A Win's A Win
I know it's kind of late to post this, but...
Oh yeah, baby!
This is potentially a huge win for the Seahawks, who have had immense trouble the last couple seasons in blowing big leads in the fourth quarter. They've been completely unable to hold their mud against quality teams.
Some non-Seattle friends have given me crap about the city's sports fans, how they are not as dedicated, not as savvy as, say, those from New York or Boston or Chicago.
While there's some truth to that -- Seattle doesn't have the long-standing traditions of a Fenway Park or a Lambeau field -- I think it's more due to the simple fact that Seattle fans have never, ever had much to cheer about.
There is hardly a worse fate in professional sports than being a fan in Seattle. The city has about 30 years of history in the three main pro sports -- NBA, NFL and MLB -- and has precisely one championship to show for it, that being the Sonics in 1979.
The Mariners languished in the gutter of Major League Baseball for about two decades before the breakout 1995 season when they won a one-game playoff to win the division and get in the real playoffs. They then came from a two-game deficit to win three in a row and beat the Yankees. There was 2001, the magical season in which the M's won an astounding 116 games, tying a baseball record. That, plus the gorgeous new Safeco Field and the holding of the All-Star game there really sparked local interest in baseball. But the team fell apart in the post-season, barely scraping through the first series against Cleveland and getting their clocks cleaned in the second series against Oakland.
The Seahawks' best season was 1984, when they went 12-4 under coach Chuck Knox, with Dave Krieg at QB, Curt Warner at RB and the incredible Steve Largent as wide receiver.
Since then, the 'Hawks' cumulative record has been something like .507 -- the epitome of mediocrity. Mike Holmgren, who mentored Brett Favre and coached Green Bay to a Super Bowl victory, was called in -- lured by mountains of cash and unprecedented control of the team -- to bring a championship trophy to the Emerald City.
That was seven years ago.
Last year was really supposed to be the year everything clicked. Several ESPN analysts picked the Seahawks to go to the Super Bowl. They had a good mix of fresh young talent and veteran players able to provide leadership and perspective. I know it was the first season in a while that I bothered to track with any interest.
The first two games looked good. Although they were against creampuff teams, the Seahawks won convincingly, something they hadn't always managed to do in previous years.
Then came game four against the St. Louis Rams. This memory is forever burned into my cerebral cortex. I had signed up for an NFL.com subscription to listen to the game audio. I woke up early one morning in Beijing to catch the game live. By the third quarter, the 'Hawks had it locked up, leading the Rams by 17 points. I left for work whistling, ready to rub it into the face of my St. Louis colleague.
When I got in to the office, I called up the final score to see how badly we had beaten them.
33-27, Rams.
I sat there blinking for several seconds, my brain refusing to register what my eyes were telling it. The Rams won. They managed to score 17 points in the final six minutes to send the game into overtime. And then they scored in OT. Unbelievable.
A quarter of the way through the season, and my hopes were completely shattered. I sort of half-heartedly rooted for the team for the rest of the season, but I knew they couldn't do it. The Rams had crushed their spirit, convinced them that they didn't have the grit to win the big ones, the ones that mattered. You can read a nice summary of the games that could have turned the Seahawks' fortunes here.
So last Sunday's win over Atlanta was big for Seattle. Yes, they almost blew it. They led 21-0 at halftime and gave up 18 unanswered points in the second half. Yes, Michael Vick went out with an injured hamstring for the last few plays. That doesn't matter. The D still stepped up and made the crucial plays when it mattered. I'm not sure that the 2004 Seahawks could have done that.
I don't have my hopes up just yet. I'm not paying more dough to RealNetworks-powered NFL.com ("Lower Standards Than A Porn Site!"). I'm just sayin' it's nice to win one for a change.
Oh yeah, baby!
This is potentially a huge win for the Seahawks, who have had immense trouble the last couple seasons in blowing big leads in the fourth quarter. They've been completely unable to hold their mud against quality teams.
Some non-Seattle friends have given me crap about the city's sports fans, how they are not as dedicated, not as savvy as, say, those from New York or Boston or Chicago.
While there's some truth to that -- Seattle doesn't have the long-standing traditions of a Fenway Park or a Lambeau field -- I think it's more due to the simple fact that Seattle fans have never, ever had much to cheer about.
There is hardly a worse fate in professional sports than being a fan in Seattle. The city has about 30 years of history in the three main pro sports -- NBA, NFL and MLB -- and has precisely one championship to show for it, that being the Sonics in 1979.
The Mariners languished in the gutter of Major League Baseball for about two decades before the breakout 1995 season when they won a one-game playoff to win the division and get in the real playoffs. They then came from a two-game deficit to win three in a row and beat the Yankees. There was 2001, the magical season in which the M's won an astounding 116 games, tying a baseball record. That, plus the gorgeous new Safeco Field and the holding of the All-Star game there really sparked local interest in baseball. But the team fell apart in the post-season, barely scraping through the first series against Cleveland and getting their clocks cleaned in the second series against Oakland.
The Seahawks' best season was 1984, when they went 12-4 under coach Chuck Knox, with Dave Krieg at QB, Curt Warner at RB and the incredible Steve Largent as wide receiver.
Since then, the 'Hawks' cumulative record has been something like .507 -- the epitome of mediocrity. Mike Holmgren, who mentored Brett Favre and coached Green Bay to a Super Bowl victory, was called in -- lured by mountains of cash and unprecedented control of the team -- to bring a championship trophy to the Emerald City.
That was seven years ago.
Last year was really supposed to be the year everything clicked. Several ESPN analysts picked the Seahawks to go to the Super Bowl. They had a good mix of fresh young talent and veteran players able to provide leadership and perspective. I know it was the first season in a while that I bothered to track with any interest.
The first two games looked good. Although they were against creampuff teams, the Seahawks won convincingly, something they hadn't always managed to do in previous years.
Then came game four against the St. Louis Rams. This memory is forever burned into my cerebral cortex. I had signed up for an NFL.com subscription to listen to the game audio. I woke up early one morning in Beijing to catch the game live. By the third quarter, the 'Hawks had it locked up, leading the Rams by 17 points. I left for work whistling, ready to rub it into the face of my St. Louis colleague.
When I got in to the office, I called up the final score to see how badly we had beaten them.
33-27, Rams.
I sat there blinking for several seconds, my brain refusing to register what my eyes were telling it. The Rams won. They managed to score 17 points in the final six minutes to send the game into overtime. And then they scored in OT. Unbelievable.
A quarter of the way through the season, and my hopes were completely shattered. I sort of half-heartedly rooted for the team for the rest of the season, but I knew they couldn't do it. The Rams had crushed their spirit, convinced them that they didn't have the grit to win the big ones, the ones that mattered. You can read a nice summary of the games that could have turned the Seahawks' fortunes here.
So last Sunday's win over Atlanta was big for Seattle. Yes, they almost blew it. They led 21-0 at halftime and gave up 18 unanswered points in the second half. Yes, Michael Vick went out with an injured hamstring for the last few plays. That doesn't matter. The D still stepped up and made the crucial plays when it mattered. I'm not sure that the 2004 Seahawks could have done that.
I don't have my hopes up just yet. I'm not paying more dough to RealNetworks-powered NFL.com ("Lower Standards Than A Porn Site!"). I'm just sayin' it's nice to win one for a change.
<< Home