Mark Tye Turner - Seattle Seahawks Super Season: Notes from a 12 on the Best Season in Seahawks History

Copyright 2014 by Mark Tye Turner

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form, or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, without the prior
written permission of the publisher.

Published by Sasquatch Books

Editor: Gary Luke
Project editor: Em Gale
Design: Anna Goldstein
Front cover and interior photographs: Seattle Seahawks
Interior illustration: Seattle Skyline JPL Designs /Shutterstock.com
Copy editor: Elizabeth Johnson

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.
ISBN: 978-1-57061-976-2
eBook ISBN: 978-1-57061-977-9
Sasquatch Books
1904 Third Avenue, Suite 710
Seattle, WA 98101
(206) 467-4300
www.sasquatchbooks.com

v3.1

This book is dedicated to every 12th Man on Planet Earth and beyond! (Cue the eerie sci-fi music.)

At Carolina Vs. San Francisco

Vs. Jacksonville At Houston

At Indianapolis Vs. Tennessee

At Arizona At St. Louis

Mama Blue

Vs. Tampa Bay At Atlanta

Vs. Minnesota Vs. New Orleans

At San Francisco At New York

Vs. Arizona Vs. St. Louis

Vs. New Orleans, NFC Divisional Round Playoff

Vs. San Francisco, NFC Championship

Vs. Denver, Super Bowl XLVIII

It took 38 seasons, but finally the Hawks were able to hoist the Lombardi Trophy this past February as the world-champion Seattle Seahawks. Like every other 12th Man, I will never tire of saying or writing those four words. In fact, I will write them again: world-champion Seattle Seahawks.

This book is all about our Super Season. From a humid afternoon in Charlotte to the not-as-cold-as-expected Big Apple, it was a season where the Hawks met expectation and exceeded it. Id had a feeling this was going to be a special season, so I kept a journal throughout the year, chronicling the amazing journey to MetLife Stadium. While I did edit and expand on the descriptions of the games since I originally wrote the journal, my feelings are genuine to the time I first expressed them. You will see me go through my 12th Man highs and lows. Mostly highs, since this season had the fewest lows and anxiety-laden moments in team history. But football being football, theres always plenty of drama to keep you in suspense.

The book features pregame Notes, which are my thoughts in the days or hours prior to a game. There are also sections called After Further Review, which are observations made right after the game or a few days later, often putting things in historical perspective. Boy, that sounds dry. Youre probably putting the book back on the shelf right now or clicking away from the look inside on Amazon. Well, keep this book in your shopping cart because youre in for a fun ride.

Looking back at my notes, I am amazed at how prescient they are at times. Still, its always hard to predict (and often I dont try) whats going to happen to the Seahawks. Sometimes I was pleasantly surprised when the Hawks exceeded my expectations. For example, I believed the Hawks would win the Super Bowl, but not in my wildest blue-and-green dreams did I think we would blow out the Broncos. Hold onI wasnt just pleasantly surprised. It was more jacked-up double-live gonzo surprised.

If you read my first book, Notes from a 12 Man: A Truly Biased History of the Seattle Seahawks, then youre familiar with my 12th Man passion for the team and its history. If not, I will let you know I have been a twelve since the Seahawks took their first snap inside the Kingdome in 1976. Ive witnessed the entire history of the Hawks, sometimes up close but often from afar, because Ive lived in Los Angeles the last quarter century working as a writer and a producer for the idiot box (a term of endearment for television).

I am definitely a superstitious 12th Man. Be it where I sit, what I wear, or how often I vow my faith in the Hawks. I definitely have my quirks. I almost always watch games with my Seahawk ball. Its one of those soft footballs with the old Seahawk logo on it. Im under the delusion it has some sort of magical power, but the ball actually has another function. It works as a stress reducer when I grab it tight. So Im superstitious and practical.

The story of the 2013 Seattle Seahawks will live forever throughout the Pacific Northwest, because the Hawks really belong to the whole region. Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Alaska, British Columbia, Montanathis is all 12th Man country. However, the 12th Man flag flies around the world. Any place where the names of Largent, Zorn, Easley, Tez, Big Walt, Mudbone, DangeRuss, and others have special meaning.

With a world championship accomplished, the 12th Man should expect to see many new members. And thats a not a bad thing. As long as these newbies can learn the difference between Shaun Alexander and Beast Mode, that Ken Behring nearly stole the team from Seattle, and that Bill the Beerman Scott is a legend, they are welcome.

As with my first book, I occasionally refer to the Seahawks as we and our. Some people get mad, saying thats wrong, because I dont actually play, coach, or even work for the team. But thats not really true. I am part of the team. Im a 12th Man.

We are fast approaching the 2013 season. Its time to check in with a 12th Man who is getting ready for the new year.

GREAT EXPECTATIONS FOR THE 12th MAN

September 5, 2013

Can you feel it, 12th Man? Its the sensation of expectation. And its real. Every year, we have high hopes for the Hawks. Sometimes, like this season, we even feel we can win the Super Bowl. The only difference is that this year, many national media members are predicting a Seahawk Super Bowl too.

How do I feel about such predictions? Its a mixed blessing. On one hand, it means the Hawks on paper are an excellent team. On the other hand, the weight of such forecasts has crushed many favorites over the years.

Its not often the Hawks have faced such great expectations on a national scale. This year reminds me of a season 28 years ago.

Take a look at the 1985 NFL preseason magazines and pundit blogs (hold on, the latter didnt exist, but you know what I mean). The Seahawks were picked by many to win not only the AFC but to beat the Bears in Super Bowl XX. The Hawks had gone 124 in 1984 without star running back Curt Warner, who was injured in the first game of the season. However, Warner was back for 1985. Add in a prolific passing game via Krieg to Largent Airlines, and one of the NFLs best defenses led by the NFL Defensive Player of the Year Kenny Easley, and Seattle was in perfect position to claim the Lombardi.

The pundits had it half-right. Da Bears not only made it to the Super Bowl but also won it. Meanwhile, the Hawks, despite staying relatively healthy all year, started on a win-two, lose-two pattern that remained to the endan end that didnt include a playoff berth. So if I seem a bit cautious, thats why.

Still, this season we return with Russell Wilson. DangeRuss was mentioned more often in the offseason than any Seahawk in team history with the possible exception of Richard Sherman. The All-Pro cornerback became a