The World According To Chris Brewer

For those of you who are not aware, I have been a die hard Seattle Seahawks fan since about 1997, in the closing years of them having such a terrible logo as you see to the left. The team sucked then and pretty much did until 2003…granted, they always finished with about 7 or 8 wins each season so they didn’t suck too bad…but they went to the playoffs in 1999 and even though Jon Kitna is a good guy he screwed up big time and let a 68 year old Dan Marino win his first playoff game (and the next week, his Dolphins suffered the worst playoff loss in modern NFL history, 62-7 to Jacksonville).

I was reading Wikipedia’s entry on the Seahawks and here are some good tidbits of trivial knowledge for lunch today. Mmm, mmm, good. Here, have some good tidbits from their history as long as I have been a fan. It’s a good read. Long live Mike Holmgren. (Click the link below to keep reading and download a Seahawks song.)

In January 1996, Seahawks owner Ken Behring announced that he was moving the franchise to Los Angeles. Grassroots groups like Save Our Seahawks soon formed to pressure the NFL, Behring, and local officials to stop the move. This grassroots effort succeeded when Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen purchased an option to buy the team. Allen bought the team in 1997 after funding a special election on stadium funding. The other Kingdome tenants, the Seattle Mariners, were building a brand new stadium, and the Seahawks felt there was no good reason to remain in the decrepit Kingdome.

As a result of the change in ownership and managament, Tom Flores resigned in 1998 and was replaced by Bob Whitsitt. Dennis Erickson was fired at the end of the 1998 season after losing to the New York Jets and missing the playoffs. The “Phantom Touchdown” game was decided by a legendary officiating error that became a primary factor in the NFL’s reinstatement of instant replay.
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The Mike Holmgren Era (1999-Present)

In 1999 the voters approved the ballot measure to allow the Seahawks to build a brand new stadium to replace the aging Kingdome. With the addition of a new stadium, new head coach and general manager, Mike Holmgren, a new era began for the Seahawks. Holmgren would lead the Seahawks to a division title and to the playoffs in his first year there. But they lost 20-17 to Dan Marino and the Miami Dolphins after leading the game 17-13 in the fourth quarter. For the 2000-2001 seasons the Seahawks moved back to Husky Stadium while their new stadium was being built. The Seahawks drafted RB Shaun Alexander in 2000 draft as their RB of the future. But QB Jon Kitna was let go after the 2000 season and a 6-10 record.

Holmgren then traded for Green Bay Packers backup QB Matt Hasselbeck and made him the starting QB. But Hasselbeck struggled in the first half of the season compiling a 5-7 record. QB Trent Dilfer was signed and won his first four games and the Seahawks finished the 2001 season with a 9-7 record but didn’t make the playoffs.

Big changes were afoot in 2002. When the Seahawks left Husky Stadium at the end of the 2001 season they were part of the AFC West but when they moved into Seahawks Stadium they were now part of the NFC West. This was because of the addition of the expansion team Houston Texans and to achieve parity among the divisions. The year would prove to be one of ups-and-downs as Dilfer was injured in Week 7 and Hasselbeck became the starting QB. He would end the season on a 3 game winning streak and Shaun Alexander lead the NFC with 18 touchdowns. But the team finished with a 7-9 record.

Before the 2003 season, Holmgren decided to step down as general manager so that he could concentrate exclusively on improving the team. The Seahawks responded by carrying over the momentum from 2002 by finishing with a 10-6 record and a perfect record at home of 8-0. They went to the playoffs where they would face Holmgren’s former team, the Green Bay Packers. The playoff game would go into overtime, where quarterback Hasselback made the prediction “we want the ball, and we’re going to score.” Unfortunately for Seattle, an Al Harris interception returned for a TD sealed the Seahawks fate and they were out of the playoffs again.

On September 26, 2004 the Seahawks shutout the San Francisco 49ers 34-0. This marked the end of the 49ers’ league record 27 year streak without a shutout - the last such game being against Atlanta in 1977 (7-0). The 49ers were in a position to score in the 4th quarter, but an interception and a fumble recovery sealed their fate. Some current players were either very young children or not even born when the last 49ers shutout occurred. The Seahawks also won their third division championship in 2004, when they claimed the NFC West title. They lost the first home playoff game at Qwest Field to the St. Louis Rams.
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The 2005 season

The Seahawks got off to a rocky start on their 2005 campaign but it would end with their first Super Bowl appearance. They lost their first game of the season on the road against the Jacksonville Jaguars 26-14. In Week 2, their home-opener was against the same team that they beat on the last game of the 2004 regular season, the Atlanta Falcons (21-18). The following week at home, they dispatched the division rival Arizona 37-12. The following week, they were on the road against the Washington Redskins. Kicker Josh Brown missed a game winning field goal attempt late in regulation. The game went into overtime and the Seahawks lost 20-17. The Seahawks rebounded, however, and went on an eleven-game win streak. First, they went to the Edward Jones Dome to face their fierce division-rival, the St. Louis Rams. Not only did the Seahawks win 37-31, but they also ended their four-game losing streak against them, which dated back to the late 2003 season. Afterwards, they went home for a Sunday night game against the hapless Houston Texans. The Seahawks easily won on the power of RB Shaun Alexander by a score of 42-10. When the Dallas Cowboys came to town the next week, the game came down to the wire. It wasn’t settled until second-year DB Jordan Babineaux intercepted opposing QB Drew Bledsoe’s pass for 25 yards, setting the stage for kicker Josh Brown’s game-winning 50-yard field goal as time expired. The Seahawks won 13-10.

