right now. I don't think it's a number that they would think
very fondly of, at least among the fan base, because Russell
Wilson is gone, but he's coming back right out of the gates
week. One, Russell, and Company return to Seattle, to take on
a Seahawks team. That
isn't quite as good. Let's just say, as some of the team's
Wilson was on. Here's Pete, Carroll talking about
the prospect of facing the guy who played quarterback for the team
for 10 years
in week one. The 2022 season.
Well, I had different reactions, you know. I the two
different reactions to when I realized you know that this was
the opener in time I thought it was awesome. You know? That it
was it was seeing how it does exactly what I'm saying. This
is a great challenge for us to stay
focused and Beyond just for all of the Natural Things. Playing
on Monday night is huge, you know? And for guys,
particularly young guys they've been watching Monday Night
Football for the whole of their whole young life and now they
got to go ahead and perform under
the circumstances. So it's a, we're very fortunate to be
You know, to be played in this setting
and hopefully it will learn the lessons will be there
for us to take with us the rest of the season.
I do have as much information as you could have. You know,
I've never probably known a player any
closer than the known rustling, his quarterback in his play and
mentality and all that.
So
you know he knows he knows me to, you know, he knows us. So
we'll see what happens
early this weekend. It's a fancy. The
coach of the Browns said it's over.
Rated to have that knowledge. Who benefits
the Seahawks know Russ, Russ knows the Seahawks.
I think, all that matters is right now. The Seahawks are
very good and the Broncos while not on the upper echelon that
some of their fans
with zealously argue, they should be regarded as being,
they're still better than the Seahawks right now and I think
that's all that really matters.
And that's why they put this game week, one, Mike. I mean
the league knows, right? If you wait even week to in
the Seahawks get blown out and Week 1 and the Broncos lose all of
a sudden, you've got more of a dud and week 2 and certainly if
you wait
till week 15, it's really could be a bad game. So
this was a perfect opportunity for this game to be played. And
I read this in Bob Kahn DOTA of the Seattle Times yesterday and
I hadn't really thought about it but Completely accurate.
This could be the first, and the last time that Russell
Wilson, ever returns to Seattle, assuming that he stays
in Denver, depending on how that rotation works out,
depending on if they go to 18 games, Mike, but
you think about that? This could be the last time he plays
as an opponent in Seattle, it is possible that happens.
Stunning to me, it's once every eight years thought about it.
Yeah,
it's once every eight years that you go as part of
the rotation for the
teams in the divisions in the other conference and they set
that up 20 years ago, to make sure that if you're a season
ticket holder over the course of eight years, you're going to
see every team in the NFL because it used to not be that
way. And there were some teams that just never made it to
a given State him, so then there's also a possibility to
be the 17th game. There's a possibility. If there is
an 18th game but yeah, he may never be back there again.
Eight years, a
lot happens. He'll be early 40s by then 41 going on 42. And
we'll
He said he wants to play until he's 45. It's easy to say when
you're 33 will see how I feels when he's 38 39 and 40. But
this will be his first even if it's last. It would definitely
be his first time back here is new
offensive Captain. They have one offensive Captain. It had
been Russell Wilson. It's now receiver. Tyler Lockett. Here's
locket from yesterday on the reception that he hopes Russell
Wilson receives.
At the end of the day, I get it as football is competitive. You
never want to see people leave. But you got to understand it.
Everybody has to do what's best for them. And that's what you
have to be able to learn about this life. Is you got to cheer
people on,
you know what I mean, you can't get mad that people go to
another team, and this, this, and this, and I mean, we're
fans, right? So we learn it the hard way. I'm a fan when it
comes to MBA, I get mad when people leave because I want
them to stay on the same team,
right? But at the end of the day,
you got to be able to separate
the man from the player
and you got to understand that everybody's trying to do.
What's best for them
and all you can do is hope that they win and cheer for them to
win and so I mean that's really how I feel about it. I think
that Seattle should cheer them on you know for everything that
he's done brought us help. Bring a Super Bowl
to this community all that different type of stuff. Like
he's an amazing guy.
Yeah, that's not how it works though. That's not how it
works. By the way, by the way, I do have bad news for anybody.
Who's looking forward to watching that game
on Monday night and not having their retinas burned out of
their eye sockets because
the highlighter green that, that's what the Seahawks are
wearing. Get ready for the highlighter green on Monday
night? If you're not out of your already prepared,
maybe go find a no black and white set somewhere in
the Attic. Maybe over at Grandma's house, watching, in black and
white. Because anything that's left of your Rods and cones
will be gone after three more hours of those God awful.
Hideous
pathetic. How does anyone like how does anyone look at that
and say, man, that looks great. How can you look at that? Do we
have the still frame of that
horrendous pathetic awful? Like, what is the worst Keller
we can make our Jersey? How about this? That's the winner
that's the absolute worst color. We can make it. Let's make it
that color and we'll see it on
on Monday night. When Russell Wilson comes back to town and
I'll probably feel Feel better about being gone. When he sees
it Shireen their will, here's the problem,
booze
carry
booze, find their way through. Even if it's only five percent
of the crowd, you're going to hear the Boos. There will be
people under the cover of the anonymity of being in that
crowd who will boo.
