SB Nation Seattle: All Posts by Jacson Bevens

Field Gulls Presents: The Movie Character Mock Draft

2013-04-15T17:15:06Z

A couple of weeks ago, a wonderful thought emerged from the smoky caverns of the Field Gulls writers' office. It was Jared's idea, I think, and it blossomed into the post you see below you. What started out as a goofy Twitter exercise (that can be revisited by searching the hashtag #MCMD) has evolved into fully organized, researched, and supported draft board of movie characters.

We only had two rules: that we could draft any character at any time for any reason, and that Craig smells like rhubarb and shame. Actually, that last one isn't really a rule. More of a fact. Craig stinks, is my point.

At the end of this extremely important document that I'm sure you will all read with breathless reverence, is a poll. This is your chance to contribute to the zeitgeist. After reading the rosters and write-ups for each team, do your civil and moral duty by voting for the best squad.

Also, feel free to leave your grades or breakdowns of the draft in the comments section.

To the draft!

The Picks (Overall pick next to name. Mike Chan was up first!)

Team MIKE

1. Dr Barry Rumack - Airplane!

16. God - Bruce Almighty/Evan Almighty

17. Mini-Me - Austin Powers Franchise

32. Edward Scissorhands - Edward Scissorhands

33. The Doctor - Doctor Who

48. The Thing - The Thing

49. Mr Miyagi - The Karate Kid

64. T-1000 - Terminator 2

Team DANNY

2. Big Ern - Joker

15. Wild Thing - QB

18. Teddy KGB - DT/DE

31. Air Bud - WR/RB/KR/PR

34. Maximus - MLB

47. Steven - S/ST Gunner

50. Lt Aldo Rain - DE/OLB

63. Coached by: Billy Madison & Staff

Team CRAIG

3. Inspector Jacques Clouseau (Pink Panther)

14. Daniel Plainview (There Will Be Blood)

19. Marty McFly (Back to the Future I-II)

30. Jareth, The Goblin King (Labyrinth)

35. Bodhi (Point Break)

46. Fulton Reed (THE...Mighty Ducks)

51. The Man With No Name (Clint Eastwood Westerns)

62. Coach: Sean Maguire (Good Will Hunting)

Team GLEN

4. Clark Griswold

13. Penny Lane

20. Doctor Emmett Brown

29. Les Grossman

36. Ferris Bueller

45. Bryan Mills

50. Michael Corleone

61. Jackie Moon

Team KENNY

5. Ducky (Land Before Time)

12. Hans Gruber (Ho Ho Ho)

21. The Dude (You don't know? He's the Dude, man)

28. Tommy Callahan (Big Tom Callahan's son)

37. Oh Dae-Su (The greatest movie ever made)

44. Tommy Wiseau (Oh hai, championship)

49. Gordon Bombay (We're Team USA, and we're going all the way!)

60. Kathy Ireland (Am I the only team with a kicker?)

Team JACSON

6. Benny "The Jet" Rodriguez (Sandlot)

11. Monolith (2001: A Space Odyssey)

20. Jessica Rabbit (Who Framed Roger Rabbit?)

27. Rafiki (The Lion King)

36. Rufio (Hook)

43. Jules Winnfield (Pulp Fiction)

48. Fezzik (Princess Bride)

59. Coached by Blake (Glengarry Glen Ross)

Team MATT

7. The Robot from Lost in Space

10. Batman (Nolan)

19. Tasmanian Devil from the Looney Tunes

26. Artie DeVanzo from Beer League

35. Ronnie "Sunshine" Bass, from Remember the Titans

42. Walter Joseph "Rorschach" Kovacs, from Watchmen

49. Spock, as portrayed by Zachary Quinto

58. Smokey and the Bandit

Team JARED

8. MacGyver

9. Falkor

24. Fletch

25. The Incredible Hulk

40. Tyler Durden

41. Sloth

56. John McClane

57. Bluto

TEAM WRITE-UPS

MIKE

I try my best here to emulate the PC/JS drafting style - finding the best players with that are the best at what they do. In the case of movies, there are only so many qualities that are important. Dr. Barry Rumac is the chief of comedy.The Doctor has conquered the Sci-Fi genre for nearly 50 years. The Thing is arguably the scariest monster you will see on screen. T-1000? Probably the most badass robot in the history of cinema. That's four important players of my squad that will dominant whatever the opponent throws at them.

Then I mixed in players that are looked down upon their physicality and abilities and, like PC and JS, turn them into something special. Mini-me may be short, but try tackling him down the field while's running the ball. If Edward Scissorhands can become one of the best pass rushers ever. Mr Miyagi might not have the same martial art talents as a Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan character, but what about his healing powers? His subtle and unorthodox approach will bekey in confusing opponents.

Finally, we have who else? Morgan Freeman as God, who will be the greatest teacher and coach ever. Not only because every call or break my team get will be towards our favor, but can you imagine a better-looking/cooler man?

DANNY

The Kelly Draft Room took a no-nonsense approach and instead of reaching for positions of need, just went pure BPA. Our first-round pick was really a no-brainer - Ernie "Big Earn" McCracken is a proven winner with a track record of success on several levels of competition - he'll be our moveable chess piece, and we'll ask him to carry the football out of the backfield and even throw it downfield at times in trick plays. His showman's persona belies his fierce dedication to winning and McCraken has a 'do anything that's necessary' attitude and wins at all costs. Has some character concerns and will have to answer some questions about a pending paternity suit, but balances concerns there by being very active in his own Charity, The Unified Fund. Don't let his unorthodox throwing style trick you - Big Earn can deliver the football with accuracy, picks up tough yardage, and is tough as nails. He's a natural leader and will surely win a lot of political offices once he retires.

With our second pick, we had to take a chance - picking Ricky "Wild Thing" Vaughn, a quarterback out of the California Penal League. He'll have to answer accuracy questions and there will be a 'prove-it' period of time related to his playing at a lower level previously, but there's no player in this draft with the arm talent that Vaughn possesses. May be the first player in the modern era to wear glasses under his helmet, but the kid can spin it.

Next on our list was Teddy KGB and our draft room was elated to grab him with value in the 3rd round. KGB has been playing internationally and in unsanctioned underground games over the past few years but is more than ready for The Show - he's a technician, reads his opponents and plays with unparalleled instincts. He'll play multiple positions on the defense but the key for KGB is that he's not afraid to mix it up with anybody. Plays with honor, but rarely loses. Known for late hits - what he calls "splashing the pot," which may rub some people the wrong way, but is a dirtbag through and through and we feel that's the kind of player we want on our D.

Next up was Air Bud. This was a steal in the fourth round, because the kid is electric. Multi-sport athlete. He'll play receiver, running back, kick returner and punt returner and he'll start immediately. You throw him the football and he'll get under it, and he's dangerous with the ball in his paws. Noticeably faster than everyone else on the field and recently ran a 2.3 40 yard dash. Breakaway speed and ankle breaking agility.

We needed a field general because let's be honest, thus far we'd put together a pretty ragtag group of players. Who better to lead this motley crew than Maximus Decimus Meridius? The Spanish born middle linebacker comes via Army, with a transfer to USC where he starred in the Colosseum for two seasons, and he is ready to continue to further his legend in the arena. Natural leader of men; cerebral, and always seems to be a step ahead of his opponents. Will out-think you - and rallies players around him in the heat of battle. Instant team captain and a guy that inspires with his pre-game speeches and his play on the field.

Finally, to augment our defense, we had to go with a couple of wild-cards - Lt. Aldo Rain and Stephen. Rain, "The Apache" - speaks with a southern twang but don't let his affable demeanor fool you - he's in the skull knockin' business, and cousin, business is a-boomin. He's the type of defender that can knife through the line and he's always finding himself behind enemy (offensive) lines, causing mayhem in the backfield. As for Stephen, he comes to the Kelly team via Ireland (his island) and simply put, is crazy. He'll talk smack, frequently converses with the almighty, and has a no-nonsense attitude. He frequently get flagged for personal fouls, but at the end of the day, he's a guy that you want on your side of the lines.

Coaching up this group of hooligans is none other than Billy Madison. Madison, like many coaches, had to go back to school after washing out in the pros but has honed his style and scheme after starting from scratch with a new perspective. He's a high-energy guy, will play music at practice, take part in scrimmages, and is fiercely loyal. Madison's offensive coordinator and mastermind will be Carl, and on defense, he'll rely on the expertise of Principal Anderson and Miss Lippy to run his defense and special teams, respectively.

CRAIG

The Johnstone War Room is not here to blow smoke up your petticoats; we put this draft to the sword in a big way. Our strategy was simple: assemble a squadron of first-class ass-kickers, with little regard for "character concerns", or "ethical decency". We chose to target characters who have sloughed off the nobility of mind and spirit, in lieu of an attitude marked by action. Our team willingly dons the mantle of the hybrid Antihero, and is coached by a cantankerous doctor who rose up from the streets of South Boston.

We first chose a character who filled our Comedy position nicely, yet still knows the value of a surprise karate-chop-to-the-neck when negotiations stall. Inspector Clouseau is just the guy we needed to build a team around, yet he can sometimes lack the appropriate amount of gravitas. Enter: Daniel Plainview, a menacing enforcer who can wilt the souls of our opponents,with a weight to his game that could prolapse a swan. We plan on teaming him with three of our mid-round picks: Fulton Reed (what he lacks in cognition, he makes up for in slapshots), Bodhi (a hedonist with no future, who doesn't play by the rules of Man), and Jareth, the Goblin King (a character whose drive for victory is only eclipsed by the bulge in his owl-leather pants). This battalion of blackguards is led by The Man With No Name, a character who wins with both his guns, as well as his piercing eyes, rugged jaw line, and glistening muscles that you can just bury your face in, and feel so safe...so secure...so protected. The spirit of our team is embodied by a character who may be diminutive, but don't you call him a chicken. Marty McFly is a blazer on the hoof who can gun it to 88 in, like, 1.21 gigawatts (jigga-watts?). We did not choose a General Manager for our team, but if we had it would have been Nick Naylor.

