A banner day, in so many ways

"They'll never repeat, kid!  You're out of your damn mind!  You're dreamin!"

"Why don't you just go out on top?  You had the storybook season last year?!"

"I feel like you're Icarus right now, and you're about to fly too close to the sun."

These are just a few of the things I've heard upon telling people (people who I trust and love no less!) that the Seattle Seahawks are going to RePete as Super Bowl Champions and that I am going to be there to witness it.  The response (of course the response from Seahawks fans has been tremendous, but would you expect anything else?) has been lukewarm at best, and that's trying to be overly optimistic as I have no choice but to be after experiencing last season.  

And I'll admit, for a brief moment or two in the weeks after Super Bowl 48, that I thought about returning to my spot among the masses at Carlow East.  How could you top last season?  Why even bother when last season was so perfect?  Fortunately for me, and unfortunately for the NFL teams that have to play the Seahawks this season, that's not what Pete Carroll has ingrained in this team and it's legion of rabid fans.  Sure, seeing the Seahawks finally win the Super Bowl was amazing.  Last season was one of, if not, the greatest experience of my life!  However, like a good friend just told me not too long ago, don't sell yourself short!

I thought back to February 2nd, 2014 and I tried to remember how I felt as I walked out of MetLife Stadium and back into the world.  A world where the Seahawks were now at the center of the NFL universe.  People had assured me that this would never happen, that pigs would fly and the world would end if it did.  What I remember feeling most following the Seahawks legendary 43-8 win over the Broncos, was that this team was only getting started.  We could be about to witness something truly great and I wanted to stick along for the ride.  With that feeling fresh in my mind, I booked a flight to Training Camp for practice on August 12th.  I was fully committed to witnessing history.

The Training Camp trip gave me a sort of peace of mind that I needed with the new season looming.  The whole time I was trying to strike a balance between recognizing what worked the first time and duplicating it, and how to even improve upon things and do things better than I had done them last season.  It wasn't until the trip had ended and I had returned home that I realized to trust myself and my instincts, not forget where I came from, and never to forget who helped get me to where I was.  In essence, just go with the flow and the right things will happen.

A few weeks after Camp, I read an article by Jayson Jenks of the Seattle Times examining the Seahawks and the main trait that Pete Carroll looks for in his players, grit.  This article spoke to me and my journey, and I thought of this as proof from the universe that I needed to continue on the path I was headed down.  Once I saw these quotes from Earl Thomas, I knew that it simply had to be...

Thomas long ago set his sights on being the best free safety ever, and he understands the cost of that pursuit.

“This is a lonely road,” he said. “I already made peace with it. I already took that challenge. Ain’t no turning back now.”

Fast forward to the night of Wednesday, September 3rd.  Luckily, the road wasn't going to be so lonely this time.  Jazz and Juan, two of my best friends from childhood, were set to join me on my trip to watch the banner go up for the first time.  This was their maiden voyage to the Pacific Northwest, and for Juan and I this was even more special.  Juan's a Green Bay Packers fan and for years we've dreamed of the day where we'd be in the stands at a Packers/Seahawks game.  The day had finally come for us, but I had an ace up my sleeve.

That ace was our buddy Jazz.  While his allegiances on the exterior were neutral in support of his friends, his track record told a completely different story.  Twice Jazz had ventured with me to Seahawks games, once in 2005 when the 'Hawks took on the Eagles in Philly on Monday Night Football.  The final score?  42-0, Seahawks.  The other time?  Last season, Seahawks at Giants, the final score of that game you might ask?  23-0, Seahawks.  Somehow, my friend Jazz had managed to go to two Seahawks games in his life, road games no less, and the combined tally from those two games was 65-0.  I have to be honest, I liked our chances.

I couldn't sleep much during the flight.  It could be because I was replaying all the great memories forged with such great people last year, or it could be because I was the dude with the window seat who was getting crushed by his friend in the middle.  Either way, I had time to do a lot of thinking and I couldn't help but feel that this is why I do it and this is how I know I'm alive. 

