Well this time last year, the few of us that were around where well into our offseason. My how things have changed. We've seen the 'Hawks make it to the big show, and out play a Super Bowl champ. We've seen the loss of one of our defensive leaders, and we've seen the emergence of a new, unheralded rookie who will end up in the Ring of Honor if his first season was any indicator.We've seen an NFL MVP, and a rushing leader. We've seen an offseason where we lost several key cogs in our machine, and replaced them with what most "professionals" referred to as inferior talent, yet the team got better.
We saw an offense chew through the league despite losing its top two WRs for most of the season. We've seen Mike Holgrem re-gain the label "offensive genious." We've seen a young defense develop into a championship caliber squad, whose future is nothing but bright.
We've seen Tim Ruskell make more of an impact from the front office than any free agent signing. And speaking of FA signings, We saw the two biggest FA contributors end up in Seattle (JJ and Bryce Fisher).
We've gone from a few rambling idiots, to a bunch of rambling idiots (just kidding). We have developed a well rounded, highly insightful, and what I'd like t othink as highly respected forum for all things Seahawks. Here's to another year, and another and another.
I'd like this topic to be a wide open forum for comments on the last year, favorite memories, quotes, biggest impacts, it's a free for all. Myself? I'd like to tip my hat to the rest of you that comment, or just browse from the background cause you make our sharing of our knowledge and opinions worthwhile.
58,129 people can't be wrong, so we must be doing SOMETHING right!!!
ReplyDeleteI'd like to thank Vinny who recruited me to this blog from the ST forum. This place is SOOOO much more than just a chat board, and this season was made more enjoyable due to the friends I've met on the Street.
I just watched the ProBowl (I know, it's a sickness with me) and I already can't wait for the 2006 season to start.
I'm heading to Mecca (Seattle) on Wednesday and hope to take a tour of Qwest while I'm there.
"See" y'all when I get back.
Posted by alba
Wow, has it already been a year? Seems like it flew by. Also kinda seems like we have been doing this blogthing forever somedays.
ReplyDeleteI know this, it is FUN! I love having the ability to type a story about ANYTHING I want, to talk, or rant about.
I love having a place where I can go and talk Seahawks football without having to wade through endless amounts of STUPID posts, and trolls, just to get a decent discussion.
I love the tone that has been set here, of serious, yet slightly irreverant and sometimes silly, discussion.
I HATE the fact that it is the offseason and I have to wait so long till the Hawks start playing again. But I love the fact that we here, will break down every move and signing, every draft pick; and we will do it with style.
really? a year?...i was recruited by Blue, I believe...when I eyed the PI, and once in awhile posted (i hate forums, and message boards)...noone was responded, and I noticed a post well above saying there was a new site being started...I asked about it, and not too long later Blue (or 'BoomDiggy' at the time) welcomed me over...
ReplyDeletei have been addicted since...did I mention I hate internet chat? That shows how much I like this site...man im all the way in Maryland...I have absolutely NO fellow Seahawk or Sonics fans...and Mariner 'fans' jumped ship when they started losing...I never ever in my life had the experience of watching my teams play with someone to go to and talk about it with afterward, where they can relate...and man does it do wonders for my psyche...this site has calmed me down a ton...and made it much easier to watch games
i think I came here as the 5th, 6th, or 7th guy (been so long I cant even remember)...it seems like a decade ago when I despised alba when he came over here (sorry, its the truth!...i disliked you until I understood when you are serious, and when its humor...skimmers wont notice this anyways)...but alba as grown into one of my favs, and a pretty cool guy in general (and remember, im young...so thats a compliment!)...a lot can happen over a year
notice the rambling?...id rather be an idiot then a rambler...
that said, my favorite moment on this site was between then Super Bowl victory, and the LEGENDARY THREAD ...that thread made a lot of us bond on a gameless April night, as we killed time for the draft...i think that was the night where we truly became a team.
Posted by adp
For the record...the thread was called 'More Reasons To Go Blind'...also noticed the Rams links...maybe they knew we were heading to the Super Bowl after we pulled off that signing?
ReplyDeleteNow if only we can get an edit button for our comments...
WOW - I love the fact that I was hated!
ReplyDeleteLenny Bruce, Richard Pryor, Chris Rock...all the great ones were provacative enough to inspire hate, but we're also good enough to win over their critics!
Thanks ADP!
(p.s. no more free tapes for you!!!)
Posted by alba
lol you're an enigma...but hey, that was past...when you first came here i started thinkin 'who is this guy?!?!?'...'who does he think he is?!?!?'...just how it is...
ReplyDeletei pretty much like everyone here now...well, all the contributors, anyways...
