Jan 1, 2013; Pasadena, CA, USA; Stanford Cardinal tight end Zach Ertz (86) catches a pass over Wisconsin Badgers defensive back Dezmen Southward (12) in the first half during the 2013 Rose Bowl game at the Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

On Friday night the 2nd night of the NFL Draft some of the big name specialty players finally started coming off the board after a predominantly trench player 1st round. There was only 1 Quarterback taken in the 1st round and zero Running backs.

The Tennessee Titans made the first trade of the 2nd round by moving up into the San Francisco 49ers spot and Drafting the Physical Wide Receiver Justin Hunter from Tennessee. The Eagles then

Drafted Tight End Zach Ertz from Stanford who could really develop into a nightmare for defenses to cover in Chips Kelly’s up tempo high speed offense.

After day one there was not a single Running Back taken, although by the end of the 2nd round 5 Running Backs had come off the board. The first to be taken was Giovani Bernard from North Carolina selected by the Cincinnati Bengals followed by Le’veon Bell selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Then came the selection of the all-time NCAA Touchdown record holder Montee Ball selected by the Denver Broncos. It wasn’t until the 61st pick that the number 1 rated Running Back came off the board when Eddie Lacy was drafted by the Green Bay Packers. With the last pick in the 2nd round of the Draft the Seattle Seahawks made their first pick when they picked the highly talented Christine Michael out of Texas A&M.

Another player that slid out of the 1st round was Notre Dame Linebacker Manti Te’o who was selected by the San Diego Chargers with the 38th pick in the Draft. The Chargers are hoping they selected the playmaker that they have been missing since Shawne Merriman left.

In the 2nd round the New York Jets finally selected what they hope will be their Quarterback of the future when they picked Geno Smith from West Virginia. Smith was predicted to be the first Quarterback selected but after EJ Manual was picked by the Buffalo Bills in the 1st round the slide continued until he was picked with the 39th pick in the Draft.

Also selected on day 2 was the Honey Badger Tyrann Mathieu from LSU who was selected by the Arizona Cardinals. Mathieu was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy in 2011 but after being in trouble with the law and team policies in the spring and summer of 2012 he didn’t even step foot on the football field in 2012.

Now that most of the big names are off of the table after an exciting 2nd and 3rd round of the NFL Draft it is time for teams to fill their rosters up and attempt to find the next Russell Wilson of the 2013 Draft. Matt Barkley is the one big name still on the board so we will have to wait until this afternoon to see who gets the once prized Quarterback from University of Southern California after his huge slide down the Draft boards.

Apr 25, 2013; New York, NY, USA; Xavier Rhodes (Florida State) is introduced as the number twenty-five overall pick to the Minnesota Vikings during the 2013 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

With the 1st pick in the 2013 NFL Draft the Kansas City Chiefs Select Andrew Luck. Not exactly, this year’s NFL Draft doesn’t have the flash or the instant star player’s in it like the 2012 Draft. The 2013 NFL Draft was full of meat and potato players, 6 of the 1st 11 players Drafted in the 1st round were Offensive Lineman.

The Kansas City Chiefs used almost every second of their 10 minutes on the clock and after months of film study and listening to possible trades they selected Offensive Tackle Eric Fisher out of Central Michigan, Fisher is slated to protect Alex Smith’s blindside. The Jacksonville Jaguars knowing that is would get to take whichever Offensive Tackle the Chiefs didn’t take, took Offensive Tackle Luke Joeckel from Texas A&M. Joeckel was thought by many to be the 1st pick although in the last few weeks his hold on the top Draft pick slot weakened.

The Miami Dolphins continued their aggressive off-season by trading their 1st and one of their 2nd Round picks with the Raiders for the right to the 3rd pick of the Draft which they used to select Dion Jordan Outside Linebacker from Oregon. Another notable trade was made by the St. Louis Rams who jumped in front of the New York Jets to snag speedy Wide Receiver Tavon Austin from West Virginia. Buffalo Bills who moved back in the draft after completing the trade with the Rams and made the biggest surprise pick of the Draft by selecting EJ Manual Quarterback from Florida State. Manual who has the size and speed to be a starting Quarterback, although he was projected as a 2nd or even a 3rd round pick, thus leaving Geno Smith the Quarterback from West Virginia still on the board when all of the 1st round selections were completed.

The San Francisco 49ers moved up from the 31st pick to the 18th pick after swapping with the Dallas Cowboys and also throwing in an additional 3rd round pick. The 49ers looked to fill the void at Safety left by Dashon Goldson when he left for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Free Agency. That void was filled by selecting hard hitting Eric Reid out of LSU.

The Minnesota Vikings were able to Draft three players between the 23rd and the 29th picks. The Vikings selected Shariff Floyd Defensive Tackle from Florida selected 23rd, Xavier Rhodes Cornerback from Florida State selected 25 (pick received in the Percy Harvin Trade with Seattle Seahawks), and with the 29th pick from the New England Patriots they selected Cordarrelle Patterson Wide Receiver from Tennessee.

The 1st Round of the 2013 NFL Draft didn’t have the high profile names or the marketability of recent Drafts but it did give teams plenty of opportunities to fill needs both on the Offensive and Defensive Lines. Many teams ditched the best player available motto and went after players of need. With plenty of specialty players available in the 2nd Round of the 2013 Draft there could be almost just as much excitement on day Two and there was in round One.

Dec 30 2012; Denver, CO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Brady Quinn (9) checks off in the first quarter against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field. The Broncos defeated the Chiefs 38-3. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

When I heard that Seattle signed Quinn instead of Seneca Wallace or Matt Leinart, I was confused. I thought that Quinn was the least likely to be chosen.  Quinn lacks the raw foot speed of Russell Wilson. However, he does have good footwork in the pocket and is able to shuffle his feet well enough to create room.  Don’t expect Quinn to be running the ball out of the zone read option anytime soon, though.

I was comfortable with Wallace as Matt Hasselbeck’s backup. He is not great by any measure, but he has a strong arm and can make plays with his legs. He is also someone who can take care of the ball and limit mistakes.

Following the Quinn signing I had to find out more about his abilities. What did Pete Carroll see in him above Wallace, Leinart, and Thigpen? Carroll likes players who bring a unique skill set to the team. What is  Brady Quinn’s? He had flamed out in Cleveland, Denver, and Kansas City. All three teams basically said, “thanks, but no thanks.”