Don't get me wrong, the offseason was great.  First ever as a Super Bowl Champion, got to spend a lot of time with my little sister and my mother, along with my lady and my friends.  I almost didn't want it to end.  Then, there's that feeling like you know you have to move on and step into the future because possibly even greater things await you.  You just have to make that power move and step out of your comfort zone.  

When we finally touched down in Seattle, we laid our eyes on the gorgeous September day.  It rained during my stay in Training Camp which was fitting for the "grind it out" type of mindset I like to get in for Training Camp, but this was truly incredible.  I've never seen Mt. Rainier so clearly before!  Juan and Jazz note how clean and crisp the air smells.  We were no longer suffocating from New York City smog.  

"It should be illegal to have this many trees.", Jazz says.  For three childhood friends from Queens, New York...  Seattle, Washington is a world's away and a different world almost entirely.  This marked a banner day in our friendship.  

As we head towards SODO station on the Light Rail, the stadium and downtown come into view.  Juan is particularly amazed by the sight of CenturyLink.  Deep down inside, I get that same comfortable feeling that I always get, the same feeling as when I see the house I grew up in in Queens.

We were hungry now, so we make our way to Temple Billiards for some grub.  The scene near CenturyLink is one of pandemonium.  Security and police officers are lining the streets.  I had forgotten that there would be pregame festivities as well!  Don't get me wrong, I respect Soundgarden, but the only thing on my mind was watching the Seahawks take the field and watching that banner go up and watching the Packers go down. 

We hadn't planned on staying very long, but the universe had another plan for us.  Before I knew it, the place was loaded with some very dear friends of mine.  People who helped make last season possible.  People who helped me live a dream that seemed almost impossible.  I couldn't have scripted it any better.  Steve, Jordan, Bart and his family, Todd, John, Dom, Jen, Lon, Rhonda, Vijay, Drew and the whole gang from last year.  Well, most of it.  Sadly, Leif wasn't able to make it out and he was definitely missed, but he was there in spirit as he always is.  Those of us that were, reminisced over last year, while discussing the preseason and the future of the team.  Beers were flowing, people were chanting "Seahawks!", and 3 boyhood friends from New York City were about to watch the season opener in Seattle!

We left Temple at around 4 and started the walk over to the stadium.  The atmosphere around the stadium was incredible.  There's a good energy in the air or is that something else?  Packers fans and Seahawks fans alike appear to be getting along.  There's Rodgers jersey's and cheeseheads scattered about but for the most part the crowd is a sea of blue and lime green.  You can tell that everyone is ready to watch the banner go up, as people are streaming to their seats already, a full hour and a half before kickoff.  On the walk, we bump into an old friend, Eli!  Eli hooked it up repeatedly down the stretch last year, so it was a good omen to bump into him in the same exact spot that we had bumped into each other randomly before the Champions parade in February.  After the chance encounter, the three of us head through Touchdown City and up to our seats.

Finally, the culmination of every Seahawks fans wildest dream turned reality.  The players finish their warmups and it was now time for the raising of the championship banner.  One of my favorite songs from when I was a child started to play, 'The Lombardi Trophy (Reprise)' by David Robidoux.  Chills ran up my spine and my skin had turned to goosebumps all over just as when it had played months earlier at MetLife Stadium.  

From our view in Section 302, Row U, which ended up being the wrong seats, it was amazing.  I stood there screaming my head off, along with 68,000 or so other lunatics.  With the sun beaming upon us, this truly was our day in the sun.  A true banner day at CenturyLink Field for not only the Seahawks, but the entire city of Seattle.  My home away from home had waited so long for this kind of day and deserved every minute of it.

Then, the Seahawks organization went for the kill shot.  As if this day couldn't get any better, Steve Largent, Cortez Kennedy, and Walter Jones all come out to raise the 12th Man Flag!  The Seahawks absolutely nailed it with this selection and soon everybody was riding the incredible wave of emotion.  The noise was deafening.  The 12th Man flag went up, and after the wind delayed Steven Hauschka for just a second by knocking the ball off the tee, the opening kickoff was sent into the air and the NFL season was underway!