We know it. We are going to hear Boos. The question is,
will it just be the smattering
or will it? It won't be the unrelenting every time he was
on the field Brett Favre. Getting booed at Lambeau Field.
Not going to happen because Russell Wilson, didn't force
his way to an NFC West team,
but I still think he will hear some booze.
He's gonna hear some and I know the Seattle Storm had a thing
where he's in a video to say goodbye to sue bird. And there
were booze in that crowd recently. I think the majority
of people will cheer him before the game when they're showing
the tribute video. I assume they'll do something like
that. I assume he will be mostly cheered. There will be
some booze and he's gonna hear them. But when you think of
Seattle sports history, Mike, I mean, it's pretty recent that
they've had made. League teams and
he's the guy, he's the number one sports figure in Seattle
history. I mean, you they had Alex Rodriguez the course and
Ken Griffey, Junior and Lenny Wilkins, and some of those
people. But he's the one you think of when you think of
Seattle sports history so they should cheer him.
He wanted a Super Bowl, nearly one of my second Super Bowl
and so I I think fans should do that. I think the majority will
do that
but it won't be. Everyone, you're right. Some are going to
boo him. Cuz they're going to be mad that he talked his way
out of Seattle. Well, and I think that's the key. When you
look at the full scope of his time, with the Seahawks and you
consider that
they routed around him,
they defended him against any criticism that he's
maybe a little phony at times, a little too contrived,
a little corny, little goofy.
He was their guy, so
they they fended off anyone that would dare say those.
Things about him, but now that he talks his way out, and it
was something that lingered, it was something they were very
angry about any time.
The topic came up and then,
after years of Seahawks fans shouting down, people like me,
I'd go on kgr radio and say, hey, look, this guy's not son,
another contract. This guy's going to be gone and they would
lose their minds about it.
I think, once he
put them in a position where they ended up looking bad
for taking the position, he's never leaving. I think you put
all that together
and and there's going to be some people who are upset and
very much looking forward to the opportunity to let him hear
it.
Because at the end of the day, this wasn't the Seahawks
setting him adrift. This was Russell Wilson wanting out and
Russell Wilson coming off. Ultimately as being far more
calculated than they would allow themselves to think he
was, that's really
the key Shireen the fans who get it.
Understand that there was a calculation here by Russell
Wilson and all that stuff. He was saying
King was BS about wanting to stay for the rest of his
career. He was looking for an off-ramp. There's going to be
fans and I'm not saying they should, I'm just saying what
they're going to do.
I think there's going to be fans who were very upset about
it, in this is their opportunity to let him hear it.
Yeah, no question. Mike. And now the rebuilding at
the position and they don't have a long-term starter, it doesn't
seem to be at the position. So, you know, post Russell Wilson
is not probably going to be pretty for the Seahawks and
they're going to blame him for. However, the season goes, if it
doesn't go well. And so that's why he's going to hear some
booze out of this thing, but you think about what he did,
bring a Super Bowl to the city and all the things he did off
the field. I mean, this is a Walter Payton Man of the Year
for what he did
in that Community, he started to Charter School.
During covid. He was feeding people and he just did so much
for the Seattle Community in more ways than just football
but that that you know, it's what have you done for me
lately. And what he did for them lately, as he talks his
way out
of town and left them would with pretty much a dry bone
there at the position and at with this team and they're just
not going to be very good and they're going to blame Russell
Wilson for that. There's no question about that.
Well there was a time when they were chanting Gino last year.
Russell Wilson messed up his finger on the Thursday night
game against the Rams. So that's the other thing to keep
in mind
part of the dissing of Russell Wilson, may include
a full-throated Embrace of Gino Gino
Gino and that'll be kind of a little way to stick it to
Russell Wilson. If they really show their love for the guy
who's the starting quarterback, at least for now
and who knows what's going to happen.
As you said, genius move by the NFL to make this the week one
game. Before the Seahawks have their season
go sideways and the Broncos. Frankly, when you consider
the division there in and the games are going to play this year,
their season could go sideways to. This, could have been
a meaningless game in November,
it's a very meaningful game, right out of the gates
Nathaniel Hackett. The first year. Broncos coach told
reporters yesterday they're going to max out the
fake noise. They use to prepare for that crowd. Same thing.
They'll do when they go to Arrowhead and this is a point
Sims made yesterday
one of the reasons why there's 10
Road favorites. This This week. So there are ten home
underdogs. One of the reasons teams are winning on the road.
Shireen, they have learned how to adapt
and deal with the noise. And Sims is a firm believer that
it's a product
of having those practices where the noise is unrelenting, and
they get accustomed to operating in an environment
where they just can't hear themselves think.