League not giving Seahawks much respect

Maybe it’s time to think about changing the name of that football stadium in Seattle from “Qwest Field” to “Danger Field.”

I’m not talking about the kind of danger that awaits visiting opponents.

You might recall that our very own Seattle Seahawks was the only team in the NFL to go undefeated at home last season, including the playoffs.

I’m talking about Dangerfield, as in our dearly departed brother, Rodney.

I mean, really, what does a team gotta do to get a little respect around here?

First, the NFL sabotaged the Seahawks’ chances for an unprecedented Super Bowl title against the Pittsburgh Steelers, by way of appalling officiating and exacerbating the already unbalanced crowd by sanctioning the sale of those hideous yellow towels up and down every aisle of Ford Field in Detroit.

This week, the league announced the match-ups for the five nationally televised games that will be played on opening weekend of the 2006 season, which includes, for the first time, two games on Monday night.

Are you ready for some primetime football? Don’t bother if you’re a Seahawks fan.

Thursday night, Sept. 7: Miami Dolphins vs. Pittsburgh Steelers.

Sunday, Sept. 10: Dallas Cowboys vs. Jacksonville Jaguars, Indianapolis Colts vs. New York Giants.

Monday, Sept. 11: Minnesota Vikings vs. Washington Redskins, San Diego Chargers vs. Oakland Raiders.

Notice anything missing?

I don’t know, maybe the defending NFC Champions?

Call this a legitimate argument, more predictable whining or the mad raving of a paranoid Pacific Northwest football fan who thinks we’ve been neglected by The Man for too long.

I’m not even sure which it is.

But the fact remains that for the first time in four years, the league is straying from its usual approach, in which both teams who played in the Super Bowl are featured in a nationally televised game on opening weekend the following season.

The biggest slap in the face is that there are five featured games to choose from.

That’s 10 teams.

There are 32 teams in the league.

The NFL is essentially telling us it believes that one-third of the league is more interesting, intriguing and exciting to watch than the Seahawks, who also happen to feature last season’s Most Valuable Player.

To be sure, some of these are fun match-ups.

The Steelers get their honor for winning the big game, all eyes will be on Terrell Owens making his debut with the Cowboys, and the Raiders will always get attention, no matter how awful they are.

The Colts vs. Giants game pits brothers at starting quarterback, Peyton and Eli Manning, against each other for the first time in league history. Even I’ll admit that a Matt and Tim Hasselbeck showdown isn’t a great draw.

But the Vikings and Redskins?

The best player the Vikings have is our old left guard.

And didn’t the Seahawks take the Redskins out in the second round of the playoffs? My memory gets a little fuzzy going back that far. You know, the Seahawks did play two more games after that – one of which was called the Super Bowl.

But maybe the NFL is just trying to save itself. It seems that whenever the Seahawks do get the national spotlight, it mostly shines its brightness on the league’s own foolishness.

In 1998, then-Jets quarterback Vinny Testaverde got credit for a touchdown despite getting tackled a yard short of the end zone.

Two years ago, on Monday Night Football, then-Cowboys receiver Keyshawn Johnson got the score despite clearly falling out of bounds.

And take your pick of any one of the officiating miscues on the game’s biggest stage in February.

Things just don’t seem to go the league’s way when the Hawks are in the limelight.

Perhaps it’s all for the best.

Here’s to an opening-day win in a decently officiated, nondescript Sunday afternoon game, and a subsequent run to Super Bowl XLI.

Barring another break from tradition, at least that game will be on national TV.

Victor Balta’s TV column runs Mondays and Thursdays on the A&E page. Reach him at 425-339-3455 or vbalta@heraldnet.com. For more TV and pop culture scoop, check out Balta’s blog at www.heraldnet.com/blogpopculture.