I love football.

Actually, the truer statement would be: I love all aspects of football, from the coaches to the actual game, to the players, their back stories, their off season adventures and their charitable interests.

Around this time last year, I wrote an article about John Schneider and his wife and their fund raising event for autism in honor of their son. As a manager at a Seattle area not-for-profit that helps people with disabilities, I was thrilled to see the kind of exposure the Schneiders were able to provide for autism. As the mother of a child with autism, I was moved by their desire to help other families with the significant costs of therapies for autistic children.

I ended the article with the comment that for many of the players and personnel in the league, the game is about more than football. This year, I’d like to shine the light on a few more stories that make the game about “more than football.”

Just last week, offensive lineman John Moffitt launched a clothing and accessory line called Moffitt Merch. While many players have shirts and other merchandise available online, the Moffitt Merch line is special.

Like many football players, John has a Twitter account. In the course of entertaining the 12^th man on Twitter, John met a couple of guys named Ian and Dave. Together the three of them decided that while a Moffitt Merch clothing line would be great, it would be even cooler to give all the money away. The chosen purpose of Moffitt Merch is to raise awareness of and help the needy of Seattle. Thus, all proceeds from Moffitt Merch benefit Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission.

Simple. Brilliant. More than just football.

You can find Moffitt Merch online on Twitter or on their website at www.moffittmerch.com.

Yes, I’ve already ordered my shirt. Because you know Moffitt is my homeboy!

Percy Harvin – Is only 24, runs a 40 in 4.3 seconds, does a great job of getting yards after catch and is an accomplished kickoff return runner.

Percy Harvin – misses a lot of practices, unfortunately suffers from recurring migraines and has already exhibited a tendency to be a bit of diva.

So what does this mean for the Seahawks?

It means that if he passes his physical, Harvin will be a speedy receiver with good hands, excellent running instincts and a desire for the ball. It also means that Harvin may continue to miss practices due to his migraine issues and on a team with an “always compete” team mentality, missing practices means Harvin may not successfully compete for as much starting time as he would like.

Going up against Rice, Baldwin and Tate, who have all shown exceptional growth and stability through the 2012 season, Harvin may find himself having to work harder than he has before to get playing time.

While I’m okay with the picks we’ve given for Harvin, I’m not “all in” this trade. But I’m open to the possibilities of the Hawks making it work. Some keys to success for Harvin with the Seahawks will include:

• Adapting to the always compete mode (Doug Baldwin is embracing the opportunity to compete)
• Limiting kick return opportunities (let someone else be cannon fodder, although if rumors of trading Leon Washington are true, hopefully Pete and John plan on picking someone up in the draft)
• Committing to as many practices/mini camps as possible, both for physical conditioning and developing relationships with his QB and fellow receivers
• Understanding that great physical talent still requires considerable practice and application. Ask Golden Tate.
• Appreciating the caliber of players he’ll be sharing a locker room with (Russell Wilson has extra meetings with his receivers and oline… for a reason)

Ultimately, Pete and John are pretty smart guys. I’m pretty confident that they will limit the guaranteed money to Harvin and build in lots of incentives for him to reach for. And I hope he does rise to the occasion. He really needs to appreciate this opportunity for what it is.

Harvin could be great. But he’s not great yet.

Just so you know…

Being a 12^th man (or woman) isn’t easy. It’s a process of maintaining a precipitous balance on a razor thin ledge called Nerves of Steel. On one side, the glistening Moat of Hope, fed by the pristine glaciers of Last Minute Win and Always Compete. On the other side of the ledge is the Swamp of Depression fed by the fetid waters of Dashed Hopes and Dropped Balls. I’m pretty sure the Wizard of What the Hell Was That Play makes his home in that particular swamp.

Life on the ledge is pretty good. The view is great, there’s lots of 12s to hang out with and there’s loads of excitement as long as we’re looking at the Moat of Hope. But the Swamp of Depression is always right there… ready to stink things up!

I tend to be a Moat of Hope kind of a 12. And the beginning of this season was full of hope… from hanging out with other 12s at the Hawks Nest and watching Paul Allen advance tweet the entire 1^st round of the draft, to learning who Pete and John had drafted to watching Russell Wilson excel at training camp!

The actual season was a wild ride… kind of like ballet on that ledge…

• The emergence of new stars…
• Moments of sheer beauty…
• The holding of the breath at risks taken…
• Cheers when the play was right…
• Lots of “we’ll get ‘em next time” when they didn’t quite nail it….
• Watching the team rally around their rookie QB
• The ultimate joy of going 8-0 at home
• The optimism of sending in my playoff $ for seats in case we took the second seed…
• Winning our road game against the Redskins…

And of course, the emotional comeback against the Falcons and the tears as the last 31 seconds ended our magnificent season.

