  It's unprecedented, for any team.  And for the most part, from what I can tell, it's actual traveling fans and not just bandwagoners stationed in each place, like some other teams.  I'm lookin' at you San Fran, Pittsburgh, Dallas, and the rest of ya stinkin' lot!

Speaking of bandwagon Niners fans, there was actually a "Georgia Niners Fans" group at the tailgate.  Yes, that's correct, a pack of Niners fans tailgating at a Seahawks/Falcons game, right next to us.  Ya think the 'Hawks are in their heads?  How pathetic is that?!  Luckily, for them and for us, they were pretty cool guys and didn't want any strife.  The 12's handled it with class and didn't pull out their shanks and stab them like you could imagine would happen if some Seahawks fans tried doing the opposite somewhere.  Stay classy, Seattle.  You're making me prouder and prouder with each passing week.

As everyone partied it up, especially my buddy Lon from Texas in his trademark Seahawks cowboy hat (yeah, it's as awesome as it sounds), I turned around to see that I was face to face with a guy who looked just like Marcus Trufant, just a tad bit older.  Low and behold, it was Marcus' father, Lloyd.  Greg and I introduced ourselves and I must admit, I was pretty starstruck meeting the father of one of my all-time favorite Seahawks.  It was amazing being able to tell him that both Greg and I were there at the Madison Square Garden theater on the day his son Marcus was drafted by the Seahawks.  Times had changed though, as Papa Tru was now rooting on his youngest son, Desmond, who was recently a #1 draft pick for the Atlanta Falcons.  Still, Mr. Trufant was proud of all of his sons and their accomplishments not only in football, but in life as well.  You could just see how excited he was when he was talking about being a grandfather and seeing his sons now have kids as well.  No doubt one of them will probably grow up and play Cornerback in the NFL.  That's just what happens when you've got Lloyd Trufant in your bloodlines.

Soon, it was time for the 12's to march to the stadium.  Who better to help lead the way than Branton Sherman, Richard's brother.  With Branton at the head of the pack, we all marched to the Georgia Dome chanting "We all we got!  We all we need!"  It was a massive gathering and as Greg and I drifted ahead, you could still hear the chants from blocks away.  Just amazing stuff.  Finally though, gametime was upon us, and it was now time to see if the 'Hawks could capture another first.  Their first 9-1 start in team history, as well as their first 5-1 start on the road in team history.  After seeing all the fan support from earlier in the day and the night before, I was convinced that the 'Hawks would find a way to win this one.

To help make the game even better, I was able to meet with a friend of mine from back in college at WSU named Rachel.  She used to work for the Seahawks, before joining the Ravens in 2012 and earning a Super Bowl ring in the process.  Now she works for the Redskins.  Needless to say that everyone's proud of her.  Putting that WSU degree to good use right there!  As luck (not Andrew though) would have it, the guys who were supposed to sit in the seats next to her were pretty cool and all about southern hospitality, and let Greg and I sit in the seats instead while they sat a row closer.  A win-win for everyone.  Kudos to those ultra-cool Falcons fans.  Also, I knew immediately once I saw this on the northwest side of the Georgia Dome, that some special 12th Man magic was in the air.

What we witnessed that day was sheer beauty.  Utter domination.  A lesson in the game of Futbol Americano and how to play it at it's highest level.  Don't worry, it looked just as good live as it did on TV.  From Marshawn Lynch nearly severing opponent's heads, to Golden Tate showing the body control of an elite-level gymnast, to Jermaine Kearse looking like he might be one of the best, most underrated jump-ball threats in the league, the Seattle Seahawks were firing on all cylinders.  Finally, after weeks of wondering when the 'Hawks would "put it all together" and completely outclass their opponent, we got what we wanted.  My heart was especially thankful for this one.  It needed a laugher after so many nailbiters.  And I actually bite my nails, so I've been putting in work this season!