Why should you vote for our team? Like, vote for who you want, bruh. The human spirit is still alive, and it is your choice to make. But do you want to be another link in the chains of society? Do you want to bow your head to cultural norms, and contribute to the delusion of a binary moral code? Balderdash! Our team is assembled from deivirile dark knights, with a passion for constructing their own moral scaffolding. We are a clique that stays strapped, and are not bound by the rules of these other epicene teams. These boys will run up, put you against the brick oven, and let Jareth hit you with the cobra. A vote for us is a vote for tights pants, big bulges, and victory without consequences. Vaya con dios.

GLEN

My mindset when drafting this team (tell me if you have heard this before) was to take unique qualities and put them in an environment to succeed. If you want to mess with this crew, you're going to have to deal with the hot headed super-agent Les Grossman, the hard hitting, crafty Bryan Mills, both of whom are have the support and connections of the one and only Mr. Corleone.

That trio sets the rest of the squad up to do what they do best...you want crazy inventions or time travel? Great Scott! we've got Doc Brown...you want to be the most popular kid at school, or run the town? Bueller? Bueller? Bueller? If you just want to be an ordinary man trying to get through life, and all its insane obstacles, well let Clark Griswoldshow you the ropes... And this is all happening with Ms. Penny Lane, she keeps this team leveled with her Zen, and creativity. Finally, who encapsulates all of these characters more than Jackie Moon? Businessman-check, promoter-check, player-check, comedian-check, teacher-check, singer-check, actual COACH-check.

KENNY

It all starts with the glue of my team. When you've got a random pairing of eight characters from all different kinds of walks of life, you want a person that's going to be the heart and soul of the team, the on-field cheerleader, the one that's going to bring together three-horns and longnecks. Yep yep yep, that's Ducky! (Sympathy vote, the little girl that voiced Ducky, Judith Barsi, was tragically killed at age 10. I got your back, Judith.)

From there on I move from the pure goodness of my team to the pure evil, a balancing act of heaven and hell but with the greatest villain of all time, Mr. Hans Gruber. Every time I watch Die Hard I pray that it'll be the one time that Gruber wins. GRUBER!!!!

Okay, let's all chill out for a minute. This is getting really serious. You guys know The Dude. If you don't think I'm building the best team, that's just like your opinion man.

I could use the experience of seven years of college. Not so much here, and not so much here, but right here. I'll just have some ketchup packets.

Oh Dae-Su, also known as Dae-Su Oh (if you understand Korean names, please tell me) is like this cryptic John Wooden of my team. Before every game he tries to motivate everyone because he's said some incredible things, but I'm not sure if it works. "Even though I'm no more than a monster - don't I have the right to live?" Uhhh yeah, Dae-Su. "Laugh and the world laughs with you. Weep and you weep alone." Yep yep yep! And then he just goes out on the field and fucks everyone up.

If Oldboy is the greatest movie ever made, then it's like The Room also came along in 2003 as it's universal balancing act. Tommy Wiseau is my favorite customer and draft pick and will remind us when the team is tearing him apart.

I was picking coaches before it was cool, and that allowed me to pick the best in movie history. He started off saying he hates kids because "They're barely human" and then he kept coming back for sequels. Hey Ducky, are we Ducks or what? Quack!

I'm not entirely sure if we're even drafting a football team, but I picked the hottest player in the draft but she's also tough as nails. Welcome to foot... BALL!

I respect that the other participants did their best, but you know what to do. I've been watching movies alone every day since I was 3. Vote for the most diverse team in the MCMD and let's go all the way.

JACSON

If you're gonna cook from scratch, anything remarkable anyway, you better make sure you've got the right ingredients. That may seem obvious, but let's pretend for a moment that you're baking an apple pie. When the recipe called for flour, did you use the cheapest bulk bag you could find or did you take the time to find one with less protein in it so the crust comes out flaky and crisp instead of stretchy and tough? Did you hand-check the apples you bought, examining them for freshness, looking into whether or not synthetic nutrients were used? What about the sugar? First bag you saw at the store or a type with the proper amount of grain refinement to maximize taste while reducing the gluten consolidation in the crust, thereby sweetening the pie without compromising its structural integrity or taste balance?

Both approaches are going to result in an apple pie but the careful, deliberate recipe is going to be the one your guests remember.There are a lot of apple pies on this table, but my team's not here to blend in with the rest of the confections. We cook with conviction.

Our strategy was not only diverse, but progressive. Diverse in the fact that this team offers humor, inspiration, sex appeal, aggression, mystery, wisdom, and nostalgia; progressive in that it eschews the re-treaded glory-hog version of heroism that fogs up your screen with overzealous righteousness and the sort of groin-kicking "comedy" guys that find a dozen different ways to drool onto movie screens each year in favor of wit, adventure, and fun.

Movies can be a lot of things to a lot of people, making the willingness to offer substance beyond the cookie-cut boxes of sword-wielding grandeur and slapstick comedy of paramount importance. The best movies are usually the ones that do it a bit differently; the best characters aren't just "cool" but memorable - and the Bevens team is memorable. More importantly, it has the right ingredients.

Need a hero to inspire you? I could offer another muscular, square-jawed prototype that hulks across the screen dripping blood and testosterone or I could give you a kid with feathers in his hair that fights pirates, built his own inter-jungle skateboard park, and answers to a call that every one of you is shouting in your heads right now. Mystery? Fine. You want another character with an otherworldy ability to control things but who will eventually recognize his own humanity and fall in love or... do you want an entity with a powerful and constant role in man's existence, a role never revealed or understood, and with a countenance so black and unetched that the very mystery of the universe itself likely remains unaltered deep in its presumably ebony bosom?

If you need a laugh you can either see which sequel figured out a new way to make diarrhea funny or you can get on board with a brilliantly simple giant whose brutish strength is surpassed only by his brutish delivery*. What about wisdom? You could watch a breathy, tearful monologue from a stodgy Academy type or you could get bopped on the head by a monkey singing "Squash Banana" and, in doing so, realize your kingly calling in the Circle of Life.

*And who was played by a man that was once reportedly unable to make it to the set after drinking 127 beers the night before.

Team not aggressive enough for you yet? Okay, then. Instead of a wild, lusty, one-dimensional warrior, I present an eloquent, well-traveled gentleman with a jheri curl and holster full of bad intentions (NSFW). How about a little bit of nostalgia? I could give you another soft-focus, symphony-backed tribute to old people or you can have aneighborhood champion whose miraculous rescue of a prized baseball from Darth Vader's retirement home was ordained by a baseball god and remained the stuff of legend for the next thirty years.

And what good is a movie team without sex appeal? As you can see, the other teams in the league are sorely lacking in what has become a crucial aspect of the game; not true with this squad. Rounding out my incorrigible group of rapscallions is the girl whose sultry tones, devilish affairs, and impossible curves still have you wondering about the moral repercussions of being turned on by a cartoon. You see, my team's not bad, we're just drawn that way.

There's a ton of talent in this group but that talent means nothing without leadership, without direction. Our locker room drips with potential but it would all be for naught without adherence to the most important rule in the game:

Always Be Closing.

You may look at my team and say "hey, none of those guys are really on the screen all that much." If quantity is what you're looking for, cast your vote into another team's abyss. If it's quality you're after, roll with us. After all, a football game is 60 minutes long, but the ten minutes and 43 seconds of actual play are what you tune in for. And sure, there are other teams in this draft who may play football better than my guys, but if that's your goal you might as well just draft the Avengers and be done with it. Nope, my team is here because you know that memorability, not conformity, is what makes characters work.

Now get your Spike Lee on and do the right thing.

MATT

With my first pick in the draft, I selected The Robot. As a Class M-3 Model B9, General Utility Non-Theorizing Environmental Control Robot, The Robot has superhuman strength & plus intelligence. With its futuristic weapons and exceptional intelligence, the team will be on the cutting edge of league trends and new schemes.

With my next pick, I selected Christopher Nolan's Batman. What The Robot lacks in athleticism and physicality, Batman makes up in spades. With The Robot and Batman, my team possesses not only strength, power, and endurance, but it has weapons unlike any ever seen in one place.

After the first two rounds, I'd added strength and intelligence, but I needed some speed. I toyed with several options, but decided to let the board come to me, and I settled on Taz. He brings speed, aggression, and a killer instinct in the fourth quarter. With him and Batman on my team, we'll never lack for intimidation.

The one thing my team was lacking was personality. So I took Artie DeVanzo with my next pick. While he often suffers from lack of focus, his shit-talking & trophy-swiping are second to none. He's a big distraction to the opposition and I felt he was exactly who we needed to steal a championship.

Every team needs a QB, and a QB needs sex appeal. So I took Sunshine with my next pick. Simple as that.

Once I reached the later rounds, I was just focused on adding the best player available with each pick. I couldn't believe that Rorschach dropped all the way to me, so I ran to the podium for him. With Batman and Rorschach, my team is brimming with upside at the skill positions. The collective badassery is through the roof. I mean really, do you WANT to run into these guys in a dark alley? #Dirtbags. Oh, and the voice talent on the team is unmatched.

