I like to see a good, random jersey.  There was someone wearing an Atlanta Falcon’s Brett Favre jersey when the Packers pulled up to their hotel yesterday, that was solid.  Walking around Seattle, you see a lot of #12s.  Maybe (probably?) more than any other number.  On the back, these jerseys usually say “FAN” or “MAN,” representing the Seahawks’ famed “12th Man” crowd.

The Seahawks are, like most teams, tougher at home than on the road.  This crowd, though, they take pride in their noise.  Players I talked to, like Randall Cobb, are expecting an SEC-like, Kansas City Chiefs-like, dome-like level of noise.

The “12th Man” does make a measurable impact.  The Seahawks’ record is better at home than on the road; though not dramatically in the last few seasons … but in fairness, they haven’t been one of the NFL’s top teams, so no piling up wins.  Interesting stat from the team’s game notes: since 2005, the Seahawks have forced opponents into more false start penalties, 112 of them, than any other stadium.  The 2nd-4th ranked teams in that stat are Minnesota, Detroit and St. Louis respectively — all domes.

To combat this (and, perhaps … though unlikely … bother the media), the Packers pumped artificial noise into practice for the first time since prepping for the Bengals in the preseason.  Bryan Bulaga says it’s helpful, but there’s no way to simulate what the stadium itself is going to be like.

Seahawks fans we’ve chatted with are pumped about this team.  They believe in their De Pere native general manager John Schneider and his Packers-like philosophy.  Expect an amped crowd Monday night.  This town believes beating the Packers will put the rest of the NFL on notice that the Seahawks, and their “12th Man”-advantage, are back.

First thing I can tell you about Seattle is that we share the same taste in music.  Everywhere we’ve been so far, they’re playing acoustic rock … Dave Matthews, that kind of thing.  They get me.

Touched down in the Emerald City this afternoon, Packers face the Seahawks Monday night.

Some thoughts …

–I know this is old news, but lots of Green and Gold around the city.  We walked around to shoot stand-ups for my story Sunday night on the FOX 11 Sports Edge, saw a lot of Packers gear.

–My story tonight is about the Packers preparing for former Badgers QB Russell Wilson.  It might be a case of ‘saying the right thing,’ but the defensive players I spoke to were adamant that Wilson’s height … or lack thereof, he’s 5’11, an inch shorter than Drew Brees … wasn’t an issue.

–Funny note that didn’t make my Wilson story: linebacker DJ Smith, who had height concerns of his own coming out of Appalachian State, told me he’s glad to see a fellow ‘under-sized’ guy have success.  He qualified, Wilson’s a QB, and he doesn’t like QBs.

–Packers arrived to a crowd of probably 50 Packers fans (and a host more onlookers who saw the crowd) … that’s Donald Driver (tan suit) and Greg Jennings (gray suit) in the picture to the left.

–My story tomorrow evening on FOX 11 News at Five, before the game, will be about dealing with the 12th Man, Seattle’s famed, noisy crowd.  Aaron Rodgers said this, along with Kansas City, are likely the loudest outdoor stadiums in the NFL.  Jennings has a pretty funny memory of his first Seattle road game memory, that’s in the story … so are Mike McCarthy and Bryan Bulaga talking about how crowd noise at practice helps get ready.

Stick with FOX11 and fox11online.com for coverage of the game.  If you’re watching and following along online, I’ll be tweeting from the press box, @Justin_Felder.  Send along your questions, comments, let’s have some fun.

Enjoy the warm weather today because the cooler air is pushing in overnight.  A cold front will push through the state this afternoon but we’ll still be on the warm side so expect highs near 82°.  (Normal high is 72°)  Rain will develop overnight and we’ll see periods of rain Thursday with a high of only 65°!  If you’re heading to the Packers-Bears game tomorrow evening, there will still be a 30% chance of showers with a kickoff temperature of 58° and north winds at 5-10 mph.  We’ve seen a very warm Spring and Summer, check out the highlights on our timeline.

Enjoy the warm, sunny conditions today and tomorrow because as Sam Cooke sang, “A Change is Gonna Come.”  Breezy southwest winds today will usher in high temperatures in the 80s and we’ll continue to see unseasonable warmth Wednesday ahead of an approaching cold front. (The normal high for this time of year is 72°) The front will impact us Thursday as highs only reach 66° with periods of rain.  The cool down will last through the rest of the work week but right now it’s looking better for the weekend.  Bring your official NFL Licensed Green Bay Packer Poncho to the game on Thursday against the Bears, you may need it.

The northeastern U.S. will be under the gun for severe weather today.  The Storm Prediction Center has much of the area under a moderate threat for severe storms.  The primary threat will be from a long lived damaging wind storm called a Derecho, as well as a few Tornadoes.  Simply defined a derecho is a storm that produces winds of 58 mph or greater for over 240 miles. For a lot more information on derechos Click Here.

Click Here to track thunderstorms using  interactive radar.

Click Here for storm watches and storm reports.