Rodgers leads Packers to Super Bowl win over Steelers 31-25!

By Kshell

The Green Bay Packers are bringing the Lombardi trophy back home to Titletown, USA. The Packers were led by Aaron Rodgers who will no longer have to look over his shoulder and see Brett Favre's shadow. Rodgers the Super Bowl MVP was near perfect in the win over the Steelers throwing for 304 yards with three touchdowns despite several drops from his receivers. The Packers took advantage of three Steelers turnovers and turned those turnovers into 21 points. Despite a late rally by the Steelers and Ben Roethlisberger the Packers were victorious. The Packers have won the Super Bowl for the fourth time in franchise history but first time since 1996 when Mike Holmgren and Brett Favre ran the show. The Packers will celebrate this victory while the Steelers will be kicking themselves as they blew their chance to become elite status. Both these franchises have young franchise quarterbacks so they'll have plenty of chances to get back to this big game. At the start of the year yours truly predicted the Packers would win the Super Bowl which you can read right here.



The Packers in this Super Bowl game never once trailed throughout the entire game. The Packers are dropping some early passes finally started to amount a drive against the Steelers defense. After a dropped pass killed the Packers first drive Rodgers as he would all game would hit his passes on the second drive. Rodgers would hit Jordy Nelson for a gain of nine to set up a third and one. Then James Starks would rush for eight yards for a first down to the Packers 37 yard line. After another first down conversation by Starks to the Packers 46 yard line. Rodgers would hit Brandon Jackson for a 14 yard gain to the Steelers 38 yard line. Then facing a third and one from the Steelers 29 yard line the Packers called for a play action pass to Nelson who had dropped an earlier touchdown. This time Rodgers hit Nelson for the 29 yard touchdown pass to the right corner of the end zone. The Packers would take an early 7-0 lead on the Steelers after a Rodgers touchdown pass.



The game went from bad to worse for the Steelers. After a holding penalty which backed the Steelers to their own seven yard line Roethlisberger would throw an ill-advised deep pass. That pass was intercepted by Nick Collins and was ran back 37 yards for the touchdown to give the Packers a 14-0 lead. Believe it or not that 14-0 lead was huge as no team had ever came back from 14 points down to win a Super Bowl. Collins did receive an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty which would give the Steelers good field position. The Steelers starting on their own 36 yard line would go on a 13 play 49 yard drive which would eat up over seven minutes in time of possession. The Steelers would have to settle for a Shaun Suisham 33 yard field goal to cut the score to 14-3. After the Packers would go three and out the Steelers would have a chance to grab momentum. Roethlisberger would be intercepted once again at midfield with four minutes to go in the half. The Packers would try to take advantage of Roethlisberger's mistake and put the game away.



Aaron Rodgers would waste little time to take advantage of the Steelers mistake. Rodgers would hit Jennings for a four yard gain then would hit Nelson for a gain of 16 yards to the Steelers 33 yard line. Starks would then run for 12 yards to the Steelers 21 yard line. Rodgers would then fire a pass down the middle to Jennings for a 21 yard touchdown with 2:24 left in the half. For Rodgers that would be his second touchdown pass of the first half. The Packers would take a commanding 21-3 lead against the Steelers. No team had ever came back from 18 points down in the Super Bowl. The Steelers would make a game of it right before the half though. You see you can't put a team who has won two Super Bowls in the last five seasons away that easily. The Steelers were left plenty of time to still try and salvage the half and get some momentum going into halftime. This is when Roethlisberger would finally start hitting his passes to make the game interesting.



The Steelers started on their own 23 yard line knowing that they must get a score or any hopes at a championship would most likely end. Roethlisberger on the first play would hit Antwaan Randle El for a gain of 37 yards to the Packers 40 yard line. The Packers on this drive would lose both starting cornerbacks Charles Woodson(2009 Defensive MVP) and Sam Shields. Facing a third and 10 from the Packers 40 yard line Roethlisberger would hit Hines Ward down the middle for a 14 yard gain to the Packers 26 yard line. Facing a second and nine from the Packers 25 yard line Roethlisberger would hit Ward once again down the middle for a gain of 17 yards to the Packers eight yard line. Then Roethlisberger once again hit Ward to complete the drive hitting Ward for an eight yard touchdown pass. Up until that touchdown Roethlisberger had five interceptions to just one touchdown in the Super Bowl. With that touchdown the Steelers close the gap to 21-10 at halftime. The Steelers trailed by just 11 points and the Packers two starting corners along with Donald Driver were out of the game.



The Steelers would begin the second half by three and outing the mighty Packers offense. After a poor punt and penalty the Steelers had the ball at midfield. The Steelers didn't even attempt a single pass on this scoring drive. The drive began with Rashard Mendenhall running for 17 yards to the Packers 33 yard line. Facing a second and seven from the Packers 30 yard line Roethlisberger would rush for six yards setting up a third and one from the Packers 24 yard line. Isaac Redman took the carry on the short yardage situation and ran 16 yards to the Packers eight yard line. That is when Mendenhall capped the drive with an eight yard touchdown drive to cut the lead to 21-17. The Steelers defense would three and out the Packers offense once again. The Steelers then went on a nine play drive to the Packers 29 yard line but Roethlisberger would get sacked. The Steelers would then miss the 52 yard field goal attempt.



The Steelers had all the momentum in the game and it had appeared they were going to complete the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history. The Steelers with the ball on the Packers 33 yard line would hand off to Mendenhall who had crushed the Packers to that point but Clay Matthews would force the fumble. The Steelers would turn the ball over for the third time in the game. The Packers then had new life on their own 45 yard line. Facing a critical third and seven from their own 48 yard line Rodgers would hit James Jones who had dropped a few passes already. Jones made a great diving catch on the sideline for a gain of 12 yards to extend the drive. On second and 10 from the Steelers 40 yard line Rodgers would hit Nelson only Nelson would drop the pass. The Packers would have four drops on the game. Rodgers not losing faith in his teammate would hit Nelson on a key third down conversation for a gain of 38 yards to the Steelers two yard line. After getting sacked Rodgers would hit Jennings for an eight yard touchdown to take a commanding 28-17 lead with under 12 minutes to go. That would be Rodgers third touchdown pass of the game. The Steelers weren't willing to go away so easily though.



