By Scott M. Johnson
Herald Writer
KIRKLAND – When it came time for the biggest game of the Seattle Seahawks’ 2001 season, not even a Trent Dilfer pass, a John Randle sack or a Shaun Alexander touchdown run could save them.
So when a number of Seahawks walked into an eastside saloon to watch the Baltimore Ravens and Minnesota Vikings do battle on Monday Night Football, they couldn’t help but feel a little helpless.
Shortly after the Ravens knocked off the Vikings – and officially ended Seattle’s season – Monday night, they departed with the realization that things weren’t totally out of their control.
Thoughts of a last-minute loss to the New York Giants crept into their thinking. Visions of a missed field goal against Miami came rushing back. And who knows what might have happened had the Seahawks gotten one or two big plays early in one of their six road losses?
Would have. Could have. Should have.
But none of it happened.
“We’ve got to let this be a lesson to us,” said offensive lineman Robbie Tobeck, one of about 20 Seahawks who got together to watch the game at the Lucky 7 Saloon. “Next year, when the time rolls around, we don’t want to leave it up to someone else. We need to take care of business next year.”
The season officially came to an end Monday night – a Ravens loss would have sent Seattle to the playoffs by way of a tiebreaker – but heads were not hung low for long. The Seahawks refused to look back on their 2001 season as a disappointment, even though they fell short of their postseason goal.
At 9-7, Seattle improved by three wins over the 2000 season. Along the way they found a running back of the future (Alexander), a go-to receiver (Darrell Jackson) and a wealth of young depth that seemed questionable coming out of training camp. They also got major contributions from free-agent signees Dilfer, Randle, Levon Kirkland, Chad Eaton and Marcus Robertson.
In hindsight, it turned out to be a perfect stepping stone to what is expected next year.
“We made our own bed this season, so to speak,” coach Mike Holmgren said after Sunday’s loss, “but it’s something we can build on.”
Many of the players got together Monday evening in hopes of seeing their current campaign extended by at least one more week. A Ravens loss would have meant another Seahawks-Oakland Raiders game this Saturday, but it never panned out. By the time Baltimore finally put the Vikings out of their misery, the Seahawks realized that their offseason had begun.
“You hate to end it now,” Tobeck said. “I wish the season started Feb. 1. I wish we were getting ready to go to (training) camp in two weeks. I can’t wait until next season starts, because I could feel the excitement every day when we come to work. It’s like we’ve been in the playoffs the last couple weeks.
“We’re closer as a team, and guys are heading in the same direction, whereas in years past that wasn’t always the case.”
Among the offseason priorities are to wade through a group of free agents, including five offensive starters. The team’s priority is re-signing left tackle Walter Jones, which could eat up a lot of available money under the salary cap. A frame of reference might come from Baltimore’s Jonathan Ogden, who signed a six-year extension worth $44 million (including a $12 million signing bonus) two years ago.
The other Seahawk free agents include Dilfer, running back Ricky Watters, fullback Mack Strong, right tackle Todd Weiner, tight end Christian Fauria and wide receiver Bobby Engram. Dilfer’s will be the most closely-watched situation, as Holmgren has to decide whether to give him a chance to compete with Matt Hasselbeck for the starting job in 2002.
Personnel moves won’t be the only changes heading into next season. The Seahawks will play in a new downtown stadium and will move to the NFC West, along with Arizona, St. Louis and San Francisco.
Unlike the feeling last January, they can look toward the future with a genuine sense of optimism.
“I do feel like we got better as the year went on,” Tobeck said. “We made progress, we finished 9-7, and I feel like this team’s headed in the right direction. We’ve got a lot of momentum heading into next year, and we just need to have a good offseason.
“The one thing I’m most proud of is that this team learned how to win. Even though we didn’t make the playoffs, we learned how to win, and I think (Sunday’s) game was evident of that.”
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