Usually, I try to be a person who does not have a great deal of grudges because I feel like life is easier that way versus being mad at certain people, certain things for stupid reasons. Yet I harbored a grudge towards Seattle because the Fail Mary loss will forever and always be the most heartbreaking regular season loss until Green Bay loses out of a playoff spot on a last second drive (Sorry Chicago). After nearly 17 months, I am finally over the game. All is forgiven and I will be cheering for Seattle in the upcoming Super Bowl. Honestly, I probably should be thanking San Francisco for beating Green Bay twice in the last two playoffs.
When Seattle-San Francisco met, it was obviously going to be a great game, but I usually like to pick a team 'I want to see win.' Only real case I could see where I would probably not do that is if two NFC North team played for the NFC title that were not Green Bay and if that happened, my life would probably be at sports rock bottom. San Francisco caused me more strife in the last couple years as a fan versus Seattle where one bad play went against Green Bay in the third game of the season in 2012. It is a long time to keep thinking about a loss, but really when you think about it, what's not to love about Seattle?
Let's start with the obvious answer of Richard Sherman, the man of the hour still 30 hours later. Hell I got fired up at the gym Monday watching the highlights of his final play and his comments afterwards. There is something great about a male or female athlete telling the world they are the best. He is an asshole on the field. But it seems like he is a nice guy off it and in my world, that's perfectly fine. If he was an all-around asshole, that's fine too. People are not perfect. Sooner we can let go of this bullshit notion that 'athletes need to be role models', the better our society will be as a whole. Sherman is a hell of a football player. People need to start acting like he is one of the best instead of just a guy that runs his mouth because he is much more than that.
The fact the entire Seattle Secondary are a group of six feet and over guys looking like MonSTARS on the football field is a revelation. People will try to create their own version of a Legion of Doom for years to come. Kam Chancellor is a complete force, and the fact he watches Sean Taylor highlights before each and every game makes me like him that much more. Additionally, we have discussed Sherman and Chancellor before mentioning Earl Thomas, a player definitely on the right route to be one of the best players in the National Football League.
Admitting now, Pete Carroll really pissed me off during the Fail Mary game. But I loved Carroll in college. Forever, he was my number one 'I want to have a beer with this guy.' I still do. My dad and I talk about how great it would be to sit down and drink beers with Carroll. He just seems like a fun guy taking life one step at a time. The Seattle coach pisses people off because he gets overly excited on the field plus Carroll running away from USC amid a scandal. Sometimes in life, people need to snake it until they make it which is exactly what Carroll did in his life. Carroll is not even a snake rather a man taking advantage of an opportunity to get out before shit hits the fan.
As I spend the whole year watching Eddie Lacy bully his way through defenders, it makes you respect and watch Marshawn Lynch in different light too. Lynch defines the "Beast Mode" nickname perfectly. Seattle deserves a ton of credit for rebuilding his career after a tumultuous end in Buffalo to make him a great player for Seattle and a top five to seven running back in this league. Lynch is a bruiser and nothing is more fun than watching him bulldoze a couple members of the secondary as he heads into the end zone where Skittles are raining from the sky.
There is the one elephant in the likability of Seattle for some people and it is their weird PED accusations with Sherman and others getting in trouble for substances that were all 'Adderall.' Many people do not believe that too be true. I personally do not either. I have the belief that many NFL players are doing PEDs of some form, and people are burying the head in the sand. This is the steroid era of baseball all over again. I do not care honestly, just wish people would figure it out sooner rather than later. Seattle can pump themselves with PED's because I feel every other team is doing it in some form. While I have no basis for this theory, it is pretty clear what's going on.
The funniest part of Seattle is with all of the unlikable characters, they might have the most likable quarterback in the NFL. There are not many people saying bad words about Wilson the person. I might criticize how he plays, but even I am in a minority there. I am actually surprised no one came down from a higher power to tell me I could not do it. With this team, it feels like they should have a Johnny Manziel at quarterback with his demeanor, but at least with Russ, people can say 'Man I hate all these Seahawks players but I LOVE RUSSELL WILSON.' That's a common thing, and maybe it is a good thing. Cannot have a team being 100 percent hateable.
There you have it. I am done trying to hate Seattle. This is a likable team in my eyes. Ryan Braun's ruling really changed my option on sports figures and teams. Embracing the so-called 'bad guys' is fun as hell. It is much funner than believing in a morality code and some faux thing called 'class in sports.' Go Hawks, sorry it took me a Sherman outburst and a game against San Francisco for me to see the light. Cannot wait for Green Bay to take down Seattle in Fall 2014, it will be great.
Charlie.
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