I’m still grieving… not so much for the actual loss, but for the end of that beautiful ballet, that dance on ledge, the glistening pool of hope, all the beauty and athleticism, the cheering crowds at the Clink… it all came to a crashing end.

My beloved told me the other day that it was hard to think about renewing our season tickets. He used to say this after a 4-12 season or a 5-11 season. This year, he said it was because the season drained us emotionally.

I can’t say whether this is similar with other fans, but I know that many 12^th men are still processing, recovering, recharging… I know I am. I still can’t listen to sports radio, and I’m iffy on the whole Superbowl thing…

If you’re still grieving, welcome to the ledge. Recovery is underway. It’s time to recharge and strap on your ballet tutu.

It’s a hell of dance!

The Seahawks/Redskins game left me with a number of observations, mostly positive. However, there are a few scenarios that simply left me baffled with the Redskins ball club. Let’s start with those…

I’m really puzzled at who is actually in charge in DC because it certainly doesn’t appear to be Shanahan. In his post-game interview, RG3 made 2 telling statements regarding who is really in charge on the Redskin team.

1. “I’m the quarterback of this team,” Griffin said. “My job is to be out there if I can play. … I don’t feel like me being out there hurt the team in any way. I’m the best option for this team, and that’s why I’m the starter.”
2. He was then asked what would his reaction have been had Shanahan pulled him against his will for Kirk Cousins. His answer? “I probably would have been right back out there on the field,” he said. “You respect authority and I respect Coach Shanahan, but at the same time you have to step up and be a man sometimes, and there was no way I was coming out of that game.”

Either Robert Griffin the Third believed all the hype and praise heaped on him throughout the regular season made him the expert or Shanahan never utilized his authority at any time since drafting him. You don’t get this far into the post season race with this being the first indicator that the coach doesn’t have his hand on the wheel. Imagine Russell Wilson making a statement like this… yeah, I can’t either. One of the hallmark components of a champion is humility, something RG3 seems to lack and something RW3 has in abundance.

Secondly, who’s asleep at the switch with the field condition? I watched the Mike Robinson cell phone video of the field during the Seahawk walk through and found it appalling, not only the dirt, but the divots and holes in the field. And this isn’t an observation about the Seahawks, but about the field in general. Why would you ask your own players to play on that nonsense? Why would you spend all that money on RG3 and then give him that crap surface to play on? And he wasn’t the only Redskin player that had leg issues… A quick check of the Redskins 1/4/13 injury report, showed 11 of 15 players had foot, ankle or knee injuries. Coincidence?

Perhaps because of this field? This picture was seen on the internet post game showing the comparison between the Redskins and Ravens field just a few miles apart. (Redskins on the right, Ravens on the left) I submit that if owner, Dan Snyder, was concerned enough to travel to Florida with his star QB to get the scoop on his knee, perhaps he should have been concerned enough not to send him out to play in an eroded cow pasture to begin with!

Enough about the Redskins. Now Seahawks!!

So proud of our team for winning yet another road game! So proud of our Hawks for coming back from 14-0 and shutting down the Redskins for the next 3 quarters! There are too many players to mention and I think that’s a great sign that the Hawks are not one dimensional or overly reliant on one player! Lots of weapons, lots of energy!

I think the single most important component to this game is one that we’ve seen all year. I asked Pete Carroll about it midseason and you can read his answers here. I’m referring to the ability of the Seahawks to make adjustments. It hasn’t been that long ago that we had a Hawks team that seemed to script the entire game and either couldn’t implement adjustments or made them too late in the game to win. The fact that this team can make them throughout the game, not just at halftime, is a testament to the coaching staff and bodes well for their plans to continue through the playoffs.

Just a quick note to acknowledge the contributions of Chris Clemons and Steven Hauschka this season. Both were injured in the cow pasture at Fed Ex field and moved to the Injured Reserve list. Additional thanks to Jon Ryan for stepping up to do kick offs. Our special teams squad has been amazing this year!

Off to Atlanta!

#GoHawks

Previewing the Seahawk/ Redskins game

I’ve thought about this game all week and while I feel it’s a game we can win, I have not jumped on the bandwagon of “it’s going to be a blowout!” I think the key to looking at this game is balancing expectations with reality. I’m looking at several categories:

