December 17, 2008

The Top 10 Most Underrated Holmgren Moments (1999-2008)

Top 10 Holmgren moments with the Seahawks? Yawn. We all know those by heart. Here's my list of the top 10 underrated, forgotten, "oh, yeaaaah" Holmgren moments:

10. Drafting Darrell Jackson
9. Drafting Rocky Bernard


We tend to focus on the failures Holmgren had running the draft from 1999-2002 (Jerramy Stevens, Koren Robinson, etc), but he also collected a lot of key pieces for our playoff run from 2003-2007. D-Jack and Rocky are just two of the key contributors The walrus drafted.

8. Win at SF to end the 2003 regular season

Needing a win to stay alive for a playoff berth, the Hawks fell behind 14-0 early, but rallied for a season-saving win against former Hawks coach Dennis Erickson. This win vindicated Holmgren's decision to stay in Seattle after being stripped of his GM duties.

7. The MNF win at Green Bay in '99

1999 ended in a horrifying tailspin, but that blowout win at Lambeau said this to the football world: Our talons are sharper than ever! Fear our Osprey wrath!

6. Calling time out in OT during Jay Feely NYG game

Without the ability to challenge, Holmgren called time-out after a Jeremy Shockey catch & fumble in OT. A booth review reversed the catch, costing NYG precious yards of field position before another Feely miss. That's just savvy vet coaching.

5. Calling the deep ball to Seneca Wallace early in the 2005 NFC Championship.

Holmgen's conservative play-calling disappeared early in the NFC Championship, and it paid off. Wallace beat Ken Lucas deep, Hass threw a perfect pass, and Seneca made a spectacular catch. It set the tone for the most perfect day in Seahawks history.

4. Drafting Steve Hutchinson

It wasn't his fault that Hutch walked in 2006, but The Walrus drafted the dude, didn't he? Two years in a row, Holmgren scored big-time on mid-first round picks.

3. Drafting Shaun Alexander

Once again, we never give GMs enough credit when they make the right choice, even if it's obvious. Without Shaun, our Super Bowl trip never happens.

2. Swallowing his pride and giving up his GM duties.

Ever get demoted at your job? It's a pretty sucky feeling (unless you're James T. Kirk, and you hate all that Admiral bullshit anyway). Holmgren could have demanded that he keep his GM position or he was out... but he believed enough in this organization to accept being publicly humbled and focus on what he does best: Coaching.

1. Trading for Matt Hasselbeck

After the disastrous 2000 campaign, The Big Show probably had nightmares involving Jon Kitna throwing interceptions while Holmgren was buck naked, riding a unicorn (hey, dreams are weird). Even after Miami made a strong trade offer to Green Bay for Hass, Holmgren stepped up his offer and got his franchise QB.

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