Yeah. I EXPECT the Seahawks to make the playoffs. So what?

Fans of 4-12 teams are supposed to show humility. We're supposed to sheepishly agree when people tell us our team sucks, and refrain from complaining about how unfair our schedule is, or how we don't have any primetime games this fall.

Not this team. Not this year. I don't HOPE the Seahawks make the playoffs. I'm not CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC that Seattle can reclaim the NFC West. I EXPECT it. An 8-8 year would be a healthy 4-game improvement over 2008... Would I be happy with that? Hell. No.

Now some of you out there may be having one of the following reactions to these statements:

1. You're a negative, dark-hearted, joyless prick, so you just expect the worst. You won't believe in this team until they clinch the West, and even then, you'll probably expect Seattle to fail in the playoffs. You derive more joy from being correct with your pessimistic predictions than from your team winning. If this describes you, I'd love to banish you from Qwest Field for life. However, until I own the team, bitching at you via my blog will have to do.

2. You somehow think that a Seattle fan showing some boastful confidence will anger the football gods, and that I should keep my optimism to myself to keep the Seahawks from being struck down with great vengeance and furious anger.

I'd be the first to agree that the coaches, players, and members of the organization should keep it zipped and not talk publicly about how much ass they expect to kick this fall. But a fan? Dude. If you really think that bad mojo is somehow created when the 12th Man expects success, you probably also believe in tripe like the Madden Curse. Who knows? You're probably also one of those Moon Landing deniers. Ick. In a perfect world, I'd go Buzz Aldrin on y'all:



So who's with me on this? I'm behind the wheel of this neon green bandwagon, and I'm driving it all the way back to the top of the NFC West. Climb aboard, Seahawks Nation... There's plenty of room for true believers here.

Off Topic: Star Trek = Awesome.

Just got back from a sold-out showing of the new Star Trek flick. Solid "A" flick, y'all. It pleased me as a geek, but it was also funny, action-packed and even a little moving. Of course, it didn't please everyone:


Trekkies Bash New Star Trek Film As 'Fun, Watchable'

We'll get a shot at ruining ANOTHER Favre comeback

Let me set a scene for y'all...

Week 11 of the 2009 season... NBC flexes out a game between the Eagles and underachieving Bears in favor of a dust-up between two teams with a developing rivalry: Seahawks @ Vikings. It doesn't hurt that this is NBC's first opportunity to showcase Brett Favre in Minnesota Purple.

Both teams find themselves atop their respective divisions with 6-3 records, but the Vikings seem to be doing it in spite of their 40-year old QB, who is struggling with 14 interceptions against only 11 TD passes. Minnesota's brilliant defense and MVP-caliber RB Adrian Peterson keep the Vikings in the game, but Ken Lucas's late interception of an ill-advised deep ball to Percy Harvin seals a 20-16 win for the Seahawks. After an atrocious 3-int night, Favre is benched in favor of Sage Rosenfels, leading to a split in the Minnesota locker room and a 9-7 record.

The Vikings still edge Chicago and Green Bay for the NFC North, but once again lose at home in the Wild Card round, leading to the firing of Brad Childress.

The fact that the above scenario seems so plausible is just one reason Vikings fans are reacting to this clearly inevitable move like this... A key passage:

And now, as a final, personal FUCK YOU to every Viking fan like me who ever wished him dead, that fuckface is now going to make it so I have to root for him. I actually have to cheer when he goes and does something good. And that makes me hate his fucking guts all the more. Because now I’m supposed to buy into all his bullshit.

That fucking fuck.

Well, fine. If that’s the way it has to be, then so be it. I’ll root for you in a Vikings uniform, Favre. But just know that I will hate every goddamn minute of it. Just know that I will fucking hunt you down with a goddamn bow when you end up fucking us in the end. And you will fuck us.

Oh, I’ll cheer you on, you fucking Hollywood redneck cockpuller. I’ll pull for you every step of the way, you miserable shit volcano. I’ll cherish your token three good games during the season that make Collinsworth flood his pants, you blood-soaked pantyliner.

I’ll do all that that.

But I’ll never stop hating you.

Fuck you. Die.

I do have some sympathy for Vikings fans... Imagine if we had to deal with Elway coming to Seattle at the tail end of his career... Or with Roethlisberger replacing Hass? Or with Tom Flores becoming our head coach (oh wait.. that actually happened. Fuck you, Behring).

I'm sooo sick of Favre, but I hope this actually happens. It's nothing but good, hateful drama for the NFL... And we'll get another shot at not only fucking up Mr. Wrangler Jeans, but we'll do it at the expense of our most-hated non-divisional rival outside of Pittsburgh.

Stay tuned, y'all.

Stay Classy, Steelers Fans!

Hat tip to Deadspin...

Ranking the Squads #2: 1984

As usual, you can find the previous installments of the Ranking the Squads project here...

2. 1984
Record: 12-4
Postseason: AFC Wild Card, Lost in Divisional Round
Offensive Rank: 5th out of 28 teams
Defensive Rank: 5th out of 28
Turnover Ratio Rank: 1st out of 28
Team Co-MVPs: Dave Krieg and Kenny Easley
High Point: Seahawks 13, Raiders 7
Low Point: Broncos 31, Seahawks 14

The '84s are rightly remembered fondly by Seahawks fans. They overcame Curt Warner's season-ending knee explosion in the opener to win 12 games and finish off the defending World Champion Raiders in the AFC Wild Card Game. That sweet revenge for the 1983 AFC Championship boomeranged on us a week later, as Miami got payback for the previous year's gargantuan divisional playoff upset.

Even though I was only 9 years old at the time, the "what-ifs" have always bugged me about the '84s. They were 12-2, and riding an 8-game winning streak, going into the final two games against KC and Denver. Two more wins would have given Seattle home field advantage through the AFC playoffs. ONE more win would have secured the AFC West crown and a first-round bye.

The Hawks already had a playoff spot and a home game sewn up going into Arrowhead. Maybe they were complacent, or maybe they were just running out of gas, but they took a 34-7 beating. Needing a win at home to clinch the Western division and a bye, they meekly fell to Denver the next week 31-14.

Yes, the Hawks gutted out a brutal 13-7 victory over the hated Raiders in the Dome to open the playoffs (rightly regarded as one of the best moments in franchise history), but they bowed out a week later in Miami, losing 31-10. Over the last four games, including the post-season, Seattle was outscored 103-54.

Despite the fade in December, this team was a joy to watch. Dave Krieg had the standout season of his career, throwing 32 TDs, making the Pro Bowl, and carrying the offense in Warner's absence. Kenny Easley won Defensive Player of the Year honors, and led the greatest defense in franchise history.

How good was the defense? In one four-game stretch Seattle's defense OUTSCORED the opposition 30-20! This included the amazing 45-0 win over the Chiefs that featured FOUR interception returns for touchdowns by the Hawks, and a safety scored in a win against Cincy. In four weeks, the defense allowed only two touchdowns and pitched two shutouts. It shouldn't be any surprise this was the best D in team history, given that it starred three eventual Ring of Honor inductees (Easley, Jacob Green and Dave Brown), and other notables like Jeff Bryant, Joe Nash and John Harris.

The '84s were a great team... If not for that December Fade, they may have been Seattle's first Super Bowl team.