Cam is not Superman

No hate for Carolina limping into the playoffs with a losing record. That was us a few years back. If you win your division, you qualify for the tournament, and you get to host a playoff game. Win that one, and you earn a modicum of respect, plus a road trip to the 12th Man's House of Pain.

I try hard to like Cam Newton, but his lack of humility makes it hard. I felt bad for him when his car got T-boned and he got hurt. While rooting for him to recover, I was hoping he'd grow from the experience, but he's back to the old Superman routine.



Dude, you're not Superman.

Why? Because you already look like a superhero. You are an impressive physical specimen at 6'5" with 245 pounds of pure muscle.

You can only be Superman if you can disappear into a Clark Kent persona.



Cam: No 3-piece suit could conceal the fact that you are a freak of nature. In fact, you're already wearing a superhero costume. That helmet, that armor, that uniform already make you look like a badass.

You pulling open your jersey to reveal the imaginary "S" would be like Bruce Wayne tearing off his Batman shirt to reveal a Spider-Man costume underneath. It's stupid.

You know who could pass as Superman? Marc Bulger. That dude looks like an accountant. If you saw him on the street, you'd never believe that he was an elite starting NFL quarterback. Slap some eyeshoes on his face, put him in a monkey suit, and you've got Clark Kent.



But Bulger's been out of the league for years.

Do you know who the NFL's real Superman is? This guy:



Put a suit on him and he looks like an average guy with average height and an average build. Put some glasses on him and he's an ethnic version of Clark Kent.

Turn him loose on a football field and you've got Superman.

Faster than a speeding linebacker! With a stiffarm more powerful than a locomotive! Able to juke tall defensive linemen with a single head fake.

Look, down on the field! It's Russell! It's Wilson! It's DangeRuss!

Yes, it's DangeRuss, strange visitor from another planet, who came to Seattle with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men, who can decipher defenses with his X-Ray vision, elude the fiercest pass rush, shred defenders with his ability to throw on the run, and who, disguised as Russell Wilson, mild-mannered quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks, fights a never-ending battle for truth, justice and the American way to rip the faces off the Carolina Panthers.

This is our chance to strike fear into the hearts of whoever survives tomorrow's Ice Bowl redux. If the Legion of Boom puts in a merely average effort, that should be sufficient to suffocate the offense of Mike Shula and Cam Newton. The real test is for the offense. With the return of Max Unger, we need to establish the run against a tough Carolina defense and shred them with some explosive plays on the ground and through the air. The Diehard demands a fortyburger. I want T-Jack and Christine Michael mopping up in the fourth quarter. Make it happen.

Go, Hawks!

Getting to and beyond .500

Seattle's all time regular season record stands now at 305-307.

Seattle dug a deep hole for itself with 2-12 and 5-9 in 1976 and 1977. They began digging out with 9-7 records in 1978 and 1979, only to slip back by posting 4-12 and 6-10 records in 1980 and 1981, and starting 0-2 in 1982. Jack Patera finished 35-59 (.372) as head coach. His interim replacement John McCormack eked out a 4-3 record during the balance of that strike-shortened season, leaving Seattle at 39-62 after 7 years, a .386 record with no playoff appearances.

Matters improved considerably under Chuck Knox. During his nine-year tenure (1983-91), Seattle posted six winning records, one .500 campaign, and two (barely) losing seasons (9-7, 12-4, 8-8, 10-6, 9-6, 9-7, 7-9, 9-7 and 7-9). Knox went 80-63 (.559), almost bringing Seattle up to .500 all time (119-125 = .488). 

Seattle also won the AFC West once (1988), made the playoffs four times ('83, '84, '87, '88) and went 3-4 (.428) in the postseason with Knox.

Then Ken Behring ran the team into the ground. Tom Flores went 2-14 in 1992 and then 6-10 in 1993 and 1994 for an overall record of 14-34 (.291), making him the least successful coach in franchise history, and depressing Seattle's all-time winning percentage from .488 to .455 (133-159).

Dennis Erickson managed mediocrity, which felt remarkably good after Flores' failure. From 1995-1998, Erickson went 8-8, 7-9, 8-8 and 8-8 for a total record of 31-33 (.484), barely budging Seattle's all-time winning percentage from .455 to .460 (164-192).