After doing some reading, I learned that Quinn is, in fact, very unique, at least to Carroll. In Matt Flynn, Seattle had one of the best backups in the NFL as well as a good starter. Seattle hopes Quinn will be able to share his experience with Russell, and Russell with Quinn to create a strong quarterback room.

During my research I found an interview with Quinn’s former quarterback Coach in Kansas City, Jim Zorn. In it Zorn praised Quinn for his football IQ, work ethic, and attitude. He spoke highly of Quinn’s ability to make calls at the line of scrimmage and predict what the defense is trying to do, and put the offense in a position to be successful. This carries some weight since Zorn himself was a quarterback and has coached the likes of Trent Dilfer, Matt Hasselbeck, and Joe Flacco.

While Zorn’s opinion is valuable, the fact that Quinn has not translated his skill set onto the field for an extended period of time is troubling. He has shown flashes of being a solid NFL quarterback but has yet to prove he can play consistently at a high level.

Having a solid offensive foundation in place, including an above average receiving corps, may help Quinn out. I do believe having a quarterback who is willing to talk things out with Russell Wilson will benefit both players. Flynn was not known to share Wilson’s regimen of arriving first and leaving last, which may have been a big factor in trading him. I do not believe Carroll would have signed Quinn if he felt that Quinn would be unwilling to help the growth of Russell Wilson in the film room and playing field.

My ideal quarterback situation is to have a starter who makes those around him better, and, if needed, can take games over. I believe Seattle has that in Russell Wilson. The backup must be able to competently run the offense, not make too many mistakes, and put the ball in other play-makers’ hands. In other words, play completely and comfortably within himself and the system

It remains to be seen if Quinn is a lock to be the number two quarterback behind Russell Wilson.  Josh Portis, is also a talented quarterback who Seattle likes and resigned with the team during the off-season. The NFL draft will include players such as USC’s Matt Barkley, who played under Pete Carroll for a season, and Matt Scott, who has risen up draft boards since the combine. Scott is raw as a passer, but is able to move around well, and run the same offense that was installed for Russell Wilson.

It remains to be seen whether Quinn can live up to that standard. I will be excited to see the steps he takes in preseason to better both himself and the team.

Dec 23, 2012, Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider looks at the Seahawks bench in between during the fourth quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Given the Seahawks lofty status of playoff team and being ranked as the 2013 preseason NFL’s best team, it’s  easy to forget where this team stood last year at this time, a week before the draft.  Here we are in mid April again, wondering who the Seahawks may draft starting with the second round after having traded their first round pick to Minnesota for Percy Harvin.  The Seahawks are widely said to have “won” free agency after having gone blow for blow with the San Francisco 49ers in signing big name players.  And the likely answer to the question; “who will the team pick in the second round”?, is a resounding – “Who cares?  Let’s PLAY”!

The team has already improved itself so much that any player they pick up in the draft will be the sprinkles on the frosting of the cake.  In one year the team has gone from just recently having achieved the “respectable” moniker, to “Super Bowl favorite”, and that’s BEFORE the 2013 draft even takes place!  There is really some question as to whether any draft picks will even make the team.  While the draft may seem a bit anti-climactic after the free agency blitz the team just put on, just remember it was exactly a year ago we were almost positive Matt Flynn would be the Hawk’s starting quarterback in 2012.  In other words, with John Schneider and Pete Carroll calling the shots, expect the unexpected.  Expect a player or three who can not only make this team, but who can make this team better.

Just for fun, let’s review a few stories Seahawks fans were reading and hearing about their team exactly one year ago.

- Fans of the Seahawks were being told by football writers that;

- We should take heart in the fact that although the Seahawks started 2011 with a 2-6 record, they finished well with a 5-3 record and matched their 2010 mark of 7-9.

- The Seahawks of 2011 were competitive in all but one of their losses.

- The Seahawks had released their big 2011 free agency catch Robert Gallery.

- Excitement for the “two tight end set” grew with the signing of tight end Kellen Winslow from Tampa Bay.

- The team had released and re-signed Marcus Trufant.

-  The team was happy to have locked up Marshawn Lynch for the next 4 years and Red Bryant for 5 years.

- Breno Giacomini had done such a good job filling in at right tackle for the injured first rounder James Carpenter, he was re-signed and talk began of moving Carpenter to the guard position.

- The names Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor, Brandon Browner, and Earl Thomas were not yet “household names”, much less the “best secondary in football”.

- Matt Flynn was the “crown jewel” of the Seahawks free agent class.  His position with the team would require him to beat out Tavaris Jackson and whatever rookie quarterback the team may pick up in the 2012 draft.  Consensus was the QB job was Flynn’s to lose.  Nobody, except for a few die hard college football junkies or Wisconsin fans had ever heard of Russell Wilson…

Seahawks fans should understand it’s OK be excited about the 2013 draft, even without a first round pick.  Last year the team picked up a franchise quarterback, a starting linebacker, an excellent backup running back, and a starting offensive lineman converted from defense…all AFTER the first round.

November 05, 2011; Houston, TX, USA; Rice Owls wide receiver Vance McDonald (88) makes a reception in the first quarter against the Texas El Paso Miners at Rice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

I just finished my first mock draft and it was an interesting experience. I’m not somebody who follows draft boards and college players very closely. There are so many of them and the chances of a certain player ending up on your team are very small. Therefore, unless one is genuinely interested in all aspects of the draft, I see it as a waste of time.

That being said, this mock draft was set up as a “war room” with a committee of people for each team which I actually liked. As somebody who didn’t know individual players per se, I found other ways to contribute. I feel like I have a very good idea of what Seattle currently needs, and what type of player would fit into the Pete Carroll system.  So I tried to keep everybody on the game plan of drafting by position needed, instead of just the best player that looked good at the moment.

My one negative was that this draft took way too long. It started on Thursday and went all the way to Monday. Each team had up to three hours to make their picks so the window for our draft pick could vary widely. I’d lock that down if I were the organizer.

At the outset we decided our needs were (in general order) defensive tackle or end, weak-side linebacker, tight end, offensive guard or tackle, cornerback, safety, and wide receiver. We also realized we had more picks than roster spots so we felt we had some flexibility and could afford to bundle picks together to move up into the middle rounds, which we did twice.

In the end, after all trades, our picks were 1.28, 2.26, 3.25, 3.29, 4.28, 5.05, 5.30 and 7.25.