The Steelers with their season on the line would do what they've done all night which is answer back with a score of their own. After a Roethlisberger completion for nine yards he would hit Mike Wallace for 16 yards to the Packers 46 yard line. Roethlisberger would hit Wallace once again for 14 yards to the Packers 32 yard line. After a holding penalty and a pass of two yards Roethlisberger was facing a critical second and 18 when he hit Ward for a gain of 15 to set up a third and three from the Packers 25 yard line. On third and three Roethlisberger would hit Wallace on a perfect fade pass for the touchdown to cut the lead to 28-23. The Steelers would go for two to cut the lead down to a field goal. Roethlisberger in shotgun would run a play that you would see at Autzen Stadium with the Oregon Ducks. Roethlisberger would take the snap run to his left then option pitch it to Randle El who scored on the two point conversation. With seven and a half minutes to go the Packers would have the ball up only 28-25. This would be Rodgers defining drive and the biggest drive of his life. Like he had all night long he would deliver once again.



The Packers would begin this crucial drive from their own 25 yard line. Rodgers would get sacked on the first play of the drive. Then Rodgers would hit Nelson for a gain of nine yards. After a critical false start penalty the Packers faced the biggest play of their lives which was third and 10 from the 25 yard line. This is when Rodgers despite throwing three touchdowns in the game would complete the biggest pass of his life. He would hit Jennings on a seam pattern down the middle for a gain of 31 to the Steelers 44 yard line. Had the Packers failed there the Steelers would have great field position with over five minutes to go in the game. Starks on the next play would rush for 15 yards to the Steelers 29 yard line. Facing a second and nine from the Steelers 29 yard line Rodgers would hit James Jones for a gain of 21 yards to the Steelers eight yard line. After two short completions the Packers faced a third and goal from the five yard line which Rodgers pass hit Nelson in both hands but was incomplete. The Packers would settle for a Mason Crosby 23 yard field goal to go up 31-25. The Steelers would have two minutes and only one timeout left to try and win the game.



The Steelers would have one last shot from their own 13 yard line. Roethlisberger would hit Heath Miller down the middle for a gain of 15 yards to their own 28 yard line. After a pass for five yards to their own 33 yard line the Steelers would then have three straight incomplete passes. The last one hit Wallace in both his hands but was dropped. Steeler fans including Roethlisberger at the time would argue that there should have been pass interference called. There was no such call and the Green Bay Packers were going to win the Super Bowl! Head coach Mike McCarthy joins legends such as Vince Lombardi and Mike Holmgren as the third coach in Packers history to win a Super Bowl. The Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers had to sit his first three years after falling to the late first round. Remember the San Francisco 49ers debated on who to take with the first pick overall Aaron Rodgers or Alex Smith. Rodgers wins the MVP for the Packers and has now won as many Super Bowls as Brett Favre. Rodgers is creating his own legend in Green Bay and the Packers are experiencing a run of quarterbacks not seen since the 49ers had Joe Montana hand the torch over to Steve Young.

All in all the Green Bay Packers are the Super Bowl champions led by Super Bowl MVP Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers was 24 of 39 passing for 304 yard with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Rodgers would have a quarterback rating of 111.5 for the game. His counterpart Ben Roethlisberger would have his struggles early but played well in the second half. For Roethlisberger he would finish completing 25 of 40 passes for 263 yards with two touchdowns but two very costly interceptions. The Packers took advantage of the Steelers turnovers scoring 21 points off the Steelers three turnovers. The Packers themselves did not turn the ball over but were far from perfect. The Packers had a few dumb penalties but many were killed by dropped passes. Nonetheless the Packers led by Rodgers are the Super Bowl champions. Not like Ted Thompson and other Packers management needed "validation" on choosing Rodgers over Favre but today definately gave them that. The Packers are the world champions despite being in the smallest city in profesional sports. Nobody can ever take away this championship from Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers!

Observations:



- Mike McCarthy joins Mike Holmgren and of course Vince Lombardi as Super Bowl winning head coaches in Green Bay Packers history. When the Packers hired McCarthy he was a fairly unknown coach at the time. He had came from the San Francisco 49ers organization. McCarthy hired as head coach after the Packers went 4-12 in 2005. McCarthy was hired over Sean Payton who would join the Saints in 2006. McCarthy in his first year started off slow at 4-8 but the Packers won four in a row to go to 8-8. Meanwhile Payton led the Saints to the NFC title game so I'm sure some fans in Green Bay were thinking they hired the wrong guy.

In 2007 McCarthy in just his second season led the Packers to the NFC Championship game. Led by Brett Favre have a resurgence in his career the Packers hosted the NFC title game only to lose to eventual Super Bowl champion New York Giants. That is when the Packers underwent a change which was rough for a coach entering just his third season. The Packers decided to say good bye to Brett Favre despite being one game away from the Super Bowl. The Packers traded him to the Jets for a third round draft pick(Which was traded to move up in first round to select Clay Matthews). In 2008 the Packers suffered only their second losing season since 1993 with Aaron Rodgers.

Last year was another tough year for the Packers and McCarthy. The Packers finally made the playoffs again only to lose 51-45 in a wild Wild Card playoff loss to the Arizona Cardinals. What made the year so tough was that Brett Favre played for the Minnesota Vikings and swept the Packers. The Vikings also played in the NFC Championship game. The Saints with Sean Payton who the Packers passed on won the Super Bowl that year.

This year the Packers were the trendy pick to go to the Super Bowl. The first game of the year they lost starting running back Ryan Grant. The Packers lost 13 players to the IR including stud tight end JerMichael Finley. The Packers had heartbreaking losses this year losing six games by just 20 points. The Packers never once trailed by seven points at any point in this season(20 games including playoffs). The Packers were out of the playoffs with two games to go had to beat the Giants and then the Bears to advance. Then the Packers had to upset the Eagles on the road, Falcons on the road and then the Bears. Now the Packers are the Super Bowl champions and nobody will ever question hiring Mike McCarthy. Seeing how the San Francisco 49ers had McCarthy the whole time but never promoted him. Now McCarthy is kind in Green Bay. The previous two Super Bowl winning coaches have a street named after them when will McCarthy get his?



- What do Tom Brady, Kurt Warner, Peyton Manning and Ben Roethlisberger all have in common? Won a Super Bowl right? Well that and those are the last four losing quarterbacks in the Super Bowl. Showing that possibly experience in the big game is overrated.

In three of those four guys cases(Warner lost to Roethlisberger) the Super Bowl winning quarterback had never played in the big game before. Brady lost to Eli Manning who before that year had never won a playoff game in his career. Then Peyton Manning lost to Drew Brees who before that year had just one career playoff win. Now Roethlisberger lost to Rodgers who before this year had played in just one playoff game in his career.