1. Scoring: The Seahawks are entirely capable of scoring a lot of points. But that hasn’t been their predominant performance over the season and certainly not on the road, the one exception being the Buffalo Bills. While our offense has turned in solid performances recently, expect Marshawn to be only moderately successful tomorrow based on the Redskins run defense. The bulk of our scoring will be on Mr. Wilson!
2. Talent: the Seahawks clearly have the greater depth in talent. A great example would be Brandon Browner returning at cornerback and yet if he’s rusty we don’t have to play him the entire game because we can rely on Jeremy Lane. We also have the shared linebacking skills of Leroy Hill and Malcolm Smith.
3. Taking care of the ball: both teams are excellent at this I can’t see an advantage in either direction.
4. Special teams: Leon Washington. 2nd best returner in the NFL. Advantage Hawks.
5. Making adjustments: both teams excel at halftime adjustments, again I can’t see an advantage for either team.
6. Quarterbacks: both quarterbacks are extremely talented but I’ll take Russell Wilson. He may not be as fast that he’s an excellent game manager and he doesn’t put himself at risk trying to run the ball. He also has a ton of poise in the pocket.
7. Defense: no team allows fewer points than the Seattle Seahawks. There’s that old saying that defenses win championships. My guess is that our entire defensive squad has that tattooed on their behinds.
8. Pass coverage: Advantage Hawks. Browner and Sherman, Kam and Earl… Expect the legion of boom to give RG3 fits with passing.
9. Running game: Both teams excel with Lynch and Morris running the ball…. But I’ll take Beastmode every day and twice on Sundays!

I expect this to be a very close game, while we haven’t played our best ball on the road this year, much of those games were earlier in the season. Expect this game to be the exception. I believe the Seahawks will win… but like the Rams game, not by much.

In many ways I think the Rams game was good for us. It reminds us as players and fans that at times we will struggle and that one of our best strengths is the ability to rise to the occasion. I’ll close with this message I got from Malcolm Smith after the Rams game last week:

@Asthmagirl thank you very much. It was too close for my liking but im glad we won. Now the real ball starts

Now the real ball starts… Well played Malcolm, well played!!

Go Hawks!

With the regular-season over, I thought I’d look back at the predictions I made before the regular season started. This was the first time I’d done NFC West predictions and it was more difficult than I thought it would be. Even reading the hometown newspapers and scouting the team’s fan websites, getting the predictions right for a team over an entire season was a lot harder than picking week to week game winners or managing a fantasy team.

 One of the things I wasn’t able to predict was what a powerhouse the NFC West would become throughout the season. From teams like the Cardinals starting off 4 and 0, to the scrappy repuation of the Rams, to the “team that no one wants to play” nickname that got hung on the Seahawks to the flawless defense of the 49ers… The NFC West definitely made a name for itself this year. So let’s look back and see what I predicted!

Number 4- Arizona Cardinals – Even their own fan base is down on the Cards. With a tough schedule at the start including Seattle, Philly and New England, the Card’s iffy QB and lackluster O-Line will be challenged as they come out of the gate. Even the end of the season schedule does them no favors with an away game to Seattle, playing Chicago and Detroit at home and then finishing at San Fran. This team will be truly tested. Expect to see Kalb playing again as Skelton struggles. Even with a few surprise wins during the season, the Cards will be in the bottom of the NFC west this year.

Note: I’ll take this. The cards did have some surprise wins but their schedule and QB injuries were far more than they could handle.

Number 3- St Louis Rams – The Ram’s youth as team remains a question mark for this season even as QB Sam Bradford settles into his job as somewhat of an elder statesman as a two year man. As the youngest team in the NFL, there have been plenty of jokes regarding Fruit Loops and Cartoons at the hotel… But, this team has done a drastic restructure and is prepared to live with the consequences. There are 17 rookies on the St. Louis Rams’ opening day roster, seven more players age 24 or younger and 31 in all on the 53-man roster who were not with the franchise last season. Expect to see flashes of brilliance as well as plenty of penalties in the first part of the season as the team gels. The Rams will finish behind the dual powerhouses of Seattle and San Fran.

Note: I’ll take this one too! The Rams did show flashes of brilliance and despite the strong efforts of Sam Bradford they did finish a good distance behind Seattle and San Fran (Although their gutsy play against San Fran got them the tie this year, which was very impressive!)

Number 2 – San Francisco 49ers – While there are any number of claims that the opening 49er/packer game may be a preview of the NFC playoff, there are those in the club house wondering if things will go as smoothly this year as they did last year. In an effort to keep their NFC west champ status, the 49ers brought in Moss and Manningham to help Smith improve his passing performance that was 29th out of 32 last year. With a top ranked D to fall back on should offense become stagnant, expect the 49ers to be competitive. Their real challenge will be remaining consistent as 4 of their last 6 games are on the road. Their D will keep them in 2nd place behind the Seahawks.