Paul Allen demanded better, so he hired Mike Holmgren. The Big Show's nine-year tenure matched Knox's, but he fared slightly worse than his predecessor in the regular season (86-78=.524 vs. .559 for Knox). This welcome return to winning improved Seattle's all-time record to 250-270 and brought up our win percentage to .481, almost entirely reversing the damage that Flores had inflicted upon the team, but still short of the all-time highs reached under Knox.

However, Holmgren superseded his predecessor when it came to the playoffs, partly because Knox competed in a tough AFC West in the '80s while Holmgren dominated a weak NFC West in the Aughts. Thus, the Big Show made six playoff appearances to just four for Knox. Ground Chuck won just one division title, while Holmgren hoisted five such banners (AFC West in 1999, NFC West in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007).

While Holmgren's overall record in the playoffs (4-6, .400) fell short of Knox's (3-4, .428), Holmgren did win a conference championship and appear in a Super Bowl. This brought Seattle's all-time playoff performance to 7-10 (.418, or better than Circle K).

In his only year as head coach, Jim Mora the Younger went just 5-11 (.313), which was unfortunate, but better than Tom Flores.

In just five years as head coach, Pete Carroll has made a case to be considered the greatest coach in Seattle history. The Seahawks have gone 60-30 (.667) in the regular season with Carroll (7-9, 7-9, 11-5, 13-3, and 12-4), significantly better than both Knox and Holmgren. This consistent winning has improved the franchise's all-time to 305-307 (.498). If Seattle remains strong, sometime next fall we should inch above .500 all-time.

Carroll has also outperformed Knox and Holmgren in the playoffs, making three playoff appearances in just five years, all by winning division titles (2010, 2013, 2014), and going 5-2 in the postseason (.714--even better than his regular season record) , including last year's Super Bowl title.

That brought Seattle's all-time postseason record up to 12-12. A win today would put us over .500 all-time in the playoffs.

Go, Hawks!

Thoughts on the Wild Card round

I was sort of pulling for Detroit to beat Dallas last week, for lots of reasons.

First, on principle, I want the Cowboys to lose every week until everyone starts calling them the franchise formerly known as America's Team.

Second, Jerry Jones is evil and I love to see him fail.

Third, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is a traitor to his people. The Jets and the Giants play in his state, but he's watching the game as the personal guest and hug-buddy of the Dallas owner? Real New Jerseyans either root for the New York teams, or they're Philadelphia fans. If folks who live in the Garden State are going to support any team other than the Eagles, Jets and Giants, then the only moral choice is to be a Seahawks fan.

And guess what, Chris? Texas still won't vote for you in the primary.

No, I like Detroit because its an underdog team representing an underdog town, and because they recruit former Seahawks so consistently that I have dubbed them the Sea Lions.

Currently, there are four former Seahawks with Detroit: Defensive end Darryl Tapp, tight end Kellen Davis, and two starters: left guard Rob Sims and wideout Golden Tate.

I was right to rue the departure of Rob Sims back in 2010. Seattle has struggled to find a good left guard since Steve Hutchinson left in 2006. Big Rob is no Hutch, but he has been a steady starter for five solid years in Detroit while Seattle has experimented with a rotating cast of underperforming and oft-injured offensive linemen, especially at the left guard position.

I was wrong, however, to shrug at Golden Tate's departure. If I had known that friction between Percy Harvin and Tate had contributed to Seattle's decision to jettison the latter, I still would have supported the decision, because I was so excited about Harvin's potential contributions to the offense. I failed to foresee that Harvin would be a locker room cancer who clashed with multiple teammates, including Russell Wilson and Doug Baldwin, and that the Seahawks would struggle to integrate Harvin's talents into our offensive scheme. (Given Darrell Bevell's failure to manage Percy Harvin, or to consistently put points on the board, why is he on anyone's radar as a head coach at this point?)

More than anything else, I failed to understand that Tate had big-time potential as a starting NFL wide receiver. I thought he could replace Nate Burleson as a credible complement to Calvin Johnson, but who would have guessed that the Top Pot Bandit would outperform Megatron in 2014, recording more catches (99 to 71) for more yards (1,331 to 1.077) than one of the league's most dominant wideouts? (Yes, injuries sidelined Johnson for three games, and limited his production in others, but still...!)

And Little Man Tate can still throw a pretty brutal block.

So, I'm sorry Golden Tate III. I was wrong. I wish we had kept you.

Only two things dampened my enthusiasm for the Lions last week.