Just goes to show you that Super Bowl experience could be overrated as Super Bowl winning quarterbacks are losing to first time quarterbacks. The days of Trent Dilfer, Brad Johnson and Rex Grossman starting Super Bowls appear to be over. In the past four Super Bowls all seven quarterbacks(Roethlisberger went twice) have gone to a pro bowl. Since 2003 only Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Ben Roethlisberger have been to the Super Bowl in the AFC. While 10 different teams in 10 years have gone to the Super Bowl in the NFC since 2001.



- This Super Bowl will be remembered as the Super Bowl that Aaron Rodgers finally escaped the Brett Favre shadow. He has been terrific taking over for Favre throwing for over 4,000 in his first two seasons and just missing it in his third season as a starter in the NFL. In the life of the NFL though you are measured by what you do in the playoffs especially if you are a quarterback.

Rodgers heading into this year was 0-1 in the playoffs but that playoff game was hardly his fault. In his first career playoff start the Packers lost 51-45 in overtime where Rodgers threw for 423 yards with four touchdowns including a rushing touchdown and just one interception. This year Rodgers was also on fire in the playoffs passing for nine touchdowns to just two interceptions while rushing for two touchdowns. In his career in five games he is 4-1 while completing 67.8% of his passes for 1,517(305.7 per game) yards. Rodgers has thrown for 13 touchdowns to three interceptions with three rushing touchdowns in his playoff career with a rating of 112.6.

Another decision the San Francisco 49ers fans have to be kicking themselves over. Just like Tim Lincecum with Seattle fans Rodgers is from the Bay Area. Rodgers was stellar for California yet the 49ers chose Alex Smith with the #1 pick overall. The 49ers haven't been to the playoffs since 2002 while the Packers have had just two losing seasons since 1993. The 49ers could have easily had the Rodgers-McCarthy combo instead they sit at home wondering what could have been?

The Packers chose Rodgers although he wasn't a need. The Packers had Brett Favre already who never gets injured as he started 296 consecutive games in his career from 1992-2010. Rodgers was to good of a value to pass up with the 24th pick plus Favre had threatened retirement since the 2003 season. The Packers didn't want to be like the Arizona Cardinals this year where their quarterback retires and the franchise falls apart. Instead the Packers did what the 49ers of the 80's did which was trade a second and fourth round picks to acquire Steve Young. The 49ers had a nice transition from Montana to Young where they enjoyed great success from 1981-1998where they were the premiere team of the NFL.

All in all this is why the Packers are a great organization. Unlike the Seahawks who didn't draft replacements for Walter Jones, Matt Hasselbeck or Shaun Alexander the Packers drafted Rodgers. The Packers had a rough 2008 season but that was one season and now they are World Champions. Just remember Seahawks fans the Packers are mostly a roster of draft picks and the guy who did the drafting for the Packers is current Seahawks general manager John Schneider. The Seahawks are in good hands with Schneider unlike Tim Ruskell who appeared clueless when it comes to the draft. This Super Bowl win was also good for the NFL. Shows why the NFL is the best sport that a small city like Green Bay can hoist it's fourth Super Bowl Championship is incredible. In baseball they would have already moved same goes for the NBA but in the NFL they are one of the better franchises. Well this Super Bowl wraps up a great NFL season. Hopefully in September we'll have a season but we shall see. I'll continue to post about the labor stuff in the offseason so don't worry. What a great season and congrats to the Green Bay Packers on winning the Super Bowl!

Bears end Seahawks season 35-24

By Kshell

The Chicago Bears ended the Seattle Seahawks season 35-24 behind four touchdowns from quarterback Jay Cutler. Cutler making his first career postseason start since High School played one of his best games of his career. The Seahawks couldn't run the ball or catch the ball which led to plenty of punts. The Bears defense unlike last game actually put pressure on Matt Hasselbeck. Unlike the last meeting the Bears were actually able to convert key third downs. In snowy Chicago the Bears will be moving on to host the NFC Championship game against the Green Bay Packers. As for the Seahawks they'll be making the flight home disappointed.



The game couldn't have started any better for the Bears. The Seahawks on their first play of the game did a nice trick play to Leon Washington who ran for a gain of nine yards. Then following a Marshawn Lynch loss of two yards the Seahawks faced a key third and three. Matt Hasselbeck hit Brandon Stokley who was losing his footing and dropped the ball. The Seahawks had to punt to the Bears and to Jay Cutler making his first career start in the postseason since High School. In the previous meeting the Bears were 0-12 on third down conversations. The Bears facing a third and two from their own 42 yard line asked Cutler to throw his first postseason pass of his career, facing a blitz Cutler threw it downfield to a wide open Greg Olsen who got behind Lawyer Milloy for a 58 yard touchdown pass to give the Bears a 7-0 lead.



Just when the Seahawks thought things couldn't get any worse they did. After Hasselbeck hit tight end John Carlson for a gain of 14, Carlson went down with a concussion. He would have to be carried off in a stretcher. Later in the drive Hasselbeck would hit Carlson's backup Cameron Morrah for what should have been a gain of 20, instead Morrah dropped the pass. Facing a fourth and one from the Bears 40 yard line Pete Carroll decided to punt the ball. After both teams traded punts the Seahawks Jon Ryan punted the ball to Devin Hester who returned the punt 26 yards to midfield which gave Cutler great field position.



The Bears would take advantage of the good field position. Cutler would hit Olsen once again in the flat which Olsen would bust for a 33 yard gain to the Bears 12 yard line. After a gain of nine, the Bears had the ball on the Seahawks three yard line facing a second and one. Cutler would throw a pass right to Seahawks defender Jordan Babineaux who dropped the easy interception. That would be Babineaux's second dropped interception of the game early. Instead of a possible interception that was ran back for a touchdown the Seahawks had to wonder what if. Facing a fourth and one, Cutler on a quarterback sneak ran it for two yards. Then Chester Taylor ran from one yard out to give the Bears a commanding 14-0 at the end of the first quarter.

The Seahawks offense would continue to do nothing. With no running game at all from Marshawn Lynch who had just four carries for two yards and with receivers dropping passes made for a frustrating day for Matt Hasselbeck who actually played well. The Seahawks also missed some chances to make it a game in the first half with the two dropped interceptions. Then Raheem Brock sacked Cutler and forced a fumble but of course the Seahawks couldn't recover the fumble. When trying to pull an upset you can't make that many mistakes and expect to win.



