Diehard Comes Alive

The Prodigal Blogger returneth.

A cavalcade of professional and personal crises have limited my posts to the Diehard in recent months. How bad was it? Usually, I manage to see every preseason game. this year, I didn't get a chance to see any of Seattle's preseason games. That's bad.

I have, however, kept up with the team by reading online press coverage. (Check out the links to the right, including real time feeds from all of the major Seahawks blogs. Now, this website is a one-stop portal to Seattle-related NFL news, so it has utility for my reader(s?) even when I don't find time to post.)

The aforementioned crises haven't passed, but I have to blog today because the regular season is upon us, and because...

I AM GOING TO THE GAME TODAY!!!

The last time I posted, I questioned the quirky first and second round draft selections of Pete Carroll and John Schneider.

I had planned to follow up with praise for their flair for finding talent in the middle and late rounds of the draft. I never found time to do that, but this offseason confirmed that trend in spades:

Russell Wilson, a third-round pick, won the quarterback competition, besting Matt Flynn, the offseason's most coveted free agent quarterback in free agency.

In the seventh round, Seattle let Tom Cable gamble with one of our picks, selecting defensive tackle J.R. Sweezy not to play his college position, but to convert him into an offensive guard. In mere months, Cable coached Sweezy through the transition so effectively that the rookie secured a starting role for himself, at the expense of credible veterans like Deuce Lutui.

Other things I loved about the offseason:

1. Having a true competition for the role of starting quarterback

2..Letting the best man win that competition, based on performance in practice and in exhibition games. (Were Flynn's regular season appearances weighed appropriately?)

3. Having Matt Flynn as a backup, because his history in Green Bay shows that he comes off the bench hot. (Will Carroll insert him promptly if Wilson falters?)

4. Getting something for T-Jack instead of simply cutting him. (Good luck in Buffalo!)

5. Letting veterans like Alex Barron, Braylon Edwards and Terrell Owens compete for roster spots, and keeping only the ones who earned their places.

6. Throwing the ball to Zach Miller in the preseason, rather than relegating the Pro Bowl receiving tight end to blocking.

7. Cutting Kellen Winslow when he wouldn't take a pay cut to square his salary with his value, thus conserving a draft pick we would have owed Tampa had we kept him.

8. Dealing Barrett Ruud to New Orleans when it became clear that Bobby Wagner was exceeding expectations.

9. Finding Robert Turbin, a power back to spell Marshawn Lynch.

10. The continued strength of the O-Line and the defense in the exhibition games.

Of course, preseason success doesn't always carry over into the regular season.

Seattle slumped into the offseason last year by losing here in overtime and accepting a second consecutive 7-9 season. Today, we need a win to exorcise those demons and get off on the right foot for the season and in the division.

The last time I saw a Seahawks game in Arizona, Seattle blew them out. Shaun Alexander recovered from halftime diarrhea to bust an 80-yard touchdown run.

I'm hoping for a repeat today, without the intestinal distress.

I want to see Leon Washington return a kick for a touchdown.

I want to see a healthy Marshawn Lynch unleashed in Beast Mode.

I want to see Russell Wilson running free like a point guard, dishing the ball to his receivers.

I want to see Bruce Irvin's speed victimize Arizona's inexperienced tandem of offensive tackles.

I want to see Red Bryant toss aside O-Linemen like rag dolls and pulverize pigskin-packing Cardinals.

I want to see our Pro Bowl corners erase Larry Fitzgerald from the stat sheet.

Go, Seahawks!