Sunday, January 02, 2005
"COME ON, SEATTLE!"
DECEMBER 22, 1984
Seahawks 13, Raiders 7
The Seattle Seahawks are 0-5 in playoff games (AFC and NFC included) since December 22, 1984.
Dec. 29, 1984 lost at Miami 31-10
Jan. 3, 1988 lost at Houston 23-20 in overtime
Dec. 31, 1988 lost at Cincinnati 21-13
Jan. 9, 2000 lost to Miami 20-17 in the final game at the Kingdome
Jan. 4, 2004 lost at Green Bay 33-27 in overtime
You know the story behind that last one.
"We want the ball and we're going to score!"
Almost 5 years to the day, the Seahawks will have a home playoff game, their first in Qwest Field. In case you were out and about today and didn't follow the Seahawks game at all, the Seahawks will host the St. Louis Rams this Saturday at 1:30 Pacific. The game will be on ABC, with the crew TBA. Personally, bring Mike Patrick, Joe Theismann, and Paul Maguire out to Seattle this weekend. The Seahawks always seem to win when those guys are in the house. They didn't come to Seattle during the regular season. They might as well come this weekend. Shaun Alexander would certainly be happy to see them. Do the numbers 266 and 5 ring a bell to you?
But it doesn't matter who's calling the game. The fact is, the Seahawks get to play the Rams for the third time this season. We all know that the Rams swept the Seahawks in regular season play (Oct. 10 33-27 OT and Nov. 14 23-12).
However, I feel that despite those two losses, the Seahawks can win this game. It's certainly nice to know that this game will be played at Qwest Field instead of the Edward Jones Dome. That's not to say that the Seahawks couldn't win at that place, but I like their chances better in Seattle.
As for Alexander, I am pissed off that he didn't get the NFL rushing crown. He came up just one yard short behind New York Jets running back Curtis Martin (Martin 1697, Alexander 1696). However, he did lead the NFC in rushing this year, which is definitely no small feat. Re-sign Shaun. I just hope that that one yard doesn't cause him to leave Seattle. But hopefully Alexander can take that anger that burns inside of him right now and run hard during the playoffs. If there's one thing that I've noticed about the man this year, it's that he's running harder than ever before. Keep it going, Shaun.
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But to divert the attention way from the Seahawks for a minute or two, let's talk about the NFC, specifically Carolina and Minnesota.
What happened to the team "that nobody wants to play" Carolina Panthers today? There's a reason why that team finished 7-9. When your starting running back is Nick Goings, you know you're not going to go far. As a matter of fact, they didn't. They didn't even reach the playoffs. But hey, I'll give them credit for winning 7 games after starting off the 2004 season 1-7. However, let's not give them too much credit.
(By the way, I did call it in the Pick Me Up this week, New Orleans over Carolina.)
The Minnesota Vikings are finished. Does anybody think they're going to go into Lambeau Field and beat the Packers at this point? I sure as hell don't. Mike Tice is on the hot seat, even with his new contract extension. Vikings fans can't be too happy with what is going on with their team in the past couple of weeks. They're used to it, though.
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As for the post title, it's what ESPN's Chris Berman has said about the Seahawks all season long:
"COME ON, SEATTLE!"
That also means us, the fans. It is important to pack Qwest Field on Saturday and make it a living hell for Mike Martz's 8-8 St. Louis Rams ballclub. It's the first home game in almost 5 years. It's the first home playoff game in Qwest Field. And with what has transpired this season for the Seahawks, getting the opportunity to host a playoff game is a big deal. I won't be present in Seattle on Saturday, but I'll definitely be yelling my lungs out watching the game on ABC.
I remember October 10 like it was yesterday. A 27-10 lead, gone just like that. Undefeated start, gone just like that. The respect that was building across the NFL about this team, gone just like that.
The 2004 Seattle Seahawks can't be "gone just like that" after this Saturday. It can't be another playoff season of "one and done". The fans of this franchise deserve a playoff win. I'll put in perspective for David and I. He was 3 and I was 2 when the Seahawks last won a playoff game, on December 22, 1984. We have never seen a Seahawk playoff win with our own eyes.
So this team is 9-7, which is much, much better than finishing 8-8. They're NFC West champs. The NFC is wide-open this season. Not one team in the NFC scares me. Not even the Philadelphia Eagles, who are minus Terrell Owens.
Let the national media talk about how the NFC West is a joke. Let them bash the Seahawks all they want. Because I know one thing...
They were sure dead-on about that team nobody wanted to face, the Carolina Panthers.
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