The Bears had the Seahawks down and didn't let up one bit. The Bears had the ball on their own 37 yard line when Cutler would once again hit Olsen for a gain of 22 yards. Taylor would rush for 11 yards on his next two carries giving the Bears the ball on the Seahawks 30 yard line. After a Cutler completion to the 11 yard line and a Matt Forte run to the Seahawks six the Bears offense slowed down. Facing a third and five from the Seahawks six yard line the Bears called a designed quarterback draw which saw Cutler break tackles from Babineaux and rookie safety Earl Thomas for the six yard rushing touchdown. At this point the Bears led 21-0 which they would take into halftime.



The Bears on their second possession of the second half would eat up some clock. The Bears would go 70 yards in 14 plays taking up over eight minutes of clock. On that drive the Bears would convert all four third down conversations a far cry from going 0-12 back in October. Facing a third and two from their own 38, Cutler after having all day to throw finally took off for eight yards to get the first down. Facing a third and five from the Seahawks 39 yard line, Cutler then hit Johnny Knox for 15 yards. Facing a third and one from the Seahawks 15 yard line, Forte would get the necessary two yards to extend the drive. Then facing a third and six from the Seahawks nine yard, Mike Martz would call for a QB sweep which saw Cutler get around the corner and rush for a nine yard touchdown to give the Bears a commanding 28-0 lead.



The Seahawks would finally get some life when Leon Washington would take the kickoff 62 yards to the Bears 30 yard line. Hasselbeck would hit the only receiver to have a good game Stokley for a gain of 10 to the Bears 20 yard line. After getting to the 12 yard line the Seahawks couldn't do anything more. Facing a fourth and nine from the 12 yard line in a sign that Carroll was playing for pride instead of the win decided to kick the field goal. Olindo Mare who had a good season made the 30 yard field goal to prevent the shutout. The Seahawks still trailed 28-3 heading into the fourth quarter.

Someone must have forgot to tell Mike Martz his team had a 28-3 lead. Typically when up 28-3 you run the ball and try to stall the clock instead Martz was trying to pile on the whole fourth quarter. The Seahawks still couldn't stop Cutler from rushing which made fans wonder if Michael Vick was playing for the Bears. Cutler facing a third and eight from his own 22 yard line would rush up the middle for 21 yards to the Bears 43. Then trying to get cute the Bears had Matt Forte attempt a halfback pass out of a direct snap, instead he threw the ball right to Aaron Curry who returned the ball 23 yards to the Bears 33 yard line.



Matt Hasselbeck wasn't willing to quit that easily. He once again would hit Stokley for a gain of nine yards to set up third and one. On fourth and one Hasselbeck would throw an interception but the Bears were called for defensive holding which gave the Seahawks new life. Facing a third and four from the Bears 13 yard line Hasselbeck would hit Stokley once again for a gain of 11 yards. Then on third and goal from the Bears two yard line, Hasselbeck would hit Mike Williams for a two yard touchdown to pull within 28-10.



The Seahawks would onside kick the ball and despite what seemed to be nothing but white jersey's around the ball the Bears somehow recovered the onside kick. After trading punts the Bears would have the ball on the Seahawks 48 yard line. Facing a third and one with under five minutes to go up 18 points the Bears showed no mercy. The Bears called a play action bomb which Cutler hit Kellen Davis for a 39 yard touchdown pass. On the play Earl Thomas just barely missed getting an interception. That play summed up the game, this time the Bears were converting on third downs(10-18), the Seahawks couldn't come up with the big play and Cutler brought his "A" game. On that touchdown pass Cutler became just the second quarterback in NFL playoff history to throw for two touchdowns and rush for two touchdowns. The other was Otto Graham. The Bears led 35-10 at that point which set off chants of "Packers suck" rest of the game.

The Seahawks wouldn't give up as Hasselbeck wouldn't let his team fold. Hasselbeck would hit Williams for a two yard touchdown pass which hit off of Charles "Peanut" Tillman to cut the lead to 35-17. Then after the Bears went for it on fourth down and passed the ball as Martz kept trying to pile on the Bears were stuff. Hasselbeck would hit Ben Obomanu for a gain of 46 yards. On the next play Hasselbeck would hit Stokley for a nine yard touchdown pass to pull within 35-24. The Bears would then recover the onside kick and take a knee which would finally end the Seahawks season.



For the Seahawks the season comes to an end. I think all would agree the Seahawks went further than anyone could have predicted. You can read here and here just how little faith I had in the team heading into the year. As you can see on the predictions very few people had faith in this year Seattle Seahawks. This year still had plenty of problems as the Seahawks ultimately went 8-10 with all 10 losses being by double digits.

For the game Matt Hasselbeck showed Seahawks fans and the rest of the NFL he still has game. Hasselbeck finished 26 of 46 for 258 yards passing with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Hasselbeck mainly hit Stokley who finished with eight receptions for 85 yards and a touchdown. His main receiver Mike Williams didn't have a good game at all only catching four passes for 15 yards but did have two touchdowns. The Seahawks had nothing that resembled a rushing game a far cry from the last two weeks. Marshawn Lynch had just four carries for two yards, Justin Forsett had four carries for nine yards. Golden Tate was your leading rusher when he took a reverse 13 yards. Leon Washington had the longest run amongst running backs when he had a gain of nine on the games first play.



As for the Bears well this is why they traded all those draft picks to acquire Jay Cutler. Cutler finished 15 of 28 for 274 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Cutler also added 43 yards rushing and two touchdowns. His main target was tight end Greg Olsen who had three catches for 113 yards and a touchdown. Matt Forte had a good solid game rushing for 80 yards and having 54 yards receiving on the game. All in all the Bears played well offensively and the defense just pressured Hasselbeck all game long. Tommie Harris had two sacks and several hurries on Hasselbeck.

All in all, the Seahawks season is now over which has people immediately thinking about the offseason. Before we think about the offseason stop and appreciate this playoff run. Remember from 1988-1999 we didn't have playoff football in Seattle so you never know when you will get back here. Hopefully this wasn't Hasselbeck's last playoff game as a Seahawks quarterback. If this was Hasselbecks last performance well he went out on top in my opinion. The Seahawks simply lost to a better team but they accomplished a lot this year. They won the 2010 NFC Western Division Championship and shocked the nation by ending the defending Super Bowl champs season. Be proud of your Seahawks Seattle fans, even in today's game they fought to the bitter end.

Observations:
- Pete Carroll accomplished a lot in his first season. Just like Chuck Knox and Mike Holmgren he led the Seahawks to the playoffs in his first season. Unlike Holmgren who had to wait until his seventh season in Seattle to win his first playoff game, Carroll took care of that this year. Unlike Knox who had to wait until his sixth season to win the division title, Carroll took care of that in his first year.