Number 1 – Seattle Seahawks – After the changes made in the off-season, it’s hard to say the Hawks won’t take their division. Unlike other teams wondering which QB to start, Seattle has two excellent options instead of “the lesser of two evils”. Russell Wilson has shown excellent skills and preparation and has a fascinating group of receivers to throw to including free agent Braylon Edwards who was sterling in preseason. Factor that in with the improved O-line (Hello JR Sweezy!), the improved running game (Mr. Turbin) and the strength of the Hawks D, and you have the team most likely to win the west! While their passing D was ranked  11th last year, expect that to be even more improved this year with the addition of Bruce Irvin and his outside speed when he rushes the passer. The Hawks secondary is loaded with pro bowl level talent (Earl Thomas, Richard Sherman, Brandon Browner and Kam Chancellor – otherwise known as the Legion of Boom) and should give opposing QBs nightmares. Expect the Seahawks to take this division despite closely contested games with the 49ers.

Note: I totally got the order wrong between San Fran and the Seahawks. I knew it would be close but I erred on my estimate regarding how long it would take Russell Wilson to become proficient. I also missed the contribution Bobby Wagner made and I didn’t consider that the 49ers wouldn’t start Smith as QB all season. Even with those miscalculations, I was only off by half a game on the final result.

 It will be very interesting to look at the NFC West prior to the beginning of next year’s regular-season. With the Cardinals replacing their coach, I’m looking for a lot of changes with that team. The Rams should further solidify and I look for them to play their division even tougher than they did this year. The Seattle/ San Fran rivalry should continue to fuel fan bases in both regions. Expect gutsy, hard-hitting, take – no – prisoners games between these two franchises next year.

 If you had to pick a division winner for next year right now, who would you pick?

If you’ve read any of my notes here on 12^th Man Rising, you’ll know that I approach football from a passion perspective. I’m in love with the game of football and the Seahawks in particular. I’m not even close to being in the statistical wizard category with my fellow writers. (Although I love reading their stuff!)

But I read this article yesterday and I found it intriguing, especially as we reach the end of the regular season and the pundits are struggling to categorize Seahawks QB Russell Wilson. So let me take this statistical approach and help the pundits look back at what they may have missed with a certain Mr. Russell Wilson.

The article was about Andrew Luck, RG2 and other QBs in their class. The updated Lewin Career Forcast v2.0 lays out a statistical formula for evaluation based on the following criteria:

• Career college games started, with a minimum of 20 and a maximum of 48.
• Career completion rate; however, this is now a logrithmic variable. As a quarterback’s completion percentage goes down, the penalty for low completion percentage gets gradually larger. As a result, the bonus for exceedingly accurate quarterbacks such as Tim Couch and Brian Brohm is smaller than the penalty for inaccurate quarterbacks such as Kyle Boller and Tarvaris Jackson.
• Difference between the quarterback’s BMI and 28.0. This creates a small penalty for quarterbacks who don’t exactly conform to the “ideal quarterback size.”
• For quarterbacks who come out as seniors, the difference in NCAA passer rating between their junior and senior seasons. (For quarterbacks who come out as juniors or redshirt sophomores, this variable is always 5.0, which is the average increase for the seniors in our data set.)
• A binary variable that penalizes quarterbacks who don’t play for a team in a BCS-qualifying conference.
• Run-pass ratio in the quarterback’s final college season, with a maximum of 0.5.
• Total rushing yards in the quarterback’s final college season, with a minimum of 0 and a maximum of 600.

“The biggest question about LCF continues to be the importance of games started. This is still the most important variable in the equation. Any quarterback projection system based on past performance is going to highly value collegiate games started. From 1990 to 2005, it was far and away the most important variable in determining the success of highly-drafted quarterbacks. However, there are questions about whether the rise of the spread offense is leading to number of quarterbacks who come into the NFL with a lot of collegiate experience yet still unprepared for the NFL-style game. Other quarterbacks have come into the NFL with less experience and done very well. The best example of this would be Cam Newton, who seems like the kind of guy who is built to break this system. He started only one year of Division I ball and looked like a huge risk, then put together one of the best rookie quarterback seasons in NFL history. Aaron Rodgers is another player who was underrated by the system; given the success of Newton and Rodgers, perhaps we need to consider adding junior college experience to the variable for collegiate games started.”

“It’s important to understand that LCF is meant to be a tool used alongside the scouting reports, not instead of the scouting reports. What matters is not which quarterback is ahead of which other quarterback by 100 points. Instead, what’s important is who has an overall good or bad projection. Scouts still come first and foremost, but this method is valuable as a crosscheck device and should be part of the conversation about quarterback draft prospects.

With that in mind, Here are the projections for this year’s quarterbacks. These numbers represent an estimate for passing DYAR in years 3-5 of a player’s career. The top prospects will be above 1,200 DYAR, and we should avoid quarterbacks below zero. Let’s start with the top two guys, two of the highest-rated quarterbacks in LCF history who will also be the first two picks in the 2012 NFL Draft.”

Robert Griffin, Baylor: 2,530 DYAR Important stats: 40 games started, 67.0% completion rate, senior passer rating rose 45.3 points, 161 carries for 644 yards.