We tried to move out of the first round all together since we picked so late and figured our first target of Kawann Short (DT) from Purdue would be there for us in the early second. We arranged a trade twice with Detroit but they reneged both times. In the end we took Short with the 1.28 pick (traded 1.25 to Denver) which was a reach, but he was our target and filled a need. We stuck to the plan and got an instant upgrade to the defensive line.

The targets for our next two picks were weak-side lineback and tight end but we once again didn’t pick until late in the second. At 2.26 we took Khaseem Greene who fit what we figured was Seattle’s ideal WLB. I wasn’t as high on Alec Ogletree as many others were, but he went earlier anyway. Greene was a solid pick and the person we were targeting anyway.

Next up we wanted a TE. Ideally, it was going to be Travis Kelce from Cincinnati. He is a do-it-all tight end that we figured could free up Zach Miller to be more of an offensive threat. Unfortunately, Kelce was snatched before he got to us so we adapted.

With the 25^th pick of the third round we took Tyrann Mathieu (CB) from LSU. He brings controversy and some off-field issues but we liked his ball-hawking nature and recognized a need at slot-corner. We figured Carroll could get Mathieu on the straight and narrow and took a chance. We also saw him as a kick returner for the probable departure of Leon Washington. (This was pre-Percy Harvin. A trade that was never in the realm of possibility to us at this point.)

Four picks later, at 3.29 (we traded three picks to New England to move back into the third), we finally got our TE. Vance McDonald from Rice was our player at this draft position. He fit the physical multi-threat mold we were looking for. Tyler Eifert and Zach Ertz were too one dimensional for our tastes and if they came to us we probably would have gone elsewhere. McDonald provides a lot of mismatch opportunities against the defense and would be a great compliment to Miller.

At this point in the draft, my knowledge of players got pretty thin to non-existent. This is where I would look into suggested players by Keith, Joe and Nick and primarily try to keep us on track for filling needs. I also was a big advocate in pushing us away from drafting a wide receiver as I personally don’t want more 5’11’’ to 6’1’’ guys. If we got a receiver, which we eventually did, I wanted to pick a receiver that could be tall, physical, and get down field.

At 4.28 we drafted Lavar Edwards (DE) from LSU. Edwards was seen as an option to take over for the now departed Jason Jones and as a player that could help provide an inside pass rush.

Just a few picks later with the fifth pick of the fifth round, we picked Chris Faulk (OT), also from LSU. I had urged us, and we had tried, to improve the offensive line earlier but our targeted players kept getting picked right before us, and the remaining value wasn’t worth it to pick on OT/OG that early. That being said, we see Faulk as a potential Breno Giacomini replacement and terrific run blocker. Keith has him rated as late-third early-fourth quality so it was a steal for us in the fifth. Hopefully he would get fewer penalties.

Between 5.05 and our next pick at 5.30 (acquired from Atlanta for 5^th, 7^th, and 2013 7^th round picks) we learned that Seattle had acquired Percy Harvin and I internally celebrated in the fact that we had yet to draft a wide receiver, especially a smaller sized one, considering we just traded for one of the best in the league. Instead we drafted Corey Fuller (WR) from Virginia Tech. Fuller is 6’2’’, so still smaller, but is fast and can stretch defenses down field, similar to a Ricardo Lockette go-route that Seattle would run a few times a game. Fuller is raw and will need time, but we also saw the potential for him to help right away on special teams.

With our final pick, at 7.25, we took Ray Ray Armstrong (S) from Miami (Fl.). We had been looking for a safety to potentially back up Earl Thomas or replace Kam Chancellor in a few years, and we got him with our last pick. Armstrong hits like Chancellor, which we love, and can cover TEs and WRs across the middle.  It will take him a few years, but luckily we have that to spare, if Armstrong even made the roster.

Overall, I think we came away with solid picks. We weren’t flashy and didn’t talk ourselves up, like some of the other managers (looking at you, San Francisco) but we came in with a plan. We stuck with it, filled our perceived gaps, and took good players that we thought would fit into Seattle’s “always compete” but high-character quality system.

Behind every pick there is a 50+ email long chain and many discussions. As a team though, there was limited argument and a generally shared goal. I relied largely on other members’ knowledge of individual players and I like to think I kept us from drifting too far down unproductive rabbit holes for players and positions we didn’t need. I probably wouldn’t ever do a mock draft solo, but I’d definitely do one as a team again (hopefully taking up less time).

I like to think Pete Carroll and John Schneider would approve of our logic, goals, and outcome. I’m proud of it and I think that the Seahawks post-draft would be better than pre-draft.

Here is a list of the trades that took place during the draft.

Pick
1.28 From Broncos for pick 1.25 (mock)
3.29 From Patriots for picks 5.25, 4.26, 7.14 (mock)
4.28 From Broncos for pick 1.25 (mock)
5.05 From Raiders for LB Aaron Curry (official)
5.30 From Falcons for picks 6.26, 7.08, 2013 7^th Round (mock)
7.08 From Bills for QB Tarvaris Jackson (official)
7.14 From Saints for LB Barrett Ruud (official)

That means there was a lot of great highlights comb through as I tried to fing the best ones from 2012. There were a lot to choose from, but I’ve narrowed it down to 3 of the ones that I believe are the best. Take a look, and then vote at the bottom for which if the 3 is your favorite.

(This was actually the type of stuff I was looking for when I kept  running into the Mark Sanchez Butt Fumble vid that I posted on the site an hour ago. I’m not sure why that play kept coming up, other than the fact that it’s funny)

Kam Chancellor crushing Vernon Davis Week 16

Brandon Browner blasting Wes Welker Week 5

Golden Tate’s block on Sean Less Week 2

And just for fun, he’s my favorite from a 2011. Brandon Browner blocks 3 different Cardinals on the same return, putting all three on the turf.

Now that you’ve seen them all which one gets your vote as the best big hit of 2012?