In keeping with my BPA strategy, I nabbed Zachary Quinto's Spock with my last player selection. I figured I might as well commit to the established profile of epic badass personalities with fantastic hand-fighting skills. My team won't lose any battles in the trenches, and opposing teams will need a few extra ice baths in the weeks after they've played us.

In the final round, we selected a coach, and I picked Bandit, from Smokey and the Bandit. He's suave and persuasive, and really has a way with people. He's also driven and competitive and won't settle for second best. He brings the most of the people he works with, and he always has something in his back pocket for any situation.

JARED

As one would in a traditional draft, I took a player in the first round that could be the grounded, cerebral QB of my team.MacGyver, although he doesn't have a gun for an arm (or any other gun, for that matter) he does have unbelievable poise and intelligence under pressure. He uses his improvisational skills and escapability to extend plays and just flat-out wins. Absolutely clutch performer.

Falkor is my outside speed threat...the guy can flat-out fly...plus he seems to have tremendous luck; always being in the right place at the right time. He's truly got a never-ending motor.

Third round pick, Fletch, is a quick-witted, former NBA player, with the ideal combination of length and speed to become the prototypical Joker TE. And he's a guy that always seems to know how to score in the bed zone.

In the 4th round I took a bit of a risk on the Incredible Hulk. He has a tendency to disappear for long stretches so many have questioned his motor, but when he is on, he is completely unstoppable. Also, Hulk can play the 1-tech, 3-tech, and 5-tech...at the same time.

Not much can be said about Tyler Durden. He has a strict clause in his rookie contract that he never has to speak with the media. But his reputation is that of a guy who never sleeps...is always fighting for respect...a real soap chip on his shoulder kind of guy...an explosive hitter coming from the secondary personality.

Sloth is a guy that our scouts discovered at a small school down a rocky road in Oregon. Fell to day 3 due to a poor wonderlic score, but fiercely loyal and strong as an ox...able to push back a mountain to open up a hole through the line. Rumor is also that he'll sign for peanuts...wrapped in chocolate.

John McClane is a guy that had an absolutely incredible freshman year, but has been hit and miss since. The guy can really carry the Rock...as evidenced by "GI Joe: Retaliation". Tough as nails...always seems to come back for more. Has learned to be light on his feet training in the offseason by walking on glass.

As coach, John "Bluto" Blutarski is one of the fieriest leaders in the game. Known for his inspiring half-time speeches, Bluto has a bright future in politics, should he choose to, after he leaves the game. Just be careful what music you pick for pregame in the lockerroom.

______________

THERE'S THE PICKS. THE SPEECHES. MAKE YOUR VOTE.

Poll

Which movie team gets your vote?

Craig

7 votes

Mike

21 votes

Glen

17 votes

Kenny

19 votes

Jared

36 votes

Danny

20 votes

Matt

5 votes

Jacson

43 votes

168 votes | Poll has closed

Former Seahawk to Make Appearance

2013-03-04T23:51:55Z

Carl Eller is a Hall of Famer now. Carl Eller was a Seahawk, too. Carl Eller will be appearing in Winston-Salem tomorrow because that is what Hall of Famers do, I suppose, and AllState is here to tell you about it. So, you know, if you wanna go...

Here're the deets:

Pro Football Hall of Fame and Allstate Insurance Company to Honor Carl Eller as “Hometown Hall of Famer™” at Atkins Academic & Technology High School in Winston-Salem, N.C.

National Program Recognizes Pro Football’s Greatest Legends in their Hometown Communities

Canton, Ohio – Feb. 26, 2013 – Pro football legend Carl Eller will be recognized by the Pro Football Hall of Fame and Allstate Insurance Company in Winston-Salem, N.C., on Tuesday, March 5, as part of “Hometown Hall of Famers™,” a national program honoring the hometown roots of the sport’s greatest coaches, players, and contributors with special ceremonies and plaque dedication events in local communities.

“’Hometown Hall of Famers™’ has been warmly embraced by communities and Hall of Famers alike,” said George Veras, Pro Football Hall of Fame Enterprises president and CEO. “We are thrilled to continue our partnership with Allstate to bring the Pro Football Hall of Fame to communities across the country and congratulate Carl Eller and Atkins Academic & Technology High School on bringing a piece of the Pro Football Hall of Fame to Winston-Salem.”

One of the most honored defensive players of his time and former high school standout at Atkins Academic & Technology High School, Eller will be presented with his “Hometown Hall of Famer™” plaque during a special ceremony at 2:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, March 5, in the school’s auditorium, where the plaque will live permanently to serve as an inspiration for the school’s students and athletes. The presentation will be made by Hessie Smith, Eller’s former high school teammate.

“To be part of a program that brings the prestige and tradition of the Pro Football Hall of Fame to communities like Winston-Salem is an honor for Allstate, our agents and employees,” said Lisa Cochrane, Allstate’s senior vice president of marketing.

The ceremony will be attended by Atkins Academic & Technology High School students, faculty, staff, alumni and Eller’s family members and close friends.Atkins Academic & Technology High School Principal Joe Childers will serve as the Master of Ceremonies.

In addition to the plaque, a commemorative Carl Eller “Hometown Hall of Famers™” road sign will be on display in Winston-Salem.

A consensus All-American with the University of Minnesota, Eller was a first-round draft pick of both the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings and the AFL’s Buffalo Bills. Eller signed with the Vikings where he would spend the next 15 years as a key member of the Minnesota defensive line nicknamed “The Purple People Eaters.”

Eller, an excellent pass rusher and defender against the run, helped lead the Vikings to win 10 NFL/NFC Central Division titles as well as the 1969 championship. The six-time Pro Bowler played in four Super Bowls and won three NFC crowns before going to the Seattle Seahawks in 1979 for his final year in the NFL. Eller was named first- or second-team All Pro every year from 1967 through 1973 and was All-NFL or All-NFC 1968 through 1973 and then All-NFC again in 1975. He won the George Halas Award in 1971 as the NFL’s leading defensive player.

Eller was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004.

Fans can visit the Pro Football Hall of Fame website for more information on the “Hometown Hall of Famers™” program, and can view event videos atwww.youtube.com/allstate.

About the Pro Football Hall of Fame and Enterprises

The Pro Football Hall of Fame is dedicated to educating, preserving, and honoring the great individuals and moments that have shaped the sport’s history with the largest collection in the world of artifacts and documents. The Hall of Fame is celebrating its 50 Years 2012-13. The Pro Football Hall of Fame Enterprises represents the Pro Football Hall of Fame and its members in the creation of commercial ventures, featuring Hall of Famers to serve the mission of the PFHOF to enable football fans and the general public to have greater access and interactions with Hall of Famers and the Hall of Fame.

About Allstate
The Allstate Corporation (NYSE: ALL) is the nation’s largest publicly held personal lines insurer, serving approximately 16 million households through its Allstate, Encompass, Esurance and Answer Financial brand names and Allstate Financial business segment. Allstate branded insurance products (auto, home, life and retirement) and services are offered through Allstate agencies, independent agencies, and Allstate exclusive financial representatives, as well as via www.allstate.com, www.allstate.com/financial and 1-800 Allstate®, and are widely known through the slogan “You’re In Good Hands With Allstate®.” As part of Allstate’s commitment to strengthen local communities, The Allstate Foundation, Allstate employees, agency owners and the corporation provided $29 million in 2012 to thousands of nonprofit organizations and important causes across the United States.

Carry on.
Carl Eller is a Hall of Famer now. Carl Eller was a Seahawk, too. Carl Eller will be appearing in Winston-Salem tomorrow because that is what Hall of Famers do, I suppose, and AllState is here to tell you about it. So, you know, if you wanna go...
Here're the deets:

Pro Football Hall of Fame and Allstate Insurance Company to Honor Carl Eller as “Hometown Hall of Famer™” at Atkins Academic & Technology High School in Winston-Salem, N.C.

National Program Recognizes Pro Football’s Greatest Legends in their Hometown Communities

Canton, Ohio – Feb. 26, 2013 – Pro football legend Carl Eller will be recognized by the Pro Football Hall of Fame and Allstate Insurance Company in Winston-Salem, N.C., on Tuesday, March 5, as part of “Hometown Hall of Famers™,” a national program honoring the hometown roots of the sport’s greatest coaches, players, and contributors with special ceremonies and plaque dedication events in local communities.

“’Hometown Hall of Famers™’ has been warmly embraced by communities and Hall of Famers alike,” said George Veras, Pro Football Hall of Fame Enterprises president and CEO. “We are thrilled to continue our partnership with Allstate to bring the Pro Football Hall of Fame to communities across the country and congratulate Carl Eller and Atkins Academic & Technology High School on bringing a piece of the Pro Football Hall of Fame to Winston-Salem.”

One of the most honored defensive players of his time and former high school standout at Atkins Academic & Technology High School, Eller will be presented with his “Hometown Hall of Famer™” plaque during a special ceremony at 2:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, March 5, in the school’s auditorium, where the plaque will live permanently to serve as an inspiration for the school’s students and athletes. The presentation will be made by Hessie Smith, Eller’s former high school teammate.

“To be part of a program that brings the prestige and tradition of the Pro Football Hall of Fame to communities like Winston-Salem is an honor for Allstate, our agents and employees,” said Lisa Cochrane, Allstate’s senior vice president of marketing.

The ceremony will be attended by Atkins Academic & Technology High School students, faculty, staff, alumni and Eller’s family members and close friends.Atkins Academic & Technology High School Principal Joe Childers will serve as the Master of Ceremonies.