Posted by adp
New kid on the block here. I'm glad that Bluefoot thought I had (oh-oh-ohohoh) the right stuff. 12SS is the perfect way for me to blog... no pressure to post all the time because someone always steps up, and plenty of mostly intelligent, sometimes zany discussion. It's gotten me through more than a couple days at work.
ReplyDeleteRE: The Pro Bowl. Listen, I like D-Jack and LOVE JJ and have nothing against Engram, but was anyone else dreaming big dreams when Hass had Steve Smith, Santana Moss, and Larry Fitzgerald to throw to? I might have cried a little bit thinking about it.
Posted by Ufff
Yea, Ufff, that was nice, but you can't have GREAT players at all positions. The trick in the NFL is to figure out where "good enough" can work, and for us, it seems to be the WR position.
ReplyDeleteThis is the basis too for the SA debate, which will once again rage white hot from today through mid March when he finally signs a deal.
Do we need a GREAT running back, or with our GREAT O-Line, can we get away with "good enough"?
And if we do wind up going the "good enough" route at RB, does that mean we need to compensate by upgrading to a GREAT WR?
Posted by alba
For the record, and intriguing guy at WR would be Derek Haggans...very productive guy, and reminds me of Bobby Engram...whom is getting older (then again...Draft Countdown compared him to Engram too...crazy!!!)
ReplyDeletePosted by adp
Yeah, I don't think a marquee receiver is a top priority for the 'Hawks (big money is better spent on our beautiful O-line), and Hass isn't great at throwing the deep ball... but like I said, it was just a nice dream to have. I think if Shaun signs with Arizona we should get Larry Fitzgerald. That's just how things work in my fantasy land. Also if that happens LenDale White is available with the 31st pick. And the Super Bowl XL referees all get severely injured in a car accident the week before the game.
ReplyDeleteI think that's about it for now.
Posted by Uff
And Jerome Bettis suffers a career-ending heart attack before the start of the 2005 season.
ReplyDeleteAnd somebody in Denver has decent aim, putting the bullet center mass in Joey Porter instead of in his butt.
ReplyDeleteYou guys do a really nice job. Congrats on one year.
ReplyDeleteDavid Locke
950, KJR
Posted by David Locke
...and Jerramy Stevens spills maple syrup on his hands right before kick-off, instead of helping to grease the transmission of the injury cart.
ReplyDelete...and Josh Brown figures out that it's more important to kick a 50 yard field goal straight, than it is to kick it 60 yards and wide.
...and Matt Hasselbeck realizes that it's more important to get at least 3-points out of a 97-yard drive, than it is to try to force a ball into coverage and throw a pick.
...and Matt remembers that when you have only 50-something seconds left in the half, it's best not to take 30-something seconds changing the play at the line twice.
Not piling on the guys here, just saying that it's time to stop blaming the refs and hating the Stealers, and concentrate on making this team just a little better next year to win it all.
Posted by alba
Regarding receivers, I think we HAVE a premeir receiver in Jackson. He had 20 cathes in the post-season; prior to this year, the record was 23. ANd of course, he should have had at least one more in the SB....not that I'm bringing up poor officiating again....
ReplyDeleteBefore he went out with injuries earlier in the year, he was #3 in the league, I think?
His skills have improved. All he needs is to stay healthy and he'll be among the top 5 receivers in the league next year.
Posted by highwater
The stats were because of your medulla oblongata? I thought it was because you had all them teeth and no toothbrush!
ReplyDeletePosted by Bluefoot
Nice work fellas.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on one far out year.
Hey that Blue dude has been rather busy it would appear. I too was recruited from the PI boards when this whole thing started up. Alas I was too busy at the time to do much more than drop in with a sharp barb or two.
Still I enjoy the site immensely. Rock on!
Posted by Rockyseahawk
It's great.
ReplyDeleteI never run blog one full year. I respect you guys.
Congrats on one year.Keek up good works.
Go hawks!
Asian Hawks
Posted by Asian Hawks
I first heard alba pimping this blog about a year ago on the ST site and decided to come look at it. I read for along while before i ever posted a comment. I think my first comment was during preseason. Anyways this site is amazing. This is the best place to talk Seahawks anywhere on the net.I wanted to thank everyone who made this site great.
ReplyDeleteI love the game day chat, it gives me a chance to talk to real seahawk fans and not the bunch of my friends who are bandwagoners. We should have a draft day chat.
Blue that was funny Waterboy is one of my favorite movies.
Posted by meezy
meezy, we had a draft day chat last year and I'm sure we will again this year. will again this year. Now if only everyone here can keep a certain monkey from freaking out when they select players like Spencer with their first pick.
