KIRKLAND – There haven’t been many black cat sightings in Seattle recently.
No need to avoid ladders or step over cracks in the sidewalk.
These days, when it comes to the Seattle Seahawks, it’s all about rabbit’s feet and four-leafed clovers. Luck is finally on their side.
The balls that have bounced the wrong way for so many years have started to land in the Seahawks’ laps lately.
“I do believe that this is our year,” running back Shaun Alexander said after the Seahawks escaped with a 24-21 overtime win over the New York Giants on Sunday.
While the Seahawks have made most of their own good breaks this season, they also have had a few things go their way. During the current seven-game winning streak, the Seahawks have benefited from critical mistakes by their opponents in four different games:
* Giants kicker Jay Feely missed three potential game-winners on Sunday, allowing Seattle to win the game on Josh Brown’s 36-yard field goal 12 minutes into overtime.
* San Francisco quarterback Ken Dorsey short-armed a pass on the two-point conversion attempt that would have tied the score in the Nov. 20 game with Seattle, resulting in a 27-25 Seahawks victory.
* Dallas quarterback Drew Bledsoe threw an ill-advised pass late in the Oct. 23 game, resulting in a Jordan Babineaux interception that allowed the Seahawks to kick the game-winning field goal in a 13-10 victory.
* St. Louis return man Shaun McDonald fumbled during a punt return late in the Oct. 9 game, keeping the Rams from attempting a game-winning drive in a 37-31 Seahawks victory.
When asked Monday about the team’s reversal of fortune this season, coach Mike Holmgren raised one eyebrow and quipped: “Are you suggesting we were fortunate (Sunday)?”
Then Holmgren got serious, adding: “I would say it evened up (Sunday) a little bit, yeah.”
Previous seasons have had vastly different storylines, with the Seahawks living through the curse of never-ending misfortunes. Whether it was receiver Bobby Engram tripping over a back judge in St. Louis, the game official failing to start the clock in Baltimore, or the replay officials refusing to review a controversial touchdown against Dallas, the Seahawks have had their share of bad breaks over the years.
And it extends beyond the Holmgren years. Anyone who knows what NFL referee Phil Luckett and New York Jets quarterback Vinny Testaverde have in common can certainly attest to that.
This season, those days seem like water under the bridge. The Seahawks (9-2) boast the best record in the NFC, and at times they’ve been almost as lucky as they have been good.
“You know what?” Holmgren admitted Monday. “I don’t really know how good we are yet. It sounds odd, I know. But we’re still finding things out about ourselves.
“We were fortunate (Sunday). But you need to have that happen once in a while.”
Not that everything has gone Seattle’s way this year. There was, of course, the 20-17 overtime loss to the Washington Redskins that could have been decided in regulation had Brown been successful on his 47-yard field goal attempt as time expired. And even Sunday, when the Seahawks benefited from Feely’s three misses and 16 New York penalties, Seattle might have been on the wrong end of at least one blown call that could have had catastrophic results.
Holmgren said he received a telephone call from the league office Monday apologizing for a play that was ruled a touchdown even though Giants tight end Jeremy Shockey lost control of the ball before his second foot hit the turf.
“I had a conversation with the league, and there were some mistakes that took place,” Holmgren said. “Heck, I get excited about it, just like any coach would – particularly if it cost you a ball game. But the fact is, officials have a tough job. They’re honest guys doing the best they can.”
Had Seattle lost Sunday’s game, Holmgren probably would be singing a different tune. But the way things have been going for his Seahawks, everything seems to end up in Seattle’s favor this season.
And for that, the Seahawks can bask in the fortune of an unforgettable start.
“The Seattle football fan has probably gone through some stuff in (team) history,” Holmgren said. “And now we want to give the fans a team they can be proud of, where they can talk about it, get excited about it, have hope. That’s always been the goal, and I think as we’ve gotten closer to be able to talk like that, that’s a neat thing.
“It’s good for the community, certainly the fans are having fun, and it’s good for the team.”
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