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For the first time since the 1999 season, coach Mike Holmgren and the Seattle Seahawks are in the playoffs. It wasn't easy.
After finishing the regular season Saturday with a 24-17 victory in San Francisco, the Seahawks (10-6) made the playoffs Sunday in a complicated BCS-like ``strength of victory'' tiebreaker when Dallas lost in New Orleans 13-7.
It turns out the
Seahawks didn't need it. They would have made the playoffs anyway because when
Minnesota lost in Arizona, Seattle finished with one of the top six records
in the NFC.
``Yesterday we hoped for the opportunity to extend our season,'' coach Mike
Holmgren said. ``Today we received that opportunity. It is very exciting for
not only the players, coaches and organization, but the fans and our community
who have supported us so well this season.''
The Seahawks will open the playoffs Sunday in Green Bay against the Packers, the team Holmgren coached for seven seasons and led to a Super Bowl title. They met there Oct. 5, with the Packers winning 35-13.
``This is something we've worked for since August,'' quarterback Matt Hasselbeck said. ``It's great that all of our hard work has paid off. Now we need to take care of business. We have a great opportunity and we're excited.''
Seattle, which started the season 5-1, was 8-0 at home but just 2-6 on road.
Hasselbeck's improvement this season helped the Seahawks win 10 games for the first time since 1986, when they were 10-6 under coach Chuck Knox but missed the playoffs.
Running back Shaun Alexander said Sunday that ``excitement is an understatement'' for all the Seahawks. He said there's no doubt the team has momentum going into the playoffs.
``I'm excited with what's going to happen this year and I'm excited for us being in the playoffs,'' he said. ``The sky's the limit with us.
``I told everybody from the beginning that with our team's backs against the wall, I'd take us over anybody. So as far as we go, we're not surprised.''
``This is the first time in 17 years the Hawks have had 10 wins,'' linebacker Chad Brown said Saturday. ``We are becoming a good team. We have a defensive coordinator everyone believes in. The young guys got a lot of experience this year and the quarterback situation has been solidified. We're on our way.''
Hasselbeck set a Seahawks single-season team record for passing yards this year with 3,841 yards, breaking the mark of 3,678 set by Warren Moon in 1997.
Holmgren coached the Packers from 1992-98. He has a 9-6 coaching record in the playoffs, including a 20-17 loss by the Seahawks to Miami in a first-round game on Jan. 9, 2000, in the Kingdome.
The Seahawks have lost their last four playoff games. Their last playoff victory was in 1984 under Knox, when they beat the then-Los Angeles Raiders 13-7 in an AFC first-round game.
Holmgren was lured to Seattle by owner Paul Allen and team president Bob Whitsitt with the promise of being general manager as well as coach and was given a $32 million, eight-year contract.
But he was forced to give
up his general manager title and fire his entire defensive staff after the Seahawks
had a disappointing 7-9 record last season and missed the playoffs.