After their Week 8 bye, they then traveled to Tempe, Arizona and finished the sweep of the Cardinals by a score of 33-19. Afterwards, they went home and finished the sweep of their much-hated division rivals, the Rams, by the score of 31-16. When the Seahawks flew to Candlestick Park to take on the division rival San Francisco 49ers, the Seahawks were leading 27-12 going into the fourth quarter. The Niners started to rally, however, and in the final seconds, the 49ers got within two points with a 1-yard touchdown run by Maurice Hicks. Fortunately for the Seahawks, the Niners couldn’t tie on the two-point conversion and Seattle held on for the win (27-25). A week later, the Seahawks went home and played a close game with the eventual NFC East champion New York Giants. With the score 21-21, opposing kicker Jay Feely missed three chances for a winning field goal (one as time expired in regulation and two in OT). The Seahawks won on a 36-yard Josh Brown field goal and the final score was 24-21.

When the St. Louis Rams lost on December 4, 2005, the Seahawks clinched their second straight NFC West title after playing only 11 games.

On December 5, 2005, the Seahawks shut out the Philadelphia Eagles 42-0 with three defensive touchdowns (two interceptions, one fumble return) to tie the largest margin of victory mark in Monday Night Football history and set the mark for the greatest margin of victory in an MNF shutout, as well as setting the NFL record for scoring the most points with under 200 yards of offense. A fourth interception return by Michael Boulware fell just short of tying another Seahawks NFL record of four defensive scores in a single game, set during a 45-0 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in 1984. When the game had finished, the Seahawks had handed the Eagles their 3rd worst defeat in team history (Seattle also handed the Eagles their 5th worst defeat since 1998, the last time the Seahawks played in Philadelphia).

On December 11, 2005, following a 42-0 rout of the Eagles on MNF, the Seahawks defeated the San Fransisco 49ers 41-3, making their margin of victory for the two-week period 80 points (team record), and marking the first time in team history that the Seahawks had recorded three forty point or better games in a season. With some starters playing less than three quarters for the second game in a row, the victory put the Seahawks at 11-2 with three games remaining, just one win shy of their franchise record 12 wins (12-4 overall) in 1984. At least four team records were set during this game, including the lowest yards ever allowed by a Seahawk defense at 113, the biggest two game margin of victory, the first time the team has posted three forty point wins in a season, and the franchise record for wins in a row at 9.

After smashing the Niners, the Seahawks traveled to The Coliseum to face the Tennessee Titans. Coming into the second half, the score was tied at 14. After the third quarter, the Seahawks trailed 24-21. However, they wouldn’t be denied as QB Matt Hasselbeck threw a game-winning 2-yard pass to WR Darrell Jackson, to end up with a 28-24 victory.

On Christmas Eve, the Seahawks beat the Colts 28-13 setting the franchise record for wins in season with 13. Shaun Alexander scored three touchdowns in the game and tied Priest Holmes for the NFL record for touchdowns in a season with 27. The victory also clinched the top seed in the NFC playoffs for the Seahawks assuring them of a home playoff game during the weekend of January 14-15, 2006 against the lowest remaining NFC seed (which turned out to be the Washington Redskins). Interestingly enough, the Colts-Seahawks game set records well before kickoff. The game featured the highest scoring and winningest teams against each other, and each looking to set a franchise record for most wins in a season. In addition, the schedule makers set a record with the first regular season game where the teams combined for at least 25 victories.

On January 1, 2006, despite losing to the Green Bay Packers 23-17, Shaun Alexander broke Priest Holmes’s record for most rushing touchdowns in a single season, with his 28th touchdown coming in the 2nd quarter of the game. He also ended the season with the league’s most rushing yards for the season with 1,880 yards. Four days later, he was named the 2005 NFL MVP.

After having the first round bye in the playoffs, the Seahawks hosted the Washington Redskins in the Divisional Playoff Round. Shaun Alexander suffered a concussion in the first quarter, but the Seahawks managed to prevail by a final score of 20-10. The win ended the franchise’s 21-year playoff victory drought.

On Janurary 22nd, 2006 Seattle clinched its first Super Bowl berth in franchise history as they beat the Carolina Panthers 34-14. Seattle will play the Pittsburgh Steelers at Super Bowl XL in Detroit on February 5th, 2006 for the NFL championship.

Seven Seahawks players were selected for the 2006 Pro Bowl, tying a franchise record set in 1984. The players included MVP RB Shaun Alexander, QB Matt Hasselbeck, LT Walter Jones, LG Steve Hutchinson and FB Mack Strong. C Robbie Tobeck and rookie MLB Lofa Tatupu were added to the Roster after injuries to Chicago’s Brian Urlacher and Olin Kreutz.

Hallelujah, I feel a Super Bowl victory coming on. Basically I have spent all day at work looking up some good Seahawks stuff. I would like to thank Paul Symonds for sending me the following song for you to download…it’s a parody of “Detroit Rock City,” and it’s the new Seahawks fight song called “Detroit Hawk City.”

Link: Seahawks Fight Song - “Detroit Hawk City” (MP3 format)

Anyhoo, I’m gonna go home since we don’t have a meeting tonight and watch Back to the Future. Enjoy your day and God bless!

[tags]Seattle, Seahawks, Super Bowl, Holmgren, history[/tags]