Carroll came in and blew up the roster while getting rid of all the bad attitudes(T.J.Houshmandzadeh). Carroll got the players to not only believe in him but themselves as well. There is a reason why when the Seahawks beat the Saints they weren't shocked. Same reason why the Seahawks didn't accept losing to the Bears because they believed they could win. Carroll has the players believing which is half the battle, now he must get some better players at key positions(Offensive Line and Secondary).



- Hopefully this wasn't Matt Hasselbeck's last game as Seahawks quarterback. I personally think he will be resigned as Carroll realized his mistake in Charlie Whitehurst. Hasselbeck despite being 35 yards old(same age as Peyton Manning I might add) played his best playoff football of his career.

Hasselbeck this playoffs was 48 of 81 passing for 530 yards passing with seven touchdowns and just one interception. His quarterback rating for this year's postseason was 102.4. For his career Hasselbeck had 18 touchdowns to nine interceptions in the playoffs and has thrown a touchdown pass in 10 straight games(He has played 11 games, the one game he didn't he threw for over 300 yards). You would never know he was a playoff warrior since idiots just think of him unfairly as a choke artist because of the "I want the ball and we are going to score".

Hasselbeck for the third straight regular season had a bad year nobody can deny that. Hasselbeck has no weapons at all, most of his receivers are cast offs which has been the way his whole career. His offensive line once again are cast offs so he has no running game at all. Hasselbeck has had average to crappy defensives so if he doesn't put up a ton of points the team typically loses and yet he gets blamed. Fans were sure quick to run Dave Krieg out of town for Kelly Stouffer remember that? How did that turn out? Oh yea that's right 11 years until we made the playoffs. If you chanted "Charlie" at the Falcons game do all the true fans a favor and don't ever show up to a game again please.

Regardless of my financial situation or where I'm living the day Hasselbeck is inducted into the ring of honor I'll make sure to be there. He is a class act and I'm glad he had a great postseason. The Seahawks need to resign him and surround him with better players.



- That picture says it all for Marshawn Lynch. He had just two yards rushing on four carries a week after rushing for 131 yards on 19 carries. Lynch every time he ran the ball was met in the backfield. I do believe Lynch is the answer at running back but hard to run against a good defense with second rate offensive lineman.

I can't think of a single playoff team who can win when their starting running back has just two yards rushing. Lynch was taken out of the game early because Bates realized the team couldn't run at all. Bates also had no choice as the game got out of hand quickly. Bates knew the only way back in the game was passing the ball but once again against the Bears that is tough.

Don't give up on Lynch he showed that he is a good running back. Give Lynch the offensive line that Shaun Alexander had and he may have put up better numbers. Lynch runs hard and you can tell truly cares. He doesn't ever go down by the first defender. He had a rough game but that wasn't his fault.

Well the season is finally over. This playoff run sure beats out picking in the top 15 I must say. The Seahawks gave the city hope which in sports lately we haven't had much of. The Mariners have been terrible, the Sonics left, Huskies football before this year was horrible, Cougars football still is terrible. So to the Seahawks I say thank you for giving me a great three week ride which I won't take for granted. The Seahawks have plenty of work to do in the offseason but this division championship plus the Saints win I'll probably watch about 50 times this offseason at the very least. Great job Seahawks and I can't wait til September when the NFL is starting back up again!

The Bears are who we thought they were

By Kshell

"The Bears are what we thought they were. They're what we thought they were. We played them in preseason — who the hell takes a third game of the preseason like it's bullshit? Bullshit! We played them in the third game — everybody played three quarters — the Bears are who we thought they were! That's why we took the damn field. Now if you want to crown them, then crown their ass! But they are who we thought they were! And we let 'em off the hook!"- Dennis Green following a crushing Monday Night Football loss to the Bears 24-23

Whenever I think of the Chicago Bears at least recently I think of that Dennis Green rant. That rant also hits home to me because during that season to be more precise the Seahawks season ended in Chicago 27-24 in overtime. That loss hurt as everyone knew some key people on the Seahawks run of four consecutive division titles were getting up there in age. This Sunday at Chicago the Seahawks have a chance to avenge that loss although so very few players are on the Seahawks roster who were there in 2006. Just like that year nobody gave the Seahawks a chance to win that particular game against the Bears despite being the defending NFC Champions. I'll get that game in more detailed shortly.

This year the Seattle Seahawks have already proven they can walk into Chicago and defeat them which you can read here. In that game Mike Williams due to his size destroyed the Bears catching 10 passes that game. That game from start to finish and given the opponent was the Seahawks best game of the year in the short Pete Carroll era. The Seahawks hope to continue to attack the Bears secondary with Mike Williams and attack Cutler with the corner/safety blitzes.

The Seahawks will be hoping to snap their seven game road losing streak in the playoffs. In fact the last time the Seahawks won a playoff road game Dan Marino was just a rookie quarterback and Joe Montana had won just one Super Bowl. That year was in 1983 when nobody gave the Seahawks a chance against Dan Marino and the Dolphins who had the best record in the AFC. The Seahawks won that game but would go on to lose the AFC Championship game in Los Angeles(Where Seattlehawk94 was there in person).

In that seven game losing streak the Seahawks have lost to three teams who went on the Super Bowl and three of those games were lost in overtime. One of those losses happened in Chicago four years ago today. During the 2006 season the defending NFC champions Seattle Seahawks were hurt by injuries. The Seahawks had lost Shaun Alexander for six games, Matt Hasselbeck for four games. In the playoffs the Seahawks lost both starting cornerbacks Marcus Trufant and Kelly Herndon the last week of the regular season. The Seahawks won a memorable playoff game against the Dallas Cowboys 21-20 because Tony Romo couldn't hold on to a snap for basically an extra point. The Seahawks were 9-7 and had lost three of their last four games heading into the playoffs but still had that championship swagger.

Meanwhile in Chicago the Bears were enjoying a terrific season. The previous year the Bears were the #2 seed in the NFC but went one and done to the Carolina Panthers(Who were destroyed next week by the Seahawks). The Bears also enjoyed the NFC's best record behind an amazing defense led by Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs. The Bears also had a great running game with Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson. The Bears also featured a game changer on special teams in rookie Devin Hester. The only thing holding the Bears back was Rex Grossman who makes Jay Cutler look like Tom Brady. Nobody gave the Seahawks a chance as the Bears had already killed the Seahawks 37-6 on a primetime Sunday Night football game. Should be noted the Seahawks were without previous league MVP Shaun Alexander.


