The best pregame ritual in the NFL is the raising of the 12th Man Flag in the south end zone of Lumen Field. The Seattle Seahawks do so in honor of the loudest fan base in the league, the 12th Man. Those who receive these honors are often former players and other Seattle athletes/icons. On Sunday, ahead of Seattle’s Week 3 game against the New Orleans Saints, two members of the Seahawks’ Super Bowl XLVIII team will take part in this tradition:
Defensive ends Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett.
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Avril and Bennett were wrecking balls for the Legion of Boom, making opposing quarterbacks wince at the mere mention of the pair. In fact, it was Avril and Bennett who made the cover of Sports Illustrated during the 2013 playoffs. Who were they seen crunching on the cover? Saints quarterback Drew Brees.
It’s only fitting these two will be raising the flag against the Saints, as they were members of the last Seattle team to actually beat New Orleans. The Seahawks have been 0-4 ever since the Legion of Boom dismantled the Saints in the Divisional Round of the 2013 playoffs. Avril and Bennett combined for half a sack each of Brees, forcing him to fumble which was recovered by the Seahawks.
Seattle advanced to the NFC Championship that year with their 23-15 win over New Orleans.
Bennett and Avril are cult classics in the Emerald City, and I expect a deafening roar when those two raise the 12th Man Flag this afternoon.
This article originally appeared on Seahawks Wire: Seahawks vs Saints: Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett to raise 12th Flag