SEATTLE — In these times of team loyalty drowning in the wake of NFL free agency, consistency has become increasingly rare.
Expand it to encompass pro team sports. Who has done the truly remarkable? The 14 consecutive division titles the Atlanta Braves won from 1991 to 2005 are truly amazing, as are nine straight by the Yankees starting in 1997.
A little research reveals how special the Seahawks’ four straight division titles and five straight years in the playoffs are in this age.
Just a few comparable eras:
At their extraordinary peak, the Pittsburgh Steelers won six AFC Central titles starting in 1974. That was a run that included four Super Bowl titles and carried the Steelers into what many consider the NFL’s most dominant group ever.
Go back in history and you’ll see a different league alignment. Still, the Rams took six straight West Division crowns in the 1940s and ’50s. The Browns won six straight, starting in 1950.
Later, the 49ers won five straight division titles in the ’80s and ’90s. The Cowboys matched that number in the ’90s. The Indianapolis Colts are in position to clinch their fifth straight AFC South title.
Get the hang of this little ditty by the Seahawks? Sure, they’re not sharing a seat in the Steelers’ throne, but then that’s pretty fast company.
Say what you want about a weak division. The Seahawks, one of four teams who have won four straight division crowns in the past 10 years, are on a pretty decent roll.
“It’s awesome,” quarterback Matt Hasselbeck said. “Four division titles in a row. I can remember when this NFC West was formed. San Fran was really good. They had (Terrell) Owens and Jeff Garcia. The Rams were coming off Super Bowl after Super Bowl. It felt impossible to get a win in St. Louis at the time. Slowly but surely, we got enough guys helping us believe that we can get there some day.
“And here we are. Hopefully, we can take the next step.”
Playoffs now are an expectation, not a bonus. Through his first four seasons as the Seahawks’ coach, Mike Holmgren nearly lost his job for getting the Seahawks one time in the postseason, a streak that lasted just one game. In his reign, the team didn’t win a playoff game until 2005, its Super Bowl year.
Things are different now.
“Expectations have changed tremendously around here,” defensive tackle Rocky Bernard said. “When I first got here (in 2002), we were just scrambling to win games and sneak into the playoffs. Now we expect to win the division.
“Even though all the hype’s been about San Francisco and Arizona, we’ve been getting it done.”
The driving force has been Holmgren, who passed Chuck Knox Sunday as the franchise’s winningest coach. Holmgren won his 81st game Sunday as a Seahawk. In a post-game ceremony in the locker room, team owner Paul Allen handed Holmgren the game ball.
“It’s pretty cool,” Holmgren said. “… Just to be mentioned in the same breath as Chuck Knox is pretty neat.”
Such consistency is not easily done. Free agency means players have little trouble leaving their teams to join those who wave the highest bid at them.
In their highly successful streak, the Seahawks have about 16 players who make up the core: the Hasselbecks, the Shaun Alexanders, the Bobby Engrams, the Walter Joneses and more.
“If you can do it right, hang on to your core people and get the right quarterback, that’s key,” Holmgren said. “The credit goes to the players. And my assistant coaches do a great job.
“I’m fortunate enough to get the game balls, but they do all the hard work.”
Sports columnist John Sleeper: sleeper@heraldnet.com. To reach Sleeper’s blog, go to www.heraldnet.com?danglingparticiples.
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