Considering Goldy and Lee are both Eagles fans, it’s up to true blue Seahawk fans like me (and Carl) to fly the 12th Man flag. You see, while Seattle has several pro teams, it will always be a football town. The Seahawks may be a winning team these days, but it hasn’t always been that way.
Back in the early 90’s, the Seahawk juggernaut was grinding to a halt. Chuck Knox was gone, Steve Largent had retired, Dave Krieg was waived. The front office, which was run by the owner’s son, had made some really stupid personnel moves (Dan McGuire! Kelly Stouffer!). The 1992 season quickly went sour.
After managing a single victory, the Seahawks met the Denver Broncos late in the season at the Kingdome on Monday Night Football. With John Elway injured and sitting out the game, the Hawks had a chance. But with their 1st and 2nd string quarterbacks injured, the game was in the hands of the World League MVP. His name?
The sidearm QB didn’t disappoint, tieing the game with no time on the clock. Gelbaugh led the Seahawks to victory (one of two all season!), and was a bright spot in a dark season.
Unfortunately, that victory over Denver guaranteed that the Seahawks would get the 2nd overall pick in the next draft, and not the 1st. (The Seahawks and Patriots both had 2-14 records, but since the Seahawks beat the Patriots that year, that Pats got the first pick.) With that pick the Patriot selected Drew Bledsoe, and were in the Super Bowl four years later. The Seahawks picked Rick Mirer, and weren’t.
Before the 1993 season, Coach Tom Flores announced that Rick Mirer would start, and that Gelbaugh would not get any consideration. To Stan Gelbaugh fans (and there were many), this was a huge disappointment. After watching Rick Mirer flounder, fans were left to wonder how far the Seahawks could have gone with Stan “The Man” Gelbaugh under center.
So enjoy Matt Hasselbeck, Shaun Alexander, Qwest Field, and the winning records year after year. To me, it still takes some getting used to.
Teams with winning records ought to play every game to win, even the last game against a lousy team like the Falcons. Teams that don’t, don’t belong in the playoffs.
The NY Giants played to win against the Pats even though they lost. They’re a team with grit and guts, and they deserve a playoff berth.
It’s really sad when mediocrity is celebrated and rewarded.
The Piper
@1 “The NY Giants played to win against the Pats even though they lost. They’re a team with grit and guts, and they deserve a playoff berth.”
The Giants played that game to win only because coach Tom Coughlin figured it would be a real feather in his cap to knock off the Patriots.
Coughlin has been under fire from the NY media for his teams yearly collapse in the second half of the season. Last year, they went 2-6, this year 4-4. “Grit and guts”? Hardly.
@2…Upton…
What I said was the Giants played the game against the Pats with grit and guts, and they did. Why they did it or what they did in other games is beside the point. The Giants threw their best at the Pats.
Did the Fleahawks throw their best at the Falcons?
The Piper
Do you rest the horse prior to the Big Race or do you work the horse? A question that has never been resolved since the horse was domesticated.
Free agency and $100m/yr. contracts have not altered this penetrating question into the meaning of existence in any substantial way.
Football is interesting only when they play with a Republican ball — then it’s worthwhile to watch the ball get kicked, thrown, slammed into the ground, fallen on, and deflated.
@3 Piper Scott
What I’m telling you is Coughlin recklessly exposed his starters to injury, with the playoffs a week away, in a self serving attempt to raise his own profile. Grit and guts had nothing to do with it.
@6…Upton…
Play to win or don’t play! You think any of the Giants players would have opted out? That a coach plays his best in order to try and knock of an undefeated team is exactly what he’s paid to do, and more power to him…even as I rooted for the Pats, which I will do throughout the playoffs.
Playing it “safe” is like throwing a game. And it’s a chicken’s mindset.
The Piper
RR @ 5;
Poor Roger, he is only a one dimention bunny.
“The Piper” has two gears to his wrong-ass posts…
…smug and smugger.
Seriously, he writes all like he’s smart and stuff and he makes about as much sense as klake.
Wish he’d stay on sharky’s blog where we don’t have to read him…not like I really do anyway.
“The Piper” is really dumb sighnaature in the first place…what kind of “piper” are you anyway…you gonna “pipe” me on board your fucking dumbass liber-conservi-tarian sinking ideology ship? No Thanks. You gonnna give me a hit offa that “pipe” yer smokin’? I’ll pass on that too.
Sheesh.
So Will…
Awesome post, man.
I got tickets to thet game at the last minute and took my son who was…eight…I think. Yeah. They were really good seats and we were sticking it out and toward the end of the fourth quarter I asked my boy if he wanted to go…he said he was OK…it WAS late on a school night and we stayed and I am soooo glad we did. A small, bright spot in a dismal season and a dismal chapter in Seattle sports history. The Behring’s. My God what a disaster.
But Gelbagh…I remained a fan of his until he retired, although my favorite Seahawk will always be Dave Kreig.
Thanks again Will, and a Joyful and Abundant New Year to ALL H.A.’ers. Even the dumbasses…LOL!
@9…Rujax…
If you had 1/4 of a brain, you would be able to link to my website, click on the link, “The Pipes,” and find out.
Since that’s probably too difficult for one of your obviously stunted mental and emotional growth, let me simplify it for you: I’m a Highland piper.
And would your moniker suggest that you rue the day you failed at jacks? Just curious…
My point remains: Play to win, or don’t play.
The Piper
Well Whoop-de-fukkin’-Dooo, Your Royal Superciliousness…
Rujax – One of the 16% of very whack-job liberals as described by Bill Schneider on CNN.
Hi Will.
You didn’t include the role of owner Ken Behring (1988-1996) in your narrative. How much of the team’s decline/non-performance is because of his actions?
Behring thoroughly beat any fan goodwill and enthusiasm out of the populace. (I believe Behring was also the developer of Klahanie, an affront against both Mother Earth and humanity so crass that it helped bring about the Growth Management Act.)
I suppose I’m glad for modern Seahawks fans that Paul Allen has brought the team back into relevancy. Alas, I still haven’t been able to bring myself to re-engage. I’m still pissed off that we bought Allen a new stadium, and continue to coddle him. (He should be paying us to permit him to have his team in our town.) Also, the Seahawks smoked the Steelers; it’s hard to care about a rigged game.
Rujax @ 10 – My favorite player is Kenny Easley. Gods, I loved watching him guess the snap and sacking the QB. Poetry.
No shit, zap…I loved me some Kenny too!
So glad he and the organization buried the hatchet.
I remember that wholesome Eastern Washington boy not going to the Seahawks. It was a sad, sad day.
Thanks for the refresher Will.