The Seahawks simply "balled out of control" as the youngins would say.  The Jermaine Kearse jumpball on Desmond Trufant, the Golden Tate screen for 40+ yards, Golden's insane TD catch in which I'm pretty sure he levitated for the score, Beast Mode's huge run through the center of the defense, the Flea-Flicker, you see what I'm getting at here.  The Seahawks were just on fire.  Huge plays for huge gains everywhere on offense, and a defense that simply wouldn't allow anything.  When they play like they did on Sunday, it's extremely difficult to think of them NOT winning it all.

As has been the case increasingly throughout this journey, when the game was out of reach and Falcons fans headed for the exits early, the 12's took it as an opportunity to show their team some love.  A massive gathering behind the Seahawks bench that gave similar gatherings in Arizona and St. Louis a run for it's money.  We got down there and it definitely put a punctuation mark on such an outstanding performance.  Golden Tate was especially thankful for all the love, as he was the last man to leave the bench and left waving to the crowd and was clearly impressed with the passion and dedication of the fans.

On a random sidenote, Bruce Irvin hurdled a man.  I'm not sure who it was on the Falcons, and I don't know if it made it to TV (probably not?  maybe?) broadcast, but after a play he came from the sideline and one of the Falcons had his back turned to him and he pushed down on the guy's shoulders and used that momentum to jump clear over the guy.  If you didn't already know that Bruce Irvin is a freak of nature, well, I can't tell you much more to make the case for him.  We actually bumped into Irvin's cousin on our way out of the game.  I told him that Seattle was proud of Bruce and that I think he'll have a great career there and he'll be bringing a ring around after this season.  He agreed.

We left the Georgia Dome feeling all kinds of victorious.  Everything had gone perfectly over the weekend.  The only thing that could make it more perfect, would be a Niners loss at home to Carolina.  I mean, yeah, the Panthers have an excellent front seven.  The Seahawks were actually the first team in the NFL to discover that this season.  However, there's no way that San Fran slips up against the Panthers, at home.  I'll tell you one thing.  You know that Colin Kaepernick and company don't want anything to do with Carolina.  If they were to meet in the playoffs, I think Carolina showed them that they can play just as tough as them.  It could have actually been worse than the stingy 10-9 score had Panthers receivers, namely Steve Smith, not had a bad case of the dropsies on that day.  

The only thing that could possibly make Kaepernick and his squad of goons failing more sweet would be to see the tears of Niners fans in the process.  Luckily, karma served up a sweet platter for Seahawks fans at STATS bar after the game.  For some reason, the same Niners fans from the tailgate were also at the Seahawks pregame bar from the night before.  Seattle is definitely in their heads.  After running their mouths in the parking lot and talking smack about how Seattle was crumbling and San Fran was on fire and ready to take back the division, it was time to eat some crow.  As Colin Kaepernick's pass was intercepted by Tuskegee's proud son, Drayton Florence, all hope for a Niners win was shattered.  I immediately ran downstairs to revel in the misfortunes of our enemy.  My brethren, I'm here to tell you that it was a beautiful thing.  "This is a damn tragedy!" is what I heard one woman yell.  "I told yall!  Kaepernick is a bum!" were some others.  My personal favorite, muttered by a dude in a Kaepernick jersey was, "I'm a survivor.  We're going to survive this."  It was a broken, deflated fanbase, much like the one we saw leaving the CLink after the Seahawks destroyed them 29-3 earlier this season.

The night was capped off by cigars and a fire pit and just talking about life and how the Seahawks have changed ours.  The positive energy coming from the roof of STATS that night would have made Pete Carroll himself proud, master of all things positive energy, as there wasn't a worry in the world.  Sharing stories, beers, and some victory cigars was exactly the perfect ending to a perfect Seahawks weekend.   

The perfect long weekend continued the next day with a Chic-Fil-A spicy chicken sandwich for breakfast and a trip to the Aquarium.  Even there we bumped into some more 12's from the weekend.  I even got to meet a 'Hawks fan from Maine, Tim.  The night before I met a dude from South Carolina named Kevin who's been a fan for over 30 years and is from the same hometown as Chartric Darby.  That's my favorite part of hitting up all these games, meeting my fellow 12th Man and hearing everyone's incredible stories about how and why they love the Seahawks.  Even at the airport on the flight home, Greg and I bumped into 2 Seahawks fans at the airport, one of whom is also attending every game this season, a Seattle native named Michael.  What makes his story even cooler is that he made it to all of the preseason games as well, so he's got me beat there.  Point is, this whole damn thing is building so much momentum, at such a fast rate, that it's starting to feel like the Seahawks can accomplish anything with us on their side.