First, Ndamukong Suh is dirty. The NFL should have upheld his suspension for stomping on Aaron Rodgers. In fact, they should have extended the suspension because it injured Rodgers. Some complain that Suh got singled out because he hurt a marquee quarterback; linemen get stomped on all the time, without repercussions. The answer to this is not to let people stomp on quarterbacks; it's to start disciplining any player who stomps on any other player or otherwise commits acts of gratuitous violence outside of the rules or after the whistle.

Second, Detroit needs to stop crying about that pass interference non-call. Seahawks fans know better than anyone else how it feels to have referees rob you in a game, but last week's Detroit-Dallas game was not like Super Bowl XL.

The officials were right to pick up that flag for pass interference. There was some contact between Cowboys linebacker Anthony Hitchens and Lions tight end Brandon Pettigrew, and the referees conceded that Hitchens faceguarded Pettigrew, but that's not a penalty in the NFL. Moreover, the contact included the receiver briefly grabbing the defender's facemask, which made it more difficult for Hitchens to get his head around, and increased the probability of continued incidental contact between the two players.

I was also kind of looking forward to seeing Detroit come to Seattle, because it would have been our only chance to play the Lions this year, and that would have been a good game--Megatron vs. Optimus Prime, DangeRuss and Beast Mode vs. Ndamukong Suh, Byron Maxwell vs. Golden Tate, Kam Chancellor vs. Reggie Bush, etc.

Of course, that would have given Green Bay an easier game this week, and that's no good. Strategically, it is much better for Seattle to host Carolina while the undefeated road warriors of Dallas venture into the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field to face the Packers, undefeated at home. If Seattle wins tonight, I'll be rooting for the Cowboys tomorrow because I want the Seahawks to avenge our disgraceful loss to Dallas earlier this season. Besides, we already dominated Green Bay in the season opener.

Speaking of love for former Seahawks, I'm really happy for Justin Forsett. Diehards remember Forsett as Seattle's most effective running back in the lean years between Shaun Alexander and Marshawn Lynch. Although small and not particularly fast, Forsett has good vision and grasped the zone blocking scheme that chumps like Julius Jones never seemed to fathom. Unfortunately, the hopelessness of our O-line forced Seattle to load up on big backs who can bull their own holes through the lines. Enter Beast Mode, Turbo and Christine Michael, exeunt Forsett.

After a year in Houston and an injury-marred half-season in Jacksonville, Forsett caught on with Baltimore as a third-string running back. The suspension of Ray Rice and injuries to his backup thrust Forsett into the starting role, where he has excelled. When Rice's original backup Bernard Pierce recovered from his injury, he fell in line behind Forsett on the depth chart. Forsett finished as the league's fifth leading rusher, just behind Marshawn Lynch, whom he backed up both in Seattle and in college at UC-Berkeley.

So, I'm pulling for Justin Forsett and the Baltimore Ravens this afternoon. And rooting against Tom Brady and the Patriots, even though they're probably the best team in the conference and the AFC's best chance for winning the Super Bowl this year.

Seahawks All-Time All-Awards Team

In choosing a 40th Anniversary Seahawks squad, it is wise to consider what Seattle players earned All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors, and which ones entered the hallowed spaces of the Ring of Honor and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Of course, these considerations need to be confined to honors earned as a Seahawk, or else we will find our all-star roster populated with Hall of Famers like Carl Eller, Franco Harris and Jerry Rice, who achieved greatness elsewhere before making brief and undistinguished drive-bys in Seattle en route to retirement. Or with athletes like Kevin Mawae or Michael Bates, who began their careers here, but became great after leaving.

Let us begin with the embarrassment of riches in the Seattle backfield.

QB: 

Dave Krieg (3x Pro Bowl 1984, 1988-89, Ring of Honor) 

Matt Hasselbeck (3x Pro Bowl 2003, 2005, 2007)

Russell Wilson (2x Pro Bowl 2012-13)

Warren Moon (Pro Bowl 1997, Hall of Fame)

Jim Zorn (Ring of Honor)

Like cream, Krieg, Hasselbeck and Wilson float to the top here. I'm paranoid, so I like to keep three quarterbacks on the active roster, but ranking this great trio on a depth chart would pose a real dilemma. Moon's tenure in Seattle was too brief to warrant consideration, and Zorn, while a sentimental favorite, makes the cut not as a player, but as perhaps the most distinguished quarterback coach in Seahawks history (2001-07).

