Seems I can't post new threads here becuase I just registered, and this seemed like the best one to throw my 2 cents on. I feel like I have some things to say here, so hopefully this doesnt get buried.
First of all let me say I'm a Seahawks fan, but I'm not here to troll/gloat/debate etc.. I'm not even going to lie and pretend that I'm not happy my team came out on the positive end of a bad call. In an ideal world there would be no bad calls to even worry about but that's just not the case, no matter the expertise of the officiating.
The initial call on the field should have probably been INT. If it was called an INT on the field, I think we all move on without all this debate. However, for whatever reason, whatever the official saw when the players came down he called TD, and unfortuantely for the Packers and you fans, in the mess of that play, as much as it looks more like an INT there really isn't a way to say with 100% conclusiveness needed to overturn it. There is also the obvious shove by Tate, that while technically should be a penalty, happens fairly often on these last second heaves and isn't called (no justification, just the way they are sometimes).
All this will be debated and argued over and over again, and like I said, I'm not here to debate.
What I am here to do is say that I definitely have a lot of empathy for the way you must be feeling as fans right now. Let's face it, taking a loss in this game is hard enough without the controversy, regardless of whether or not your team played well, no matter how many ways you try to justify it. We as fans all feel like we have this "power" in our brains to almost will our teams to improve by analyzing the flaws and what we feel went wrong. But then, you have a game like this that is taken out of anyone's hands and it's frustrating because you feel like you did what you needed to do.
You're pissed I'm sure but if you weren't, there'd be something wrong. But before you think that everyone here in seattle is giggling at your plight and dancing around celebrating a glorious victory, that's not the case. Are we happy we came out on the side we did in a poorly called game? Sure we are. I'm not going to lie about that to spare your feelings. You guys are Packers fans, with a history and legacy so foreign to we Seahawks fans that we couldn't even begin to identify wiht that sort of football history. The histories of our two teams really couldn't be much more different.
That being said there are likely no other teams and fan bases in the NFL capable of more empathy or understanding for what you're feeling right now than the Seahawks and the 12th man.
For decades this team floundered and struggled. We had the occassional good season here or there but mostly it's a history of losses, bad seasons, early draft picks that turned into busts, poor owners, poor coaching, etc. I realize the Packers had their stretch of disappointing years for a long time but at least there was alwasy a rich history and legacy to serve as a backbone through the tough times. Hawks fans? We never had that. We've always been that expansion team tucked up in Alaska.
Then in 2005 we had a great season and went to the superbowl. The euphoria after so many years of futility was immeasurable. Watching the Seahawks dominate the Panthers in the NFC championship was incredible. I remember once the game was over walking out into our front yard and hearing drunken bastards yelling "SUPERBOWLLLL!" as loud as they could with no sense of cadence or harmony, and it didn't matter. After so many years of being a complete afterthought on the NFL schedule, we had finally reached a game that I think many fans thought perhaps they would never see.
I dont really want to go into the details about what happened in that game. I'm not going to tell you Seattle should have won, or that they were the better team. I'm not saying the refs gave that game away or even compare it to this past monday. But I bring it up because from on respectful fan of the game to others, I think it's just important for you all to know that there probably isn't a fan base out there that could be more empathetic to how you are feeling now than Seahawks fans. In our team's biggest game ever, on the biggest stage with the world watching, we have to settle with never knowing how that game could have gone without the horrible calls. I don't know if we would have won, but that's part of the problem - we'll simply never know. In our team's greatest season, the refs removed any chance for us to know if we could have done it. Every Seahawks fan lives with this empty, illness-inducing knot on their stomach that will never go away of never ever knowing what that final score could have been. Even the refs coming out years later to admit they blew calls didn't make it better whatsoever.
Not sure if that helps at all but out of any team this could have happened against, it happened to be against the one team in the league who's fans t probably get what you're feeling more than any other.
On the bright side let me tell you that the Packers look like the best team in your division and I really have no doubts that they will win it and be in the playoffs. Once that happens all bets are off. As much as I'll admit that I'm glad we came out with the W on monday, I sincerely hope the loss for the Pack doesn't alter their playoff chances. The Lions D is a wreck, Cutler will sabotage any chances the Bears have, and the Vikings just aren't there yet despite the surprising upset of the 49ers. You gusy are the most complete team and you should be fine.
Personally I would love it if the Seahawks made it into the playoffs and we got the chance to have a fairly called game by the real refs so we can all sit back and watch a great game, without fans on either side having to watch the 4th quarter expire and leaving that lingering, sickly knot in their stomachs.