And finally, after all that, we made it home.  Seriously, the only bad thing during the entire trip was the flight home, which was an absolute circus, but it couldn't do a damn thing to dampen such an amazing time.  The Gods of Good Fortune had smiled upon us again.  More importantly, the Seattle Seahawks stand tall at 9-1, ahead of the NFC West Division as well as the entire NFC, period.  The fun doesn't stop here though, oh no it gets better, as Russell Okung, Breno Giacomini, and Max Unger should all be returning this week, in some capacity.  Oh yeah, and some dude named Percy Harvin is going to get a little work in as well.  Don't know if you've heard of him before.  It won't always be so glorious.  This is the good life, ladies and gentlemen, and we're lucky enough to be able to witness it.  

This team has become everything I ever dreamed a sports team could be when I first got hooked on sports back when I came out the womb.  Except, I always thought I was being idealistic and unrealistic and that it would never happen.  I got news for you self, you were wrong!
 

Wherever the wind may take me

The 2013 Seattle Seahawks aren't the prettiest team in the NFL.  At least not yet.  No, not by a long shot.  However, take a look back at some of the past Super Bowl winners in recent NFL history and you'll see that most champions aren't the most aesthetically pleasing team or the one that's easiest on the eye.  Instead, they are the toughest.  Living in New York City, I've had the recent misfortune of bearing witness to two improbable Super Bowl runs by the New York Giants.  It wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for their insufferable fans and their "2-6...  We got 'em right where we want 'em!" type attitude, because the actual teams that won those Super Bowls were impressive from a toughness standpoint.  The same can be said for the Packers in 2010, who won 3 straight road playoff games before finally knocking off Pittsburgh in the Super Bowl and taking home the Lombardi.  And I don't need to elaborate further on the Ravens with that Super Bowl run still fresh on everyone's mind.  The point is, not many would have said those teams would be the eventual Super Bowl champions if you polled the nation at the season's midway point.

Much like the Seahawks, my journey to watch every Seahawks game this season, hasn't always been the prettiest.  From sleeping at airports, to losing things, to having a tooth pulled, it's not been the easiest road.  That's a good thing though, because it's those rough spots that breed character and toughness.  If the road were paved with gold, it'd be half the experience and probably wouldn't even be worth it to me.  The struggle makes it way more satisfying.  That's why I'm really enjoying these games this season, a hell of a lot more than if I were watching them at home.  And obviously, no offense to the beautiful people at Carlow East.

When I was watching games back at home, I'd make the 'Hawks game the focus of my week, I'm not ashamed to admit it.  A Seahawks win and I'm feeling like a million bucks.  A loss and I want to crawl under a rock until about Thursday, then drink heavily over the weekend until it's time for next week's game to roll around.  Such is the life of a diehard, especially for an out-of-state fan like myself.  Putting so much stock into these games meant that actually watching them was the most amazing form of torture ever.  I'd enjoy the games, of course, in my own sick way.  Watching Seahawks games is one of my favorite things to do in life.  Life just wouldn't be the same without it.

Thankfully though, this season has been different.  Getting to travel and see tailgates around the country and meeting new people in new places has actually helped me enjoy the games more and not get so high or low after a single given play.  Having said all that, this past Sunday against the Buccaneers tested the fibers of my fandom.  It was a game where, as a fan, you had to decide whether you were going to believe or whether everything you previously thought about your team just got shot in the face with a shotgun.

My girlfriend was nice enough to drive me to Laguardia Airport in Queens, waking up super early like a champ and helping me get my shit together.  I'm eternally grateful for my lady and the sacrifices she's made this season to support my craziness.  My first flight to Chicago was the most surreal feeling I've ever had in my life.  I swear I thought I was dreaming.  Picture getting on a normal sized jet, only to see that it's only you and maybe 20 others on the plane with you.  Empty seats everywhere.  I felt like I was at a Tampa Bay Rays game.  Be thankful, I spared you there M's fans.