Andrew Luck, Stanford: 1,749 DYAR Important stats: 37 games started, 66.4% completion rate, senior passer rating dropped -0.5 points, 47 carries for 150 yards.

The article goes on to rate other QB’s in the draft:

Nick Foles, Arizona: 1,391 DYAR Important stats: 33 games started, 66.9% completion rate, 43 carries for -103 yards.

Kirk Cousins, Michigan State: 1,362 DYAR Important stats: 38 games started, 64.6% completion rate.

Brandon Weeden, Oklahoma State: 1,011 DYAR Important stats: 25 games started, 69.5% completion rate, 26.8 BMI

Ryan Tannehill, Texas A&M: 730 DYAR Important stats: 19 games started, 62.3% completion rate, 55 carries for 296 yards.

Brock Osweiler, Arizona State: 248 DYAR Important stats: 14 games started, 60.3% completion rate.

And then… the Asterisk. Russell Wilson:

The Asterisk

Russell Wilson, Wisconsin: 2,650 DYAR Important stats: 48 games started, 60.7% completion rate, senior passer rating rose 64.1 points.

And here is the narrative that goes with this rating:

“I would be remiss if I didn’t at least mention the ridiculous projection that the Lewin Career Forecast spits out for Russell Wilson. Yes, that projection is even higher than the one for Robert Griffin. No, it doesn’t particularly mean that Wilson is a sleeper prospect. There are a few things going on here that the LCF is just not designed to account for.

First and foremost, the change in Wilson’s passer rating between his junior and senior years is insane. Remember that earlier I noted that Griffin had a larger senior year passer rating increase than any quarterback in our data set? Well, Wilson’s senior year passer rating increase is 40 percent larger than Griffin’s. But does it matter when the quarterback is playing in a completely different offense for a completely different school in his last year of college eligibility? At Wisconsin, Wilson got to pick apart defenses that were concentrating on stopping Montee Ball. At North Carolina State, I doubt opponents were quaking in their boots at the thought of Mustafa Greene and Dean Haynes. It goes without saying that there isn’t another quarterback in the LCF data set who transferred between his junior and senior years.

There’s also the issue of height, another data point where there’s nobody in our data set that can be compared to Wilson. At first, it seems strange that LCF doesn’t include a variable to discount short quarterbacks, but when you look at the data set that went into creating LCF the reasons are pretty clear. There’s no penalty for being 5-foot-11, like Wilson is, because there are no quarterbacks in the data set who are shorter than 6-foot-0. There’s no penalty for being only 6-foot-0 because the two quarterbacks who are 6-foot-0 are Drew Brees and Michael Vick.

Quarterbacks who are Wilson’s height simply don’t get drafted in the first three rounds of the draft, period. The FO master database only includes three quarterbacks who are below six feet tall: Seneca Wallace, Joe Hamilton, and Flutie. That’s a fourth-round pick, a seventh-round pick, and an 11th round pick from 25 years ago. Even if we go all the way back to 1991, the only quarterbacks taken in the first six rounds at 6-foot-0 or shorter were Vick, Brees, Wallace, Joe Germaine (fourth round, 1999), and Troy Smith (fifth round, 2007).

Wilson too will probably be drafted on the third day of the draft, round four or later, which would render his absurdly high LCF moot.

Posted by: Aaron Schatz on 12 Mar 2012”

I can appreciate that the writer Aaron Schatz didn’t quite know what to make of Russell Wilson. I mean who has a senior year passer rating increase of 64 points? But when we look through the lens of the 2012 Season, we see Russell getting drafted higher than the projected fourth round or later, winning the starting job in training camp and making statistically improbable improvements throughout the 2012 NFL season. Now, on the cusp of week 17, he’s actually being mentioned in the same breath as Luck and RG3 as the potential rookie of the year.

The key word here is “potential” and I submit to you that Russell had that potential all along. Unfortunately, his potential came with an asterisk. Fortunately for the Seahawks and the 12thman, Pete and John ignored the asterisk at looked at the potential.

This week’s injury report is complex as one might expect going into week 16. The combination of end of season stress on athletes and seasonal illness is playing a role in preparing players for this vital Sunday Night Football matchup.