Feb 3, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh reacts during the fourth quarter against the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

This Super Bowl was just plain weird. I didn’t really care who won, but I’m glad San Francisco lost. I don’t like Jim Harbaugh and I don’t like San Francisco fans, at least not the ones I have had contact with. (You know who you are…)  Just kidding!  Seriously!  You’re great people, really…

First its time to talk some smack.  Since the Seahawks got totally screwed by the NFL with that early morning game in Atlanta I didn’t really have a dog in this fight (so much for journalistic impartiality). The way the 49ers fans thought they deserved to be in this game after the butt whoopin’ the Hawks dropped on them in Seattle was just ignoring the truth.  The Niners backed into this game by not having to face Seattle and they know it.  Sure they beat Atlanta…barely.  Try doing that at 0-dark thirty west coast time.  If not for San Francisco’s tie against the Rams the Hawks would have had your conference title and your home game and a bye week.  San Francisco is no longer the only elite team in the west.  They have company.  But I digress…

Did anyone else go get a pedicure during the national anthem? MAN that was long! Well done, but tooooo looooong.  And that whole halftime show was BOOOOORING. Sorry.  Beyonce is a lovely and talented singer/dancer but I think she sang the same word for something like 15 minutes! Besides that, it was like watching a 30 minute Bud Light commercial.  Where’s a good marching band when you need one?

The power outage was interesting. I’ve seen a quarterback change make a game turn. I’ve seen a snow storm make a game turn. But I’ve never seen a power outage totally turn a game around. The Seahawks should remember that trick next time they find themselves down by 20 at home. In the end, the 49ers got screwed by the refs on that last non-call for holding; so welcome to Seattle’s world San Francisco.  One wonders if they might have gotten “Bettised”; you remember the love-fest the league and network gave the retiring Jerome Bettis before the Seattle/Pittsburgh 2008 Super Bowl in which Seattle suffered a number of bad calls.  There is something especially heart warming to think the refs might have been “letting ‘em play” for Ray Lewis, a guy who plea bargained away a double homicide a few years back, getting 12 months probation instead of double life in prison.  (There I go digressing again!  Hmm, did I just stumble on another reason for not being excited for either team to win?).  Yes, getting hosed by the refs in the Big Game is great fun, and now the Niners know how it feels.  And so ends their 5-0 Superbowl streak.

But this Super Bowl week did have some redeeming value.  For instance, I didn’t know there was so much to know about deer antlers.  And the whole thing about too much power actually causing the lights to turn off???  Amazing stuff!  And what about the demonstration of injustice to women struggling with their weight everywhere when a Ravens cheerleader got canned for being 2 pounds overweight?  We haven’t heard the end of that one, hopefully!

Now it’s on to the NFL draft and next season.  I fully expect it will be the Seahawks and Russell Wilson who will get it done next year.  With his learning curve well in the past, Wilson will be unstoppable.  I wish I could have seen him in this game, but next year will be even more incredible.  Seattle was the team no one wanted to play the second half of the year.  Next year, it will be that way from  week one on because Russell is ready.  As for the rest of the NFC West, don’t get too excited.  You’re getting better, but as long as Wilson, Carroll, and Schneider are in the picture it’s going to be tough going to get past Seattle.

Dec 23, 2012; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman (25) during the game against the San Francisco 49ers at CenturyLink Field. Seattle defeated San Francisco 42-13. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

I just got back from a weekend of skiing and finally feel like I can look back at the Seahawks’ 2012 season without feeling too large a pang of disappointment. Sometimes it takes stepping away to gain some perspective. The only football I watched was the third quarter of the NFC Championship game and had to walk away because I saw two teams Seattle could certainly beat.

If someone had asked me nine months ago how I’d feel if Seattle were to go 11-5 with a playoff win on the road I would have taken it in a heartbeat. However, winning makes a person greedy and leaves them craving more. Once it was apparent that Pete Carroll and John Schneider stacked all of that talent and potential onto their roster, and that a playoff game was possible, even with a team that had some significant weakness, I set my sight on an even further horizon. When Seattle wasn’t able to advance, the loss left the city, and myself, in somewhat of a state of shock. The emotional whiplash that took place in the fourth quarter of the game in divisional game gave me hope and then took it away.

All cities are unified when their sports teams do well. It’s one of the great things that sports teams bring to communities. I believe that Seattle is a little different from cities like Atlanta, New York, San Francisco, and Miami. Every team has their true fans, but Seattle itself seems to suffer when the Seahawks don’t do well (everyone is used to the Mariners sucking). It’s easy to lose sight of that when the team has a few rough years but is obvious when look at the incredibly civic pride and enthusiasm that takes place when the team succeeds. In that regard Seattle is like a Cleveland, Kansas City, or Green Bay. Labeling Seattle fans fair weather is ridiculous and ignorant. Fair weather fans don’t cause seismic activity last time I checked.

The Seahawks over 2012 reminded Seattle why they stuck with a team that had been disparaged and struggled for the last six years. The team from South Alaska that was always too small, too hurt, too slow, too whatever became big, strong, loud, and a force unto themselves. Win or lose, a team was going to remember that they played Seattle last Sunday. Watching that and experiencing it with a great community of 12^th Men made it that much hard to realize it was over. Even my dad who can be very jaded and reserved when it comes to sports (game 7 of the 1993 Western Conference finals between the Sonics and Suns is still very much remembered) couldn’t help but get excited at what just might be.

I bring up these seemingly random aspects of the 2012 season because they stand out the most when I look back on this season. Seattle became a team that would walk up to anybody and punch them in the mouth. Led by a calm, cool, and incredibly talented quarterback, a team comprised of many castoffs and unknowns turned into a wrecking ball with the 12^th Man as the crane that swung it. The connection between the team and fans in Seattle can’t be overstated. From completely open training camps to showing up at Children’s Hospital every week the connection is real. That is what I love. I realize that I’m not an actual player on the team, but to feel part of it is either the greatest marketing gimmick ever or proof of a true community-franchise connection. I choose to believe it’s the latter in this case. (Every article I write, I have to go and take out any “we’s” and replace them with “Seahawks.”)

Fortunately, Seattle doesn’t have many free agents going into the off-season which means that many of the personalities and people that the make up this great team will be back. And they will be hungry; hungry to prove to themselves and the 12^th Man that they are good enough to win a Super Bowl. For that, I am just as excited as I was this season.

Jan 13, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) warms up before the NFC divisional playoff game against the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

Well Seahawks fans, I don’t know how this could have turned out worse for us.  It’s bad enough that the 49ers and their king sized jerk of a coach got to the Superbowl when the Seahawks are a better team, but now we have another Harbaugh in it…Brother John.  The only good thing about this is by all accounts John is not quite the turd in the punch bowl his brother is.

It’s too bad the NFL won’t have the Superbowl on the east coast and make the 49ers play at the equivalent west coast time of 7:00 AM after getting up at 4:00 AM like they did to the Seahawks in Atlanta.  Yes, I’m still bellyaching about that even though it goes against the Pete Carroll philosophy.  I think it borders on unethical of the NFL to give the first seed team both home field advantage and a time zone advantage and then force the west coast visitors to play the early game on top of that!