The rest of my travel out was pretty uneventful, except for trying to land a plane on one of the windiest days of the year to date.  Things got dicey there for a minute, but we made it safely to Sea-Tac.  Then, it was on to Pioneer Square for me.  I had wanted to check out what was going on down by Mecca aka CenturyLink, when all of a sudden I realized that I had inadvertently found myself in ground zero of a Sounders/Timbers playoff game!  16 year old Dave would have known the game was going down, but ten years later I was oblivious to it.  I gotta say though, it was a pretty awesome environment to randomly come across.  Sounders fans definitely bring it and it's cool that they bring it in their own unique way.

The game didn't go as hoped, and things eventually got worse as the Timbers sealed the deal last night, but it was still a great experience.  I tried to watch the game with a Bucs fan from Philly and his buddy.  The Bucs fan had the textbook American approach to futbol/soccer, in that it's the most boring game ever and it sucks.  And that watching paint dry is better.  I disagree, but I digress.  When I told my newfound Bucs compadre that I thought the Bucs would keep things close with Seattle, he laughed and said "We suck!  We won't even score a touchdown!"

After a night at the Tac, I spent the early morning trying to find a ticket for the day's game.  It's a weird feeling not having a ticket until gameday, but each week I feel more and more comfortable with the fact that no matter what, I'll find a way in.  Luckily, I had someone looking out for me.  A fellow 12 that many know as Riley was kind enough to point me in the direction of another diehard 12 with an extra ticket to sell.  Even without having a phone, just like that I had myself a ticket for face value.  $76.  Not bad.  Little did I know what awaited me.

I hustled like Russell down to the stadium and even though it was only 9 in the morning, things were spring to life.  Every time I go to Seattle now, I fall more and more in love with the gameday culture.  It's a thing of beauty and it's all centered around the Seahawks and the 12th Man.  It's a Seahawks Nirvana.  If I could capture that feeling and take it with me everywhere, I'd never lose in life, I'm sure of it.  I scooped up my ticket from a 12 named Virgil.  He could have sold his ticket for a profit, but instead he was kind enough to sell it to face for me.  We talked shop outside of Touchdown City for a minute with another diehard named Rooster.  You've probably seen his Sea-Believe signs up on the JumboTron, and it was perfectly fitting when it showed up there during the 3rd Quarter of this week's game.

Temple Billiards was the next spot on the agenda, as I met up with Dom and his lady, Todd and his, Jordan, Matt, and a friend of Matt's.  All good people and people that I've met before that I enjoy sharing a beer with and talking 'Hawks.  We all agree that while our hearts would appreciate a nice beatdown of the winless Bucs, it probably wasn't in the cards judging by how things had been going lately.  When we were about to leave, we got treated to one of my favorite parts of the Seahawks gameday culture, the Blue Thunder.  They're intense, passionate, and do their jobs better than they've ever been done before.  Of course they'd be the Seahawks drumline.

How could you not get hyped up after seeing that?!  Game time was now upon us so I made the trek over to the CLink, got through security, and made my way to my seat.  To my amazement, I was at the base of the Hawks Nest and just a few rows from the first row of the North End Zone.  Without question, the best seat I've ever had in my life for a football game.  My Dad once got tickets to a Giants/Mets playoff game for us back in the day, about 3 rows back on the 3rd Base Line, so those were pretty awesome.  However, these were just as nice.  

So here I am, thinking this is absolutely perfect and there's no way things can get any better.  It's almost scripted perfectly enough to wear I can see the Seahawks mauling of the Bucs coming.  Too bad things don't usually unfold that way in real life.  They were gashing the Hawks on the ground, Mike Glennon was looking competent, and the Seahawks were turning the ball over.  Not only that, but Mike Carey was in charge of this one, which meant that everyone in the stadium and at home was going to remember who refereed this game.  In Mike Carey's world, Sundays are about Mike Carey, not the game of football.  This game was no different.  That "Pass Interference" call on Earl Thomas III, if you can even call it that without your fists balling up, goes up there with the Golden Tate "Offensive Pass Interference" in Indy as the worst calls against the 'Hawks on the season.  Both calls have me worried about the future of the NFL, to be quite honest with you.