Seahawks Thursday Report:

Richard Sherman – did not practice – not injury related

Robert Turbin – did not practice – illness

Leon Washington – did not practice – illness

Walter Thurmond and Marcus Trufant – did not practice (wed or thurs) – Hamstring

Sidney Rice – did not practice – knee (wed or thurs)

Jeron Johnson – did not practice – groin (thurs)

Alan Branch – moved from did not practice to full practice between wed and thurs – ankle

Marshawn Lynch – moved from limited practice to full practice between wed and thurs – back

49ers Thursday Report:

Clark Haggens and Justin Smith did not practice wed or Thursday, shoulder and elbow respectively

Ahmed Brooks, Tarell Brown, Mario Manningahm, Bruce Miller and Alden Smith – limited practice – shoulder

Tavares Gooden – limited practice – ribs

Will Takuafu – limited practice – concussion

David Akers, Alex Boone, NaVarro Bowmen, Frank Gore, Mike Lupati, Carlos Rogers, Dashon Goldson and Patrick Willis were full practice both weds and thurs.

Team Transactions (last seven days):

• The Seahawks placed DE Jason Jones on injured reserve and signed DT Hebron Fangupo from the practice squad to active roster.
• Signed WR Bryan Walters to the practice squad.
• Signed LB Kyle Knox to Practice Squad.
• Released TE Evan Moore. Signed TE Sean McGrath from practice squad.
• Released WR Lavasier Tuinei from the Practice Squad and signed DE Monte Taylor to the Practice Squad.
• Placed WR Charly Martin on Reserve/Injured list. Signed WR Deon Butler to Active Roster.

Expect DTs Greg Scruggs, Hebron Fangupo and Jaye Howard to play significant roles in Sunday’s matchup at the Clink! and Jaye Howard to play significant roles in Sunday’s matchup at the Clink!

This week, The View from Section 333 goes on the road to Canada!

With the Seahawks playing in Canada, it seemed imperative to put this game in an international perspective and take it to neutral territory. Thus, this game was viewed from the snug of a small pub on Vancouver Island – probably the first time your intrepid reporter has viewed a Seahawks game without the wearing of the Seahawk attire or being surrounded by cheering family, friends and fellow 12^th man. Even Twitter, that fallback of 12thman in-game commentary was off limits due to roaming charge issues on the business phone and a lack of wifi in the pub.

Our first impression centered on all the rushing yards being accumulated. In recent weeks, as the offense has hit its stride, adjustments to the offensive scheme have been impressive; Specifically, Wilson’s uncanny ability to run a read offence and make last minute adjustments, either from the line or from the pocket.

Our second impression was that the defensive seemed to be playing with the same fierceness as they did the week before. Not only the first stringers, but those filling in the missing pieces, Smith, Lane and Maxwell were stand outs. A couple quick notes here… Smith has impressed me by really playing within his game. He doesn’t get pulled out of position and he seems to have a knack for playing to the ball. Lane and Maxwell were very gung ho and I appreciated their efforts. Maxwell seemed much more effective, possibly just based on size. Lane, bless his heart, was always at the right place at the right time but lacks the weight to make really effective tackles. He’s a heck of special teams coverage guy… great speed!

Going into this game, I anticipated a win. Buffalo isn’t a horrible team, but their wins have come against less than stellar opponents. Coupled with comments I read during the week regarding how they planned for the game (by finally talking to TJack for what was apparently the first time this season), I really felt like they would not be fully prepared for the Hawks. Throw in the concept of a road game for both teams and it seemed likely we would win.

However, I did not expect the win we had. At the beginning of the 3^rd quarter, my viewing companion turned to me and said “we’re going to score 50 points again”, a statement I immediately poo-pooed. No, we weren’t going to score 50 points on the road… Well, I was wrong. We did and it felt great.

After all the struggles earlier this year, the Seahawks have become a team of opportunists. The team with a plan that can respond to all sorts of opportunities. A team of depth that can rise to the occasion and compensate for personnel changes. But most importantly, they are a team in the true sense of the word. Their ability to respond to their opponents, play to their individual strengths, downplay their weaknesses, and make in game adjustments is epic. They’re exactly where they need to be going into their last two games.

And oh my gosh, they’re fun to watch!

I’m loving all the attention Russell Wilson is getting now. I love that he’s being mentioned in the same breath as Luck and RG3. I’m also aware that it wasn’t always so.

I went back in my archives and pulled this snippet from October 22nd:

Finally, I just want to note that I’m not on board with some of the shows on Sports radio in the Seattle area this week. I actually turned one off out of frustration yesterday which I rarely do. The shows are premised on the concept that while Wilson is doing better, we ought to start Flynn because:

1. We haven’t really seen what he’s got
2. Maybe we could run him in a Wildcat or package him like the jets do Tebow
3. We have the 31^st worst passing game in the NFL
4. Wilson isn’t picking things up fast enough
5. We should try him and see what we’ve got

All of which is ridiculous. We have seen what Flynn has and it’s good. But the coaches determined that Wilson won the starting job, that he’s our best talent. Let it go. We’d be idiots to bring Flynn in on a wildcat. That’s a specific skill set that he doesn’t have. Also, we’re not the Jets and what the Jets are doing with Tebow and Sanchez is idiotic. Yes, we do have the 31^st worst passing offense, and a heck of a running game and an improving QB and a winning record. Let it go. Wilson is improving. You don’t pull him to see what the guy on the bench has. You’ve got someone that’s gotten the bulk of the 1^st string snaps who’s getting a rhythm with his offense. You don’t disrupt that just for giggles. And if you did, how long do you leave Flynn in “just to see” And how does Wilson get better sitting on the bench?