The playoff rematch would feature the last great game of Shaun Alexander's career. The Seahawks found themselves trailing 14-7 when Shaun Alexander began to take over. Alexander would tie the score up with a four yard touchdown run. Still the Seahawks found themselves trailing 21-14 when Thomas Jones ran one in from seven yards out. The Seahawks would get a field goal from Josh Brown to pull within 21-17. Then once again Alexander would give the Seahawks the lead with a 13 yard rushing touchdown to give the Seahawks a 24-21 lead. The Bears would eventually tie up the score 24-24 then win in overtime on Robbie Gould's game winning 49 yard field goal 27-24. The Bears would go on to the Super Bowl. The Seahawks would go home asking tons of what if's.



After a tough loss like that there was plenty of blame to go around. One guy you couldn't blame was Shaun Alexander who ran for 108 yards on 26 carries with two touchdowns against this tough Bears defense. One guy who took blame was Matt Hasselbeck who was 18 of 33 passing for 195 yards with a touchdown and a costly interception that tied the score up at 24-24. Another guy who many blamed was Mike Holmgren. The usually conservative coach took some risks this game going for it on fourth three times with the Seahawks failing to convert twice. Utlimately the blame it to be at the hands of Tim Ruskell who let all-pro guard Steve Hutchinson walk. Having an all-pro would have been nice on those key third/fourth and short situations.

Now that painful loss has nothing to do with what will happen this Sunday in Chicago. If anything that game proves that the Seahawks can play in the cold weather before and that weather shouldn't be a factor. The Seahawks already defeated the Bears this year in Chicago so they know they can win there again. The Bears have been playing much better as of late but Jay Cutler is still the quarterback. Cutler will be playing in his first career playoff game while Matt Hasselbeck will be playing in his 11th career playoff game.

Since 2003 quarterbacks making their first career start are 5-19 in the playoffs. Some former pro bowlers have lost their playoff debut like our very own Matt Hasselbeck, Matt Ryan, Phillip Rivers, Aaron Rodgers, Vince Young, Carson Palmer, Tony Romo, Marc Bulger, Trent Green and Eli Manning. That is a pretty impressive list and with the exception of Young you would take all those quarterbacks over Jay Cutler. Cutler never even played in a bowl game in college. Cutler hasn't played in very many pressure like situations in his career.

At the end of the day whether the Seahawks will win or not they have a chance. The Bears like in 2006 are the better team. Just like in 2006 I think the Seahawks can compete with the Bears and then watch Cutler fold under pressure. If your a Bears fan and your team is trailing in the fourth quarter are you confident in Cutler? I'm guessing probably not. While the Seahawks with a veteran like Hasselbeck know he is capable of playing in pressure situations. He has started a Super Bowl before and has even played in a playoff game in Chicago. Hasselbeck has been there and done that while Cutler will be learning on the spot. I think regardless of the outcome Hasselbeck and Cutler will be the stories of this game. Just remember though the Bears are who we thought they were, nobody takes the sixth game of the regular season like it's bullshit! I'm not willing to crown the Bears ass just yet and hopefully after Sunday the Seahawks can finally earn some respect.

Hasselbeck leads Seahawks stunning win over defending Super Bowl Champions Saints 41-36

By Kshell

All week long the Seattle Seahawks were being bashed on as the first team in NFL history to not only make the playoffs but host a playoff game with a losing record(7-9). All week long nobody gave the Seattle Seahawks a chance as they were a double digit home underdog to the defending champions New Orleans Saints. These are the same Saints who defeated the Seahawks earlier in the year 34-19 which you can read here. What you'll notice in that first contest is the play of Matt Hasselbeck. Hasselbeck threw for 333 yards that game while today he set playoff career highs in touchdown passes.

The game started off as no surprise to anyone who follows football. The Saints took the opening possession and drove down the field on the Seahawks defense. Drew Brees had torched the Seahawks earlier in the year and he would once again have another big game. The Saints would stall in the red zone eventually and have to settle for a Garrett Hartley 26 yard field goal to take a 3-0 lead. The Seahawks would then throw an interception on their first possession which wasn't Matt Hasselbeck's fault as the ball tipped off of Ben Obomanu's hands. The Saints would once again take advantage of the short field going 35 yards in eight plays ending when Brees would hit former Seahawks fullback Heath Evans on a one yard touchdown pass. The Saints took a 10-0 lead. It was looking like another Seahawks blow out but Hasselbeck had other plans.



The Saints trying to kick away from dangerous return man Leon Washington chose to kick the ball short at first. That meant the Seahawks offense would have great field position at their own 43 yard line. That is when Hasselbeck started to prove why Pete Carroll named him the starter as I discussed yesterday. After a Marshawn Lynch six yard run, Hasselbeck would hit Mike Williams for a gain of 10 yards, then Obomanu for a gain of 10 yards. Lynch would rush for 10 more yards to the Saints 21 yard line. After a short completion to Stokley and a five yard penalty on the Saints the Seahawks had the ball on the Saints 11 yard line. That is when the Seahawks faked the run and hit fantasy football bust tight end John Carlson for an 11 yard touchdown strike from Hasselbeck to pull within 10-7.

In the second quarter the Saints behind Drew Brees would answer right back with a 10 play 78 yard drive. On the drive Brees was four for five passing for 53 yards. The Saints ran the ball five times for 25 yards including the third and four from the Seahawks five yard line draw to former Seahawks running back Julius Jones for a five yard touchdown run to put the Saints back up 17-7. Jones became the first player in playoff history to score a touchdown against a team that he had played for during that season. The Seahawks for the second time would have to try and overcome a 10 point lead.



Thankfully for the Seahawks Hasselbeck brought his "A" game today. Hasselbeck would hit Obomanu for a gain of 12 yards. After a first down and a run of three yards by Lynch the Seahawks faced a second and seven from the Saints 46 yard line. Hasselbeck had a beautiful pump and go to Cameron Morrah for a gain of 39 yards. Hasselbeck led Morrah beautifully on the pass. The very next play Carlson would intentionally fall down as Hasselbeck rolled to his right then threw back to his left for a wide open Carlson for the touchdown. Carlson who had just one touchdown all season long caught his second touchdown of the game to pull the score within 17-14. A few series later the Saints running back Julius Jones would fumble the ball which Marcus Trufant recovered. The Seahawks would have to settle for a 29 yard field goal by Olindo Mare to tie up the score 17-17.