Still, no matter how bleak things looked, you just had to know that it wasn't going down like this.  Russell Wilson's career home unbeaten streak and the team's unbeaten streak at home in general were not about to fall to the 0-7 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  Running backs throwing for touchdown passes be damned, this wasn't how things were going to be remembered in the not-so-distant future.  So, despite the injuries to the OLine, and the inability to stop Mike "Not LeBron" James, and "The Buzzard" Sean Glennon, as Jordan nicknamed him, looking fairly capable and confident in the pocket, the Seahawks managed to dig deep and bring it back.

At one point late in the game, when everything was at it's craziest and the CLink had their collective hearts in their throats, I focused on Russell Wilson.  He was slowly walking on to the field, focused as usual, with his hands in his handwarmer and his head down.  I thought to myself how amazingly calm he was, despite the grim-seeming scenario that lay in front of him.  It was at that moment that I realized the Seahawks were going to win the game and that I didn't need to worry anymore.  I've learned not to count this team out and it just seemed like the Bucs had everything go their way in the early stages of the game and that it wouldn't stay that way.  

So #3 led the way and despite a potentially backbreaking INT in the end zone, the Seahawks showed the resiliency that we've all come to know and love and fought their way into OT.  It was there that they finally put the finishing touches on their pesky rivals from the South and Seahawks fans could breath easy, for once, because the 'Hawks were now 8-1!  That's a first in Seahawks history.  The 21 point deficit that they had just erased and overcome?  That was a Seahawks first too.  That's pretty cool.  Play of the game you might ask?  I'd say it had to be Golden Tate's punt return!  Man is he electrifying!  Please excuse the insanity towards the end of the video, but this is how it looked from my spot in the stands.

Cash-strapped and without a place to stay, I thought a night at Sea-Tac was in the cards before Jordan said I could crash at his place.  Staying there for a day made me realize that Northern Seattle has to be one of the most beautiful places on earth.  How anyone could ever leave there is beyond me.  Sadly, all good things come to an end and I was the one who had to leave.  After walking around Seattle for a little while, I decided to call it a trip and head back to Sea-Tac for my flight.  One thing I love about flying out on a Sunday or a Monday night, is that there's always a game to watch at the airport as I wait.  That Bears/Packers game was pretty solid, but did anyone else notice how different the officiating in that game was from the one the day prior in Seattle?  Just something to think about.  I get the feeling that the Seahawks are now playing the game by a different set of rules than most.

At this point?  Who gives a damn.  Bring it on, I say.  It'll just add to the struggle and make that first Super Bowl, one you always knew the Seahawks would make you suffer for anyway, that much more special.  Just make sure to enjoy the ride, because when it's all said and done, it's those memories that are all you've got.  Fire Bevell, poor run defense, are the receivers getting separation?  It's easy to get caught up in those things on a weekly basis and to lose sight of the fact that the Seahawks are 8-1, this never happens, and each game has it own little story that we'll remember for the rest of our lives.  Or at least until early onset dementia sets in.  But until then, GO Hawks!
 

St. Louis was singin' the blues

Fresh off of the first 6-1 start in team history, and some much needed rest and relaxation, it was time to get back in the air.  This time, the destination was St. Louis.  Now I had never been to Missouri before.  I had always wanted to since I was a kid, but never got the opportunity or went out of my way to seek it.  I specifically loved St. Louis' reputation as a great baseball town.  Luckily for me, the Cardinals were hosting the Red Sox in Game 5 of the World Series while the Seahawks were in town to take on the disappointing Rams.  I left Newark airport with DC as my next destination fully knowing that the day had amazing potential to be one of the greatest sports experiences of my life.