Yes, if I’d been wrong, I’d have still pulled this snippet out for examination.

But this isn’t about me being right or wrong. This is about Russell Wilson working his butt off and deserving the notice that local and national media are finally giving him. I guess he knew it all along:

Nothing succeeds like success.
Alexandre Dumas

Go Hawks!

So, I’ll preface this by discolosing that I’m on board with Coach Carroll. And it’s not just because he happens to be the coach of the Seahawks. While I’m not a statistics kind of a girl, his coaching has a few tangible benefits…

• It makes everyone in the organization want to produce, coaches, staff and players alike.
• It produces a level of trust within the organization… The coach has your back, the players have each others back
• Everyone is accountable. There’s no skating on reputation. If you screw up, you sit out a series. (Looking at you Breno)
• There’s an integrity within the organization that’s there whether anyone is watching or not. It’s there in how we compete, how we practice, how we speak of each other…

To me, coaching quality is about far more that “how to play”… It’s about defining who we are and how we play and creating a culture that sets the stage for success.

So rewind to a few days after the Jet’s lose to the Hawks. What are the Jets saying? They’re leaking “anonymous” comments to the press about however much Sanchez sucks, they’re stuck with him because they don’t have a second quarterback, they have this “athlete”, they have Tebow who’s so one dimensional that he can only “wildcat. And we can’t win a game by running 60 minutes of wildcat.

I think this is atrocious. Can you imagine Seahawks players talking smack about each other, anonymous or not? Or the coach allowing it? This didn’t happen over night. This is the culture that the coach has allowed to develop. And that’s the most important job the head coach has… creating culture for the team, the club. (And this is the reason that Mora would have never succeeded here. The culture he created was one of throwing players under the bus and non accountability for himself and his role as the leader)

While I was still wrestling with the Jets public PR debacle, on Monday morning, local sports radio commentators gave Ryan a free pass. “This isn’t the coach’s issue. This is the players simply expressing their frustration. This shouldn’t reflect on the coach’s work with the team.”

Pardon me, but what a load of crap! This has everything to do with the coach and his lack of leadership. And it doesn’t matter whether it’s the Jets or any other team… college, high school, Pop Warner, whatever. Leadership is exactly what is supposed to hold the team together through times of hardship, not step back and watch while they publicly self destruct and point fingers at each other.

Case in point, back at the Jets, Rex Ryan is now essentially baffled by his team, finds the stretch when the Pats scored 3 touchdown on the Jets in 52 seconds “hard to fathom.” He keeps Tebow active even though he has broken ribs and fails to activate the 3rd string quarterback then sits back and watches Sanchez struggle mightily. He still believes that in spite of the chaos in the locker room and on the field, the Jets can finish strong.

It may seem that I’m pounding on the Jets here, but not so. I am pointing out (using an obvious example) that poor leadership or lack of leadership can cause teams, even ones with talent to implode. If owners permit it, and the media excuses it, poor leadership will continue to give the NFL the public black eye.

So yes, I’m a fan of Pete. He exemplifies the qualities of leadership that builds winning teams!
And we, the fans, reap the benefits!

Our top ten list for a Seahawk Sunday with no game…

1. Reminisce about the awesomeness of the last game.
2. Tweet the Seahawk Players on your timeline about how much you miss watching them play.
3. Watch the pregame shows and determine who you need to root against to better the Seahawks playoff perspective.
4. Ponder the need to wear your lucky Seahawk Sox even though the team isn’t playing.
5. Linger over breakfast since you don’t have to get ready to leave for the game.
6. Put all your Hotties in your Seahawk purse so you’re ready for those December games.
7. Decide to stay in your jammies all day and wait for Red Zone to go to Quad Box.
8. Hang your jerseys in numerical order
9. Talk smack on Twitter about next week’s adversaries.
10. Wonder how you’re going to make it through the off season with this kind of gaping hole in your schedule.

What’s on your list???

Now that we’re in the bye part of our season, I wanted to take a moment to evaluate what we know we have… and have not.

We have not: a quarterback controversy. In fact, yesterday I heard sports radio commentators remarking that the Jets switching out quarterbacks during a drive was actually disruptive and created a stall in drives. This was followed by advice to commit to your quarterback just like Seattle did with Wilson… that it would have been the height of stupidity to bring Flynn in just to see what he had. Hind sight is a wonderful thing! It hasn’t been that many weeks since Seattle sports commentators were calling for Flynn to play just to see what he had.

