Well, it's finally here, and by "it" I mean America's favorite time of the year: football season. Training camp has officially begun, and before we know it, preseason games will begin. With all of this in mind, I have to confess my top seven reasons why I love the Seattle Seahawks:
1. Their Bravado
What's better than a team that is the best? When they tell you they are the best. Every day, every down, every press conference the Seattle Seahawks will tell you they are the best. We in the passive-aggressive Northwest don't see that kind of brash attitude often, but my god, is it appealing. I know everyone was jumping out of their seats after the 2013 NFC Championship game when Richard Sherman, after his game-winning deflection, famously said, "Well, I'm the best corner in the game. When you try me with a sorry receiver like Crabtree, that's the result you're going to get."
2. The Cast of Characters
Is there anyone else in the league like the Seattle Seahawks? The Seattle Seahawks are far and away the most unique group of guys in the NFL. You have Richard Sherman who won't ever let you forget how good he is; Russell Wilson, the boy scout whom every girl wants to take home to Mom and Dad; Doug Baldwin, who always seems angry but who can speak his mind in a very articulate way; and Earl Thomas, who is so passionate about the game of football that he once said, "I believe my spirit is infectious." Last—but certainly not least—we have the most random and unique guy in the NFL today: Marshawn Lynch. Is he not one of the funniest dudes on the planet? I'll answer that with one word: Yeah.
3. The Miracles
Do you ever watch a Seattle Seahawks game and say, "How in the world did that just happen?" Last year in the NFC Championship the Seattle Seahawks pulled a rabbit out of their hat when they came back from a 17 point deficit with seven minutes left in the fourth quarter. A recovering onside kick and a random heave to the end zone from Russell Wilson to Luke Willson were key moments in one of the best comebacks in NFL history.
4. They're Underdogs
Who doesn't love a feel-good story? The Seattle Seahawks were born underdogs. Earl Thomas and Russell Wilson were too small, Kam Chancellor was too big, Bobby Wagner came out of a small school, Richard Sherman was a fifth-round draft pick, and Doug Baldwin wasn't even drafted at all. None of these guys listened to conventional wisdom that people said about them. They believed in themselves. They all knew one way or another they were going to be right where they are at this point in their lives.
5. They Embrace Us
Despite claims that Seattle isn't really as loud as we think we are or foolish attempts to try to break our record of the loudest stadium (I'm talking to you, Kansas City), the Seattle Seahawks know the truth and they roll with it. They want us to be loud; they try to pump the crowd up at all times, and they're even out there dancing on the field with us, getting hyped. The second half of them embracing us is that they stay here. Seattle is passionate about its football, and former players know this. Sydney Rice opened up a restaurant in Seattle and does work for the community, even though he only played about a third of his career in Seattle.
6. They're physical
Nobody else in the league can light people up like the Seattle Seahawks. If you're a receiver and you're running through the middle of the field, you better watch out for the Legion of Boom. Bam Bam Kam is coming to knock you right out of your cleats. As he once said, "When you're running at me like that, and I'm running at you like that, it's going to be a nasty scene." It's not just Kam and the rest of the LOB either that will hit hard—even players on the offense will get a hit or two in there. Does anyone remember Golden Tate putting Sean Lee on his back to help Russell Wilson get a first down in 2012?
7. They're unconventional
In the age of Fantasy Football and teams throwing it 40 times, a game the Seattle Seahawks win is of a different fashion. The Seattle Seahawks only pass about 25 times a game. They use read-option plays and let a little 5'10 quarterback run all around the field until he finds somebody open or decides to run it himself. They don't try to change the players into something they're not; they'll utilize their strengths instead. They'll grab big physical corners and put them on the outside, they'll let Russell Wilson run around and use his gifted legs as a weapon, and they'll take two safeties that are complete opposites and put them right where they're supposed to be on the field. They do it the Seattle Seahawks way.
As you can probably tell I'm more than excited for football season and hoping that the Seattle Seahawks get back to the Super Bowl for the third time in a row. The Seattle Seahawks are loud, in your face, and proud of it, but they also taught me a lot about believing in yourself and never giving up no matter how much the odds are stacked against you. I hope that you all are just as pumped about this season as I am.
Go, Hawks!