Oh, the day had so much potential.  There's that dreaded "p word" though.  The problem with potential is that sometimes things fail to live up to their's.  What the night ultimately lacked in terms of great sports experiences, it definitely made up for in great life experiences.  

As I got off my plane and headed for the next gate to catch my connector from DC to St. Louis, I saw a dude wearing a Seahawks cap and some official looking warmup gear.  I tell him "GO Hawks!" and he smiles and nods his head.  I sit down across from him and ask if he's going to the game tonight.  He replies that he is.  He was a really tall guy and his official gear told me that he had to know somebody on the team.  I asked if he indeed knew someone on the Seahawks and he nodded.  He mentions to me that his name is Cornell and that him and Kam Chancellor are close and that he travels to see the 'Hawks whenever they're in the area.  He was at the playoff loss in Atlanta last season and he believes in the talent this team has.

It was great getting to hear about Kam Chancellor's high school career in Virginia and Kam's college recruiting process and how he ended up at Virginia Tech.  See, Cornell is a coach.  He currently coaches basketball and has also coached football.  He helped coach Kam, who also played basketball in High School, in both sports and also helped him with his recruiting process.  Despite being a UVA grad himself, Cornell holds no grudges about Kam going to rival Virginia Tech instead.  It was obviously the right move and he said that Kam loved the fact that Virginia Tech wanted him from the start of the process as well as the close-knit family atmosphere at Va Tech.  Sound familiar?

So here I am, sitting with someone who knows a modern-day Seahawks legend, about to fly to St. Louis to check out the 'Hawks on Monday Night Football.  I'm thinking "the kid can't lose right now!  The 'Hawks definitely got this one!"  In the words of the immortal Lee Corso, "not so fast my friend!"  The flight gets delayed!  What was supposed to be a 3:30 flight that would have gotten us into St. Louis at 4:30 local time, and in time for tailgating with the Midwest Seahawkers, instead is now scheduled to leave at 5:10 Eastern.  Normally, panic and frustration would have set in, but I realized that this was all to be part of the experience.  Here I am, chillin' with Kam Chancellor's fam, how could I possibly be upset?  Things would work themselves out with the flight, better safe than sorry I thought.

Cornell and I are sitting and talking 'Hawks shop when he says to me, "hey man, let's get a drink."  After a quick trip to the bar and with a Guinness now in my system compliments of my new friend, we headed back to wait for our flight, which was supposed to have been leaving soon.  I was starting to get anxious as there was still no word on the flight to St. Louis.  All around us, flights to Greensboro and beyond were all set to take off, what about our flight?  What really helped me to chill out and gain some perspective about this all was that there were about 3 or 4 Red Sox and Cardinals fans in the airport headed to the game.  This delay meant that I might miss, at most, 5 to 10 minutes of the game.  For them, it meant that they would be missing the start of a World Series game.  It definitely helped me realize that things were not that bad.  They could always be worse.

The plane finally took off at closer to 5:40 and we were set to arrive in St. Louis at around 7.  Unlike some people, I actually get good luck when it comes to who I sit next to on a plane.  This time was no different, as me and a gentleman named Jim got to share stories and perspective on life.  It really makes the flight a lot more enjoyable and quicker when you can actually talk to the person sitting next to you.  A big thanks to Jim for next making life miserable and instead being the man.

As the plane landed, me and Cornell exited the airport trying to decide whether or not to take a cab to the stadium or to take the train instead.  The city-boy in me immediately thought train, especially with all the traffic that would be downtown because of the game.  Cornell was thinking cab and I decided to go along with the plan.  We split the cab and just like that, we were at the Edward Jones Dome.  Here, we parted ways, as I had to set out to find my ticket at Will Call.  I had purchased a ticket long before the season started, behind the Seahawks bench, and was pretty psyched about the whole thing.  In the buildup to the game, tickets were only $7.50 on Stubhub, an absurdly low price for an NFL game.  For comparisons sake, I bought my girlfriend and one of our roommate's Popeyes Dinner a few days earlier.  I ended up paying $24 for 3 dinners.  Just let that sink in for a minute.

