Field Gulls
The Seattle Seahawks’ tradition of raising the 12 Flag high above Lumen Field before home games has become more than a hype-creating event in recent years.
In the post Legion of Boom era, it’s turned into a way of celebrating the team’s past and connecting with the crowd. Look no further than last week’s flag raiser, Doug Baldwin, who brought the same fiery energy he played with, igniting the crazed Seahawks fans across the world before Rashid Shaheed had even given them something to cheer about.
In Seattle’s three previous appearances in the NFC Championship, the team’s late owner, Paul Allen, did the honors. With the Seahawks back in the NFC Championship game, facing the Los Angeles Rams, the Seahawks fans will get the chance to see the flag raised one more time this season, but who should the honor go to? Here are just a few options that might fit the bill:
It seems only right that the honor would go to Allen’s sister and current team owner, Jody Allen. As you can see from the photo above, Jody has experience igniting the crowd, doing so for the Seahawks first meeting with the Rams in the 2019 season.
In that game, the action green-clad Seahawks were able to barely sneak by the Jared Goff-led Rams 30-29 after LA’s kicker Greg Zuerlein missed a 44-yard game-winning field goal attempt. Following that game, Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson said he felt Paul Allen was with the team that night, which might be good luck considering the Seahawks were undefeated in the NFC Championship under Paul’s ownership.
While Jody Allen might be the obvious answer, let’s indulge in a little LOB-era nostalgia for a moment. The Seahawks two trips to the NFC Championship game in the 2010s provided some of the most iconic moments in franchise history, enshrining guys like Malcolm Smith and Kearse in Seahawks’ lore forever. That’s why it only feels right to give Kearse the call and follow up his longtime teammate Baldwin as the flag raiser.
Kearse has had the honor of raising the flag once, in the 2021 season, before the Seahawks slaughtered the Detroit Lions 51-29. As a hometown kid and icon of the NFC Championship games, Kearse should provide all the fire to be a quality choice.
The LOB era’s dominance will forever stand out for delivering the franchise’s first Super Bowl victory, but the team that put the Seahawks on the map needs some love, too. Of the stars from the 2005 NFC Championship team, hardly any shine brighter than Shaun Alexander.
The eventual league MVP carried the ball 34 times for 132 yards and two touchdowns in the Seahawks’ dominant win over the Carolina Panthers in that game. Shockingly, Alexander has only had the honor of raising the flag twice since he retired in 2008.
He first raised the flag in 2013 and more recently did so in 2022 against the Arizona Cardinals, when he...
