It’s not too late to jump on the Seahawks bandwagon

There’s always more room on the Seahawks bandwagon if for some reason you haven’t jumped on board yet.

But you’re going to have a tough time finding the gear to show your colors. And you will also need a little help to talk the talk – to prove you’re not a newbie.

I checked out Dicks Sporting Goods, Sports Authority and Fred Meyer. Everything has been picked over. There is virtually nothing left on the shelves. Only the team shops have a decent selection of merchandise.

“Ever since we were in the playoffs, for sure, every single day, whether it’s a weekend day before a game, day after a game, a week day – it’s been non-stop,”
said Brian Leehale, manager of the Occidental store. “You open the doors, and the line is at the register.”

Good luck finding a Russell Wilson jersey right now, especially in the home blue: Even the stores that stock this stuff are out of the most popular items.

You could always try to go retro to show you’ve been around a while, but Leehale said the new Nike gear is where it’s at.

“It’s just cool,” he said. “It’s in right now. Everyone wants to have it. Whether you’re an old fan or a new fan, you have to have the new gear.”

As for what this all will cost you, jerseys are $100, most T-shirts are $25 to $30, hats $20. You can outfit yourself nicely for about $50 and look the part, if you can find it.

It’s likely you won’t be able to fake your Seahawks love simply with your wardrobe. You’re going to have to educate yourself to hang in the conversation.

Names you must know: Steve Largent, Walter Jones, Brian Bosworth, Chuck Knox. Search for them. Get a couple of facts but don’t go overboard, said 710 ESPN’s Brock Huard. Then bone up on Russell Wilson and Marshawn Lynch.

“Don’t get too geeky about it,” Huard said. “Don’t think you’re too smart for school, head coach and then quarterback and then just a few tidbits schematically, and you’ve got a chance to really impress.”

Former Seahawk Dave Wyman said you need to look up a little history, especially the highs and the lows of the franchise.

“Mention back in the old days suffering through the 2-14 season that I was on,” he said. “You know that kind of stuff just to convince people not only that you’ve been here, but you suffered through the hard times too.”

If you really want to impress, Wyman said you can never go wrong with Knoxisms.’

“That’s my old coach Chuck Knox,” Wyman said. “He used to answer questions like Russell Wilson does now. He had a cliche for everything. ‘Don’t tell me how rough the water is, just bring the boat in.’ ‘You got to play the hand you’re dealt.’ ‘Perfect preparation prevents piss-poor performance.'”

Thirty minutes on the computer should give you just enough knowledge to get by. Find a cheap Hawks snap-back hat, and you should be golden.

You might also be interested in:

ESPN’s Darren Rovell on the economic impact of the Seahawks playoff appearances