So I won't lie, the thought crossed my mind about selling my ticket and buying one for cheap and spinning a profit.  Hey, I'm human, sorry.  Luckily the plane delay intervened and didn't even give me the chance, because what happened next was a complete life-changing experience.  Speaking of that plane, now that I think about it United said that we were waiting on an aircraft change from Hattiesburg, Mississippi.  You know what else is from Hattiesburg?  Yeah, #4, Brett Favre.  Who called Brett Favre earlier in the week about possibly coming out of retirement?  That's right...  the St. Louis Rams!  Coincidence?  I think not.  Brett Favre was definitely considering giving it one last go and making the last minute flight to St. Louis.  We'll never know why he eventually decided against it.  Something tells me a big reason was the Legion of Boom!

Anyway, I now had to pick up my ticket for the game at the Will-Call Window.  When I get to the window, the girl working there tells me that she can't find anything under the names I'm telling her.  I stand in disbelief, wondering what the hell I was going to do.  Oh yeah, I also didn't have a phone at this point.  I was pretty much screwed at this point.  Until a man, no, a HERO standing behind me had heard my situation and said "Hey, you need a ticket man?  Just hold on one second."  I kind of drifted off to the side and started to get my money in order to pay the guy for his ticket.  It wasn't an ideal situation, but at least I was going to get in relatively easy.  He left Will-Call and came over to me with his young son and said "here you go man."  I asked him how much and he said "nah man, have it.  Enjoy the game!"  I shook his hand, his name was Clay, and looked at his son and told him what a great man his father is.  I couldn't believe what had just happened.

By the time I had gotten inside, I had already missed a little bit of the action.  I was okay with that though, considering what had just happened outside and the fact that I was at the Seahawks/Eagles Monday Nighter in Philly in '05, so this wasn't my first Monday Night rodeo.  My good fortune continued, however, as the very first play I saw when I could see the field was Brandon Browner absolutely destroying Tavon Austin on a screen pass.  The entire crowd let out a big "ohh!" and I knew that the Seahawks defense was ready to bring the hammer.

I find it very funny that an article just come out this week, after this huge hit, about how Tavon Austin isn't finding the NFL to be as easy as he thought it would be.  A large part of that mentality probably has a lot to do with #39.

As I kept walking around the stadium, looking for the seats I was supposed to have originally had, I found no such luck.  Instead, as fate would have it, I would bump into probably the only other Seahawks fans from New York City.  Rob, Mike, and the rest of their crew from upstate New York were an awesome bunch.  We never actually went to our seats, despite them having a Luxury Suite.  The view from the lower level walkway, at around the 50 yard line, was just too damn good.  Not only that, but ushers and security could hardly be bothered by people not sitting in their seats.  Fantastic job, Edward Jones Dome staff!

However, as you all already know, it wasn't all fun and games throughout this one.  While the hometown faithful moaned in disgust as the Red Sox took the lead over the Cardinals, the teams actually playing in front of them were locked in a street-fight.  Now, the Seahawks have almost mastered the art of "winning ugly" already this season.  This just took their mastery to new, unfathomable levels. 

Not many good things happened the rest of the way.  The Seahawks held the lead throughout on the strength of a few well-timed big plays, but you got the sense that the Rams just weren't dead yet and that Seattle simply had no answer for what the Rams defense was throwing at them.  If Russell Wilson were almost any other man, I'd wonder about the state of his health right now, both physically and mentally.  However, he is a wizard, of that I am convinced.

As the game grew later, the crowd grew more and more angry.  The Cardinals had just lost, 3-1 to the Red Sox in Game 5, and the Rams were looking like they might share the same fate.  However, this is the Seahawks we're talking about after all, they couldn't just up and make it easy on us and our collective hearts.  Now that just wouldn't be any fun!  And so despite being pinned inside their own 5 and with the clock firmly against them, Kellen Clemens would lead the Rams on a miracle drive that seemed to be scripted specifically to break the hearts of Seahawks fans everywhere.  And believe me, they were everywhere, yet another great showing from the 12th Man on the road.