In addition to the plaque, a commemorative Carl Eller “Hometown Hall of Famers™” road sign will be on display in Winston-Salem.

A consensus All-American with the University of Minnesota, Eller was a first-round draft pick of both the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings and the AFL’s Buffalo Bills. Eller signed with the Vikings where he would spend the next 15 years as a key member of the Minnesota defensive line nicknamed “The Purple People Eaters.”

Eller, an excellent pass rusher and defender against the run, helped lead the Vikings to win 10 NFL/NFC Central Division titles as well as the 1969 championship. The six-time Pro Bowler played in four Super Bowls and won three NFC crowns before going to the Seattle Seahawks in 1979 for his final year in the NFL. Eller was named first- or second-team All Pro every year from 1967 through 1973 and was All-NFL or All-NFC 1968 through 1973 and then All-NFC again in 1975. He won the George Halas Award in 1971 as the NFL’s leading defensive player.

Eller was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004.

Fans can visit the Pro Football Hall of Fame website for more information on the “Hometown Hall of Famers™” program, and can view event videos atwww.youtube.com/allstate.

About the Pro Football Hall of Fame and Enterprises

The Pro Football Hall of Fame is dedicated to educating, preserving, and honoring the great individuals and moments that have shaped the sport’s history with the largest collection in the world of artifacts and documents. The Hall of Fame is celebrating its 50 Years 2012-13. The Pro Football Hall of Fame Enterprises represents the Pro Football Hall of Fame and its members in the creation of commercial ventures, featuring Hall of Famers to serve the mission of the PFHOF to enable football fans and the general public to have greater access and interactions with Hall of Famers and the Hall of Fame.

About Allstate
The Allstate Corporation (NYSE: ALL) is the nation’s largest publicly held personal lines insurer, serving approximately 16 million households through its Allstate, Encompass, Esurance and Answer Financial brand names and Allstate Financial business segment. Allstate branded insurance products (auto, home, life and retirement) and services are offered through Allstate agencies, independent agencies, and Allstate exclusive financial representatives, as well as via www.allstate.com, www.allstate.com/financial and 1-800 Allstate®, and are widely known through the slogan “You’re In Good Hands With Allstate®.” As part of Allstate’s commitment to strengthen local communities, The Allstate Foundation, Allstate employees, agency owners and the corporation provided $29 million in 2012 to thousands of nonprofit organizations and important causes across the United States.

Carry on.

Seahawks Drop Stunner To Falcons, Watch Thrilling Season End In Heartbreak

2013-01-14T01:08:27Z

Been a hell of a ride, hasn't it?

We'll have seven months to debate whether the Seahawks should have kicked the field goal on 4th and 1 in the first half (shouldn't) or whether they should have played prevent defense (probably, but not that soft), or whether Pete should have tried to ice Matt Bryant before his game-winner (a million times no), but for now let's take a moment to appreciate what an incredible season it's been.

I went into this September thinking the Seahawks would be an eight or nine win team, ten if things really broke their way, but I did not expect the unbelievable trip they would take us all on this season. For the last two months, the Seahawks have traipsed along a gilded path, always executing well enough, always coming through when necessary. Heck, they did it again today, against their most daunting odds, coming within seconds of continuing this angelic odyssey.

That said, the 'Hawks did lose today and there are a litany of things that the loss can be attributed to. I'm certain the comments section will flesh out all of the second-guessing, but for now let's go back and look at exactly how this classic playoff battle played out.

Today is not, for me at least, the day to break down every drive, moment, and play; but it's definitely worth reliving one of the greatest Seahawks games I've ever witnessed. This one started out much the same way last week's game against Washington did; that is to say with a lot of points by the opposition and none by Seattle. Last week, Seattle spotted a pretty good team 14 points on the road. Today, they spotted a very good team 20 on the road. That is about as high of a deck as you can have stacked against you with any reasonable chance of overcoming it.

It's not like Seattle was getting dominated per se, it's just that Atlanta's drives were ending with points and Seattle's were ending with malfunction. On their first drive, the Falcons wrung 5+ minutes off the clock and ended up with a Bryant field goal to go up 3-0. Seattle then treated possession like a disease and quickly sent a short Jon Ryan punt back to the Falcons. This time, Atlanta used their five minutes to end with a one-yard touchdown pass to ~~Atlas~~ Tony Gonzalez and set the Georgia Dome on it's ear with a 10-0 lead.

Seattle moved the ball a bit, but a nice chunk run from Marshawn Lynch was ruined when he was stripped from behind, which led to another Bryant field goal and a 13-point lead for the home team. It was on the Seahawks' next drive that the first real cause for second-guessing appeared. On 4th and 1 from inside the Falcons' 15 yard line, Carroll elected to go for it instead of taking the three points. I support the decision to go for it and so do, as I understand them, the numbers. I wasn't crazy about the playcall, however, as Michael Robinson's plunge was stuffed by a blitzing safety. Questioning playcalling is a fruitless and exhausting exercise so I won't dwell, but I am surprised that neither Lynch or Russell Wilson was the ballcarrier for either 3rd and 1 (Turbin) and 4th and 1 (Robinson).

Regardless of what I think should have been done in that situation, Atlanta took over and, shortly thereafter, scored their second touchdown on a 47 yard bomb to Roddy White. White, for his part, immediately beckoned for Richard Sherman, who had broken up a few passes and talked more than a little trash, and gave him his own earful (to which Sherman politely applauded). At that point, the score was 20-0 and the party in my living room had become sullen. Seattle battles their way back down the field, as Atlanta seemingly forgot all about Zach Miller. With time running down and after Carroll had used the team's final timeout with 25 seconds left, Russell Wilson took a backbreaking sack on third down deep in Atlanta territory, allowing the clock to run out and leaving Seattle empty-handed at the half.

In the second half, everyone at my place switched seats, and the newly feng-shui'd mojo seemed to work. Seattle marched quickly down the field with the help of some nifty scrambling by Wilson and more Zach Miller. With a little under ten minutes remaining in the third quarter, Wilson found Golden Tate down the left sideline for a 29-yard score and life was breathed back into the 12th Man. The excitement didn't last too long, however, as the Falcons continued the aversion to punting and scored their third touchdown on a two yard shovel pass to Jason Snelling on a delightful misdirection play.

Down 27-7 entering the fourth quarter, the Seahawks magic began to secrete itself onto the Georgia Dome turf. Russell Wilson shed the suit and tie he had been wearing and straight up comic-booked the 'Hawks back into the game. With 13 minutes left, Wilson rolled left and, not seeing anyone open, but also seeing the backs of a lot of Falcons jerseys, tucked the ball into his glorious right armpit and scooted in for the score.

Now down 27-14, the excitement was ratcheted up even higher when Atlanta bewilderingly abandoned their super successful run game (6.4 YPC) to run an ill-fated reverse to Julio Jones followed by a bomb into double coverage that Earl Thomas expertly picked off. The interception was a thing of exquisite beauty from a playcalling standpoint, as Gus Bradley (who probably called his last game for the Seahawks today), lined Marcus Trufant up by himself against Roddy White. Matt Ryan saw it, obviously, and after the snap, didn't look anywhere else. Ryan probably knew he had been had as soon as he took the bait, since Thomas glided over as soon as the play started and was able to snag the ball with the ease of a centerfielder moving under a fly ball.

Wilson then found Zach Miller (who finished with 8 catches for 142 yards and a TD) in the endzone for a short score and the hope in the Emerald City turned to a restless fervor. Seattle would punt the ball back to Atlanta, who then returned the favor a couple of minutes later. This time, Seattle didn't miss it's chance as Wilson, dodging a seemingly inevitable sack on third and eight, found Lynch in the flat who then torpedoed his way down inside the five. Lynch capped off the drive with a near-fumble-that-was-actually-a-TD and the restless fervor became an explosion of delirium.

With only 31 seconds left, Seattle had just pulled off the biggest fourth-quarter comeback in the history of playoff football. All that was left was the formality of Atlanta's desperation drive. No one I was with, and there were many of us, could believe what we were seeing. Russell Wilson, the diminutive miracle-worker sent to us from football heaven, had just done the unthinkable. He had 385 yards passing, 60 yards rushing, and three total TDs. We were going to get to watch the Seahawks play the 49ers for the right to go to the Super Bowl.

Then the formality became a nightmare, as Seattle's prevent defense was just a tad too soft. A long sideline completion to Harry Douglas was followed by a long seam-route completion to Gonzalez. That set up a 49 yard field goal attempt for Matt Bryant. This is where everything went to hell.

I stood, shivering with nerves, in front of my TV pleading with Pete Carroll not to try and ice the kicker. I've said it here and elsewhere that I think it's among the worst ideas in football, as it gives the kicker a practice run. And frankly, these highly-compensated professionals aren't going to be rattled by a timeout just before the snap. Now, to be fair, i thought Carroll probably called the timeout early enough that Bryant shouldn't have gotten a practice run, but he did, and he missed it.

His second attempt, the one that counted, was such a no-doubter that Bryant didn't even watch it go through the uprights, choosing instead to begin celebrating the instant he finished his follow through. The kick gave Mike Smith, Matt Ryan, and Tony Gonzalez their first career playoff victories and crushed hope and wonder that was swelling in our breasts.

I don't want to dwell on the decision-making in this game, because I think it was more good than bad, but you guys have the arena to do so in the comments section. Inasmuch as I can separate the pain from this game, what we saw today was one of the most fun, most exciting, most memorable games I've ever seen. Everything I've felt throughout the season was present in this one. The Falcons played well enough to win. The Seahawks played well enough to win. That game was magical and I'm grateful to have been able to watch it.

