The city of Seattle and our Seahawks were once again under the national microscope as they faced the Green Bay Packers in the NFL regular season opener. The pregame included performances from superstar Pharrell Williams and Seattle's own Soundgarden-- who was my favorite band among those that spawned from Seattle's grunge explosion in the 1990s.
Adding to the pre-kickoff frenzy was the ceremonial revealing of the World Champions banner and the raising of the 12th Man flag by the three of the greatest Seahawks of all time: Hall of Famers Walter Jones, Steve Largent and Cortez Kennedy. Before a single second of actual NFL football had transpired-- the city was on fire with enthusiasm.
Then, the game happened.
Now, I'd have to believe that every serious football fan and analyst was watching last night. After all, it was the first taste of 'real' football since the Super Bowl and there wasn't any other games on that night. That being said, hopefully all of this ignorance of Seattle Seahawks football will go away for a while.
Remember how the 'experts' were telling us that Russell Wilson still isn't an elite quarterback? Remember hearing how he was merely a product of a solid running game and an excellent defense?
How about these guys on the message boards shouting in all caps about how Marshawn Lynch is selfish and we'd be just fine without him? Remember them?
I'm curious as to what will be the first words from their mouths once they remove their foot from it.
Marshawn Lynch was spectacular. He finished with 124 all-purpose yards and a pair of hard earned touchdowns. Wilson was great as well going 19 for 28 for 191 yards and 2 touchdowns through the air,
adding 29 more yards on the ground. Despite the loss of BJ Raji, the Packers defense looked much improved. All said and told, Seattle amassed 207 yards rushing on the Packers.
We finally saw the intended use for Percy Harvin-- and it was spectacular! Harvin was electric whether he was returning kicks, catching passes or taking hand-offs in the backfield.
There was a lot of questions regarding the Seahawks decision to keep 8 receivers on the roster but after last night, we found out why. Wilson completed passes to 8 different receivers last night.
Mistakes were few and far between for the Seahawks. They played surprisingly clean by only having 4 penalties levied against them-- half as many as the Packers had. Earl Thomas's toughness cost the team a turnover when he refused to call for a fair catch and subsequently coughed up the ball after being bumped by an opposing player while fielding a punt. Wilson also underthrew a pass that would've surely been a huge touchdown in the first half.
With the exception of those minor issues, Seattle was flawless and looks primed for a repeat. If they're not #1 in the power rankings by Tuesday morning it will be a travesty. Byron Maxwell proved that, if your'e going to avoid throwing on Sherman, he's not going to make it any easier. Not a single pass was thrown Sherman's way but Maxwell managed an interception in his extra opportunities.
The competition won't decrease much next week. Seattle is headed to San Diego next week to face the Chargers who were a playoff team just last year. If Seattle plays like they did last night, there will be no stopping them.
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