Hi again,

As the resident [DFO] Seahawks season ticket holder, I thought I’d preview the season by letting you know how much fun it’s going to be attending games this season.

The Border

Now, you may have heard that there’s a bit of a shakeup at the land crossings, because of all the drugs being smuggled over. Well, I’m here to admit that while there might be a crackdown, even the government’s own research shows the direction most of it is coming from.

The fun fact is that when you actually look at the explicit numbers, even though it looks like there’s been more Mary Jane seized at the border because of the size of the bars, the metrics at the bottom indicate that the amount seized along the Mexican border is eight times as much. So far in 2025, the CBP has seized 9400 pounds of Fentanyl along the southwestern border, and only 75 pounds attempting to get in from Canada.

So that’s why there’s been a lot of talk in some circles

about whether Canada and our Swiss mountain ranges should be forced to join the United States. Most of that was because Donald Trump HATED Justin Trudeau, due to the fact that Trump’s wife wanted to be with a real man.

Trump’s efforts proved fruitful, but while he helped force Justin out he inadvertently also set him free.

However, while the threat in general is low for Canadians crossing to the US, there is one big reminder slapped right in the middle of the Canadian government’s US Travel Advice page:

The rate of firearm possession in the U.S. is high. It’s legal in many states for U.S. citizens to openly carry firearms in public.

Incidences of mass shootings occur, resulting most often in casualties. Although tourists are rarely involved, there is a risk of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Familiarize yourself on how to respond to an active shooter situation.

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Exchange Rates

When I first got my tickets, the exchange rate was $1USD = $0.95CDN. That’s right – the dollars were at par. Why wouldn’t I get on board with all that?

But in the course of human events, the pendulum had to swing back in the other direction. Most times, the dips in the rate occurred with the ticket renewal season. It seemed like I could set my watch to when the rates would crater.

It seemed so bad this year – before the Canadian election; just after Trump took office – that I asked BeerBrother to take over the payments for me like he’s routinely offered in the past. But once we put it all on his AMEX, the thing didn’t happen. The currency stabilized, and people began planning around an effective exchange rate. The resulting rebound in value helped buoy the economy this summer, and kept us from sliding into recession.

It’s nowhere near close to par, let alone 80 cents, but at least a beer inside the stadium, or six outside, will still be somewhat reasonable.

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The Marketing

Since the last season ended, it’s been a non-stop pipeline of information about all the changes. Why, this week alone it’s been news about Super Bowl ticket package opportunities,

the official roster,

and available upgrades to the home opener versus the Niners.

FYI – the cheapest option is getting fifty characters on the video message board for $150. But it’s sold out, so I guess the person I love will have to wait another day to hear those words.

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The Team

So, let’s circle back to that roster email. The names seem vastly different than the ones who finished the season last year, with the offence getting most of the overhaul.

Let’s look at what I’m paying for.

I would have taken a rookie or even a contract-year player. But Sam Darnold? I’m guessing Seattle is going with the Jets Rehabilitation Program (JRP) again. When the Seahawks first signed Geno in 2019, they got him for five years and just over $20 million total; his extension in 2023 was for three years at a total cost of $75 million. In total, they got a nine-win quarterback for six seasons at $100 million, a bargain by today’s salary standards.

Sam Darnold, by all accounting, is being treated the same way. According to Spotrac, if the Seahawks stick with him for just this one season, his salary is only $13.5 million; it jumps to $34 million in 2026 and $41 million in 2027. If the 2026 Draft is shaping up to be as quarterback heavy as ESPN and CBS say it’s going to be, then it’s pretty obvious what the Seahawks plan might be. It also explains why they didn’t raise prices for season ticket holders. Depending on how this unfolds, 2027 might be a helluva bump.

Running Back/Fullback (5)

• Zach Charbonnet          George Holani
• Kenneth Walker III         Robbie Ouzts
• Brady Russell

Really, it’s just Walker THE THIRD! until he inevitably gets hurt. That gets Charbonnet bumped up and they platoon the other guys until the season ends.

