The Seattle Seahawks have produced a lot of happy moments for 12s since Pete Carroll became the coach in 2010. Here are the five happiest.
Let me start by leaving out perhaps the most memorable play in the Pete Carroll-era: the dreaded interception in Super Bowl XLIX against the New England Patriots. This is an article about happiness between Seahawks and 12s.
Of course, I am really just a professional fan. Each person will have their own special memories for various reasons and emotional ties. For instance, someone who loves misery might actually have that Super Bowl interception be number one on their list. But for the rest of us who like to be in the company of other 12s with big smiles on their faces, this list is for you.
The great aspect with this list is that Seattle has been so successful over the last seven years, there are a bunch of moments to chose from. Here are the five I chose, plus a few others.
Honorable Mentions
Russell Wilson is Russell Wilson versus the Minnesota Vikings
What other quarterback would not only have the awareness to realize he had the time to go get a ball snapped 300 feet over his head, pick it up and then have the athleticism to run away from pressure while looking downfield for an open receiver and then completing the pass? Whew. Maybe the only answer is Wilson. Either way, this game was cold and ugly and Seattle needed a play like this to energize the team. The Seahawks won the game 10-9.
Percy Harvin runs the 2nd half kick back in the Super Bowl
The game was really over before this kickoff return. The Seahawks defense had so dominated the Denver Broncos there was no doubt who was going to win. Still, erasing any doubt immediately after halftime was special. I was not at the game. But I remember the moment before the kick. My father-in-law was tired and said, “If the Seahawks score again I am going home.” One minute later he was gone.
Marshawn Lynch and the 2-point conversion in the 2014 NFC Championship Game
Ok. I am a sucker for fan footage. The networks that cover the NFL do a great job, but there is something extra nice about a fan who does not quite know what they are doing when shooting footage and capturing a great moment. Or two. This film shows the Seahawks highlights in the final minutes of the amazing comeback in the 2014 NFC Championship game. Almost makes you feel as if you were there.
5. Golden Tate’s Fail Mary
I really dislike the nickname given this play: “Fail Mary.” The Seahawks did not rig the game. The officials may or may not have made a bad call. Replacement officials were used in this game as there was a contract dispute between the NFL and the tenured officials. Either way, Green Bay did not play the ball well enough. In fact, they allowed the Seahawks to be in a position to throw the pass in the first case.
The play occurred in 2012, one year before Seattle reached total greatness. This game helped them gain confidence as a team. Moreover, Russell Wilson showed the magic that would nearly become his norm.
Plus, it is always nice to get the better of a rival. One way or another…
4. Malcolm Smith returns a pick for a touchdown in Super Bowl XLVIII
The reason this play does not rank higher is because Smith’s pick is really just a captured moment of a great team. He picks the ball because defensive end Cliff Avril hit Peyton Manning’s arm. This play was another example of how much better the Seahawks were than the Broncos. The team was better athletically and better prepared defensively.
Smith was named Super Bowl MVP in a game where the entire defense should have won the award. There were a lot of great moments in the Super Bowl. The 2013 Seahawks were a special team and possibly the best defense of all time.
3. Jermaine Kearse makes the game winning catch in the NFC Championship game
For most of the game, Kearse was terrible. Of Wilson’s four interceptions, two of them literally bounced off of Kearse’s hands. That Wilson still had enough faith to throw deep to Kearse for the game-winning touchdown says a lot about why Kearse is still playing with the Seahawks. And why he is getting so many targets.
Kearse, however, ran a great post route and used his body to shield the defender. Wilson threw the pass exactly where it needed to be thrown for Kearse. The catch capped a surprising and unforgettable comeback to get Seattle to the Super Bowl. Had the Seahawks scored late in that game, Kearse’s catch to set up Lynch may have been on this list. Sadly, it is not.
This one is, though. And like I said, I love fan footage.
2. Richard Sherman bats the ball away from a “sorry” receiver
In 2013, the two best teams were clearly from the NFC West. Whichever team won the NFC Championship game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Seahawks was going to win the Super Bowl. And as it turned out, the Super Bowl was not going to be close.
This game marked the beginning of several years of Seattle being a championship-contender, but also began the 49ers rapid descent. The 49ers have lost much of their core from 2013, but the Seahawks have retained most of theirs.
Besides the play itself – Sherman covering Michael Crabtree perfectly and extending his arm to knock the pass away – what happened afterwards is nearly as memorable.
Still, Sherman not only deflected a pass that day, he destroyed the 49ers mentality and led to the Seahawks domination of the Broncos in the Super Bowl.
1. Marshawn Lynch goes Beast Mode causing a Beast Quake
Who cares that in Pete Carroll’s first year as head coach in Seattle the team went 7-9? Seattle made the playoffs. The Seahawks were not going to be serious contenders for another few years, though. Changes still needed to be made throughout the team, from the quarterback to the defense. One player who would remain a constant, though, was Marshawn Lynch.
Lynch set the tone for physicality in many games. He was productive until his last full year in Seattle. Lynch may now be playing for the Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders, but 12s will always have a fondness for Lynch.
Related Story: What might the Seahawks look like in five years?
When Lynch unleashed his Beast Quake run against the New Orleans Saints in the Wild Card game in 2010, the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network registered a small tremor. The fan reaction to Lynch’s run literally made the ground move.
The Seahawks won the game, of course, and the Saints would never be the same.