RB: 

Marshawn Lynch (2x All-Pro 2012, 2014; 4x Pro Bowl 2011-14), 

Shaun Alexander (All-Pro 2005, 3x Pro Bowl 2003-05; ‘00s All-Decade), 

Curt Warner (3x Pro Bowl 1983, 1986-87; Ring of Honor), 

Chris Warren (3x Pro Bowl 1993-95)

Again, the top three candidates are so strong that one is forced to cut someone great... Chris Warren, in this case. The depth chart is easier this time: Lynch's ability to thrive without good blocking vaults him to the top. When your stable of running backs is so good that Ricky Watters hardly merits a mention, your team is in pretty good shape. Original Seahawk Sherman Smith makes the cut as a running back coach.

FB: 

Mack Strong (All-Pro 2005, Pro Bowl 2005-06), 

John L. Williams (2x Pro Bowl 1990-91), 

Michael Robinson (Pro Bowl 2011)

You can't really justify keeping more than two fullbacks on your roster, so the Real Rob gets cut. I give the starting role to John L. Williams, because he was a real rushing and receiving threat in addition to being a devastating blocker.

WR: 

Steve Largent (All-Pro 1985; 7x Pro Bowl 1978-9, 1981, 1984-7; ‘80s All-Decade; Ring of Honor; Hall of Fame)

Brian Blades (Pro Bowl 1989)

And now we come down to earth. The Seahawks all-stars are thin at wideout, with no backups behind Largent and Blades.

Other considerations: Sam McCullum, Joey Galloway, Darrell Jackson, Koren Robinson, Bobby Engram, Doug Baldwin

TE:

That's right. No Seattle tight end has ever earned any award of any kind.

Considerations: Mike Tice, Christian Fauria, Itula Mili, Jerramy Stevens, John Carlson, Zach Miller

LT: Walter Jones (4x All-Pro 2001, 2004-5, 2007; 9x Pro Bowl 1999, 2001-8; ‘00s All-Decade; Ring of Honor; Hall of Fame)

LG: Steve Hutchinson (2x All-Pro 2003, 2005; 3x Pro Bowl 2003-5; ‘00s All-Decade)

C: Max Unger (All-Pro 2012; 2x Pro Bowl 2012-3), Robbie Tobeck (Pro Bowl 2005)

RG: Bryan Millard (1988 UPI 2^nd team All-Conference guard)

RT: Russell Okung (Pro Bowl 2012)

We're pretty thin on the O-Line, too. Note how I had to dig deep to find an award for Bryan Millard. (I did that digging a few years back when I wrote the Wikipedia article on Millard.)

I also had to flip Okung over to right tackle. Tobeck can back up at center or guard, but we need more depth than that.

Other considerations:

Tackle: Steve August, Ron Essink, Howard Ballard, Sean Locklear

Guard: Tom Lynch, Edwin Bailey, Bob Cryder, Pete Kendall, Chris Gray

Center: John Yarno, Blair Bush, Kevin Mawae

DE:

Jacob Green (2x Pro Bowl 1986-87; Ring of Honor)

Michael Sinclair (3x Pro Bowl 1996-8)

Patrick Kerney (All-Pro & Pro Bowl 2007)

DT:

Cortez Kennedy (3x All-Pro 1992-4; 8x Pro Bowl 1991-9; ‘90s All-Decade; Ring of Honor; Hall of Fame)

Joe Nash (All-Pro & Pro Bowl 1984)

John Randle (Pro Bowl 2001; Hall of Fame)

Seattle is in much better shape on the D-Line, needing just a little more depth.

Other considerations:

Ends: Jeff Bryant, Grant Wistrom

Tackles: Red Bryant, Brandon Mebane, Michael Bennett

OLB: 

Julian Peterson (3x Pro Bowl 2006-8)

Chad Brown (All-Pro 1998; 2x Pro Bowl 1998-9)

Rufus Porter (2x Pro Bowl 1988-9)

MLB: 

Fredd Young (All-Pro 1987; 4x Pro Bowl 1984-7)

Lofa Tatupu (All-Pro 2005; 3x Pro Bowl 2003-5)

Bobby Wagner (All-Pro & Pro Bowl 2014)

Seattle is similarly stacked at linebacker.

