December 13, 2008

Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold

Four Seahawk Legends, at the high water mark...

With the news of Walter Jones' microfracture surgery still stinging all of our ears, it's time to admit it: An era is ending in Seattle Seahawks football. I fancy myself an amateur Seahawks Historian, and I think we can clearly divide team history into these eras...

1976-1982: The Expansion Years
1983-1991: The Knox Republic
1992-1998: The Dark Time of Behring
1999-2008: The Holmgren Renaissance
2009-????: ?

I'm not talking doom & gloom here. In today's NFL, we could EASILY be a playoff team again in 2009. Just look at Miami and Atlanta's resurrections this season, for example. However, the team we've grown to know and love is going to be substantially different next year. No Holmgren. Already no SA. Possibly no Walter Jones. Hutch and Mack already long gone.... The era of The Big Show is truly drawing to a close.

These guys never won a ring (even though we all know they got royally screwed out of one), but they brought more joy to The 12th Man than any other group of players in franchise history. Even in this season of pitch black darkness and despair, we should take a moment to thank all of them for these great memories (yes, even The Traitor Steve Hutchinson).

The future is not hopeless, by any means. But the last few years can only be topped by a Lombardi Trophy, no?

Maybe I'm just sentimental, but I still think Hasselbeck can be the one holding that trophy for us in the next few years. He can still play, and will be the only real bridge between the Holmgren and Mora eras.

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