We are now entering a period of blessed fanhood. I wish the season hadn't ended today, but this run was not the end of something special as much as it is the beginning. This Seahawks team is unlike any other; this Seahawks team is better. The city of Seattle will be a cradle of football excellence for the next few years and I, for one, can't wait.

Go 'Hawks.

JACSON ON TWITTER

Seahawks smother Redskins 24-14, advance to play Falcons

2013-01-07T02:53:02Z

Was there ever any doubt? Don't say no. If you're saying no, you're lying to me, but more importantly you're lying to yourself. Don't do that, it's not healthy. Most of the game was spent, at least where I was watching, in a state of deep anxiety even though the game's fulcrum was placed, in hindsight, at the end of the first quarter.

I will say this, though; after the Redskins marched down the field to score touchdowns on their first two drives, I was thinking about the time that Seattle jumped up on Green Bay 14-0 in the playoffs before Brett Favre Shovin'-Buddied his way to a 42-20 playoff win in the snow. In that one, Ryan Grant coughed up fumbles on the first two drives, giving the not-as-good Seahawks a couple of early touchdowns and all of the momentum that everyone always says is so important. The Packers then promptly scored the next six touchdowns, reasserting themselves as the better team and advancing comfortably.

Similar to that 2008 game, the Redskins leapt ahead with two quick scores, highlighting Mike/Kyle Shanahan's nigh-incomparable play-scripting ability. On most of his first quarter drives, Alfred Morris was five yards downfield before he was touched, as Seahawks defenders struggled to disengage from their blockers. Then Pierre Garcon broke off Brandon Browner on a comeback route, underscoring the collective fear that Browner would be rusty after his four-game suspension and giving Garcon's pregame jabs some weight. Exactly five minutes into the game, the 'Skins culminated their assault with a four yard touchdown toss from Robert Griffin III to Evan Royster.

After a three and out, in which the Seahawks' offensive line looked confused by Washington's edge rush, the Redskins immediately took their second drive right back down the field before exclamating it with RGIII's second four yard TD pass, this time to tight end Logan Paulson, to the titillation of the DC crowd. The first two plays of Seattle's next drive were uninspiring, but Zach Miller's singular effort on a weakly thrown third down Russell Wilson pass kept the drive alive. The first quarter ended summarily, with the Redskins having the ball for nearly 80% of the period and outgaining the Seahawks 141-9.

Seattle continued to move down the field, including a sensational sideline catch from Sidney Rice. The Seahawks' drive stalled inside the redzone after a hilarious misappropriation of resources. Starting with first and goal, Seattle went short run, near-interception, delay of game, timeout(?), throwaway, field goal. But still, the Emerald City had hope, even if that hope was in the shape of an 11-point defecit.

Griffin, who was visibly banged up on three separate plays during the second drive (hitting his throwing hand on a helmet, re-aggravating his knee on a leaping throw, and getting shoved to the turf ~~a full year~~ three seconds after throwing his second TD pass by Bruce Irvin), looked very uncomfortable on drive three and the 'Skins quickly punted it back to the 'Hawks.

Embracing the read-option, Wilson and Marshawn Lynch (held to five yards in the first quarter) rumbled down the field and set up a touchdown pass to 2005 Big 10 Player of the Year as a quarterback, I mean Pro Bowl fullback, Michael Robinson. That score, combined with apprehension over RGIII's health, brought a troubling hush over the FedEx Field crowd and, after another amputated drive and a second Steven Hauschka field goal, the Redskins limped to the locker room with a one point lead.

A scoreless third quarter featured another dominant Seattle drive that was truncated by a Lynch fumble on the Redskins one yard line, breathing somewhat stagnant air back into the Redskins' sagging lead. At that point, my fear had subsided, but my nervousness still infected all my thoughts. Sure, it felt like Seattle had taken the game over, but the scoreboard still advertised the 'Skins as the leader. In the fourth quarter, nothing besides that score looked very good for Washington. The offense had stopped moving the ball as FedEx's raggedy grass further hampered Griffin's wobbly leg. An Earl Thomas interception that featured inhuman ground coverage caused the lump to rise further in the Skins' collective throat.

The Seahawks finally took the lead with a long Marshawn Lynch touchdown (that featured an insane 90-degree full-speed cut that left DeAngelo Hall grasping for air like he grasps for relevance) and a two-point conversion from Wilson to a diving Miller. A few minutes later, every Redskins fans' worst nightmare materialized when Griffin's injured knee crumbled beneath him, leading to a fumble deep in Washington territory and a close-up from FOX of an older 'Skins fan saying "shit".

The Redskins defense stiffened with their back to the wall, holding the visitors to a short field goal but that chipshot was still enough to extend the Seattle lead to two scores with only Kirk Cousins standing between the Seahawks and a matchup with the Falcons in Atlanta. So yeah, welcome to hell, Kirk Cousins.

The rest of the game went about how you'd imagine, given the circumstances, and Seattle iced the game in a very Pete Carroll fashion, converting a roll out pass to Miller on fourth and four, leading to a kneel down and a shoving match between Trent Williams and Richard Sherman, who continued his city-by-city mission to piss off the rest of America.

The final tally was 24-14, but the final three quarters were dominated so completely that the feeling of nervousness that I felt for most of the game seemed almost silly in retrospect. To the numbers!

*After the first quarter, Seattle outgained Washington 371-62 and held the ball for nearly 32 of the final 45 minutes.

*Russell Wilson accounted for 271 total yards (187 passing, 84 rushing), while Robert Griffin III totaled just 105 (84/21).

*Alfred Morris averaged five yards per carry (16 carries, 80 yards) while Marshawn Lynch averaged 6.9 (131 yards on 19 carries)

*The Seahawks defense held the Redskins offense to 203 total yards, limiting them to 4.5 yards per carry but only 3.4(!) yards per pass.

*The Seattle offense continued to run the ball with aplomb, making up for a below-average 6 yards per pass by averaging 6.1 yards per rush.

*The Seahawks, so good in the redzone of late, faltered to one touchdown on six trips inside the Redskins 20.

*Despite allowing two TDs in the first twelve minutes, Seattle still held Washington below their league-leading 15.3 PPG allowed.

*Some credit should go to the officials, who did a wonderful job of understanding that these two teams were playing for survival and, for the most part, let the two teams battle it out without getting involved. All told, there were only seven penalties called all game, a wonderful relief after last week's 24-foul outing with the Rams last week.

Brother Carroll's Traveling Salvation Show must now head to Atlanta in order to continue their nationwide tour. Waiting for them will be the NFC's #1 seed, the 13-3 Atlanta Falcons, who are likely to be more prepared than they were when they secured the same position with the same record two years ago before promptly getting blown out at home by the Packers.

I don't know what will happen next week, none of us do, so don't kid yourself. I do know, however, that today's Seahawks win extends our season-long party by a week, and I'm determined to enjoy the hell out of every day.

JACSON ON TWITTER

Favorite Seahawks Moment: Pre/Regular Season

2013-01-03T17:00:35Z

It's been a remarkable season so far, one that many of us hoped for but few actually believed would happen. As 2013 begins, so does the Seahawks' second season and as we all cross this enchanting bridge together, it's time worth taking to look back at some of the highlights of the season.

So which moment is it for you? Golden Tate's blackout block of Sean Lee during Seattle's pasting of the Cowboys in Week 2?

Was it Richard Sherman's U Mad Bro? tweet after the win over New England?

Or Russell Wilson's final bomb to Sidney Rice to complete that comeback over the Patriots?

How about when Seattle plastered 58 unanswered on the Cardinals in front of the 12th Man?

Or was it when Pete Carroll and John Schneider surprised all of us by taking Bruce Irvin in the first round? Or what about Russell Wilson two rounds later?

Was it Wilson's record-setting first half against the Bills, in which he rushed for three TDs and threw for a fourth?

And what about the shellacking administered to the 49ers on Sunday Night Football?

How about when Tate set the country on its ear with his last-second touchdown catch against Green Bay on Monday Night Football?

Or his mind-bending last-minute TD to tie up the Bears game? Or Sidney's that won it (and almost killed him)?

How about Wilson's game-winning TD run to close out the season on a fifth straight win?

There are a lot of options, but the one I'm going with is the hit that Kam Chancellor used to put the entire division on notice and had Vernon davis considering a career in accounting.

Use the comments section to reminisce on your favorite Seahawk moment of the season so far, whether that's one play, or a whole game.