I heard Carroll on the last Seahawks Saturday talk about “if we had just gotten ONE of those 4 road losses other than the 49ers loss”.  Yes, it sucks.  My column on “4 plays that could have made the Seahawks the #1 seed” comes back to haunt us again.  Just ONE play of ONE of those games would have given them the NFC West title and at least one home game.  What difference would it have made not to have to fly to the east coast TWICE in 8 days?  How much more would the Hawks have had in the tank in the 4th quarter against Atlanta?  We’ll never know.  I just know it sucks.  Ok, I’ll get off my soap box now…

Well, so as not to be a Negative Nellie for this entire column and acting on instructions from our fearless leader Keith, I’m supposed to do some kind of look back on the year.  I thought I would take a look back at what some pretty widely read sports personalities and writers had to say about Russell Wilson at the beginning of the year.

Wes Bunting – formerly of the National Football Post: Wilson is a plus athlete who can spin the football and gives you a nice run/pass threat. However he’s undersized, is going to struggle to consistently make plays from the pocket and is still learning how to work his way through defenses. He is worth a pick late, but I don’t see the guy as a potential starter in the NFL. Reserve only.  

Well, he was a little right and a lot wrong.  Yes he wasn’t a great pocket passer, but everything else Wilson nailed down by mid-season.

Tony Softli – former personnel evaluator for the Panthers and Rams said; Wilson is an “immediate threat” to Flynn, and called Wilson “future star”.   ”Flynn will have his hands full in a training camp competition against this star in the making”. 

That’s more like it!  He saw in Wilson what I saw.  A guy who will simply overcome his height disadvantage and win on brains and preparation.

Matt Bowen of the National Football Post - I’m curious about this one. Flynn was just handed some new money to come over to Seattle as a free agent and Jackson has plenty of starting experience in this offensive system. Maybe the rookie eventually can jump Jackson on the depth chart, but to beat out Flynn? That’s tough.

Well, you can’t blame Matt.  There was the assumption Flynn would be “the guy” and all that money is hard to watch sitting on the bench.

Tom Fortenbaugh of National Football Post - Time to put my money where my mouth is. I’ve got nothing against Russell Wilson as a person. He’s dedicated, hard-working and intelligent. But I believe he’s a vastly overrated quarterback and I think the twitter universe is putting way too much emphasis on what he’s done in meaningless preseason games. Wilson isn’t a fourth quarter closer (Oregon & Ohio State games in 2011, Virginia Tech game in 2010) and is going to struggle once the games start counting. I’m going to sit tight for a few days to see if the hype forces oddsmakers to adjust north before I lock this one in, but rest assured, I’m making this play.

Tom actually KNEW about Wilson and still got this wrong!  To Fortenbaughs’ credit, he fessed up to this forecast of Wilson’s career in a recent column, admitting his article was a “Swing and a Miss”.  Funny stuff!

John Clayton of ESPN – “I see Matt Flynn as the starter.  They brought him in at $6 1/2 million dollars a year , he’s a quick decision maker, he can make all the throws, and he seems to be very accurate.  He just hasn’t wowed anyone yet…, but I expect that to happen.”  

Clayton is pretty consistent in giving the conservative or “conventional wisdom” aspect of any story.  With Pete Carroll one thing you can never do is assume “conventional wisdom”.

Don Banks of SI.com nailed it with this prediction - ”With Russell-mania raging out of control early on in the season, the Seahawks will feed off the energy and veteran-like execution of their rookie quarterback (Russell Wilson) and emerge as one of the surprise teams of the year in the NFL. Seattle will compete with San Francisco for supremacy in the NFC West all season, before settling for a wild-card slot. While Wilson will be a huge part of the story, the Seahawks’ stout young defense will come to the fore down the stretch.”

I was hoping to find more totally off the mark predictions on Wilson, but they have mysteriously disappeared from the web….  Oh well…   If anyone can remember the big shot former NFL General Manager who smugly forecast Wilson as a “career backup” at best, feel free to name names, I know I heard that in the pre-season.  It’s not enough to say that the Seahawks were THE surprise team this season.  They started in the power rankings at around 19th, and ended it in the top 6.  Had the Seahawks been anywhere near their week 9 form earlier in the season this season would have been ridiculous.  Which brings me to looking forward to next year.

The 49ers are the 7th oldest team in the league.  OK, I guess they’re still pretty good this year, and adding Kaepernick made them better, but how long will Gore and Justin Smith be around?  One-two more years?  The Seahawks are one of the youngest teams in the league and will get younger, and better, next year with Hill and Trufaunt most likely gone.  This is a team growing up together, getting good together, and realizing they can be something special together.  With the addition of a true #1 receiver and some youth in the defensive backfield the Seahawks are a legitimate rival to the 49ers starting immediately.  I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Seahawks the preseason favorite to win the NFC West even if the 49ers win the Superbowl.  Most people know next September the Seahawks will be far ahead of where they started last September.  That’s got to be worth at least 2-3 more wins on the road.  I also expect another 8 win home schedule too.

Jan 13, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) warms up before the NFC divisional playoff game against the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

Please Welcome David, the Newest voice here at 12th Man Rising. We are very glad to have with join our staff. Now on to his first article:

Watching the Divisional game vs. Atlanta from home, I tuned in early to watch the end of warm-ups and catch the result of the coin toss.  For me, the football game always starts with the coin toss, and I usually consider it a success if the Seahawks start the game kicking off.  That gives them a chance to make up a deficit by potentially scoring first in the second half.

The downside of this result is that they risk giving the other team momentum if the defense allows a score.  In the case of Sunday’s Divisional loss to Atlanta, the Seahawks began the game kicking off to the Falcons, who marched down the field and settled for a field goal.  While that was not a totally bad result, the rest of the first half was full of other, worse results.

It got so bad in fact, that in the first half, the Seahawks put up zero points on two red zone drives, and fumbled away another promising drive.  At halftime, the Seahawks trailed 20-0.

At this time, knowing that they would get the ball back and the first chance to score, I said to my wife, “The Seahawks have a good defense, so there’s a chance.  “If we outscore the Falcons 28-7 in the second half, we win by one point: 28-27.”  She laughed at the time.  I’ll admit, my doubt was pretty high, too.

