We know some of you are visiting Seahawks.com for the very first time. That's perfectly OK. We're glad to have you on board.

As one of the world's premier sporting events, the Super Bowl can attract new fans to the game of football from all over the globe. Those fresh followers might not yet have a particular rooting interest in the NFL's biggest stage, but with the help of a little light reading, maybe we can help change that.

As one of two teams participating in Super Bowl XLIX (that's 49 for the roman-numerically challenged), we feel it's our duty to educate the masses about what makes the Seattle Seahawks so great. That way, when the club kicks off against the New England Patriots on Sunday, Feb. 1 at Glendale's University of Phoenix Stadium, you'll know a little bit more about the players, coaches, and staff donning blue and green and be able to guide your rooting interest more appropriately.

These are the 12 things the casual football fan should know about the Seattle Seahawks:

1. They Won The Super Bowl Last Year

Hopefully you knew this one already. But hey, if you're a true casual football fan just jumping into the NFL, there's a good chance you didn't.

The Seahawks' Super Bowl win a season ago was their first since the team's inception in 1976, and they pulled it off in historic fashion.

The matchup featured the League's No. 1-ranked defense - the Seahawks - against the League's No. 1-ranked offense - the Denver Broncos. Seattle amounted a 2-0 lead on the very first play of the game when Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning had the snap fly over his head and roll into the end zone, where Seahawks defensive end Cliff Avril pounced on Broncos running back Knowshon Moreno for a safety.

Seattle never looked back after that, scoring touchdowns on offense, defense, and special teams while forcing four turnovers en route to a 43-8 victory.

This year's Super Bowl against the Patriots marks the team's third time in the NFL's biggest game. The Seahawks also appeared in Super Bowl XL during the 2005 season, falling 21-10 to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

2. They Beat The Carolina Panthers & Green Bay Packers To Get To This Point

The Seahawks earned a trip to Super Bowl XLIX after amounting a 12-4 record during the regular season. With that, Seattle claimed its second consecutive NFC West title and conference's No. 1 overall seed, securing the Seahawks a bye in the wild-card round of the NFL Playoffs.

With home-field advantage under their belt, the Seahawks played host to the Carolina Panthers in the divisional-round at CenturyLink Field, coming away with a 31-17 win to advance to the NFC Championship game against the Green Bay Packers.

Against Green Bay, Seattle faced a 16-0 deficit midway through the third quarter. But the Seahawk scored 15 points in 44 seconds late in the fourth quarter to send the game to overtime, where they won 28-22 on a 35-yard touchdown from quarterback Russell Wilson to wide receiver Jermaine Kearse. The 16-point comeback was the third-largest comeback in conference championship game history.

3. They're The 12th Team In NFL History To Return To The Super Bowl After Winning It The Previous Season

With the Seahawks' 28-22 overtime win against the Packers in the NFC Championship game, they became the 12th team in NFL history to return to the Super Bowl after winning it the previous season.

Eight of the previous 11 returning Super Bowl winners won the next season's title game. The last back-to-back Super Bowl winner? The Patriots (2003-04), who just so happen to be the Seahawks' opponent in Super Bowl XLIX.

4. They Haven't Lost By Double Digits Since Nov. 6, 2011

Treat every game like a championship game. That's the mentality Pete Carroll instilled in this ball club after taking over as head coach in January of 2010 and it's one that's carried the team to 42 victories and 13 losses (regular and postseason combined) through the past three years.

Utilizing that championship mentality, the Seahawks haven't lost a game by double digits since Nov. 6, 2011 - a 23-13 loss at the home of the Dallas Cowboys. Carroll's team enters Sunday's game against the Patriots carrying the same thought that has served them so well throughout the course of the season - to go 1-0 every week.

5. Their Running Back Is "Just About That Action, Boss"

Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch likes to let his play on the field do his talking for him.

He told NFL Network's Deion Sanders as much in an interview that went viral at last year's Super Bowl Media Day.

"I'm just about that action, boss," Lynch told Sanders when asked why he prefers to shy away from the camera lens.

Since joining the Seahawks on Oct. 5, 2010, Lynch has racked up career highs in rushing yards per season (1,590), rushing touchdowns (13), receiving touchdowns (4), and yards per carry (5.0). He's the Skittles-munching focal point of the Seahawks offense, and one whose enormous on-the-field contributions might only be rivaled by his off-the-field passions in the Oakland community.

Outside of football, Lynch's Fam 1st Family Foundation is No. 1. The running back nicknamed "Beast Mode" for his physical play hosts a free football camp every summer at Oakland Technical High School - Lynch's alma mater.

This past summer, Lynch's camp attracted more than 800 youth. Seahawks.com was on site to talk with Lynch about his Oakland efforts, a story you can check out right here.

6. Marshawn Lynch & Russell Wilson Combined To Rush For More Yards Than 27 Other NFL Teams

The Seahawks offense is on its second-longest streak in franchise history with 11-consecutive 100-yard rushing games. That's thanks in large part to Lynch, who led the team with 1,306 yards on the ground this year. But quarterback Russell Wilson knows how to use his legs as well. Wilson rushed for a career high 849 yards this past season, meaning Lynch and Wilson rushed for a combined 2,155 yards - a higher total than 27 other NFL teams.

Behind Lynch, Wilson, and backup running backs Robert Turbin and Christine Michael, the Seahawks set a single-season franchise record for rushing yards (2,762) - the third-most rushing yards in the NFL since 1985 and most since 2006.

