It’s been a while since I arrived this early for a Seahawks game. You could feel the buzz all the week and it’s continuing to build. I opted for a quick nap on the car deck, but you could hear the fans on the 9:45 a.m. ferry. The 12th Man’s gonna be primed, that’s for sure.
What a difference. I remember coming to the Nov. 14 game against the Giants. I caught the Bainbridge ferry that day and they kept announcing that they had Seahawks tickets available at the Second Mate’s Office. They couldn’t give ’em away.
That’s not the case today. We’re still about an hour away from kickoff. The press box is packed and face-painted fans are trickling into the stadium. Pete Carroll’s been out on the field, pumping fans and slapping backs of his players as they go through their pre-game routines.
EWU TALK OF THE BOX: There was a lot of chatter in the press box was about Eastern Washington’s victory over Delaware in the FSC championship game Friday night in Frisco, Texas. Renard Williams’ play didn’t go unnoticed. The junior defensive lineman from South Kitsap made a big impact on the game in the second half. Some wondered if EWU running back Taiwan Jones would declare himself eligible for the draft. The junior All-Americarushed for 1,742 yards and 17 TDs before being sideline with a foot injury. Jones didn’t play in the semifinals or finals for the Eagles.
THE WILLIAMS DEBATE: There was also a spirited discussion at one table about whether Seattle wide receiver Mike Williams was worth the three-year, extension with a reported value of $11.74 million. Most felt it was a good deal for Seattle, but Williams isn’t a No. 1 receiver. If Seattle can augment him with a legit No. 1 guy, Seattle will be set at that postition. One scribe insisted that Williams wasn’t all that, citing that he only had four good games and only scored two TDs during the regular season. Me? I like the move. Williams, 27, had 65 catches for 751 yards and I can see him being a Terrel Owens 90-catch kind of guy if he stays healthy.
THE WEATHER: It was a chilly walk to the stadium, but there’s no rain and only a slight wind (8 mph from the SSE according to guy who types up the inactive list). It’ll be about 40 degrees at kickoff. Drew Brees was wearing shorts when he first came out on the field.
THE PICK: In a column earlier in the week, I said the Saints would win 34-13. I still think the Saints will prevail, but my gut now tells me it’ll be closer. The Saints are pretty beat up, but there’s a reason why the oddsmakers have installed the defending champs as 10-point (it was 10.5 earlier in the week) favorites.
Here are my other picks for this weekend’s games:
Today
AFC: Colts 26, Jets 24
Sunday
NFC: Packers 31, Eagles 28
AFC: Ravens 23, Chiefs 12
