SEATTLE – Considering that it took the franchise 22 years to get back to a conference championship game, the Seattle Seahawks know how fleeting this opportunity can be.
“You talk to a lot of guys who went through their whole NFL career and never got to this point,” offensive lineman Walter Jones said. “You have to enjoy the moment.”
The Seahawks – or Seahags, or Seachickens or whatever other catchy nickname the long-suffering team has been tagged over the years – are actually playing a game where the winner gets to go to a Super Bowl today, as hard as that might be to believe.
“You don’t get that many chances to play in these types of games,” safety Marquand Manuel said. “You’ve got to go out there and give it your best shot.”
Just how fleeting can a shot at the Super Bowl be? Just consider the fact that only five of the 53 players currently on Seattle’s active roster have ever played in the big game.
Punter Tom Rouen, center Robbie Tobeck, wide receiver Joe Jurevicius, defensive tackle Chartric Darby and defensive end Grant Wistrom are the only current Seahawks who have played on the NFL’s most grand stage.
Jones, who has been with the Seahawks for his entire nine-year career, is among the 48 who haven’t even been to a conference championship game before this season.
“You hear about it, the coaches talk about it, and you want to be a part of it,” he said. “It’s a great feeling to be a part of it: to still be playing and still have a shot at doing something great.
“It feels good. Now you see why those teams that have tasted it always talk about wanting to get back there. It’s a great feeling.”
Seattle’s opponent hasn’t had to wait nearly as long, as the Carolina Panthers were in the NFC championship game just two years ago. But even they appreciate the rarity of the opportunity.
“I think we have guys who understand that this doesn’t come around very often, to be able to play in the conference championship game,” said Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme, who was a part of the 2003 team that lost to New England in Super Bowl XXXVIII. “It wasn’t long ago that this team was 1-15. We’ve been on the other side.
“You have to just cherish every single opportunity you can in this league.”
When it comes to the Seahawks, few people have as much championship game experience as head coach Mike Holmgren. He’s been to four Super Bowls and won three rings: two as an assistant with San Francisco and another as head coach of the Green Bay Packers.
“I think it’s going to be important for us, those of us who haven’t been here before, to follow (Holmgren’s) lead,” quarterback Matt Hasselbeck said. “And Mike has done a great job, obviously, handling situations this year. His job is not an easy one, but he’s the man in charge. He sets the tone, and we just have to follow it.”
The Seahawks are so close to their goal that they can almost physically reach it. All that is separating this franchise from its first Super Bowl appearance is a victory today.
“We all have the Super Bowl ring on our finger – all four teams,” running backs coach Stump Mitchell said, referring to the Seahawks, Panthers and AFC championship participants Denver and Pittsburgh. “It’s just a matter of who’s going to let someone else take it off. At the end of the day, there’s going to be one team out of the four that keeps that ring.”
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