ReplyDeleteI love when that Monkey guy goes off on rants...it makes it so much funnier when the player he rants about turns out to be great!!!
ReplyDeletePosted by alba
I was one of the first guys here too, although you couldn't tell by the lack of contributions lately. everyone here has set up a great site, and should be commended. And let me start the offseason this year the same way I started it last year.
ReplyDeleteSIGN HIM!!
Posted by PaulieP
Yeah, meezy, you should really go look into the archives for the last draft day expose'. I won't call it a chat, cause there was a ton of work that was put into that real time, and it was quite an acheivement, if I could be so bold.
ReplyDeleteAnyhow, nobody should hate the Steelers, just hate the refs, and take solace in the fact that our so called "soft" team is going to come out next year with a big f'ing chip on their shoulder. I'd like to think that they will try to blow out every opponent, leave no doubt as to who the real threat is, and then when everyone puts the target on us? BAM BAM BAM... we slaughter them all.
Posted by check
im mad at the Stealers because they're mad at us for being mad at the refs who are mad at the NFL for not covering up for the screwjob as well, in turn making fans in general mad, with Stealer fans mad at them for being mad at the NFL...
ReplyDelete...wow...
Posted by adp
Here's my story.
ReplyDeleteOut of sheer boredom (really) I started a Seahawks blog, called Eye on the Seahawks. I didn't think anyone ever read it, so I posted kind of randomly.
Then, one day, I ranted about how Randy Moss was a moron with mooning the crowd at Green Bay. I also went 2-2 in picking the divisional round games (a personal best, I think)
I get a comment from Bluefoot. Likes the site, likes my style, says come on over here to 12 Seahawks Street.
I did, but didn't say anything. I was a lurker for awhile. Then, before I even commented, I replied to Bluefoot and said I would be a contributor. Considering how on my original site I didn't post until the Seahawks released Robinson, and that I had never said anything on the street, I half expected a "Who are you again?" Didn't get one. He welcomed me aboard, and for awhile there I headed the list of contributors. (Thank you alphabetical order)
Still, I don't think I posted anything until just before the season started. This may sound stupid, but I was a little nervous. Would people read it? Would I get comments? (remember, I'm like alba. I'm a feedback whore)
People read it, I got comments, it was all good. This all somehow built up to me handing out bronze racecars to the Seahawks and breaking down our rivals every week.
I have no idea what I'm going to do for the offseason. We'll think of something.
Thanks for sending me in the invite Bluefoot, and thanks to everyone here for kicking ass.
Except Realist. He's a douche.
(Not bitter....not bitter...)
Go Hawks,
Alan
Posted by Alan
Alan - with that comment you provided a case in point as to why you didn't get a "who are you again" and why you're such a integral part of this overall blog!
ReplyDeleteAnd while I appreciate the company, you're not really a feedback whore, but rather a blogging diva.
A whore gives it away to anyone who will give them the time of day (me). A diva just provides consistent quality product (you), and the attention is a natural by-product!
Can't wait until you're handing out corney bronze race cars again.
Maybe we should create draft day awards:
The Booger Award: best pick in the first round
The Axe without a Handle Award: the prospect who falls furthest in the draft. (ala Aaron Rogers)
The Chinese Provider Award: the biggest "Supplies" (sorry Asian Hawk!)
Posted by alba
i like that idea, alba...very good diversion to have during the draft...
ReplyDeletei know its still far off, but are we gonna have another 'you're assigned to the 4th round pick' type of thing going on again?...
for the record...im calling the 2nd Round right now...EARLY...
Posted by adp
The Booger Award: best pick in the first round
ReplyDeleteThe Axe without a Handle Award: the prospect who falls furthest in the draft. (ala Aaron Rogers)
The Chinese Provider Award: the biggest "Supplies" (sorry Asian Hawk!)
Hysterical alba, as usual your overlarge brain has come up with an idea I LOVE! I say we roll with this as is, it's perfect! I'm totally down with this!
OK then, I guess we'll need guys to choose an award, like we did for the regular season. Obviously you can name them whatever you want and have them be fore whatever you want. Those were just lame suggestions to fuel a weak attempt at humor.
ReplyDeletePosted by alba
Those were just lame suggestions to fuel a weak attempt at humor.
ReplyDeleteI liked them...thought they were funny too. Guess that means I too, have a weak sense of humor.
ahhh, you fell into my trap...it was self depricating just to elicit further positive responses...my plan worked brilliantly!
ReplyDeletePosted by alba
alba is great...are you still mad at me for saying i disliked you when you first came here?
ReplyDeletePosted by adp
yeh those Ziggys have been getting more and more intelligent lately...
