For the second time in the past 12 months, the Seahawks are hosting the NFC Championship game.
And how appropriate is that? Because the 12s are everywhere in and around CenturyLink Field as they anticipate Sunday's 12 o'clock kickoff of the Seahawks' matchup against the Green Bay Packers. And the 12s also will be right where the Seahawks always need them – generating a din that makes it difficult, and at times impossible, for the opposing offense to operate.
The 12s are a big reason why the Seahawks have won 25 of their past 27 home games – including last weekend's 31-17 victory over the Carolina Panthers in the divisional round of the playoffs. The 12s also are a big reason why the Seahawks have an eight-game home winning streak in the playoffs – including last January's 23-17 victory over the defending conference champion San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game. And the 12s are a big reason why the Seahawks have the second-best home record in the NFL since 2002, when the team moved into its state-of-the-art stadium. The only team with a better home record than the Seahawks' 73-31 mark over that span? It's the Packers, at 74-29-1.
And the Seahawks are going to need the 12s – again – in Sunday's matchup with the Packers to decide the NFC representative in Super Bowl XLIX in two weeks at University of Phoenix Stadium in Arizona.
"We're going to need them," quarterback Russell Wilson said. "We're going to need them to be loud and throwing their towels and acting crazy. It's going to be a game that's probably going to come down to the wire, and that's what you're looking for."
Among the 12s on hand for to answer Wilson's call are a mixed-allegiance couple from Woodland, a Mike Holmgren fan from Belfair and father whose son is a Packers fan.
Hanna Ingraham
Age:21
From:Woodland
Accompanied by: her boyfriend, Gage Martell, who was wearing a No. 12 Aaron Rodgers jersey.
Fan since:"All my life."
Favorite all-time Seahawk: Shaun Alexander. "He was the first player I really paid attention to," she said of the franchise's all-time leading rusher and only Seahawk to ever be named league MVP.
Favorite current Seahawk: "Kam Chancellor," said Ingraham, who was wearing a No. 31 Chancellor jersey. Why? "Because he jumped over all those people," she said of Chancellor hopping over the line twice on field-goal attempts in last weekend's divisional playoff game against the Panthers.
Favorite moment from Super Bowl XLVIII:"Winning. And I knew we were going to win."
Favorite moment in franchise history other than the Super Bowl:"The first time we even went to the Super Bowl," she said of Super Bowl XL after the 2005 season. "I hated that game. But at least we got there."
Moment most looking forward to today: "Defeating Rodgers," she said, gesturing toward Martell in his green-and-gold No. 12 jersey.
Paul Gentry
Age: 56
From: Belfair. "Just a ferry ride away."
Accompanied by: "I'm by myself. My wife hates football. But I haven't divorced her yet."
Fan since:"Since I got here in the Navy, in 2001."
Favorite all-time Seahawk: "That's a tough one. Of course everybody likes Steve Largent," he said of the franchise's all-time leading receiver. "But for me, it's the coach – Mike Holmgren (from 1999-2008). Just because I loved his offensive prowess and he brought the team from what wasn't to what is."
Favorite current Seahawk: "I'd have to say Richard Sherman," said Gentry, who was wearing a No. 25 Sherman jersey. "It's his personality and he's just great."
Favorite moment from Super Bowl XLVIII: "The second touchdown, the (Marshawn) Lynch touchdown. Because I knew then that the game was over. And I wanted to see him score. He deserved it."
Favorite moment in franchise history other than the Super Bowl:"I was here for the tip," he said Sherman's Immaculate Deflection that iced last season's victory over the 49ers in the NFC title game. "I mean if you were here for that, there's just no getting around it. There was nothing better in my eyes."
Moment most looking forward to today: "A 31-13 win. I don't want any more pressure. There was enough last year. And if we play to our potential, we can win by 19. So I just want to win big."
Clint Boren
Age: 49
From: Maple Valley
Accompanied by: his son, who is a Packers' fan and was hanging out by the tunnel that leads to the Green Bay locker room to get autographs.
Fan since: "Since '76."
Favorite all-time Seahawk: Dave Krieg. "No. 17," he said of the Ring of Honor QB. "I just have a heart for him as an underdog. He came out of Milton College. He came out of nowhere. Undrafted. He was an underdog, and the way he played, and the way Seahawks were then, and what it meant, and how he tried, and how long he played. I liked his character. He didn't pound in his chest. He didn't show his muscles. He was just a great quarterback."
Favorite current Seahawk: Russell Wilson. "Because he doesn't pound on his chest. He doesn't flex his muscles. He's a prime example for young and older people," he said of the team's current QB. "He's just a great person."
Favorite moment from Super Bowl XLVIII: "The first play of the game, 12 seconds into it," he said of the safety.
Favorite moment in franchise history other than the Super Bowl:"It was in Miami, when the Seahawks made it to the AFC Championship game by beating the Dolphins," he said of the divisional playoff game in 1983. "Reggie McKenzie carried Chuck Knox off the field on his shoulders. That was my favorite moment of all-time."
Moment most looking forward to today: "Aaron Rodgers going down and the Seahawks not making it close, because I can't handle close games."