7. Their Defensive Back Proposed On The 50-Yard-Line At CenturyLink Field

Following the Seahawks' 26-20 overtime win against the Broncos in Week 3 of this past season, Seattle defensive back DeShawn Shead proposed to his girlfriend Jessica Martinez. The stadium had emptied out at the time, but several of Shead's family, friends, and teammates witnessed the memorable moment.

Shead, in his third-year with the Seahawks out of Portland State, had Bruno Mars' Marry You *playing during his proposal, with CenturyLink Field's north video board reading, *Will you marry me Jessica?

"Football is what brought me to Washington, for me to meet her," Shead said at the time. "So I think this is a big part of our relationship."

Oh, and if you were wondering, she said yes.

8. L.O.B. Stands For "Legion Of Boom," But Also "Love Our Brothers"

The acronym L.O.B. stands for "Legion of Boom," a reference to the Seahawks' fast, physical, and hard-hitting group of defensive backs. The unit is headed by strong safety Kam Chancellor, free safety Earl Thomas, and cornerbacks Richard Sherman and Byron Maxwell.

The moniker was born in early 2012, when Chancellor said in an interview that the secondary loves to "bring the boom." Seahawks fans on Twitter took notice shortly thereafter, dubbing the fearsome-foursome the L.O.B. - a name that has stuck ever since.

But this past season saw the L.O.B. take on added meaning - "Love Our Brothers." It reminds the Seahawks that not one individual is held in a higher regard than another. It's an attitude that's built on trust and respect and one that the Seahawks exude on every play.

9. Their Fanbase Is Hyper-Active On Social Media

Seahawks fans are some of the loudest in sports, and with many of them residing in the social-media savvy Pacific Northwest, they have a strong online presence as well. So much so, that the Seahawks digital media team created a Twitter account this past season in their name, launching @12s to curate the social media contributions of some of the League's most active fans.

On top of the @12s Twitter account, the Seahawks have several other team-affiliated accounts across various social media platforms.

The club has a presence on Twitter (@Seahawks), Facebook (Facebook.com/Seahawks), Instagram (instagram.com/Seahawks), Google-plus (plus.google.com/Seahawks), Snapchat (Seahawks), and even has its own mobile app.

On top of those Seahawks social accounts, team mascot Blitz the Seahawk (@BlitzTheSeahawk) and his sidekick BOOM (@BOOMTheSeahawk) have their own Twitter handles, as do the Seahawks cheerleaders (@TheSeaGals), team band (@BTDrumline), home stadium (@CenturyLinkFld), and practice field (@VMACTurf).

10. Their Defensive End Is Wearing A White Cowboy Hat All Week In Honor Of A Fallen Friend

Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett debuted a white cowboy hat during a post NFC Championship press conference at Seahawks headquarters.

This past Monday, shortly after the Seahawks arrived in Phoenix, Ariz. for Super Bowl XLIX, Bennett explained he's wearing it in honor of a friend who recently died of cancer. The hat, which Bennett has vowed to wear all Super Bowl week, was his friend - Mark Alexander's - favorite.

"His wife gave it to me so I'm wearing it all week to give me some good luck," Bennett said.

Alexander worked with kids in the Houston, Texas area where Bennett grew up.

"He was like a guy who was a mentor to a lot of kinds around my neighborhood," Bennett said. "When he died, he had more than 500 people show up at his house. Even the funeral last week, there were so many kids that had grown up and done so many different things."

11. Their Recently-Signed Defensive Tackle Was Valet Parking Cars Last Month

Seahawks defensive tackle Landon Cohen was signed to the team's 53-man roster on Jan. 5 after third-year defensive tackle Jordan Hill was placed on injured reserve. One month earlier, Cohen was tending to his valet parking business in Spartanburg, S.C.

Cohen is one of 15 faces on the Super Bowl roster that wasn't around for last year's NFL title game. The other 14? You have 12-year NFL veteran D-lineman Kevin Williams - who's playing in his first Super Bowl ever, defensive end Demarcus Dobbs - who's played in four straight NFC Championship games, fullback Will Tukuafu - who spent Christmas handing out gift bags to Seattle homeless, wide receiver Chris Mathews, defensive lineman David King, tight end Tony Moeaki, center Patrick Lewis, offensive guard Keavon Milton, defensive backs Steven Terrell and Marcus Burley, as well as rookies Justin Britt, Brock Coyle, Kevin Norwood, and Garry Gilliam.

12. The No. 12 Is For The Fans

If you've spent any amount of time on the rest of our site (and you should) - or if you're still reading at this point of the article - you may have noticed we like to center things around the number 12.

Why's that? Well, in football, each side plays with 11 players. Seahawks fans represent the "12th Man" - a collective we like to call 12s - because of the influence they have on the game with their loud and proud showings of support.

How special is the No. 12 in Seattle? It was retired for the fans in 1984 - the first jersey number ever retired by the team. And before every home game at CenturyLink Field a 12 Flag is raised in honor of the fans. Former Seahawks greats, local celebrities and sports personalities have been called upon to carry out the tradition before kickoff.

So there you have it - 12 things the casual football fan should know about the Seattle Seahawks. If you don't know, now you know.

>>> Still Interested? READ: 12 More Things The Casual Football Fan Should Know About The Seahawks