At about the 11-minute mark, with the Seahawks down by two scores, the laughs had faded.  Seattle fans were on social media, slowly showing signs of belief.  Friends and family members were calling.  Even my brother who used to not watch football called me and said that he was watching.  With ever brightening texts, tweets, phone calls, and facebook posts, Seattleites were checking-in with each other, focused on an the amazing game.  The Seattle Times reported that, by the last drive, 87% of active TV sets in the Seattle area were watching the game.  The Seahawks had overcome their mistakes and judgment lapses, and had fought for the lead with 31 seconds left.  My father actually called me to celebrate the win.  He wasn’t alone.  Seattle erupted in celebration…but just a tad too soon.

In an instant it was over.

After the kickoff, the Falcons used the final 25 seconds to complete two passes and kick a game winning 49 yard field goal.  Though the Seahawks got the ball back with six seconds left, they failed to advance within field goal range on their first possession.  As a result, they ended the season with an interception on a desperation pass that made it to the end zone.  The year of “almost good-enough” ended accordingly, and it hurt.

The loss hurt in ways both new and familiar.  On one hand, it hurt that we came so close, and didn’t win the championship, something that I have never witnessed a Seattle team accomplish.  On the other hand, the fact that the Seahawks had come back from such long odds validated them.  They are a good football team in position to make another run at the title next year.  Most of all, it just hurt that the season was over.

This was one football season, and one football game, that I really did not want to see end in defeat.   All year, the team delivered and competed in every game down to the last pass of the season.  They never lost anything but a close game.  Above all else, it was an honest privilege to watch the rapid blossoming of Russell Wilson’s play.  He proved this year that he is good enough to lead the Seahawks to a Super Bowl win.  He just hasn’t yet.

Jan 13, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll reacts after losing the NFC divisional playoff game at the Georgia Dome. The Falcons won 30-28. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Just like that, it’s over. The Seahawks’ run for the Super Bowl snuffed out by a 49 yard field goal. It wasn’t bad enough that Seattle fans had to suffer through the incoherent diarrheic ramblings of the infinitely idiotic Brian Billick. They also had to suffer a soul sucking first half, amazing come back, and a late Tony Gonzalez catch over the middle to set up an Atlanta field goal. I’ll tell you right now, if you’re a glass-is-always-half-full type of person, you should probably just stop reading. Because, I’m not that type of person. Things like “bright futures” don’t make me feel better. They are hypothetical at best and no comfort in defeat right now.

I don’t know if I feel better having watched the Seahawks come back in an incredible second half after completely shitting the bed in the first half. Is a defeat like this which is ultimately due to the compounding of mistakes throughout the prior 59 and a half minutes better than losing in a blow out? I don’t know but right now I’m inclined to say I’d rather be blown out. It’s an arguable point but that’s how I feel.

Coming into this game, I believed if Seattle had to lose to anybody I prefer it be Atlanta. I was wrong. I’d prefer to lose to nobody and losing to anybody feels equally shitty. I can’t root for Altanta or Tony Gonzalez even though I like him as a human being. I don’t buy into the “if you have to lose, it might as well be to the eventual champion” school of thought.

I hate losing. I hate it with every ounce of my being. That doesn’t make me a “bad” loser or bad sport. Losing feels unnatural even though it’s happened countless times before. I refuse to accept it. Seattle could have won that game. They didn’t deserve to but they still could have. Going for it on fourth instead of taking a field goal looks terrible now. In the moment, it looked like Seattle needed a touchdown to stay in the game. It was wrong in hindsight but at the time I couldn’t argue with the decision. The defense could have decided to sack up and make a stop at any point in the first half. They didn’t.

Other people can focus on all the good things, both real and theoretical. Right now all I can do is focus on what was the ultimate outcome, defeat, and grieve. I hope Seattle is better next year. I hope that good things are on the horizon, but for whatever reason, that “bright future” is like an oasis in a desert that is only a mirage. It doesn’t exist until it’s real and then I can celebrate. Unfortunately, that isn’t today. Russell Wilson can look forward to next year. Other fans can look forward to next year. For me I have to go back to a normal every day life, where I don’t make millions of dollars, and devotedly defend my city and teams against the rest of the country. There is no joy in Mudville for me.

Jan 6, 2013; Landover, MD, USA; A Washington Redskins fan sits in the stands after the Redskins

That was an excellent win. I can’t lie and said I felt good about it the whole time, though. During the first quarter, make that first three quarters, my tension levels were through the roof. Seattle goes down 14-0. Then blows some red zone opportunities and goes into half-time 14-13. Yes, they caught up. But place kicker Steven Hauschka was hurt and Seattle seemed inconsistent on offense. For some reason the zone-read was used intermittently for whatever reason and Russell Wilson missed a few wide open receivers downfield. Fortunately, Seattle’s defense must have smelled some coffee and decided to wake up and Washington wasn’t able to score for the rest of the game.

Michael Robinson and Zach Miller decided to have amazing games and show why they are both integral parts of the Seahawks team. In my opinion the game ball would have to go to one of those two guys. Russell Wilson did well but there were a few plays where he held onto the ball to long and scrambled for a sack instead of just throwing the ball away. I had to force images of Tarvaris Jackson out my head in those instances.

Marshawn Lynch also had a good game rushing for over 100 yards and a touchdown. Unfortunately, he also fumbled to ball on the one yard line but at least partially made up for it with his one-handed fumble recovery and 18 yard rush after Wilson lost the ball. He must have just seen a giant Skittle bouncing around and wasn’t going to let it get away. It was so smooth it was kind of ridiculous to watch. Lynch didn’t even break stride.

I also loved watching Big Red Bryant chase after Robert Griffin. Griffin managed to scramble for a gain of a yard, but the effort put out by a man the size of Bryant to chase after Griffin was impressive. Not a fair fight but you have to love the determination.

This was Seattle’s first playoff game on the road since before I was born. That is very surprising at first because I am starting to think of myself as old and second because I am used to Seattle teams that are always at least somewhat dangerous. Then I remember that there was a long stretch in there (1988-1999) where Seattle didn’t make the playoffs at all and being a Seahawks fan was more depressing than mania inducing. That weakness on the road appears to be a thing of the past now, though.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t spend some time pissing on the legacy of one, Daniel Snyder. (Don’t worry Dan, it’s just rain.) Dan Snyder provided the worst possible playing surface he could and when Robert Griffin decided to audition for a stunt-double role in “Thiesmann: A Football Life”, it didn’t turn out so well. Griffin ended the game throwing for just 99 yards and should have been taken out at half-time. At least Griffin can look forward to a bright future of selling yet another wiener-pill.