Much like the Super Bowl a few months earlier, the Seahawks rode the wave of momentum straight through the opening kickoff and through the entire game.  What followed was an assortment of standout plays from the guys we've come to expect greatness from.

On defense, Kam Chancellor and Bobby Wagner were in particularly impressive form.  When Kam Chancellor gets his hands on you, you go down, and usually pretty hard.  Bobby Wagner wasn't missing many tackles either.  In fact, as a whole, you can tell that the Seahawks are head and shoulders above the rest of the league in the tackling department.  I was able to watch most of the rest of the game's in the NFL this week and I've gotta say, no one misses less tackles and no one swarms faster to the football than the Seattle Seahawks.

On offense, first and foremost, kudos go out to Darrell Bevell and Tom Cable for their outstanding work in Week 1.  The Seahawks approach appeared more balanced, and more dynamic, although the Packers defense doesn't appear to be one of the stronger units around the league.  Still, Bevell received a ton of heat last season so I think he deserves some credit for a sound gameplan that kept the Packers off-balance throughout.  Cable deserves some love because the Offensive Line has been much maligned by Seahawks fans, and rightfully so, as it's been a poor unit since Russell Wilson has been under center and even beyond.  If Week 1 is any indication, things have changed and the line has improved significantly.

Speaking of #3, Russell was his usual Wilsonian self.  Smart, safe, and a leader all the way.  It wasn't his best game, but he delivered exactly what the Seahawks needed from him.  Zach Miller was his usual reliable self, while making an outstanding one-handed grab that was one of the highlights of the game.  He also did solid work against Clay Matthews when called upon.  How about James Carpenter and JR Sweezy turning in very nice performances as well?

Then, there's Percy Harvin.  I think, if Jimi Hendrix were alive to today, he'd a huge fan of the Seattle Seahawks, and on offense, Percy Harvin would probably be his favorite player.  So much raw talent, so unorthodox, but so damn good!  The main thing that stuck with me and my buddies at practice a month earlier was the explosiveness of #11.  The speed he maintains in and out of his breaks is breathtaking, and that was on display for all to see this past Thursday.  In fact, I think Percy's still getting used to his wheels post hip surgery, as he seemed to keep stumbling over himself when turning it up into top gear.  If he keeps up his play from his past 2 games in blue and green, I suspect we'll be the ones falling head over heels for #11.

What about Marshawn?  He was definitely the star of the show for me.  This was a prototypical Marshawn Lynch performance.  With acres of running room, Beast made the Packers pay repeatedly.  He appears to be in prime shape and ready to have yet another fantastic season, in what could be his last for the 'Hawks, but let's not worry about that!  Growing up in New York, I've watched a ton of Derek Jeter in my life.  I'm not a Yankees fan, but you can't help but respect the guy and the way he goes about things on game day and I'm sure Yankees fans can't imagine life without him.  I feel that way about Marshawn and I feel that fans across the league do as well.  You can't not respect 'Shawn.  It was great to see him start the season so strong after the tumultuous offseason he just endured.  And thanks to some new glasses this season, I can actually see everything that's going on!  Funny how that works.

As the Seahawks salted this one away in the fourth quarter, the destruction was complete.  Before them lay another future Hall of Fame quarterback, defeated without mercy.  I couldn't help but feel bad for my buddy Juan as we walked out of the stadium, the scoreboard reading 36-16 in favor of the home team.  Even he understood that it was a tall order to have to try and beat the Seahawks, in Seattle, on the day of their first ever Super Bowl Champions banner being unveiled.  Truth to be told, some unfortunate injuries probably didn't help the Packers in their quest to knock off the World Champs, but that hardly stood a chance anyway.  Still, I felt confident that this isn't the last time we'll be seeing cheeseheads in some of the seats at CenturyLink.