Receiver (6)

• Jake Bobo          Tory Horton
• Cooper Kupp      Jaxon Smith-Njigba
• Cody White        Dareke Young

Receiver is kind of the same as running back. There’s one star – Smith-Njigba – and everyone else. The Orwellian “upgrade” from Metcalf to Kupp will have to play out to see if it even comes close to increasing that chocolate ration. WineWife likes Bobo because that’s her nickname for Lambeau.

Tight End (4)

• Elijah Arroyo         AJ Barner
• Nick Kallerup        Eric Saubert

Offensive Line (9)

• Anthony Bradford      Bryce Cabeldue
• Charles Cross           Josh Jones
• Abraham Lucas         Olu Oluwatimi
• Mason Richman        Jalen Sundell
• Grey Zabel

I’m not gonna lie – after Wide Receiver it gets very shaky. It seems like a mess of rookies and guys that were cut by other teams. I think only their parents will buy their jersey, and half of them will use the team discount to do so. It doesn’t exactly inspire confidence in the front office.

To settle the nerves, let’s look at something a bit more consistent.

Defensive Line (5)

• DeMarcus Lawrence     Mike Morris
• Byron Murphy II             Jarran Reed
• Leonard Williams

Linebacker/Outside Linebacker (8)

• Ernest Jones IV             Tyrice Knight
• Drake Thomas              Derick Hall
• Jared Ivey                      Boye Mafe
• Uchenna Nwosu           Connor O’Toole

Cornerback (5)

• Shaquill Griffin (two hands)
• Josh Jobe           Nehemiah Pritchett
• Riq Woolen        Devon Witherspoon

Safety (5)

• D’Anthony Bell      Coby Bryant
• Julian Love            Nick Emmanwori
• Ty Okada

Oh yeah, that’s the stuff.

On paper, this defence has the chance to be something really special. The guys they drafted with all those bonus picks a few years ago are now rounding into shape, both as individuals and as a unit. They will keep the offence in almost every game. Of course, the other side of that coin will be that they grow to resent the offence because of how bad they are & we get another Richard Sherman vs Russell Wilson situation, but without the chance of a ring to give it the veneer of respectability. Having to come in after so many three-and-outs will wear down even the strongest of characters.

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The Uniforms

So, it’s now custom for teams to have third jerseys every year. Mostly, these are shameless exercises in marketing & trend-following, because the NFL is a relentless merchandise machine. It all depends on what the geniuses think will both play well on TV and encourage people to risk buying something from Fanatics.

With the Seahawks, we’ve recently been treated to the good,

and the bad.

This year, for the 50th Anniversary of the franchise, we are getting something called the “Rivalries” uniform.

Instead of tiger stripes like the Bengals, these are “a soundwave pattern that represents the noise and reverberation of the 12s.” And the numbering has little “12”s inside so the fans can really feel a part of the whole thing!

^{It looked cold when they took Darnold’s picture.}

“The new uniform also introduces a third helmet to the Seahawks closet featuring the same iconic hawk head design as the team’s primary helmet, in a metallic Chrome finish on top of the Iridescent Green base.”

So, they’ll look like those douchebags in Tesla wraps that makes them look like different colours from each angle?

Ooh – now I really want to get stopped at the border.

I own two Seahawks jerseys – a #80 Steve Largent and a #54 Bobby Wagner, both in the throwback colors. (No “coloUr” here – its a US jersey, so US spelling.) I shan’t be adding one of these to the collection.

Prediction:

The Rams just look too good, and I don’t think Seattle has the offence to compete with every team in every game. My heart wants to say 10-7 and jussssssst missing the playoffs, but my brain says 6-11 and they start scouting in November which quarterback they’ll target in the draft.

More importantly, I predict I won’t get turned back once, but I will be “invited inside” for a couple of chats.

Most importantly, I’m looking forward to seeing what pre-game drinking improvements have come to SoDo, and whether they’ll bother heating the $5 hotdogs they’ve promised.

And there you have it. Opening Day is Sunday – I’m working the evening ball game Saturday night & hitting the road by 7:00 AM.