Chris Clemons tore his ACL. Kory Lichtensteiger re-aggravated his ankle sprain. Steven Hauschka sprained his calf. Saying that the field was anything less than complete crap would be an overstatement. I guess Snyder likes his field to match his personality. The NFL and Roger Goodell have once again demonstrated that “player safety” is on par with the NCAA’s “student athlete.” (Seriously, who doesn’t laugh during March Madness when the announcers forcibly use “student athlete” to the point that it’s insulting to your own intelligence?)

Apparently “player safety” is a way for owners and the “shield” (another garbage term turned into NFL propaganda) to regulate player-on-player infractions. Owners like Daniel Snyder, on the other hand, can’t be forced to stop counting their billions and provide the same kind of surface – FieldTurf – that is now common at many high schools. Forcing owners to provide ideal conditions for their athletes isn’t worth regulating aggressively, apparently. Sure there are “rules” but they are token at best. And after players get hurt what difference does it make? I’d love to see a report showing how many injuries occur at each field.

Soldier Field in Chicago is also a terrible field but in a different way. It’s soft, lumpy, and a borderline mud pit. FedEx field is crap-grass growing out of hard dirt with some extra dirt thrown on top for aesthetics. A cleat planted in soft lumpy dirt will give a little when the player’s foot and leg twist. A cleat planted in hard-packed dirt won’t give at all. That’s how we get to see disgusting things like knees bending 90 degrees the wrong way. The warning sign should be that players have to wear ridiculously long cleats to play on a certain field. Give me a freaking break. Hopefully Dan Snyder is taking a long walk off of a short pier right now and the waters below are filled with sharks that have laser beams attached to their heads and the Sharks are all pissed off Cowboy’s fans. I almost forgot to mention that Snyder pumps artificial noise into his stadium.

I really hope Chris Clemons’ injury is better than they are currently thinking. I feel bad that a guy who has busted his ass all year gets done in by the greed and negligence of another team’s owner in the first game of the playoffs. Never mind the fact that it hurts Seattle’s defensive line. He needs to get better because Seattle is lucky enough to play in Snyder’s joke of a stadium again next season!

I like our odds against Atlanta. Currently the Falcons are favored by about 2.5 points, but that might close to 1.5. Atlanta has yet to win a playoff game under Matt Ryan and Seattle has one under their belt already with Wilson. Hopefully Browner is better than he was yesterday because we’ll need him and Sherman to shut down Roddy White and Julio Jones. Anyway, those are topics for an article later this week.

Jan 6, 2013; Landover, MD, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) throws the ball as Washington Redskins defensive tackle Doug Worthington (90) defends in the third quarter of the NFC Wild Card playoff game at FedEx Field. The Seahawks win 24-14. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Zach Miller had what was probably his most important game as a Seahawk Sunday.  After a withering offensive display by RGIII and his offense resulted in two touchdown drives, Seattle’s defense looked like it was running at half-speed and the offense looked like  they had left their Mojo of the last five games on the tarmac in Seattle.  There was absolutely no sign of the high octane offense we had seen in recent weeks, and the vaunted Seattle defense was putting up little resistance to the Washington running attack.

Down 14 – 0 midway through the first quarter Seattle needed to get something going ASAP or risk having the game get out of control by the end of the first quarter.  Enter Tight End Zach Miller who gave the Seahawks just what the doctor ordered to get them out of their funk late in the first quarter.  On a third and long from his own 18 Russell Wilson hit Miller short of the marker, but Miller twisted and fought his way to a critical first down, Seattle’s first of the game.  That was the first sign of life from the Seahawks offense.  That drive ended in a field goal but put Seattle on the scoreboard and broke the Redskins momentum.

The next drive had some excitement from a Wilson to Lynch fumbled handoff which Lynch miraculously scooped up and carried to another key first down.  That drive resulted in a Michael Robinson TD reception, and the Hawks had 10 on the board.  After an Earl Thomas interception of a floated RG III pass the Seahawks added 3 more before the half.  Hawks fans breathed a sigh of relief with the team being just one point down at the half.

The second half started with a lot of Beast mode and Wilson runs — getting the team down to the one yard line before Lynch fumbled the ball away.  The Hawks held the Skins to a 3 and out and got the ball back with good field position, but had to punt the ball away after a near miss to Baldwin in the end zone.  Even though the Hawks were moving the ball they were not able to add any points in the third quarter, reminiscent of some of the Hawks early season games.  Still it didn’t seem like the Seahawks were in too much trouble, but they needed a play to break the near deadlock.  Now in the 4th quarter the Hawks were on their own 46 at 3rd and long when Wilson again hit Zach Miller sneaking out of protection for a huge gain down to the Skins 32.  Three plays later Lynch took the ball into the end zone from the 27 yard line with an assist block from Wilson at the goal line.  And on the 2 point conversion Wilson again hit Zach Miller as he crossed the goal line on a quick slant.  Miller would lead all receivers with 4 catches for the game.

With a touchdown lead the Hawks were ahead but not out of the woods yet.  They needed a game sealing score with time running down.  When the Redskins and RG III got the ball back Bruce Irvin nailed RG III for a sack.  On the next play the right knee of RG III grotesquely gave way as he chased a bad snap and the Hawks recovered on the 5 yard line.  After three unsuccessful shots to the end zone, a Hauschka field goal made it a 2 score game and pretty much put the game out of reach for the Redskins.

There were a lot of great plays made by a lot of Seahawks in this game.  Rice and Tate made some incredible sideline hugging receptions of pinpoint Russell Wilson throws.  Marshawn Lynch made some huge runs and had that crazy scoop of the fumbled hand off.  But the key plays that got the Seahawks out of the doldrums and on their way to this win came from Mr. Zach Miller.  So here’s a big “Well Done!” for Zach Miller, Seattle’s unsung hero and the spark that got the Seahawk machine going.  Go Hawks!

On defense the group is Bobby Wagner, Casey Hayward, and Chandler Jones. Sorry Janoris Jenkins, you have lots of talent but aren’t very disciplined at this point and need to improve.

Being the quantitative geek that I am, I have decided to compare Wilson and Griffin using some sort of quantifiable metrics. (Don’t worry, there will be lots of graphs, too.) Since I personally don’t really care who wins this award I came into this analysis without a dog in the hunt.