Other considerations:

Outside linebackers: Keith Butler, Michael Jackson, K. J. Wright, Bruce Irvin

Inside/middle linebackers: Terry Beeson, Dave Wyman, David "Heater" Hawthorne

CB:

Richard Sherman (3x All-Pro 2012-14; 2x Pro Bowl 2013-14)

Dave Brown (Pro Bowl 1984; Ring of Honor)

Brandon Browner (Pro Bowl 2011)

Marcus Trufant (Pro Bowl 2007)

Shawn Springs (Pro Bowl 1998)

SS:

Kenny Easley (3x All-Pro 1983-5; 5x Pro Bowl 1982-85, 1987; ‘80s All-Decade; Ring of Honor)
Kam Chancellor (All-Pro 2014; 3x Pro Bowl 2011, 2013-14)

FS: 

Earl Thomas (4x All-Pro & Pro Bowl 2011-14)

Eugene Robinson (2x Pro Bowl 1992-93)

Darryl Williams (Pro Bowl 1997)

Um... this secondary doesn't need much help.

Honorable mentions: John Harris, Jordan "Big Play Babs" Babineaux

K: Norm Johnson (All-Pro & Pro Bowl 1984)

P: Rick Tuten (Pro Bowl 1994)

KR: Leon Washington (Pro Bowl 2012)

PR: Bobby Joe Edmonds (All-Pro & Pro Bowl 1986)

ST: Alex Bannister (Pro Bowl 2003)

Given his long tenure, Norm seems a shoe-in (!), but Todd Peterson, Josh Brown, Olindo Mare and Steven Hauschka also deserve mention.

Jon Ryan is on course to overtake Tuten as the best punter in team history.

Other notable punt returners include Leon Washington, Nate Burleson, Charlie Rogers and Joey Galloway, who owns the Seahawk record with four punt return TDs.

The only competition for Leon Washington at kick returner is Josh Wilson, but Washington's team record four touchdowns (Wilson had one) settles it in his favor.

Head Coach: 

Chuck Knox (NFL Coach of the Year 1984; 2x UPI AFC Coach of the Year 1983-4; Ring of Honor)

Jack Patera (NFL Coach of the Year 1978)

Few remember that Patera won this honor for leading Seattle to a 9-7 record in the franchise's third year. (He repeated the feat in 1979 before tanking to 4-12 in 1980, 6-10 in 1981, and 0-2 before getting fired in 1982.) 

Mike Holmgren and Pete Carroll need to be in the conversation.

Comments and suggestions welcome on any of the foregoing.

Dissecting the 35th Anniversary Seahawks Team

2015 will mark the 40th season for the Seattle Seahawks.

The occasion offers an opportunity to improve upon past efforts to compile a roster of the all-time greatest Seahawks.

Consider, for example, the 35th Anniversary team, reflecting fan voting on the franchise's official website (following each athlete's name is his tenure in Seattle):

Offense
WR Steve Largent (1976-89)
LT Walter Jones (1997-2008)
LG Steve Hutchinson (2001--05)
C Robbie Tobeck (2000-2006)
RG Bryan Millard (1984-1991)
RT Howard Ballard (1994-98)
TE John Carlson (2008-2011)
WR Bobby Engram (2001-08)
WR Brian Blades (1988-1998)
QB Matt Hasselbeck (2001-10)
RB Shaun Alexander (2000-07)
FB Mack Strong (1993-2007)

Defense
DE Jacob Green (1980-92)
DT Joe Nash (1982-96)
DT Cortez Kennedy (1990-2000)
DE Michael Sinclair (1991-2001)
OLB Chad Brown (1997-2004)
MLB Lofa Tatupu (2005-10)
ILB Fredd Young (1984-87)
OLB Rufus Porter (1988-94)
CB Marcus Trufant (2003-12)
CB Dave Brown (1976-86)
NB Shawn Springs (1997-2003)
SS Kenny Easley (1981-87)
FS Eugene Robinson (1985-95)

Special Teams
K Norm Johnsonv (1982-90)
P Rick Tuten (1991-97)
KOR Steve Broussard (1995-98)
PR Nate Burleson (2006-09)

The online poll evinced two deep flaws:

1. A predictable presentist bias; and
2. An alarming lack of depth.

Presentist Bias

To see how badly the presentist perspective of voters skewed the results, let's start by splitting up team history into four major coaching eras:

I. The Patera Era (1976-82; includes an '82 season under McCormick); 20%
II. The Age of Knox (1983-91)
II. The Flores & Erickson Errors (1992-1997)
IV. The Holmgren Era (1999-2008)

Now, consider the percentages of offensive, defensive and special teams players drawn from each era:

I. Patera  = 1/12 offensive players (8%), 1/13 defenders (8%), 0/4 special teamers (0%)
II. Knox = 1/12 offensive players (8%),  6/13 defenders (46%), 1/4 special teamers (25%)
III. Errors = 2/12 offensive players (17%), 2/13 defenders (15%), 2/4 special teamers (50%)
IV. Holmgren  = 8/12 offensive players (67%), 4/13 defenders (31%), 1/4 special teamers (25%)

It is hard to argue with the under-representation of Patera Era Seahawks. Although those years comprised 20% of the first 35 years of team history, Seattle was a pretty dreadful football team in those years, with a real dearth of talent.

