Barriers tumbled like dominoes last season for the Seattle Seahawks. They set franchise records for regular-season wins (13) and consecutive victories (11), won in the postseason for the first time in 21 years and played in their first Super Bowl.
And yet when the Seahawks reflect on the 2005 campaign, it usually comes with a wince. The 21-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Super Bowl left a void that still hurts some seven months later.
“I don’t know that I’ll ever totally be over it,” quarterback Matt Hasselbeck told reporters at the Seahawks’ training camp. “I lost a state championship game my senior year in high school, and I still get mad, angry, very angry thinking about it. I feel very similar about what happened last year. I guess you just got to move on.”
Added linebacker Lofa Tatupu: “I’m still not over it, man. You never forget something like that. You still have those negative thoughts on how close you came, but you try not to dwell on it.”
Perhaps the Seahawks took the defeat so hard because opportunities had fizzled in the past for them, too. Just two years ago, for example, they were the trendy choice to win the NFC. But they went 9-7, and the Rams shoved them out of the playoffs in the first round.
Seattle’s frustration extends back to 1985, when, after going 12-2 without star running back Curt Warner (knee injury), the Seahawks were expected to steamroll the NFC with a healthy Warner. They wound up 8-8.
So, the sting of a Super Bowl defeat understandably might be a bit more piercing in Seattle. But now, as the new season approaches, it’s time for the grieving to end, coach Mike Holmgren instructed.
Recently, Holmgren gathered his staff and watched the tape of the loss to the Steelers one last time. “We still think about it,” he said, “but it’s done.”
The Seahawks have too many challenges in the present to continue dwelling on the past, Holmgren added. First of all, the NFC West appears to be tougher, with the Rams, Cardinals and 49ers all expecting improvement.
Also, Seattle must overcome some key offseason losses via free agency, including Steve Hutchinson, one of the NFL’s premier guards. Wide receiver Joe Jurevicius and free safety Marquand Manuel won’t be easily replaced, either.
New Seahawks include Pro Bowl linebacker Julian Peterson, although his past Achilles’ tendon problems are a concern, and wide receiver Nate Burleson, who could soothe the Jurevicius departure.
Most important, the key cogs in the offense that led the NFL in scoring last year remain: Hasselbeck, running back Shaun Alexander and left tackle Walter Jones. Alexander, whose 1,880 rushing yards led the league and whose 28 touchdowns were an NFL record, flirted with free agency before signing an eight-year, $62 million deal to remain in Seattle. He’s the reigning league MVP.
Defensively, the Seahawks jumped from near the bottom of the league in ‘04 to the middle in ‘05, 16th in yards allowed. While no one was confusing the Seahawks with the Monsters of the Midway, that upgrade was enough of a complement to the offense to push Seattle to the top of the NFC.
That unit remains mostly intact, headed by Tatupu, a Pro Bowl selection as a rookie, and tackle Rocky Bernard, who collected 8½ sacks last year.
No doubt, the Seahawks are strong enough to roll through the NFC again. Then again, most teams coming off Super Bowl seasons have similar expectations. In recent years, those expectations have gone flat.
Not only have the last five Super Bowl losers failed to reach the playoffs in the subsequent season, none even posted a .500 or better record: Philadelphia, 6-10 in 2005; Carolina, 7-9 in ‘04; Oakland, 4-12 in ‘03; the Rams, 7-9 in ‘02; and the New York Giants, 7-9 in ‘01.
For the most part, injuries and age caught up with those teams. Still, some insist it’s some kind of jinx.
“I think the jinx is just storytelling,” fullback Mack Strong said. “Reporters write about it, fans get excited about it, and it kind of takes on a life of its own. I don’t put any stock in it. All that matters is what we do as players.”
But Hasselbeck cautioned that the Seahawks are in a dangerous spot.
“We’re set up to fail that way right now,” he said. “We’re set up to think we’re better, or just the same team, that played last year. We’re not. It’s a different team, and we’ve got to work our tails off every week, every game.”