JACSON ON TWITTER

~~~

Seahawks Survive Flagstorm, Beat Rams 20-13

2012-12-31T02:20:50Z

Well, that was... something.

The Seahawks played their worst game in a month, had ten penalties, struggled to create a pass rush, forgot how to block -- and still won. A huge amount of the credit goes to rookie wunderkind Russell Wilson, who collected an impressive array of improbable plays despite having Rams defenders close enough to give him a hickey on every other play. His final play was one of his best, turning a 13-13 tie into a 20-13 lead with a minute and a half left on a keeper sweep from a yard out (more on that later).

Something needs to be said about the refereeing in this game. I hate pinning games on the officials because I usually think that's just a sign of lame fanhood, but this game was the pits when it came to flags. I'm not complaining from a Seahawks perspective because they actually ended up on the better side of the whole affair, I'm complaining as a football fan that saw almost one out of every four plays result in a penalty, and that's not even counting all the ones that were declined. It's like Jeff Triplette's crew came into the final game well short of their flags quota and were determined to make up for lost time. Anyhow...

On the first drive, a long Zach Miller touchdown was (correctly) called back on a (~~dumb~~ unnecessary) penalty by Anthony McCoy, who chipped the linebacker covering Miller despite Miller having two steps on him. Seattle ended up punting instead.

The scoring started with Steven Hauschka kicking a 43-yard field goal to put Seattle up 3-0. On the Seahawks' aforementioned first drive, Pete Carroll elected to punt instead of attempting a 52-yard field goal, a decision that burned them in an identical situation against Miami and one that I vehemently disagree with. For a long time, it looked like that decision would haunt Seattle again, especially after Austin Pettis caught a tipped pass for a two-yard touchdown to put St Louis ahead in a game when the Seattle offense was having a hard time getting out of their own way.

Seattle failed to score again in the first half and everything about the game felt like every game from the 2010 season, which is not a good thing. Seattle began to incorporate more of their late-blooming read-option offense in the second half and, like it has for the last four weeks, it jumpstarted the offense, leading to Hauschka's second field goal, a 49-yard bomb that was good by a mile and further cemented my opinion that they should have tried the 52-yarder earlier.

After a Rams field goal extended their lead to 10-6, the rejuvenated Seahawks O moved surgically down the field, culminating their drive with a 10-yard toss to Michael Robinson who, apparently unsatisfied with a simple score, planted Cortland Finnegan's butt into the endzone turf in the process. The touchdown also moved Wilson into a tie with Peyton Manning for most TD passes by a rookie.

Sam Bradford, apparently unimpressed by Wilson, charged the Rams right back down the field, riding Steven Jackson like a dreadlocked version of the rhinoceros in Donkey Kong. The drive came up two yards short of paydirt, however, as St Louis settled for a game-tying chip-shot field goal that had everyone who watched the first matchup screaming "watch the fake!"

Seattle's answer came two drives later on a beautifully efficient, clock-milking 90-yard expedition that seemed to end with a TD run by Marshawn Lynch with 1:49 left on the clock. A replay correctly overturned the call, which set up Wilson's 30th(!) touchdown of the season when he ran it in around the left end.

Seemingly beaten, the Rams didn't bow out without a fight, moving the ball deep into Seahawks territory before Richard Sherman (who else, honestly?) stamped out the fire with a goal-line interception.

Some key numbers from today's game:

*The Seahawks averaged 11 yards per pass attempt.

*They also averaged 5.1 yards per rush. Those are insanely efficient numbers, especially considering what a staunch defense the Rams have.

*Seattle committed 10 of the game's staggering 24 penalties, accounting for 80 yards (although McCoy's 4th quarter hold erased a 50-yard completion to Doug Baldwin, which isn't reflected in the penalty yards).

*The Rams' 14 penalties cost them 98 yards.

*Marshawn Lynch rushed for 100 yards. Again. His 1,590 rushing yards on the season is the third-highest total in team history (h/t Kenneth).

*Wilson's final line was 15/19, 250 yards, a TD, no interceptions and a passer efficiency rating of 136.3. 136! Oh, and he also rushed ten times for 58 yards and a touchdown, combining his usually mastery of the read-option and Tecmo Bowl type scrambles when the pass-pro broke down.

*Russell Okung allowed his first sack of the season. It came on a three-man rush.

*The Rams only mustered six yards per pass attempt and just 5.4 yards per play overall.

*Russell Wilson's end-of-season passer rating is an even 100.0, the highest mark in rookie history, pending Robert Griffin III's performance tonight (currently 104.1).

With the 49ers beating the Cardinals today, the Seahawks will finish half a game shy of winning the NFC West, and are locked into the 5th seed in the NFC. Their first playoff game will be played in either Washington or Dallas, depending on the outcome of the Sunday Night matchup.

It's been a hell of a regular season, you guys. This team is at least one, maybe two years ahead of schedule and are certainly a squad that no one wants to face. Cherish this, you guys -- the Seattle Seahawks are extremely young, super talented, and have the cap flexibility to keep the team in tact for the forseeable future. While this wasn't Seattle's best game of the season, it was the first one whose recap I wrote while pooping.

This season was filled with incredible accomplishments, so feel free to add them in the comments section.

JACSON ON TWITTER

NFL Picks, Week 17: Jacson's Straight Up Winners

2012-12-27T17:00:40Z

Another week, another 11 wins. Based on the feedback I've gotten, those eleven Ws were good enough to win more than a couple of office pools. This is our final slate of games all season and I can tell you it's been a pleasure giving you my thoughts on every NFL game this year. I know some of you have had a lot of success with these picks this year and if I've gotten you burned, well, I'm sorry, and I hope you stuck with us long enough for the wins to outweigh the losses.

For what it's worth, we're still eight games better than Vegas on the season, and that's really saying something you guys. Those of you in season-long betting pools are probably looking pretty good. Anyhow, it's the final week and things get really wonky this time of year. For example, there are three games on Sunday that Vegas isn't even touching because there are too many unknowables at play. But where Vegas cowers, we press ever onward with the bold intrepidation of the good and righteous. To the picks, and yes, they're brief cuz Week 17 sucks.

SUNDAY

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons

This is one of the games that Vegas has taken off the books, mainly because the Falcons have clinched HFA in the NFC and their fans are currently engaged in the luxurious argument about how much the starters should play. I have no idea how Mike Smith will approach this, although I'll say, for posterity's sake, that I'm in favor of playing your starters at least a half in order to keep players sharp and keep the pedal-to-the-floor mindset that got you there. I'm guessing Matt Ryan and the rest see some meaningful snaps, and if they don't play the whole game, I think the Buccaneers' starters can beat the Falcons' backups.

That said, it sounds like Mike Smith is determined to play his starters the whole (or most of) game, given how bad the Falcons looked a couple years ago when they got pasted at home as the #1 seed after sitting the starters in Week 17. Assuming that's true, I gotta go with the better team at home against one that's imploding*.

I hate picking games like this this early in the week, by the way.

*Kenneth said something funny a few days ago about how the Bucs brought in a hard ass like Greg Schiano to keep the team from tanking in the back half of the season. Haha, Bucs.

THE PICK: FALCONS

New York Jets at Buffalo Bills

The battle for the worst team in New York State will commence Sunday morning and I just couldn't care less. I'm taking Buffalo because of BT?HT and also because I am actively rooting for the Rex Ryan era to finish it's inward collapse into detestably annoying rubble. With any luck, it'll be his last game as a head coach and he can trundle back into the comfort of a coordinator position somewhere. I mean if we're going to be forced to hear about every little thing that team does, then lets at least give us some new shit to not care about.

THE PICK: BILLS

Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals are locked into the 5th seed in the AFC and would be justified in resting their starters, but Marvin Lewis insists he's going to play to win. I believe him, actually, as division wins mean a lot, especially to a young team (as we know). The Ravens have been the class of the division lately and instilling a "we can beat them" mindset is valuable. If the starters play, the Bengals (whose Weighted DVOA is better than Baltimore's anyway) win in front of a very excited crowd.

THE PICK: BENGALS

Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions

Despite the Bears's recent struggles, their defense is still putting up a historically productive season. Per Football Outsiders, Chicago's defense is having the third best year by DVOA in the statistic's 22 year history. The Lions, on the other hand, are Exhibit A that name/fantasy value don't necessarily equate to wins. We all know that Calvin Johnson is having one of the greatest years in terms of total production in receiving history. The less talked-about and less glamorous record is directly related, and that's Matthew Stafford's assault on Drew Beldsoe's single-season pass attempts record.

The Lions throw a lot because they're behind a lot. Their terrible secondary was supposed to be masked somewhat by an imposing front seven, but Ndamukong Suh, Nick Fairley, Kyle Vanden Bosch and the rest have failed to impress, and the team's inability to adapt may very well cost Jim Schwartz his job.

No reason for me to think the Lions don't end the season the same way they've been playing the last two months. Not against a good Bears team that's gunning for a playoff spot.

THE PICK: BEARS

Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Titans

Bad teams? Home team.

THE PICK: TITANS

Houston Texans at indianapolis Colts

The Colts are a great story, and the Texans have shown their fair share of weaknesses over the last half of the season, but lets not forget that we're talking about the 10th rated team by DVOA playing the 28th. Yep, despite their inspiring 10-5 record, the Colts have been on the right side of enough toss-up games to have a win-loss record a near-unprecedented five games better than FO's true-talent estimation. The fact that this is a home game for Indy gives me pause, but getting caught up in the narratives and getting cute with your picks is how Vegas makes money. You may get lucky now and a again, but talent wins more often than not.

THE PICK: TEXANS

Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints

Cam Newton has been out of this world good lately and I think the future is pretty bright in Carolina, provided they either get new coaching or a new approach. New Orleans has had a mostly successful last couple of months, but they put themselves too far back during their winless start to the season and even though their overall game is coming together, their defense still ranks 31st in the league and while Drew Brees is an immensely talented QB, not even he could save such a dysfunctional outfit without his usual coaching staff.

