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NFC West Q&A: Which Seahawks player irks your team most?

Today's question: The Seattle Seahawks have plenty of players who get under the skin of opponents. Who is the guy that seems to irk your team -- either the players or the fan base -- the most?

Josh Weinfuss, Arizona Cardinals reporter: Well, the answer to this question isn’t on the roster anymore. It was, by far, running back Marshawn Lynch, especially after he grabbed his crotch as he dove into the end zone after an impressive run through the Cardinals’ defense in 2014. Without Lynch, there are two prime candidates. Quarterback Russell Wilson is one, especially when he scampers. Wilson irks the Cards on the field because he can be a rascal, weaving in and out of tackles and getting into the flat where his feet are as a dangerous as his arm. But cornerback Richard Sherman might take the cake, especially if you ask Patrick Peterson. The two had a public war of words in 2014 when both received extensions -- with Peterson’s being for slightly more money than Sherman’s. It doesn’t matter that Sherman has attended Larry Fitzgerald's celebrity softball game; his proclamation that he’s the best cornerback in the league while playing just one side of the field doesn’t sit well with the Cards or their fans, especially since Arizona has an All-Pro cornerback who moves around the field.

Nick Wagoner, Los Angeles Rams reporter: In the minds of fans, I’m sure there’d be a wide range of answers here; but from the Rams’ perspective, there’s just something about the Bennett Brothers that doesn’t seem to mesh. Seattle defensive end Michael Bennett has never been shy about speaking his mind, and he let his feelings about the Rams be known after Seattle’s loss to them in Week 16 last year. Following that defeat, Bennett said: “They play really good football against us. They just don’t play good football against everybody else.” Bennett went on to call Rams running back Todd Gurley “average” and punter Johnny Hekker a “coward,” after Hekker drew Seattle’s ire for some extracurriculars during that game. Earlier in the year, Bennett’s brother Martellus, then a tight end for the Chicago Bears, called the Rams “Seattle’s little brother” and referred to Rams defensive end Eugene Sims as a “little bitch.” It is safe to say that neither Bennett is on the Rams’ list for holiday cards, and vice versa.

Paul Gutierrez, San Francisco 49ers reporter: It seems like you’ve answered your own question, Sheil, when it comes to the Niners and their nemesis. In the plural, it’s the scourge from the Pacific Northwest. Yes, it's all the Seahawks, who have only been in the NFC West since realignment in 2002 (granted, the expansion Seahawks were also here in 1976 before moving to the AFC West, but I digress) but have built up what many see as an unhealthy obsession with the Niners, and vice versa. In the singular, it’s Richard Sherman. The same goes for the fan bases: The Faithful wonder when the 12s came on the scene and think Seattle's lone Lombardi Trophy is cute, while Seahawks fans laugh at the Niners' 22-year championship drought -- even if San Francisco does have five trophies. The rivalry might have reached its zenith two coaches ago for the 49ers, thanks to Jim Harbaugh and Pete Carroll bringing their enmity from their days coaching at Stanford and USC. But the Seahawks have owned the rivalry it of late, winning seven of the past eight meetings, including five straight and the NFC Championship Game in January 2014. Just think of Sherman clowning the Niners by chowing down on a turkey leg at Levi’s Stadium following a 19-3 Seattle win on Thanksgiving 2014. And 49ers CEO Jed York tweeting out an apology to Niners fans immediately thereafter.