We have: an unseasoned quarterback. As good as Wilson is performing, he’s still a rookie and there will be mistakes. There were certainly plays in the first half of the Jets game where he struggled, holding on to the ball too long, not sliding when he ran for yardage, missing open receivers down field.

We have: A quarterback with amazing ability to implement learned information in the middle of a game. In spite of his youth and inexperience in the NFL, Wilson isn’t one to continually make mistakes. He has an amazing ability to filter information and implement it immediately.

We have not: a solid receiver corp. Although we have some excellent receivers, injury has kept us from being solid at this position. While Rice and Tate have been consistent, Edwards and Baldwin have been only spotty contributors (injuries) even though both looked great in training camp. Meanwhile Kearse remains untested after drops in the Viking game.

We have: An amazing Tight End. Zack Miller is golden. Whether blocking, running routes or catching the ball, he’s a favorite target down the middle and with his size, a difficult player to bring down.

We have: an amazing defense. Even though they have faced questions regarding how good they really are (optimus prime) they continue to be formidable opponents; opportunists with great speed, size and a desire to hold other team scoreless…

We have: a fantastic owner/front office.

We have: a much needed week off to heal injuries and prepare for the home stretch.

We have: a chance to be a 10-6 team! Or 11-5!

Who’s  excited?!

What a Fan Believes… She sees….

At the half way point of the season, this is not quite where I thought we’d be. I have to say, my heart is broken a little tiny bit. Being 4 and 4 doesn’t break my heart… but the process of becoming 4 and 4 has been challenging at best. As I thought about this process the last couple days, I’ve reached a couple of conclusions about my beloved Seahawks and the 12^th man.

I don’t know of a single 12^th man that feels iffy about the Hawks. I’m pretty sure it’s a pre-requisite that you must become emotionally involved with this team. It is this emotional investment that causes the noise at the Clink, the swearing on Twitter and the tearing out of the hair when your team appears to be something other than what you believed. Let the Detroit game be the example here… finding out that your defense is human indeed and not the “impervious wall” you thought they were is traumatic.

What a ride. As I was expressing my discontent with our performance the other night (read as still agonizing over the loss) my beloved delivered the wisdom of the ages. I will now share it with you…

“As angry as I was when we lost the Detroit game, I have to admit, this has been the most entertaining season to date. Every single game has been a roller coaster ride down to the final minute of the game.”

This was an eye-opener for yours truly, as I had just tweeted …. I love my team, but just once this season, I’d like to take the lead in the 1st qtr and never look back…

So yes, I have to admit, this has been one of the best seasons ever. They haven’t been blown out. They’ve beat teams the talking heads said we didn’t have a chance to beat. On the other hand, they’ve lost games I thought they should have won. Which ultimately makes it hard to talk smack… I’ve learned that I can’t anticipate success…yet.

Because the other conclusion I came to was that this team is very young indeed. And I’m not making excuses. Pete and John have set records for personnel changes in their 3 years. And what we have now is mega, mega talent, youth, and not much “veteran experience”.

So, am I happy about our record? No. Am I entertained? Yes. Am I calling for the heads of the coaching staff? No. Do I wish we’d kick ass the rest of the season? Hell, yes! Because I want those talking heads on TV to regret they said the Seahawks season was already over at the halfway point. And in spite of the calm logic my beloved displayed (48 hours after the loss) I am still that fan that’s utterly in love with her Hawks.

Now, go kick some Viking butt!

1. What you’ve done – Who have you beaten and by how much? Tough opponents? On the road? Against the odds? Was there a lucky kick? Have you had huge losses or huge wins?
2. What might you do – Are you on the upswing? Is your 1st string QB coming back? Is your defense hitting its stride? Are your receivers gaining confidence? Did you lose a key player in your o-line? Have you blown a lead the last three games? Are you doing crazy things with your quarterbacks? Is your best linebacker injured?
3. Predictability – What are the odds I can predict your success or defeat? Is every game a surprise? Are your strengths always evident? This really boils down to a team being consistent, at home and on the road week after week. Some teams are consistently bad, others… consistently puzzling and very few this year…consistently good.

This consistency has been the challenge with the Seahawks in recent years. As the team has been reworked and re-imagined, the talent quotient has risen exponentially. Getting that talent to translate into strengths and strengths into wins has been the challenge.

In this third year with Pete and John, it now feels like the strengths are there; defense, special teams, running game… possibly the passing game.

The wins are coming. But we’re not consistent yet. And that’s the final key to finding our way in the power poll.

• The ability to win road games.
• The ability to win tough games.
• The ability to win the games we should win.

Once we get better at consistency, it will be great to where we end up in the major power polls!