Q&A with Alex Carson from the Seattle Faithful

As the Seattle Seahawks prepare to host the San Francisco 49ers today at CenturyLink Field, I visited with the founder of a local 49er fan club about the rivalry, his views on today’s game, and how in the heck one becomes both a 49er AND a Seattle Mariner fan.

Alex Carson may be well-known to many of you, but for two different reasons. As an avid Seattle Mariner fan who used to write for the outstanding M’s-based site prospectinsider.com, he has over 1,000 followers on Twitter. But he also founded Seattle Faithful, a local 49er fan group that turns out in huge numbers for viewing parties and also numerous charity events.

Despite the fact he roots for one of the Hawks bitter rivals, Alex and I have always had a great rapport on both subjects, and the Faithful used to meet at a south end bar owned by my current bosses.

We sat down this week over coffee and talked about all things Seahawks, Mariners and 49ers. (OK that’s a lie. While we might have been sitting, this happened through DM’s and email. Coffee may have been involved but I know at least on my end it was something much stronger.)

SO HOW DOES SOMEONE BECOME A DIE-HARD MARINER FAN AND ALSO A 49ER FAN?

I moved here from California in 1995. As a 15 year old, I’d grown up of course watching a lot of great football. Baseball really wasn’t on the radar for me back then. Then, that ’95 Mariners team did some crazy stuff. I suppose it was a way for me to bond with new friends. My best friend and I have followed them religiously since. My liver hurts thanks to them, though.

WHAT’S IT LIKE LIVING IN SEATTLE AS A 49ER FAN?

It’s great, honestly. I’m an extrovert so people talking trash doesn’t scare me off. I just bark back and it typically ends in us sharing a laugh or a beer. Some other people take that interaction way worse. I can only speak for me and say that I don’t get in fights and stuff. We keep it civil.

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YOU FOUNDED A SEATTLE-BASED 49ER FAN GROUP, TELL ME HOW THAT CAME ABOUT AND ALL THAT YOU GUYS DO OUTSIDE JUST WATCHING THE GAMES TOGETHER.

It started after we lost the Super Bowl against the Ravens. I was in a room of Seahawks fans and they trolled the hell out of me. So I went on a mission to find Niners fans. I literally stalked on Facebook, added people as friends then dumped them into the group. Soon enough people got the guts to meet strangers from the Internet. It eventually blew up, as friends told friends and those friends told friends. We actually made recurring business cards to hand out when we see people or put on their dashes.

We’re now at almost 3,000 membership. We have five viewing party locations across the sound. We participate in a ton of charity, having raised thousands for Children’s, Special Olympics, Wounded Warrior and smaller charities like dog rescues or just helping a specific family in need. We’ve also collected thousands of fans of food and toys for tots, as well as hundreds of warm coats for those drives the last three years.

HOW DID YOU FEEL ABOUT THE INITIAL HIRE OF CHIP KELLY?

Jim Tomsula was an NFL head coach last year. For my team. I was excited. Also considering other candidates included Mike Shanahan, I think we did ok. I wanted Hue Jackson, but Chip was my second choice. I hope he’s learned from his mistakes. And after (hopefully) Trent Baalke is fired after this season a GM that doesn’t blow draft picks on ACL tears will give Chip some real weapons.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE START THEY’RE OFF TO?

It’s about what expected, though the offense has maybe been a touch better than I thought. The Rams have a legit defense, so hanging 28 on them was nice. While we scored a bunch against Carolina, too, not all of that was driven by the offense. We will continue to need the defense to perform well, but that also means the offense has to extend a few more drives to keep the D off the field.

WHAT’S YOUR TAKE ON THE COLIN KAEPERNICK SITUATION, BOTH AS A PLAYER AND WITH HIS ROLE IN THE NATIONAL ANTHEM DEBATE?

My take is very short and simple: Is his choice and right as an American. I’m focusing on football, not our backup quarterback’s social messages.

HOW FAR AWAY DO YOU THINK SAN FRAN IS FROM BEING A CONTENDER AGAIN?

It really depends. I’m not naive enough to think this year. But we have nearly $50 million in cap space and what I think is a pretty decent coaching staff. They’re going to need to hit very well on this next draft and with their FA signings (if they make any?).

WHAT’S YOUR TAKE ON THIS WEEKEND’S MATCHUP?

I feel like this is our first chance in a very long time to win up here. The Seahawks offensive line is, well, you know. If Russell is playing on one leg again and we can get some semblance of pressure we’ve got a chance to steal it. There will be some soft spots in the middle, so I’m worried about Jimmy Graham finding some weaknesses. And if Tyler Lockett is good to go, he could find some open spaces as well. It’s really going to come down to if our offense can take advantage of their opportunities and not force everything on our defense, which is improved but still not among the league’s elite.

Thanks Alex!!

You can follow Alex on Twitter at @AlexCarson (for Mariner takes) and also @SeattleFaithful

Next: Random thoughts on Seahawks vs 49ers

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