If it's Fall, it must be football

It is hard to reason with the American football season.  This is my annual football post.  A few years ago I thought about going to a Seahawks game in London but couldn't afford it so let it pass.  This year Russ Wilson was back in London but in a Broncos uniform.  Same story.  However, it was funny to read that he was running sprints down the aisle of the plane during the eight-hour flight.  He was trying to work out a sore hamstring.  Seemed to help as he led Denver to a win over the hapless Jaguars, so his team mates probably forgave him for keeping them up on the long flight.

I would have never thought the Seahawks would give up on Russ, but it seems to have worked out well for them.  They got a slough of draft picks in the trade and Geno Smith is greatly exceeding expectations at quarterback.  Seattle actually leads its division eight games into the season, which only the most ardent fan could have imagined.  I'm not one of them.  I lost faith in my hometown team after the trade but have to admit it was a good call by the front office.  I'm half tempted to go see Seattle play Tampa Bay in Munich on November 13.  

One of the problems with following any professional sports team today is that your favorite players tend to move around the league.  Do you stick with your hometown team or your favorite player?  I tend to go with the latter, which is why I'm hoping that Russ pulls the Broncos together in the second half of the season after a rough start.

I don't know why I like Russ so much?  I suppose it is his attitude.  He proves that a 1.8 m quarterback can still make it in this league.  Most teams prefer tall quarterbacks as offensive and defensive linemen have grown to staggering proportions.  A quarterback basically has to throw over a wall, but Russ does so by scrambling out of the pocket, giving him a greater field of vision and more lanes to operate in.  Mostly, I like quarterbacks that exceed expectations.  By that token I should also like Geno Smith but I don't.  

There is no one left on the Seahawks whom I identify with.  I don't know what to do with all my Seahawks paraphernalia?  I have two jerseys, two baseball caps, a knit cap and a hoodie.  The only item that gives me any grief is the Wilson jersey from the Super Bowl XLIX game.  I guess a lot of commemorative jerseys were leftover after that game.

I had pasted together paper cubee dolls of all the key players and stayed up to the early morning hours to watch that game on nfl.com.  I was so excited when Jermaine Kearse made that incredible catch deep in Patriots territory I could barely stifle my roar.  Daina and the kids were asleep.  Two plays later the Seahawks were on the one yard line with only 30 seconds left in the game.  All Russ had to do was hand the ball to Marshawn, who had been unstoppable, but for some kooky reason Pete called a pass play.  It was so badly telegraphed that I hoped it was going to be a fake and that Russ would run it in himself but he threw it and Malcom Butler picked it off, sealing the win for the Patriots. 

The game reversed the trajectories of both teams.  Seattle seemed poised to build their own dynasty but instead Tom Brady went onto win two more Super Bowls for the Patriots and one for the Bucs to become the greatest quarterback of all time.  Although he now finds himself at a crossroads.  Refusing to retire gracefully, he has watched both his team and his marriage disintegrate this year.

Seattle slipped the following years, never able to regain Super Bowl form.  One by one the players were let go until only Russ and Bobby Wagner were left from that Super Bowl team.  Russ had been wanting out for the last two years, upset he couldn't run the type of offense he wanted.  Pete is maddeningly old school.  Bobby was slowing down and so the front office decided it was better to let him go.  John and Pete didn't know quite what to do with Russ but then Denver offered them a deal they couldn't refuse.  

I was surprised by all the bad blood Russ engendered in Seattle.  You would think from all the negative reactions that he was the one who led this team to ruin but it had been a multitude of factors that finally brought the greatest era in Seattle football to a close last year. Tis a shame, as the Seahawks had shown so much promise but didn't achieve the lofty expectations set when they clobbered Denver in Super Bowl XLVIII.  Seems most fans stick with their hometown team over the players. 

Pete Carroll is determined to rebuild a Super Bowl team but at 71 you have to wonder if he has much left in the tank.  Forever optimistic, he seems to have something going this year.  Bruce Ariens did it at Tampa Bay at 68 so who knows?

Russ is still young so he has more opportunities.  He has said he plans on playing as long as Tom Brady, which would give him at least 12 more years.  Denver seems convinced he will deliver on expectations, having awarded him an eye-popping $245 million contract over five years.  He's had to battle injuries this year as well as fit himself into a new team.  If Sunday was any sign, it looks like things are improving.  He overcame an ugly start to post solid numbers and a much needed win.  Although I haven't quite brought myself to buy a Broncos cap or new Wilson jersey.

We'll see what the second half of the season brings.  Maybe I will opt for another team altogether like Buffalo or Philadelphia.  I like their style of football even if I have no affiliation with the cities.  I used to like Buffalo as a kid as they had a quarterback with the same last name as mine, but they never went anywhere and so I gave up on them.  Oh yea, they had the Juice, the first running back to break 2000 yards and still the only one to do so in 14 games.  

Anyway, I had to get my football post in.