The Seahawks after trading punts would have the ball with five minutes to go in the half with the score tied at 17-17. The goal was to not only score but make sure Brees didn't have enough time to score a touchdown themselves. Facing a third and 11 from their own 23 Hasselbeck hit a quick pass to Ruvell Martin in the slot for a gain of 15 for a first down. Then facing a third and one, Justin Forsett barely got another Seahawks first down. Later in the drive the Seahawks were facing a third and three from the Saints 45 yard line when Hasselbeck dropped back in the pocket had ton of options but decided to go deep. Hasselbeck once again delivered a perfect pass to Brandon Stokley for a 45 yard touchdown to give the Seahawks a 24-17 lead. That would be a playoff career high three touchdown passes for Hasselbeck. The Saints would then march down the field and settle on a 22 yard Hartley field goal to give the Seahawks a 24-20 lead at halftime.



In the second half Hasselbeck continued to be red hot passing. After a Lynch four yard run Hasselbeck would hit Mike Williams for a gain of 11 yards to their own 36 yard line. Hasselbeck would hit Obomanu for a gain of 18 to the right on a beautifully thrown fade route. He would hit Forsett for a gain of nine yards, after a failed fake half back pass attempt the Seahawks were facing a third and two on the Saints 38 yard line. Hasselbeck then threw a perfect pass in double coverage to Williams for a 38 yard touchdown. Williams who had just one touchdown prior to last week has now scored a touchdown in back to back weeks. The Seahawks were up 31-20 at that point in the game. The Seahawks after getting a stop would have to settle for a Mare 39 yard field goal after a key dropped pass on third down. The Seahawks would lead 34-20.



The Seahawks would blow a golden opportunity to put the defending Super Bowl champions away once and for good. Facing a third and three from his own 35 yard line Brees hit Julius Jones out of the backfield for a gain of two and a half yards. Kelly Jennings made a terrific tackle on Jones to stop him short. After the lines judge measured the spot the Saints were one inch short of the first down. Trailing by 14 points but with four minutes to go in the third quarter Sean Payton decided to for it on fourth down. Payton then handed off to Jones who was blown up and stopped short of the first down. The Seahawks up 14 points had the ball on the Saints 37 yard line. Due to a dropped pass and a delay of game the Seahawks got nothing out of that opportunity.

The Saints took advantage of new life driving down the field 87 yards in 12 plays. On the drive Brees was seven for nine passing for 57 yards on the drive. The drive ended on another touchdown run by Julius Jones from four yards out. The Saints would then three and out the Seahawks again and go on an eight play 53 yard drive which was stop short at the Seahawks three yard line. Brees facing a third and three from the Seahawks four yard line hit Devey Henderson on a quick throw but Seahawks rookie safety Earl Thomas came up to disrupt the play which stopped the Saints short. The Saints would have to settle for a 21 yard field goal by Hartley to close the Seahawks lead to 34-30.

The Seahawks offense would be stopped again but due to a great 52 yard punt by Jon Ryan and a Saints penalty they had to start from their own six yard line. Brees would immediately pick up 11 yards on a pass to Reggie Bush. Then the 12th man would strike as the Saints would have their third false start penalty of the game. Facing a second and 15 from their own 12 yard line Brees dumped it off to Heath Evans for a gain of seven. With four minutes and change left in the game Brees would throw an incomplete pass. The Saints would be forced to punt the ball to the Seahawks with four minutes to go. The Seahawks who couldn't run all year had to try and find a way to milk the clock out to extend their season. Instead the Seahawks would only last 58 seconds but that wasn't a bad thing either.



The Seahawks would turn to Marshawn Lynch who went "beast mode" on the Saints. After getting stuff up the middle for no gain facing a second and 10 from their own 33 yard line the Seahawks decided to run Lynch again. This time Lynch would bust the longest run of his career, longest run in Seahawks postseason history and possibly the greatest playoff run given the importance of the run in playoff history. Lynch would make eight Saints miss tackles on his 67 yard touchdown run which began as a simple run up the middle which went from a gain of four to the fans being excited about him getting a first down, then he would stiff arm a defender and keep running and make another defender miss. Just for good measure Lynch would make one last Saint defender miss a tackle at around the two yard line. Lynch's touchdown run put him over 100 yards for the first time this year and would give the Seahawks a commanding 41-30 lead with three minutes to play in the game.

The Saints were not ready to give up just so easily they would march down the field 70 yards in nine plays. Brees would hit Devery Henderson for a six yard touchdown pass to pull within 41-36. The Saints would then go for two and hand the ball off to DeShawn Wynn who was stuffed on the two point try. With 1:30 left in the game and only having one timeout the Saints were forced to onside kick it. The man who caught the first two touchdowns of the game John Carlson made the easy catch on the kick which was kicked right to him. The Seahawks after two running plays took a knee and pulled off the shocking upset 41-36 over the Saints.



The Seahawks the team that everyone scoffed at making the playoffs will advance to see another week. A team who had won just nine games the prior two seasons has now won a division title, won a playoff game and knocked off the defending Super Bowl champions. Pete Carroll said he took this Seahawks job because he didn't want to rebuild with a new quarterback. Hasselbeck suffered through a year below his standards but ended todays game completing 22 of 35 passes for 272 yards with four touchdown passes and just the one interception which wasn't his fault. Hasselbeck would enjoy a quarterback rating of 113.0. Not bad for a guy whose own fans were chanting his backup just three weeks ago. As for his counterpart well Drew Brees certainly isn't to be blamed completing 39 of 60 passes for 404 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.

When it came down to it the Seahawks had a running game while the Saints didn't. Marshawn Lynch finished with 19 carries for 131 yards(6.9 YPC) with a touchdown while the Seahawks previous starting running back Julius Jones ran for 59 yards on 15 carries(3.9 YPC) with two touchdowns but a costly fumble. The Seahawks had great production from their three receivers, two of whom were picked up in the offseason off the scrap heap. Mike Williams playing in his first playoff game finished with five receptions for 68 yards a touchdown, Brandon Stokley finished with four receptions for 73 yards and a touchdown while Ben Obomanu had five receptions for 43 yards.

All in all the Seahawks live to see another week. After the city of Seattle suffering through so much losing over the past couple of years this has been a nice change of pace. This is by no means a great Seahawks team but this team will be remembered with fond memories. The Seattle Supersonics in the 1986-87 season became the first NBA team in playoff history to win a playoff series with a losing record. That team went to the Western Conference Finals before losing to eventual World Champions Los Angeles Lakers. Now that wasn't a great team but that team is remembered with good memories. These Seahawks have created some memories fans of the Northwest will never forget. Most importantly Matt Hasselbeck proved he was the right choice for Pete Carroll and they both have another week of football.

Observations:


- Matt Hasselbeck has played plenty of great games as Seattle Seahawk in his career. Perhaps he might play a few more great games going forward. I doubt Hasselbeck ever has or ever will play a game like this given the circumstances. The circumstances was the Seahawks were in the playoffs and Hasselbeck threw for four touchdowns. The other circumstance was 35 points meant a loss so it was important to score 41 points.

