For Mike Holmgren and the Seattle Seahawks the return trip to the Super Bowl has been too long in coming. For Mike Holmgren especially, time is running out to make things happen. The Seahawks went through the usual travails of a conference champion after their appearance in the Super Bowl, failing to make it back to the big game or even make a real push towards an NFC Championship. So when 2007 came calling many fans in Seattle Seahawks Stadium felt like this HAD to be their year.

It almost was. The Seahawks were lucky enough to be in one of the weaker divisions of the NFL, a division no team seemed to want to capture. Neither the Arizona Cardinals nor the St. Louis Rams seemed to be able to keep their big guns on the field and the San Francisco 49ers were hugely disappointed after a promising 8-8 season in 2006. So after eight games, the Seahawks 4-4 record had them still in the mix in the NFC West. A five game winning streak put them in control and Seahawks fans started to get their hopes up.

Finishing up their NFL regular season games with a 10-6 record it seemed the Seahawks were holding all the cards. Hosting the Washington Redskins in the 1st Round at Qwest Field, Seattle cruised to an easy 35-14 victory in a turnover filled game. Next stop: Lambeau Field and the Green Bay Packers. It all ended there. The ageless Bret Favre threw for three touchdowns and the Packers rushed for over 200 yards.