Honestly, I would pick whichever one of these teams was playing at home, given how mercurial they've been and how evenly talented, albeit in very different ways, they are. In this case, it means the Saints get my nod.

THE PICK: SAINTS

Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants

It's a shame that Andy Reid has to go out like this, assuming this is his last game as the Eagles' head coach. Reid has long been one of my favorite coaches in the NFL and he's proven very adept at tailoring his schemes to fit the unique talents of his best players. He really has been good enough to get at least one ring on his finger. I wish him the best, and I hope that he can put this extremely difficult year behind him.

I'd love to see Reid go out with a victory against their most hated rival, but I don't think the Giants will be bad enough with their season on the line to lose at home to this Philly squad. Better team, at home, with something to play for; everything about this game points to New York.

THE PICK: GIANTS

Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers

I'll be honest, it's kind of nice to see the Steelers playing a meaningless December game. I don't even care if they win it, which they will, because you know, Browns.

THE PICK: STEELERS

Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos

At the beginning of the season, there were probably a lot of people (myself included) that thought this game could have some serious import. The Broncos were pinning their hopes to an unknown commodity in post-neck-surgery Peyton Manning and the Chiefs were a popular bounce-back candidate under a new coaching staff and boasting elite talent in guys returning from injury like Jamaal Charles and Eric Berry.

Instead, the Broncos have laid waste to everything for the last two and a half months en route to a chance at the #1 seed while the Chiefs became the football equivalent of getting a loogy caught in your throat during a wedding speech. Vegas is giving Denver their largest spread of the year at 16 points and they just may get it.

THE PICK: BRONCOS

Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings

This game is really interesting to me because I thought the Vikings were fool's gold even when they got off to their 5-1 start and when they started to regress, then lost Percy Harvin, I thought they'd tank right through December a la the Bills last year. Adrian peterson, obviously, isn't having any of that, however, and even Christian Ponder perked his game up enough for the Viks to have a chance to play their way into the hotly contested NFC playoff bracket. I don't know the last time I saw a team follow this path through a season, but they're playing good football at the right time and, at home, I'd feel comfortable choosing them over at least 20 teams in the league. Sadly for the longsuffering Minny fans, they draw the white-hot Packers team that's playing every bit as well as the 15-win team last year but the chances of them showing a letdown this late in the season after flopping in the playoffs is unlikely. I expect both teams to be at or near their best on Sunday, but superior talent wins out in this one.

THE PICK: PACKERS

Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots

Let me first say that the Dolphins were much better this year than I expected them to be. I thought they might be the worst team in the NFL during the preseason, but they've since proved me wrong by being a slightly-less-than-average team. Still, this is an excellent (again) Patriots team that has spent the last fifteen years finishing their seasons off as one of the hotter teams in the NFL. Nothing has changed this year as they boast the best offensive DVOA in the league and are a proven December commodity, especially at home. Sure, the 49ers beat them this month, but the Dolphins are not the Niners.

THE PICK: PATRIOTS

Oakland Raiders at San Diego Chargers

First of all, the Raiders are really really bad. Now that that's out of the way, let's take a look at the bizarre series of events that have led to Norv Turner remaining the head coach of the Chargers despite so many seasons of perceived under-performance. Every year, it seems, the Chargers fail to meet the expectations that such talented rosters warrant. Often times, it's a matter of a slow start coupled with a frantic, wild surge at the end to either make the postseason or give management enough reason to think their end-of-season momentum will carry over to the next year.

Unfortunately, the Chargers have been a perfect example of why you shouldn't put too much stock in "momentum", especially between seasons. Septmeber through Novemeber, Turner has gone 28-28 in his time in SD. In Decemeber? 21-3. Ridiculous. And it's only going to get better after they handle the disaster that is this year's Raiders squad.

Think they bring the tortoise king back for another season?

THE PICK: CHARGERS

Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers

I want the Cardinals to win as badly as you guys do, but I'm not here to pick the teams I want to win. My job is to give you guys the best picks I can, and choosing the single-flowered wasteland of the Cardinals roster to go into San Fran and win a game against one the league's three best teams as they play for a divisional title would be irresponsible of me.

THE PICK: 49ERS

St Louis Rams at Seattle Seahawks

You know what's awesome? Having a team that goes 8-0 at home. No reason that shouldn't happen on Sunday, given Seattle's recent dominance, their greater talent, and the 12th Man. if you're going to this game, help make sure it's the 49ers that have to handle their business to keep the NFC West crwon out of the Emerald City.

THE PICK: SEAHAWKS

Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins

In all likelihood, this game will determine the opponent and location of the Seahawks' first playoff game. Personally, I think Seattle matches up better with the Cowboys than they do with the Redskins but frankly I don't think either team is as good as the 'Hawks. Regardless of who wins this game, I think we'll see Seattle as one of the rare road favorites in the postseason. The Redskins are not only a better overall team than the Cowboys (11th in DVOA vs 14th), they're hotter (8th in Weighted DVOA to 15th), and are at home, which is good for three points on its own. I'm not saying Dallas can't win this game, but I am saying they'll have to be near their best to do it. I'm putting my money on the Redskins ability to vary their running game enough to keep the ball out of the hands of Dallas' vaunted playmakers.

THE PICK: REDSKINS

Jacson's 2012 Record: 160-79-1 (.668)

Vegas' 2012 Record: 151-86-3 (.637)

JACSON ON TWITTER

NFL Picks, Week 16: Jacson's Straight Up Winners

2012-12-20T15:15:02Z

SATURDAY (wait what?)

Atlanta Falcons at Detroit Lions

Frankly, I think the only real shot the Lions had of winning this game was Green Bay losing last week, which would mean that the Falcons had clinched HFA throughout the playoffs and could, consequently, rest some key players for a majority of this game. Unfortunately for Karl Welzein and the rest of the Lions fans aching for an extravagant fifth win, the Pack took care of their business, meaning Atlanta can clinch with a win in this one and will be coming as full bore as they did last week when they napalmed the defending Super Bowl champs 34-0.

THE PICK: FALCONS

SUNDAY

New Orleans at Dallas Cowboys

Logical reasoning would dictate, at least as far as I can tell, that our ideas of teams clears up as the season goes along. Usually, by the time a team has played 14 games, we have a pretty decent awareness of their strengths and weaknesses, allowing us to make easier decisions on which team will win.

Unfortunately, the end of the season also brings disparate outlooks with regards to the playoff picture, which simultaneously muddies the analytical waters and leaves us guessing at what a particular team's strategy/outlook/motivation is. Teams that have clinched a specific playoff spot may rest some starters in the second half, or they may try to keep continuity and momentum by playing their studs the same as they normally do. Conversely, teams that are eliminated from playoff contention may start or sit their best guys for completely different reasons. If it's a team with a lame-duck head coach or front office (hi San Diego), they may play more of their young guys and backups to give whoever the new regime is a better idea of what some of the more unknown quantities on the roster are. Then again, that struggling team may have a coach that is fighting for his job and, while it may not seem like a huge deal to us as fans, the difference between five wins and seven wins can be the difference in whether those coaches have gainful employment next season.

In this case, both teams have had really impressive victories and some really stink losses. Dallas is currently a lost-tiebreaker away from both a playoff spot and a divisional lead, while the Saints are all but eliminated from the postseason. This game is a tough one to decipher, and Vegas is only favoring the home team by three points, indicating that they view these teams as equally talented should they play on a neutral field.

I'm gonna go with the hosts on principle, especially considering that they're the ones still clawing for a chance to play january football.

THE PICK: COWBOYS

Tennessee Titans at Green Bay Packers

I mean, c'mon.

THE PICK: PACKERS

Indianapolis Colts at Kansas City Chiefs

The Colts are not, as I've said before, nearly as good as their record but holy cow you guys the Chiefs just got shut out by the Raiders and spent the whole game stubbornly refusing to utilize their best playmakers for the 33rd time this season even though like I said they were getting housed by the freaking Oakland Raiders I mean the Raiders aren't even an NFL football team as much as they are a loosely organized band of misguided juggalos.

The Chiefs are just so, so bad and the freaking Colts, in the bottom fifth of the NFL in DVOA, are about to be a ten win team headed into the season finale. The AFC, man...

THE PICK: COLTS

Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphins

The Bills have fallen apart this season the same way they've fallen apart nearly every season since 1999 and December has once again become "talent evaluation season". Well, I can evaluate that they're not very talented at defending fake punts this season, amirite guys?

Meanwhile, Miami is suuuper average and, lucky for them, that's good enough to beat the Bills at home.

THE PICK: DOLPHINS

San Diego Chargers at New York Jets

Everything about this game is so awful. Burn in a dumpster fire, SportsCenter.

I'm deferring to the ol' standby: Bad teams? Home team.

THE PICK: JETS

Washington Redskins at Philadelphia Eagles

Last week, I picked the Redskins to win on the assumption that Robert Griffin III would play. As we all know, he didn't and just before kickoff, one of our readers (GriffinNW) asked if I'd stick with the 'Skins with RGIII sidelined. I said yes, and did so because I'm officially a believer in Alfred Morris or, more accurately, the way they utilize Alfred Morris in that offense (#1 in rushing). Mike Shanahan (and, by extension, his son Kyle) has restored my faith in him as an offensive mind and their ability to have rookie backup Kirk Cousins prepared to perform the way he did only reinforces me rediscovered confidence in them.

The Washington defense has been playing pretty well of late, too. Since their three-game losing streak came to a halt back in mid-November, they've won five consecutive games and have held opponents to ~20 PPG -- an impressive improvement considering that no opponents had scored less than 21 against them in their first nine games.

Philly, on the other hand, is reeling. I really like Andy Reid and I think he's one of the better head coaches in my lifetime, but this eason has gotten away from him. You could say that the Eagles will benefit from the return of their two biggest stars (Michael Vick and LeSean McCoy), but Vick is listed as the third-stringer for this one and McCoy will be splitting carries with Bryce Brown and Dion Lewis, presumably.