Hasselbeck tied Walter Jones franchise record today with his 10th career playoff start which he'll break next week. Hasselbeck also has five career playoff wins including five consecutive playoff wins at Qwest Field. Hasselbeck today by throwing a touchdown pass has thrown a touchdown pass in nine consecutive playoff games. He trails only Brett Favre(20) and Tom Brady(14) who are both first ballot Hall of Famers, not even Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, and Donavan McNabb have longer streaks than Hasselbeck. The only game Hasselbeck didn't throw a touchdown he threw for over 300 yards and Shaun Alexander scored on three one yard touchdown runs. Hasselbeck is a proven playoff warrior now.

Hasselbeck had to be on his "A" game today because Drew Brees was as well. Ultimately it was Hasselbeck who won this great scoring battle that will remind fans of the classic Chargers-Dolphins game of 1981(played in January of 1982). Hasselbeck won the battle against a former Super Bowl MVP and in doing so maybe he finally quieted his critics. He deserves his fair share of blame for throwing picks but chanting "Charlie!" or suggesting he is a bum is a disgrace. Hasselbeck is the greatest Seahawks quarterback this franchise has ever had. We should be thankful Brett Favre's unprofessional attitude didn't rub off on Hasselbeck.

Hasselbeck was huge this game and I couldn't think of a better Seahawk than him to be the hero. I know he isn't a hall of famer and most outside the Northwest never thought he was good but when he retires his #8 should be hanging in the rafters. When Hasselbeck is on like he was today he is still an elite quarterback. This is why Carroll started Hasselbeck over Whitehurst.



- All week people were debating who should raise the 12th man flag. Once I learned Walter Jones had not raised the 12th man flag I was thinking this was a no brainer decision. Glad to see our future hall of famer raise the 12th man flag. I noticed in warm ups he was on the field by Hasselbeck. Maybe just his presence brought the good mojo to Hasselbeck and the running game I don't know.

Jones with the Seahawks made the Pro Bowl a franchise record nine times(1999,2001-08) while also being named first team all-pro four times(2001,2004,2005,2007). Big Walt is only the second player in franchise history(our first and to date only Hall of Famer Steve Largent is the other) to have his number retired. It was a great site to see big Walter Jones raise the 12th man flag. Like I said maybe that inspired the offensive line who allowed just one sack all game and opened up good running lanes for Marshawn Lynch.



- Every championship team has a few players who are talented but underachievers before they arrived to their team. The good teams get the most out of that talented player. Pete Carroll and the Seahawks have done exactly that with wide receiver Mike Williams. Williams who ate himself out of the league didn't play in 2008 and 2009 was coming off a seven catch season in 2007. Williams the former 10th pick of the Detroit Lions in 2005 back when they took a receiver every year in the first round looked like he blew his chance.

Reunited with his old college coach Pete Carroll, Williams has had a huge comeback season. For the year Williams caught 65 passes for 751 yards and two touchdowns in 14 games. Williams also caught 40 first downs as he quickly developed to be Matt Hasselbecks favorite wide receiver. Williams earlier this week was rewarded with a three year contract extension. Williams playing in his first playoff game today had a great game with 68 yards receiving with five receptions and a touchdown. Williams has been a great bargain pick up for the Seahawks a sign that Carroll can coach up underachieving talent.



- The Seahawks traded a fourth and a fifth round pick to the Buffalo Bills to acquire Marshawn Lynch for games like today. Last week in the second half to clinch the NFC West championship Lynch ran for 70 yards to control the clock and grind out points for the Seahawks.

This week Lynch constantly running hard was setting Hasselbeck up on third and shorts because he would get those gains of four on first or second down. Then with the game on the line the Seahawks who haven't had a running game since 2005 Lynch went into full "beast mode". Lynch broke eight tackles on his 67 yard touchdown run. Nevermind the playoffs that is one of the best runs you'll ever see. Given that it was the playoffs and that there was four minutes left in the game that run has to rank up there amongst the best runs of all-time. Lynch is a talented back and with an actual offensive he can be a very productive back.

After being stuck up in Buffalo with no chance of making the playoffs Lynch is finally getting a shot. He may still be on a bad team and his line in Buffalo can't be any worse than in Seattle but at least for Lynch he is playing in big games. Hopefully the Seahawks can work out a deal for Lynch as he does run very hard. Give Lynch the line Alexander had in 2005 and he might have ran for over 2,000 yards.



- I'm going to sing the praises of Pete Carroll once again. Carroll inherited a truly bad roster due to Tim Ruskell apparently not knowing anything about football. After the controversial firing of Jim Mora after one year, releasing big names(T.J.Houshmandzadeh), the way Carroll left USC, etc it was looking like Carroll was going to be taking a ton of heat this time of year.

Instead Carroll like Mike Holmgren and Chuck Knox led the Seahawks to the playoffs in his first year. In fact Carroll is the first Seahawks coach to ever win the division title and a playoff game in his first year as Seahawks head coach. Carroll has brought that winning swagger to Seattle which the players desperately needed. This is also a roster in transition. Only three guys on offense(Matt Hasselbeck, Sean Locklear, Chris Spencer) started the last Seahawks playoff game which was just three years ago. On defense only four guys(Brandon Mebane, Marcus Trufant, Kelly Jennings and Lofa Tatupu) started the last Seahawks playoff game just three years ago and neither kicker was on the team. As you can see he inherited a team in a bit of a transition.

Carroll has the players believing in him and most importantly in themselves. He has taken guys nobody wanted and made them into something. He took Leon Washington, Chris Clemons, Mike Williams and Brandon Stokley and made them valuable key contributers with the Seahawks. Him and John Schneider had a terrific draft which saw them net two huge starters in Earl Thomas at safety and Russell Okung at left tackle. Carroll's work is just beginning in the offseason but at least he is giving the players a taste of success to build on for the future.

At the end of the day as fans that is all we can ask for from our sports teams. Just give us hope and a chance each week. I love the fact that in the divisional round of the playoffs I get to watch my favorite team play once again. I get another week of talking about the Seahawks with my friends and family. Another week of hearing people talk about the Seahawks. As a diehard sports fan of a team especially a Seattle sports team you often wonder why you are a fan and put up with such misery. This is why because when your team finally does something it is so much sweeter. You think the Patriots fans will be this excited if they win next week? Heck no they won't. Congrats to the Seahawks for giving me another week of cheering on my favorite team!