In light of tomorrow's matchup of the Packers and Seahawks, I feel like it is important to deep (not that deep) dive into Seattle history and give some backstory on a team that has a well-establshed relationship with the Green and Gold. That way you can impress your most likely bandwagon Seahawk friends with knowledge even they didn't know. (sidenote, apparently my niche is just researching the history of teams)
1976 The Egg Hatches
America's Bicentennial, Jimmy Carter takes over the White House, Apple Computer Company is started, the Reds sweep the Yankees to win the World Series (???), and the Seattle Seahawks play their first NFL game.
Seattle wanted an NFL team ever since 1972, and in 1974 they were granted by the NFL one of two expansion teams, the other being the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In 1975, they hold a public naming contest and choose "Seahawks" out of over 1,700 names. In 1976, Jack Patera is named the first Seattle head coach. With the 2nd pick in the 1976 draft, Seattle chooses a defensive lineman out of Notre Dame called Steve Niehaus. After an amazing Rookie Season, winning Defensive Rookie of the Year and setting Seattle's rookie sack record with 9.5, Niehaus was plagued with injuries until 1980, when a shoulder injury ended his NFL career for good.
1976-1999 Meh
Highlighted by a 12-4 1984 and lowlighted by a 2-14 1992, Seattle was almost relocated in 1996 until it was sold to Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen for $200 million. Mostly this era was just defined by being a middle of the pack team.
1999-2010 What if We Just Became the Packers
This is where a mixing of Packers and Seahawks begins. In 1998, Mike Holmgren resigned from the Green Bay Packers to sign an 8 year deal with Seattle to become Vice President/GM and Head Coach. In his 7 years as the Packers skipper, Holmgren was 75-37 in the regular season and 9-5 in the playoffs. He became one of five coaches to win a playoff game 5 years in a row. He led the Packers to 2 straight Super Bowls and won one. All in all, the Seahawks were ecstatic he chose them. In his first year, he broke Seattle's 10-year playoff drought by winning the AFC West title on a 9-7 year. In 2001, Seattle decided they needed even more Packer blood and traded for 6th round pick and two-year Brett Favre backup, Matt Hasselbeck. After battling Trent Dilfer, Hasselbeck became the unanimous starter in 2003. He led Seattle to 10-6 record and a wild card playoff game against, you guessed it, the Green Bay Packers. 27-27 at the end of the 4th, Matt Hasselbeck won the coin toss for OT and said one of the most famous words in Packers history.
In 2005, the Seahawks go 13-3 and make it to their first Super Bowl ever. They lose to the Steelers 10-21. In 2007 they win their fourth consecutive NFC West Division Title. Hasselbeck has his best year, throwing for 3,996 yards, 28 touchdowns, and a 62.5% completion percentage. In the Divisional Round of the playoffs, they meet the Packers once again. In Brett Favre's last win as a Packer, Green Bay fumbles their first two drives, leading to the Seahawks having a 14-0 lead with 10 minutes left in the first. Brett Favre then leads the Packers to touchdowns on their next 6 DRIVES! The Packers beat down Seattle 42-20. The next three years were injury-ridden and depressing, with Holmgren retiring, and his replacement, Jim Mora, coaching for one season. Pete Carroll took over in 2010, making the playoffs with a 7-9 record. In a first-round match-up with the defending Super Bowl Champs, the Saints, Matt Hasselbeck brought out his best. 272 yards and 4 touchdowns by the QB kept Seattle in the game, with the final dagger being Marshawn Lynch's Sistine Chapel, a 67-yard touchdown run featuring 9 broken tackles.
The Seahawks lose their next game against Chicago, who then goes on to fall to the Packers in the greatest NFC Championship game ever.
2012-2019 Fail Mary's, Bosticks, and a 5'10" Savior
There are only two games we need to talk about, no one cares about the Malcolm Butler pick or the Broncos' utter collapse in a Super Bowl. When any Packer fan thinks of the Seahawks, I guarantee Fail Mary or Bostick will be the first thing they think of. These two events created hatred in my heart for a team and fan base who individually I like, but as a collective are one of my most hated teams.
Fail Mary/Inaccurate Reception
Seattle - 2012: In an early-season Monday Night Football matchup between rookie Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers, who is coming off 2011 where he had a 122.5 QB rating for the year. Importantly, due to a referee lockout, the NFL had been using replacement refs for the beginning of the season. With 8 seconds left, down 7-12, Wilson throws a Hail Mary to receiver Golden Tate. Tate shoves cornerback Sam Shields with both hands. Cornerback M.D. Jennings reaches and catches the ball in mid-air, and shortly after Tate grabs the ball that is in Jennings's hands. Both go down to the field wrestling for the ball. One ref signals touchdown, the other signals touchback. After discussion and video review, they rule simultaneous possession between Tate and Jennings, touchdown Seattle. Importantly the NFL simultaneous possession states "If a pass is caught simultaneously by two eligible opponents, and both players retain it, the ball belongs to the passers. It is not a simultaneous catch if a player gains control first and an opponent subsequently gains joint control." It was very first gained control of by Jennings. The NFL also released a statement saying Tate's push off of Shields was offensive pass interference, negating anything that followed. The call was so bad that two days after the game, Commissioner Roger Goodell came to an agreement to end the ref lockout, acknowledging the Fail Mary as a main reason why.
Bostick
2014 NFC Championship Game. Aaron Rodgers dominates for an entire season again, 4,381 yards, 38 touchdowns, and a 112.2 QB rating. He is matched up against defending Super Bowl winner Russell Wilson, who was having a good season by normal standards, 3,475 yards, 20 touchdowns, and a 95 QB rating. Rodgers was looking for his second Super Bowl in 10 years, while Wilson was looking for his second in 3 years. The Packers go into halftime up 16-0 in a mediocre Rodgers game. The third quarter had a Seattle touchdown as the only score by either team. After an early fourth-quarter field goal, the Packers were up 19-7 with 11 minutes left in the game. With two minutes left, Seattle scores a touchdown to get within 5. Seattle lines up for an onside kick. What happens next haunts me. I cannot tell you how broken I was.
Rodgers does his typical stuff and marches down the field to get a Crosby field goal to tie it up and send it to OT. The Seahawks win the toss and start with the ball. Russell gets sacked, forcing a 3rd and 7. The Packers defense, after years of being a covered-up flaw, had come up big. A 35-yard pass to Doug Baldwin destroyed that narrative. The next play, that defense gave up another 35-yard pass, this time for a game-winning touchdown. Rodgers never sees the field in OT. Brandon Bostick single-handedly ruined a Tom Brady vs. Aaron Rodgers Super Bowl for the ages. Seahawk fans were insufferable. I have never been so destroyed. The world was grey, sunsets had lost all color, birds who once sang uplifting melodies now only sang bleak dirges. In other words, I knew what it felt to be a Vikings fan.
After that history lesson, you are now ready for tomorrow. From 2000-2010, we were the bullies. We were the big brothers giving them just enough hope only to snatch it away, whether it be a pick-six or 6 touchdowns in a row. Now, 2011-2019 has been their decade. On the back of an elite HoF QB and one of the best coaches of the decade, they have been the little brother who rises up to, and surpasses, the older brother. This trend will be broken tomorrow though. I have full confidence in this Packers team. Aaron Rodgers will turn it on, our defense will remain stout, and Lafleur will have some tricks up his sleeve. Packers 31, Seahawks 21.
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