Seattle Seahawks and Old Women: One Point

Contributed by Kathe Frahm

The old women are still unclear how much these preseason games mean. They brought very little food to watch the first game but for the second they had more enthusiasm. Beating the Chiefs like a drum will be fun.

They are happy to see the defense work a little better and found a new sweetie in Jimmy Graham: cute and 6'7”. Graham and their Russell Wilson, showed a real connection for the few passes they completed.

The old women watched Graham and an old favorite, Luke Willson, at 6'5” talk on the sidelines. They laughed that they were among the few Hawks who could nearly see eye to eye. Watching handsome young men who are tall and have those great long legs again sidetracked the old women off into another conversation involving plays not found on a football field.

One old woman invited her Granddaughter to watch the game in the rec room. This prompted the old women to at least attempt to tidy up their language a bit. Though the girl was eighteen, the old women worked to show a little bad language restraint. As the game went on, however, that effort became too much and when their boys just were not going to win, epithets learned over a long life offered whole new lessons in obscenities with no apologies to the Granddaughter.

The lone old man keeps proving he has what it takes to stay in the rec room with the old women for nearly the whole game. They know he's there for the free food. Since he knew how to work the remote to mute the commercials, the old woman with the remote control duty relinquished it to him. He was reminded to keep the volume up to hear the conversations going around the room and the game plays.

The Chiefs showed a good defensive line and pressured the Seahawks' QBs Russell and Archer to scramble. The Chiefs' QB Alex Smith proved he was ready for their season to start for real.

At least this time the front line protected Russell and Archer better and no one got hurt. Watching DT Brandon Mebane do his belly roll and LB Bobby Wagner with DE Michael Bennett throwing Chiefs aside was all part of the fun. 

Being together is fun.

After the loss, the old women went back to their little apartments. Those that can will come back next Saturday to watch their boys unplug the Chargers.

This time the old women will again designate someone to keep track of Hawk penalties. They were called for 11 against the Chiefs. The ever adorable coach Pete Carroll didn't think all the calls were warranted. Hawks had 16 one game last season. They believe that if you get called on 13 but make 15 you're still ahead. Carroll did say the team had to get better. The old women say not always getting caught is better. They have learned fair play works best when you're winning.

For the Charger game the old women are sure the Hawks will win. They would like that. Maybe the snack table will have more than just a few days-old cookies.

Seattle Seahawks and Old Women: Bronco Bucked

Contributed by Kathe Frahm

The old women and one old man weren't sure what they were supposed to see in a 'preseason' Seattle Seahawks game. They came to the rec room at the home only knowing that what they wanted to see was their boys just pounding the “Manning-less” Broncos into the soggy Seattle turf. That didn't happen.

Some of the old women were not even sure who was going to play. One nerdy old woman had a roster list and was trying to mark off the names of the players as she read them off their uniform backs. Not a precise method, but a little helpful. They knew Russell Wilson got his money. So did Bobby Wagner. Marshawn Lynch was happy. But they did not understand why a favorite, Kam Chancellor, wasn't going to play. And why were other favorites on the sidelines was an often asked question. They agreed that it was a chance to let the adorable rookies get their feet wet.

It is all very confusing and the numbers mentioned for contract signing seemed unreal. These old women, living off Social Security with just enough to pay the subsidized rent and buy some groceries, had trouble imagining just what a player's millions of dollars would buy.

Their Russell did not look like the star he is supposed to be. And then QB back-up Tavaris Jackson got carted off the field with an injury and that left the new kid, third in line, RJ Archer to face the daunting Bronco front line. The Hawk defense did not do well at all. Big and mean and fast is just what the old women like. That description started another inappropriate conversation related to physical size that had little to do with football.

The old women did rediscover their Seahawk screaming and walker rattling cheering section when the rookie Tyler Lockett took off with a kick return of 103 yards in his debut game. The buzz in the room did not settle down until a little dizziness set in for some of them.

A trip to the sparse snack table helped some of the old women and the lone old man to refocus.

The old women wanted more from their boys. They wanted the Broncos to lose. Waiting 6 months for a chance to watch the Hawks win again mattered. It is a hard thing for old women to brush off the disappointment of that last few minutes of the 2015 Superbowl. They really didn't like the tampering of game balls brought in by the Patriots to use as an excuse to explain away the loss. Their boys just should have won. One more loss in lives full of them doesn't get any easier. This year will be better. The old women are good at hope.

Seattle Seahawks and Old Women: Preseason Edition

Contributed by Kathe Frahm

The old women will again come to the rec room. It won't be the same this year. They have lost some friends. When hearing of the loss of one of the old men, one old women said, "Now who's going to buy our fried chicken?" Grief is expressed in many ways.

One really loud old woman and one too talkative old woman moved away. All though no one said “good riddance”, the old women thought it was for the good.

The old women have had 8 months to shake their disappointment at losing the biggest game of the year. Their boys not winning the Super Bowl still remains an unsolvable puzzle: if Russell had only handed the ball off to Marshawn at the 1 yard line...

This new season will be for many of them even more confusing. Some old women are waiting for the final word on who actually will play for the Seattle Seahawks. Some of their favorite boys have been traded. But the old women are ready to watch Marshawn Lynch, Kam Chancellor, Steve Haushka and Richard Sherman. Finding out what the 'Hawks will pay to keep Russell Wilson past next year is of interest.

Management at the home say the whole building is to be remodeled. This was to start this January. It hasn't.

The old women at the home meeting, where this was announced, threatened to bolt the rec room door from the inside if even one construction worker interfered with a 'Hawk game. You can push around old women just so far.

A new couch would be good so the old women who need the front row for the TV wouldn't sink into the existing one up to their shoulders and need help getting out of it.

The preseason games start in Seattle in August with the Broncos and the regular games begin with the Rams in September. Someone has already put the 2015-2016 game schedule up on the cork board. Maybe some of the old women will watch preseason, maybe not. At their age, everything has to count.

A couple of old women want to start a pizza fund. It is a rare treat but all together they may be able to afford it once in a while.

Some old women say they have added new Seahawk things to wear. Large, dangly earrings seem to be the fashion statement so far.

The clothing and food comparisons and competition will begin in earnest with the Ram game.

The old women hope for a Super Bowl winning season for their 'Hawks. One commented that coach (Surfer Boy) Carroll was even more adorable than last season. That brought a few chuckles and inappropriate wishes that only experienced old women would say.

Being together again in the rec room is important and looked forward to. The old women see each other in the halls and elevator once in a while, but laughing, screaming, cheering and jeering together matters. They are looking forward to watching their Seahawks play once more... their boys.