ReplyDeletePosted by adp
Blogging Diva? Someday, that will be included in my official job title.
ReplyDeletePosted by Alan
Nothing to say, but I just wanted to make sure that this thread got over 40 posts. Far and away my most successful thread. And that includes the pre-draft analysis thread that I spent 7 hours working on, and got like, 9 comments.
ReplyDeletePosted by check
...and I haven't even really chimed in yet!
ReplyDeleteI'm still in mourning. I'll be "back" soon. Last season, after the playoff loss to the lambs, it took me about two weeks before I could focus on the Seahawks again.
Thanks for starting this thread. And thanks to everyone that makes this blog what it is. It really is a sum of it's parts.
What makes it work? I suppose there are as many answers to that as there are contributors. From my personal perspective, it really has more to do with the the special collection of personalities than anything alse.
I remember when I first started checking out Seahawks sites in the '04 preseason, I stumbled across the PI blog. It was very much a no-frills, plain text blog. There wasn't even topics. Once and a while one of the PI writers would post some vanilla header to refresh the thread, but we would never follow the topic. It was a very cool stream-of-consciousness round table discussion. The conversation was just awesome. It had insight, humor, and for the most part it was devoid of idiots and trolls.
I really think is was a lucky shot that we happened to find each other there. If you look back at the site now, they get a comment or two every time they post a new topic. We used to get topics up to 400-500 comments!
In other words, it was the people that made it. I think it's the same thing here. We've added a bell here, a whistle there, but fundamentally, I keep coming back because I like the conversation. I'd tell you some analogy about a pickle jar, but that's been done...
THANK YOU EVERYONE... YOU MAKE ME A BETTER FAN.
Posted by Bluefoot
Well, not to me it wasn't. Probably because I remember those two you are talking about, but I had no idea what happened to them until just now.
ReplyDeleteThat is a NICE prank! I gotta applaud the enginuity.
Har! I don't beleive it! That's hilarious, Munch -err- C/K!!!
ReplyDeleteNot so much because of the act itself, but because I did the same damn thing to FireHolmgren and bwil10. Those guys were driving me up the wall, until I broke the 'rules' and had them drooling over players and coming on to each other.
(See 'Robinson sits vs. Falcons ' @ January 2, 2005 11:21 PM; January 4, 2005 01:37 AM; January 4, 2005 01:40 AM; January 4, 2005 01:41 AM)
Then I had the audacity to chastise them for it!
(See 'Alexander Apology' January 4, 2005 03:14 AM)
I've kept this in the closet for so long! The next day I regretted it, but now that I know I wasn't the only one ruining the blog, I think it's damn funny!
Ah, confession is good for the soul...
Posted by Bluefoot
I had no idea you two were so sneaky!
ReplyDeleteIt really was a lot of fun ragging on those clowns though! Bwil10 and FIREHOLMGREN were my two favorites to make look stupid, (though admittedly it didn't take much).
BWIL especially was just so...so...well...Bwil10. He defied description.
I call it funny!
ReplyDeleteMan that was FUN! I just reread those posts and I had forgotten how much fun we had there.
ReplyDeleteVinny, typing a mile a minute, Munch BLue and Check bringing seriously well thought out posts...those were seriously good times!
Not to be a whiner, cuz obviously I love this place, but sometimes, I kinda miss the stream-of-consciousness thing we had going on there.
If there was one thing I would try to tweak about this blogsite, it is adding something that could allow for that again.
Anyway, thanks for the memories Blue, that was a fun trip down memory lane!
You know, what's even better for me, all the guys, who I named who I felt were the cream of the crop posters...they're ALL HERE NOW! This blogsite really is made up of the best of the best.
ReplyDeleteI remember when you were putting this together Blue, and you asked some of us who we needed to bring on board here, I immediately said, we NEED Paulie, Munch, Check, Vinny, and I think I said maybe one or two that aren't here, but for the most part, we snagged em all, all the best posters there.
And THAT is what makes this place so darn good! The guys here who came over from that P-I site were really the best, and since then we have added guys like alba, (how would this place function without alba?) guys like ADP, etc...
We started with the best, and have added more of the best! THis place RULES!
You pretty much nailed it, monkey.
ReplyDeleteI just had another memory - remember the time vinny flamed out, because I said munch, check, and monkey posted touchdowns with their posts, but vinny always hit field goals?
I'll have to look for that one. It took a while to explain what I meant about his writing style...
Posted by Bluefoot
YES! LOL! How could I foget? I think you pacified him by telling him that he was like the field goal kicker, while the others were like the T/D scorers, and that the kicking game was very important.
ReplyDeleteLOL very funny