After the game we returned to Temple to celebrate and reflect upon what we'd just witnessed and what we felt the future held.  It felt just like last season, with us all giddy and in awe of our boys in Blue.  Jazz was a bit disappointed that his personal Seahawks shutout streak had ended, but we deduced that they still dominated and that maybe they save the shutouts for the road hwen he's in attendance?  The combined score of the 3 Seahawks games he's attended is now 101-16.  Unbelievable!  Maybe Jazz needs to take my place at all of these games?

After a few drinks, everyone had decided to call it quits and head their separate ways.  The Queens trio joined up with Jordan for a trip to Dick's for some burger and fries and a nightcap because no trip to Seattle is complete without a trip to Dick's.  While we were there, we bumped into Tony Drovetto, the Seahawks Digital Content Coordinator!  Drovetto had shared a link to my story from the Daily News last season on Seahawks.Com, so it was great to meet him and get to thank him for the recognition.

Unfortunately, work and circumstance conspired to make our trip a short one.  After crashing at Jordan's, we woke up and tried to take in as much of Seattle as we possibly could before our 3:30 PM flight back home.  We hit up Paseo for some Cuban sandwiches and quickly devoured them at Golden Gardens with an outstanding and tranquil view.  Without a doubt, the best cuban sandwich I've ever had in my life!  It was nice to get a chance to chill out after a 24 hour span that included 6 hours of flying and a season opener, with 6 more hours of flying still left ahead of us.  In the words of Marshawn though, we were just about that action, boss.

After a brief stop at Pike Place Market, we hit the Light Rail and headed to the airport for our voyage home.  The three of us had just concluded an amazing journey that we'll never forget as long as we live.  So many great memories, with so many great people.  Some might even say it was perfect.

I mentioned earlier that there had to be a way to do things better than they've ever been done before.  Well, what about perfection?  With the memory of the Seahawks beating the Packers by twenty points without even really playing their "best game" fresh in mind, my mind started to drift.  Could this be the year?  Is this what called me back to the quest?  A quest for perfection perhaps?  Only time will tell.  I know one thing for sure, this team is the team to reckon with in the NFL.  As we touched down back in Newark, we took the train to Manhattan before finally heading our separate ways and returning to our "real lives."  After all, all good things must come to an end, even Super Bowl Champion offseason's.  This should be no different.

The story doesn't end there though, no.  Remember that story I mentioned about grit?  Life continues and always has a way of challenging you to see if you're ready for battle.  See, I should've known things would get tough, "they" always say that repeating isn't easy.  A few months earlier, I had left my old job as a manager at a place called 'El Ay Si'.  El Ay Si was great, it offered me a flexible schedule, I worked for, with, and met some outstanding people that I still call friends to this day, and of course it offered me a chance to go to every game last season.  I'll always be grateful for El Ay Si.

Still, things come and go in life, and new owners were set to not only take over, but change everything that the place had stood for.  Meanwhile, an old regular told me to quit my job and come work for him at a place he was reopening, Brooklyn Public House.  After watching El Ay Si begin to crumble, people I respect be disrespected, and a mutiny ensue, I decided to take the regular up on his offer and go work for him.  He knew of my Seahawks odyssey the season prior, said that he loved it, and would try and accommodate me in my quest to witness the RePete.

Well, it's only about 2 months later and he and his business partner had a change of heart.  Much like Earl Thomas on punt returns, Brooklyn Public House pulled the plug on it's experiment with me.  No word yet on whether or not there is a server's version of Bryan Walters waiting in the wings to replace me.  "That's business", as they say.

There's another saying though, one that you'll all know, "the separation is in the preparation."  Thankfully, I've already had my trips to San Diego and Seattle for the Denver game booked, with a bye week looming after that, followed by a short trip from NYC to DC for the game against Washington on Monday Night.  It's time to show the true grit of a champion, and like Earl must do, it's time to bounce back from the punches life throws at us.  

Pete Carroll and company love to say, "what's next?"  Hell, it's even inscribed on their Super Bowl ring.  After this whirlwind of a week, I'm really left wondering, what's next?