At about this time, another 12 stood next to me and we watched the game unfold in disbelief.  The Seahawks were getting beat up out there and it wasn't looking good.  When I introduced myself to the guy and he said his name was Peter, I put two and two together and realized that he was the leader of the Midwest Seahawkers and that he organized the entire thing in St. Louis for the 12th Man, as he has for years now.  He was cool enough to give me a "Bring the Noise" towel and an awesome green GO Hawks! bracelet.  We watched on in horror, until he had to head back to his seat to check out the rest of the game with his dad.

Whoever wrote the script for this game was the same guy who wrote the scripts for the Arizona, Detroit, Miami, and Atlanta games last season.  You know his style and you've seen his work before.  The team seems destined for a tough, deserved road win, only for the defense to lose the lead late as the Hawks ultimately lose the game.  Yeah, that guy.  Well, this one appeared to have his finger prints all over it too.

When Chris Clemons jumped offsides and the ball was placed at the Seahawks 1 yard line on 3rd Down and goal to go, things looked bleak.  However, unlike Darrell Bevell, our trusted mythical script writer threw us a changeup for once and decided that the 'Hawks defense was instead going to stand tall.  Much love to Heath Farwell for giving up the body on the second to last play of the game.  Super kudos to Earl "They call me E.T. 'cause I'm outta this world!" Thomas for acting more like a homing missile and less like a football player in this one.  Twice, he was huge in the Red Zone and helped set the stage for the game's dramatic final play.  He was making plays like the one below, all night!

Now, my boy Brandon Browner has been getting a lot of grief from fans and analysts a like but he's still one of my favorite Seahawks.  During half time, he was constantly on the bike trying to stay loose, which leads me to believe that he isn't 100% healed up from his injury earlier this season.  Still, he's showing flashes of being the player he's always been for the Seahawks.  Sure, you don't want him matched up with the Kendall Wright's of the world, but in a situation like the one this past Monday night, there's no one else you'd rather have.  4th and Goal, at the 1 yard line with 4 seconds go to?  The Rams were certifiably insane for going Browner's way with the play call that they had on.  I consider that game-ending play to be Brandon's revenge for the Titus Young game-winner he allowed in Detroit last season.  Way to be, BB!

As the ball hit the turf, me and the rest of the 12's in Missouri let out a Ric Flair-sized "woo!" in celebration!  Which is incredibly fitting considering both Chris Long and Walter Thurmond III broke out the Ric Flair tributes as sack celebrations during the game.  Walter's was better of course.  Seahawks fans stood elated while Rams fans were absolutely devastated.  Not only did the Rams just lose a heartbreaker to a division rival, but the Cardinals were now down 3 games to 2 against the Red Sox having just loss as well.  My visions of a day where the Seahawks annihilated the Rams but no one cared because the Cardinals also won were destroyed.  Instead of a vibrant, eclectic downtown scene with random people hugging and chanting I got a ghost town with tons of apathy and self-loathing.  The streets were empty, so were the bars, the city's spirit had been taken from it.

Still, I met some more amazing 12's and enjoyed the rest of the night.  As luck would have it, I ended up running into Cornell at the airport on the way home.  We both agreed that the 'Hawks escaped with the victory but that we'd take it anyway.  4-1 on the road is a beautiful thing, especially for a squad that's never fared well on the road before.

The Football God's continued to smile upon me on my way home.  Despite a 30 minute delay from Philadelphia to Newark, I arrived at work at precisely 4:00 with the owner waiting right there looking at the clock.  You couldn't have scripted it any better had you tried.  

This entry is a little late, as I was super busy this week.  I'm currently posting it from a FedEx Office in Queen Anne.  I had to post it before the day ended and it was officially Gameday again.  I'll update with some more pictures and stuff when I get back home, but for now I just wanted people to know about the amazing experience I had in St. Louis.  Hopefully the 'Hawks can keep this thing rolling and take care of the Bucs tomorrow.  8-1 would be an amazing start and would set the team up nicely for the stretch run.  What a season it's been 12's!  Something tells me, it's only going to get better!

GO Hawks!!!