Philadelphia Eagles Free Agency Talk With Twelfth Man Of Seattle – Byron Maxwell

Jan 18, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks cornerback

(41) celebrates his second quarter interception with

(54) and

(31) against the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Philadelphia Eagles Free Agency Talk With Twelfth Man Of Seattle – Byron Maxwell

There is so much information flying back and forth right now about who the Eagles need, covet, want, don’t want, hate, can’t afford, that it becomes awfully difficult to settle in and think things through as to what is the best for the club.  So, I took it upon myself to leverage my “west coast” location and get the REAL scoop on Seattle Seahawks Byron Maxwell.   How?

I took it to the streets of the twelfth man.   Sure, I was certain that some folks would blow me off.  I guessed that some wouldn’t follow football well enough to give me some good information.  Man, was I ever wrong.

Seattle Washington is nestled into the northwest corner of the continental United States.  Because it is situated adjacent to the Puget Sound, the city enjoys incredible seafood.  Because it is situated near the Pacific Ocean, Seattle enjoys moderate temperatures year round.  Because it is situated on the west coast, it receives rain in some form nearly 75% of the year.   And it is because it has that overcast drizzly weather that gives football fans the perfect excuse to settle down in front of a computer or television and stay tuned to the team that has become so popular, the city itself and all it’s fans have lovingly taken on the role of the “Twelfth Man”.   Football teams can only field eleven players at a time.  But,  since the city of Seattle Washington is as football centered as any city, their support is so overwhelming that they are described as one more player.  Fans know football.  Better yet, Seattle fans know their Seahawks.

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So I got off the plane on Tuesday evening, with the goal of learning about free agent Seattle cornerback Byron Maxwell.  Is he good enough to be the featured cornerback?   Did the fanbase want him to return or gone?   What kind of player is he?   And ultimately, does he seem like the type of player who could thrive under the intense pressure found as a defensive back playing for the Philadelphia Eagles?

I wasted no time in my search, as I pulled my suitcase from the baggage claim conveyor belt, I noticed a young couple dressed nearly identically with Seahawks hooded sweatshirts.   I waited for the opportunity to pose some questions about football.   During introductions, I discovered that Jason and Alyson were a couple of three years marriage, and were die-hard Seahawks fans.  Surprisingly, it was Alyson who did most of the talking:

"“Byron Maxwell was one of many diamonds in the rough who has made significant contributions to the Super Bowl winning Seattle Seahawks. (I didn’t want to correct her in the fact that they had recently lost the title to the New England Patriots.) We picked him up in the sixth round of the 2011 draft and we groomed him to take over the starting role. Since 2013, He’s been everything we’ve wanted. I think (Richard) Sherman had a lot to do with how quickly he has evolved, but he’s definitely ready to be featured in a defense. – Jason and Alyson Walker"

So that was encouraging, but I was uncertain if everyone would feel that way.  My next stop was at breakfast the following morning.   Rather than name individuals, I had the opportunity to bring eleven other persons at the table into the discussion in varying degrees.    I handled it like a game show, with me tossing out questions and letting folks answer singularly.  The best answer (in my opinion) was recorded for this article.  Some answers were obviously too soon before the morning coffee kicked in (“Wait, who is Byron Maxwell again?”) while some required more time than I was able to afford them (“Let us tell you how this whole Seattle franchise is run. It starts with the day they signed head coach Pete Carroll…”).  In the end, our table had more laughs and stayed together longer than any other.  Here’s what the consensus was:

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