While the '80s defense received due respect, voters seemed to have forgotten about the dynamic offensive production of Ground Chuck and Air Knox that contributed to the team's successes in its halcyon Silver Age. No love for Curt Warner? John L. Williams? Dave Krieg?

Voters got the Flores and Erickson Errors about right, except with regard to Steve Broussard. Bruiser was a good player, but his selection as the best kick returner in Seahawk history is explicable only as blatant homerism from Wazzu voters. (I didn't realize there were that many Husky grads with the time, patience and big hearts to help WSU alumni operate a PC, read and vote online.)

Obviously, the real problem is the gross over-representation of Seahawks from the Holmgren Era. Of course, Holmgren's decadelong tenure as Seattle's coach consumed 40% of the team's first 35 years. Moreover, those years included most of the best seasons in the team's history through 2010, and featured the most explosive offensive in team history.

So, some over-representation is understandable, especially on offense. But John Carlson as the best tight end in team history? Was that supposed to be some kind of joke? The kid could catch passes (and still can), but I've coached flag football 5th graders who block better than he did (and does).

Lack of Depth

I like depth on real teams and on all-star teams. Don't just name starters. Seattle has had enough great players to fill out an entire roster, including backups.

We can do better for the 40th Anniversary squad.

By the skin of our beak

That was a huge victory, especially for the defense, which once again rode to the rescue of our sputtering offense by producing a preposterous series of game-saving plays.

Improbable interception by a prone defensive tackle? Check. (Nice grab, Jordan Hill.)

Big pick six? Check. (Bobby Wagner knocked the ball from the hands of Lance Kendricks before he could complete the catch or take possession, so when Bruce Irvin grabbed the ball and took it to the house, the statisticians coded it as an interception instead of a fumble recovery.)

Earl Thomas forcing a fumble at the goal line to snatch a turnover via touchback from the jaws of a near-touchdown? Check.

Some other good things happened.

Steven Hauschka recovered from his failures in Arizona and returned to his customary clutchness,

Paul Richardson had a breakout game as a receiver.

Seattle successfully established the run against a tough St. Louis defensive front. Marshawn Lynch and Robert Turbin combined for more than 100 yards.

The Seahawk offense mounted one impressive touchdown drive.

But the pass blocking was horrible again, and Russell Wilson's decisionmaking was poorer than usual. On the interception, for example, he should have pulled down the ball and run--he only had one defender to beat for a first down--rather than force the ball into coverage.

Earning a bye and home field advantage is huge, but it was disappointing that the offense took a step backwards.

Go, Hawks!

Finish strong

Old Diehards remember the futility of the Patera Era (1976-82), the Behring Error (1989-1996) and the brief but painful Holmgren Fade (2008-9).

Thus, we appreciate how great it is that the Seahawks are playing a meaningful game in the regular season.

It doesn't get much more meaningful than a chance to win a first-round bye and home field advantage throughout the playoffs for the second consecutive year.

Beating St. Louis today would almost certainly win pole position for Seattle. The nightmare scenario is relatively unlikely: a Dallas victory (plausible) plus a Detroit-Green Bay tie (extremely improbable).

Of course, beating the Rams ceased to be easy once Jeff Fisher took over. The man is an evil genius with a knack for winning divisional matchups. We played them tough in St. Louis only to lose thanks to special teams trickeration.

The Rams defense has grown tougher in recent weeks.

Russell Wilson will face pressure from an intimidating pass rush. Our O-line, coming off its best performance of the year, must establish the run.

The St. Louis offense doesn't scare anyone.

But last week Seattle scared the world with both our offense and defense. Today's contest is a chance to build on that offensive explosion and strike terror into the hearts of teams that may need to visit Seahawks Stadium in the playoffs.

Given that one of our likely playoff opponents is Dallas, which already beat us at home, the need to revive that sense of doom is critical.

Go, Hawks!