Let’s start by looking a quick set of basic metrics.

As you can see, Griffin edges out Wilson is every category except for touchdowns. That being said, Wilson’s TD/INT ratio is only 2.6 while Griffin’s is 4. Don’t get me wrong, they are ridiculously close but objectively Griffin has the edge in these basic stats. They also both threw 393 times and Griffin has only 82 more yards than Wilson. Wilson also attempted a higher percentage of deep throws than Griffin.

While those baseline stats are nice, they don’t really add much color. For instance, Seattle played a harder schedule than Washington. Seattle’s opponent’s winning percentage was .505 while Washington’s was only .494.

There is also the fact that both quarterbacks are not qualitatively all that similar. Keith wrote an article illustrating just that point. Given that, I thought it would add more clarity to break out the separate aspects of their games — passing, rushing, and total against the quality of the opposing defenses in those same categories. Let’s first look at rushing.

First, I include the game that Griffin did not play in because I believe that if a player gets statistical credit for playing a certain way and thereby accepting the risk of playing in such a way, then the costs of those risks should also be factored in. In this case, it’s the game that Griffin sat out. (In all fairness, Wilson also sat out about 2.5 quarters of the season.)

Some quick data information. The defensive averages are the average of a certain type of yard in games up to that game not counting yards from a Washington or Seattle game. So, in essence, a quarterback’s numbers won’t be used against himself. It’s his performance compared to the defenses performance against every other opponent, rushing and passing.

The quarterbacks’ cumulative average is the average of all games played up to the end of each week. I prefer this average because it shows trends rather than a flat line over the entire season.

You can see above that Griffin generally ran for more yards per game than did Wilson. This is both a stylistic difference in the players and a difference in play calling. Griffin was provided with an offensive scheme much more catered to his abilities as a mobile quarterback while Wilson was basically forced to stay in the pocked for the first half of the season. Wilson clearly began running more in the last third of the season and that moved his average up a bit, while Griffin was up and down all season. Griffin’s best rushing games came against Minnesota, New York, and Philadelphia. Wilson’s came against Chicago, Buffalo, and St. Louis.

Now let’s look at the two quarterbacks’ aerial statistics.

The passing data and charts show a different story. Wilson’s passing average increased by nearly 50 yards per game over the season while Griffin’s dropped by almost 100 yards per game. Even if you don’t count the Cleveland game his average still drops by over 100 yards a game over the season.  Both Wilson and Griffin ended the season averaging nearly the same however, 195 and 200 yards per game respectively.  I do think the upward trend of Wilson though speaks more to his actual development while Griffin trended down most of the season and became prone to injury toward the end. I would prefer to have a steady-as-she-goes upward trending quarterback like Wilson than someone who is a spectacular player when they’re healthy, but is unable to play a complete season. (Paging Michael Vick! Who, ironically, also had the best selling jersey in the NFL, before he decided he’d rather kill dogs for sport.)

The final set of charts shows the quarterbacks’ QBRs in each game overlayed their QBR rank and their opponent’s defensive rank for each game. I highlighted in green the games in which the quarterback was ranked first in QBR for the week. The ranks are at the top of each column.

Russell Wilson had three weeks where he was the best performing quarterback in the NFL. Those games came against Miami, Buffalo, and San Francisco. Seattle also played an average ranked defense of 13th. Washington’s opponents averaged19th. That’s a substantial difference in quality of defensive opponent. Griffin finished the season with a 71.4 QBR while Wilson had a 69.6 QBR.

In the end, I would probably vote for Wilson because I’m a Seahawks fan. I don’t see enough discernible differences between the two players to make an overwhelming case one way or the other. A vote for either man is completely defensible. In the end, I’d put money on Griffin to win, largely because of media bias and ignorance that is generally displayed week to week by too many of the people that get to vote in this popularity contest. I doubt many of the voters have done even the level of analysis I’ve done here. I’d value the award if there was some sort of objectivity inserted into it. Right now it’s more subjective than Olympic figure skating and gymnastics.

There are a lot of other conclusions and analyses that can be drawn from these charts and the underlying data but I already feel like my head is so far up my own butt in doing this that I should probably stop. If you want the data to go down the rabbit hole with me, let me know. I was unable to find any sort of massive database available from the NFL or ESPN that could be downloaded so if you want the individually and painfully collected data to do something else with it, I’ve got it.

*I refuse to use the pretentious and obnoxious III moniker. As far as I know there isn’t a Robert Griffin I or II in the NFL. Same goes for all the idiots putting “JR” and “SR” on their jerseys for no reason. This is more a statement to the ridiculous trend of players to get creative on their jerseys than a stab at just one player. I’m getting off my soapbox now.

In the final week of play many teams stayed ranked in the spot or just moved one spot up or down. The biggest move was by the Titans who jumped five places to finish at 23rd. The Steelers moved up three spots to 15th, and the Cowboys and Browns both fell three places to finish 17th and 26th, respectively.

The top twelve rankings all belong to playoff teams however the seeding is quite different.

The table above shows the order of how NFC and AFC teams would be seeded according to the final rankings. Of course, seeding is determined over an entire season so it’s just a demonstration of the current strength or weakness of a team and where they are in the playoffs. The AFC is nearly identical to the order of AFC teams ranked by 12thManRising’s writers.

In the NFC you can see that the teams that finished strongest are more mismatched when compared to their playoff seed. Seattle is arguably the hottest NFC team right now and they are seeded fifth with a game this Sunday at Washington. The Falcons have been somewhat inconsistent in the end of the season but have the ability. Of course Matt Ryan still needs to win his first playoff game. San Francisco also gets a bye but is battling some injuries and the loss of Mario Manningham following the game in Seattle. Both those teams have home field but are very beatable after a bye week.  Seattle on the other hand will have win on the road in the playoffs which hasn’t been done since the ’90s. This is a big test for a very dynamic football team who will be playing a similarly hot Redskins team.

I’m going to breeze through some of the other highlights. The NFC West finished as the strongest division, followed by the NFC North, which makes sense since both divisions also sent two teams each to the postseason.

The weakest divisions were the AFC West and AFC East. Each of them had only one team above .500.  The NFC West had two teams well over .500 and a third team that was just half of a game below due to a tie.

Here are charts showing the AFC West and East (the divisions with the least parity) followed by the NFC East (the division with the most parity).

I think that’s enough charts for now. I hope this was useful or at least entertaining for the 2012 season. That’s all until next September.