For the first time all season, I'm taking the Redskins seriously as a contender, and also as Seattle's most likely first-round playoff opponent.

THE PICK: REDSKINS

Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers

This may be the toughest game of the week for me to pick. As it stands, it looks exceedingly likely that exactly one of these two teams will make the postseason. The Bengals have a one-game advantage over the Steelers for the final playoff spot, meaning that they can clinch a berth with a win since no teams below Pittsburgh have a chance at surpassing either squad.

Nevertheless, I think the Steelers can win this game and not just because they're at home. Despite having their last game Roethlisberger'd away by Big Ben in overtime, they're talented and healthy enough to make a lot of noise the rest of the way. A win gives them the chance to earn their way into the dance and their defense is just a different animal with a healthy Troy Polamalu. I'm okay with admitting that the Bengals are finally better than the Steelers, but I'm going to need to see them prove that on Sunday before I put it in ink. Going home squad here.

THE PICK: STEELERS

St Louis Rams at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Can't figure out either of these teams. One thing I can say about them with some certainty is that they're both too inconsistent to put any real faith in. I'm not ready to go BT?HT because I don't think either of these teams are bad, per say, and it's hard to put stock in a home team that just lost 41-0 to a 5-8 team. By the same token, I felt pretty good about the Rams last week and they got sliced up by the one dimensional Vikings.

To be honest, I think there's a stronger foundation/formula in St Louis than there is in Tampa but more top end talent on the Bucs than the Rams. I do think Tampa is capable of making the necessary adjustments after their humiliating loss (I mean, if the Cardinals can bounce back to destroy a mediocre team after the shellacking they took in Seattle, then surely Tampa Bay can, right?) and I have a hard time putting much faith in Sam Bradford on the road.

I'll say this much, I won't feel bad if I'm wrong on this one.

Fun Fact: The Rams have played five games against the NFC West, which may very well be the best division in football this year, and haven't lost a single one. Against the rest of the NFL, however? 2-7. This league is weird.

THE PICK: BUCCANEERS

Oakland Raiders at Carolina Panthers

Cam is going HAM, guys. Over the last five games he's piled up a little over 1,300 passing yards, nearly 300 rushing yards, 13 touchdowns, and 0(!) turnovers. He's now the 2nd-highest scoring QB on the year in most fantasy football formats and while I never use fantasy as any basis for making picks are you gonna tell me that the Raiders have anything on either side of the ball to give you any hope that they'll not get disemboweled at his hands in his stadium, or do anything to counter him?* The Raiders couldn't even muster a single touchdown against the Chiefs and the Chiefs aren't even real.

*Run on sentence, bitches.

THE PICK: PANTHERS

New England Patriots at Jacksonville Jaguars

Tom Brady and Bill Belichick just got beat at home in December for the first time since before the Mayan calender existed and there is no QB/HC duo I fear more after a loss than the combo in Foxboro. Their ability to make adjustments and their unwillingness to take their foot off the gas even after they've successfully slaughtered an inferior opponent is downright vicious. And the Jags suck.

This one is going to get really ugly, methinks.

THE PICK: PATRIOTS

Minnesota Vikings at Houston Texans

I keep waiting for the Viking to go away, but Adrian Peterson keeps refusing to let them. You guys ever watch the original "Conan: The Barbarian"? In it, young Conan is abducted by a marauding tribe and chained to a giant threshing machine with all of his fellow captives. These poor souls were literally worked to death, whipped to drive the giant spokes of this thresher forward until they collapse and die of fatigue. Spoiler alert: every one of them dies because duh.

Everyone except Conan, because instead of dying like every other mortal around him, he turns the endless repetition into a daily training regimen, ultimately hulking up enough to drive the entire mammoth thresher by himself despite the fact that it once took an entire town to move it. Do you guys see where I'm going with this?

Peterson is on the verge of breaking the all-time single-season rushing record despite opposing defenses knowing that he's going to get the ball all the time. What he's doing this year is one of the most impressive individual efforts I've ever seen as a football fan. I mean, there aren't even any other weapons on that offense.

I think AP gets his yards, especially given the fragile shell of a linebacking crew that the Texans offer, but Houston has some incredible talent as well. We all know about the resurgent Andre Johnson and the so-good-it's-almost-boring Arian Foster, but their O-line is still great and JJ Watt is literally having the highest-rated individual season ever by a defensive player, according to Pro Football Focus.

I love All Day, but the Texans are an awesome collective and they're definitely equipped to win this game at home.

THE PICK: TEXANS

Cleveland Browns at Denver Broncos

Do the Broncos ever lose anymore? It's unreal how quickly Peyton Manning made his new team just as predictably consistent and good as his old team used to be. Just incredible. And since the Browns are still, ya know, the Browns, this is a pretty easy one to choose.

THE PICK: BRONCOS

Chicago Bears at Arizona Cardinals

As crazy as this would've sounded a month ago, Lovie Smith may be coaching for his job in this one. The Bears' tumble has taken them from atop one of the better divisions in the league to having their faces pressed up against the outer window of the NFC playoff picture. They're certainly good enough to beat the Cardinals (who isn't?) but it remains to be seen if they can pull everything together.

I just can't in good conscience choose Arizona to win this game, even though they're at home. I just can't. Chicago's defense is still very good and the Cardinals offense is still very bad (don't let their win over Detroit fool you, all those points were either scored or gift-wrapped by the D).

I hate to choose a struggling team with a petulant quarterback on the road, but I just gotta this time.

THE PICK: BEARS

New York Giants at Baltimore Ravens

Dafuq just happened, Coughlin? 41-0? Even after their beatdown at the hands of the Falcons last week, I still consider the Giants to be better than their 8-6 record and am willing to chalk that game up as a ridiculous outlier if they can bounce back this week. Meanwhile, I don't think the Ravens are as good as their 9-5 record, but they are at home and they have had time to get their new Cam Cameron-less offense together.

If the Ravens can pull their collective head out of Joe Flacco's overthrowing ass and get back to living off of Ray Rice, they should be able to beat a mercurial Giants team. I'm going to put my faith in their ability to do that, even though Vegas is taking New York here. Just know that if this game were in NY or on a neutral field, I'd be taking Eli Manning and Co.

THE PICK: RAVENS

San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks

Football Outsiders has been down for most of the week so I can't confirm that these are the top two teams in terms of DVOA in the NFL but I'm here to tell you that this Sunday Night game will feature the two best teams in the NFL right now. I'm also going to say that if this game was being played on a neutral field, I'm probably picking the NIners, but this game isn't being played on a neutral field, it's being played in the most difficult home stadium in professional sports for opposing teams to win in.

It's currently 1:30am and I'm sitting at a crossroads. In one direction is the long, detailed, rational breakdown of this game (but that would be an entire lengthy article unto itself) and in the other is the simple belief that the combo of the way that Seattle is playing and their unmatched home field advantage is enough to beat any team in the NFL (but you guys deserve better than that. ~~Do you, though?~~) In between these two paths is overgrown bramble and it is through that that I choose to go for the purposes of this post.

In many ways, these teams are very similar. Both feature young dual-threat quarterbacks rapidly coming into their own and operating out of collegiate-esque offenses (the Pistol for SF, the read-option for SEA). Both feature seasoned running backs more eager to run over you than around you. Both have receiving corps that don't scare anyone on their own but who have grown into their system and whose QBs and coaches have become very adept at picking their spots with them. Both offensive lines can flat out maul you in the running game and do more than passable jobs in pass protection.

Both defensive lines feature stout interior linemen and speedy pass-rushing specialists on the ends. Both teams employ linebackers that get to the ball swiftly without vacating their assignments and both teams boast magnetic secondaries that give opposing passers little to know room for mistakes.

As it stands right now, I give the 49ers advantages in the following categories:

O-line: #1 in the league, by a lot, according to Football Outsiders, and that assessment will get no argument from me.

Front Seven: Also the best in the league, in my opinion. Aldon Smith is already what we all hope Bruce Irvin can become someday and Justin Smith is as relentless and vicious as any two-dimensional defensive end in the league. Patrick Willis and Navarro Bowman are the scariest pair of linebackers I can remember watching (yes, I think even better than Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs a couple of years ago). Those two not only get to the ball when they're supposed to, they get to the ball when they're not supposed to, often times fighting their way through blockers to get to ballcarriers quicker than any realistic expectation could warrant.

I give Seattle the edge in these:

Quarterback: Russell Wilson has played just about the best football of literally any QB in the league over the last two months and has the highest QBR in the entire NFL since Week 11, which is when Colin Kaepernick took over as the starter. Kaepernick, to his credit, has been great and suits that offense much better than Alex Smith ever did, but what Russell is doing right now defies belief. Insanely apropos decision-making accompanied by gorgeous throwing and remarkably efficient running. So efficient, in fact, that he never even got tackled on any of his runs last week.

Secondary: I say this with the assumption that Richard Sherman will play (even though his appeal is being heard Friday, there's a strong chance that a decision won't come until early next week). Brandon Browner, obviously, is out with his own suspension but the combination of Jeremy Lane, Byron Maxwell, and Walter Thurmond sure have looked capable of holding their own in his/their stead. Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor are still the best safety duo in the league, but it will be interesting to see if they get pulled up close to the line of scrimmage should Frank Gore start gashing them like he did earlier this year. If that's the case, then Seattle may be susceptible to the deep ball, something that Kaepernick is scarily adept at.

The other areas -- receiver, running back, special teams, etc -- are more of a toss up, but I'm putting my money on the team that enjoys the best HFA in the NFL and has the QB that's playing at an unparalleled level.

I could talk about this game for 2,000 more words, but I'm at 3,000 already and it's time to wrap it up.

SEA*!!

THE PICK: SEAHAWKS

*SONS GREETINGS, YOU GUYS

Jacson's 2012 Record: 149-74-1 (.668)

Vegas' 2012 Record: 140-81-3 (.633)

JACSON ON TWITTER