The Seahawks already faced Wagner once this season when Seattle beat the Rams in Week 13, and the game was a win-win scenario for any Seahawks fan who was torn between loyalty to their team with the love they have for one of the greatest players in franchise history—the Seahawks left L.A. with a victory, but Wagner also had a great game, including a pair of sacks and an interception. There was plenty of trash talk during the game between Wagner and former teammates, but the scene postgame was a big love fest, one that extended to a meeting between Seahawks coach Pete Carroll and Wagner well after the game had ended and after Carroll held his postgame press conference.
This weekend, however, will likely be even more memorable for Wagner because it will be his first game back at Lumen Field, and it will be Seahawks’ fans first chance to welcome a beloved former player home.
“They’re going to be great,” Carroll said when asked what kind of reception he thinks Wagner will receive at Lumen Field. “They love him. I think they’re going to welcome him back. I just think that’s what’ll happen. Then if he makes a tackle or something, then maybe they don’t give him as much love. I don’t know. He’s going to make some hits in this game. He’s playing good ball and doing good stuff, but they’ll do the right thing. Whatever it is, they’ll do it.”
By far the biggest storyline for the Seahawks this week is their attempt to secure a playoff berth, and to do that they know they’ll have to beat the Rams, not to mention get some help from the Lions. So the focus heading into the game is squarely on getting ready to beat an opposing team, not on reacting to the presence of one player. But for the Seahawks fans who came to love Wagner as he helped lead some of the best defenses in franchise history, there will surely be a little extra love showered on one player suited up for a division rival.
“They will show him all the love and all the appreciation that he so richly deserves,” defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt said. “I can’t say enough great things about Bobby. It’s one of those things in a competition level where you want to go after guys and compete and go win and kick butt. There are certain guys, and he’s one of them where you have so much admiration for a player and respect for a guy, you just want to see him do his very best. Obviously, he had a great game against us the last one out, and I hope all the 12s do that for him on Sunday. He deserves it and more.”
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