12s, now is the time; this is when you step up for your Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks may be mired in their worst season in decades – okay, you can change “may be” to “are” – but that doesn’t mean these players don’t deserve your support. In fact, they need it now more than ever. 2021 is the year to truly be the 12th man.

Listen, 12s, I feel your pain. I’m just as tired of writing about how poorly the team is playing as you’re tired of reading about it. It’s so much easier to write about the heroes of a 24-point win than it is a seemingly endless string of losses.

Yes, I still managed to find an MVP in the first shutout the Hawks have suffered since Abe Lincoln was in Congress, but those articles just aren’t as fun. Just like watching your favorite team lose doesn’t give you quite the same experience as a win. Okay, it isn’t nearly that bad, but all of us here on 12th Man Rising are12s, too. We get it; this season absolutely sucks.

12s need to support Seattle Seahawks more than ever

I’d like to remind you of a few things, though. It isn’t as if we’re Lions fans. Imagine their misery, if you can. Detroit hasn’t won their division since 1993. No, that’s not one of my lame jokes, either. Bill Clinton was sworn in as the President that year. The Seattle Supersonics lost a tough seven-game conference final to the Suns that summer. Russell Wilson was in kindergarten. That’s a long time, 12s.

To make matters worse, the Lions got bounced in the first round of the playoffs that year. They’ve only made the playoffs seven times since then, and are still waiting for their first postseason win since their January 5th win over Jimmy Johnson’s Cowboys. How bout them Cowboys, Jimmy? Man, I hate those arrogant SOBs.

Anyway, we’ve had it so good, 12s. We’ve forgotten what it’s like to support a team that’s having trouble finding wins. Do you legitimately think that a single member of the Seahawks is dogging it, isn’t playing as well as he can? I don’t, not for a moment. Could they all be performing better? Oh, hell yeah. We know they could.

For the most part, this is the same group of guys that went 12-4 last year. Yes, we’re missing some key players. The Hawks never managed to replace K.J. Wright, and it took them half the season to figure out who should step in for Shaquill Griffin. Chris Carson’s injury has hampered the team badly, despite the more than solid play of Alex Collins. But basically, this is the same group of players.

I am somewhat less than enamored of our coaching staff, though. Clearly, I was mentally unstable when I wrote that Ken Norton Jr. might deserve some credit. I can only thank all the deities and cereal mascots that I included “maybe” in the title. Tyr, Cap’n, thanks for having my back.

It’s also clear that Shane Waldron was in no way ready for the position of offensive coordinator. There’s a reason many are speculating that if the Hawks go all in and replace Pete Carroll, they need a coach with an offense-first mindset.

That being said, I don’t think Ken Norton Jr. or Shane Waldron exactly want to be this ineffective. Of course, they don’t. In the first place, they love the game. Yes, if they could be successful at this job, then the next step up would be a head coach. More money and more prestige are pretty high on most people’s goals.

But really, these guys love the game. They love the competition. Of course they want to win. Believe it or not, I’m pretty sure they want to win more badly than you do, 12s. Well, more than you do, Bob. Yeah, I saw you walk out of the stadium when the Cards went up by 10 just before the two-minute warning.

Yes, you paid for your ticket and that’s your right to walk out whenever you like, or to not show up at all. It’s your right to be critical of a team that’s only 3-7. It’s your right to boo a bad team, and the Seahawks are a bad team. Or to be more accurate, they’re a team that’s playing badly.

But does Bobby Wagner deserve to hear that, after everything he’s done for this team and this community? Does Russell Wilson deserve to hear the boos? Does Pete Carroll, really? He brought this team to the playoffs nine times in eleven seasons. No, they won’t make it this year. That will still be nine trips in twelve. The Niners have made it four times in that time frame, the Rams three times, and the Cards twice. I’ll take our record.

Nope, I’m not happy about how the Seahawks season is going, not at all. Yes, I’ve been critical of a lot of decisions and philosophies of this coaching staff. At times, I may have even questioned the sanity of certain individuals associated with the team. It may not be easy to be a member of the 12s in 2021. But as they say, if it was easy, anybody could do it. This is the season to truly step up, and truly be a part of the team. 12th man, you’re up. It’s your turn to go Beastmode.