Wow. When I thought I had seen it all over the last 2 seasons on the sidelines, this game happened. It is hard to look back on the game yesterday and really fathom what happened. I made it a point several times yesterday to take the camera from my eye and to just look around. It was hard to see how deflated the fans were, and to hear how quiet it was at moments. But for the most part, the fans held on to hope and were ready to explode to a raucous insanity at the drop of a play. The fake field goal brought a little spark, but it wasn't anything the fans did, until the 4th quarter, to keep the game in hand. The Defense played absolutely lights out, with their backs against the wall, and no help from the offense, to keep the game close.
Key plays by the Canadian punter and Canadian receiver caused a wild turn of events. When the Hawks needed a miracle, it happened. Time and time again. And as the tide turned, the crowd rose from its slumber and quickly turned into a rabid beast. I wish that sound and feeling could be bottled and shared to everyone so they can experience what we all experienced on the field that day.
Easily the loudest moment I can remember in that Stadium was after Russell's 1-yard TD rush, followed by a wild Hail-Mary 2-point conversion. I mean the place was bonkers. The Seahawks actually had come back. As we headed to Overtime, the great Tavaris Jackson kept his coin-toss pick record in impeccable fashion, giving the Seahawks the ball first, and the following infamous word's came to my mind; "We want the ball and we are going to score."
That was the second-worst moment(Superbowl 40 loss) in Seahawks playoff memory for me when Hasslebeck said those words. But to get that sweet redemption against the Packers, in this fashion... Wow.
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This season I carpooled with some video guys who had a call time 5 hours before kickoff, so I would show up very early before anyone was on the field and walk the stadium stairs and just take in the sites, visualizing what kind of chaos would ensure in a few hours. It really is such a calm, peaceful place to spend the early morning hours.
