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Never mind the circumstances. It's always a thrill for Mike Holmgren to go back to Green Bay.
``The atmosphere is different from any place you'll play,'' Holmgren said Wednesday. ``I think it's wonderful, as a member of that organization and as a member of a team that goes in and plays there.''
No, there's no
place like Lambeau Field, where the Seahawks make their first playoff appearance
since 1999 -- and only the second since 1988 -- on Sunday.
Holmgren coached the Packers from 1992-98, overseeing one of the best runs in
NFL history. He won 67 percent of his games (75-37) and made two Super Bowl
trips. Green Bay won one title, beating New England in Super Bowl XXXI.
It was an enormously successful match, and the adoration between Holmgren and Green Bay fans went both ways. There's a street named for him near Lambeau Field. He loves the city as much as the stadium.
``The people are very enthusiastic,'' Holmgren said. ``The seats are close to the field. The stadium is built in such a way that it's only football. There's no track. It's a football stadium.''
This will be Holmgren's third return but his second this season. The Packers won 35-13 on Oct. 5, putting the coach's record at 1-1 against his former team. He won 27-7 at Green Bay in his first season with the Seahawks.
``It will always be fun for me to go back,'' Holmgren said.
For the past five seasons, Holmgren has tried to duplicate in Seattle the success he enjoyed with the Packers. He arrived in 1999 with dual titles as coach and general manager, though he relinquished the GM job after last season.
The move helped the Seahawks win 10 games for the first time in 17 years. And getting back into the playoffs is a huge accomplishment for a franchise that 12 times in the past 16 years has finished 7-9, 8-8 or 9-7.
``Getting into the playoffs was important to us,'' Holmgren said. ``You hope you can use that. You hope you can continue to get some players and continue to build. My goal was always to have a playoff-caliber team so you're in the hunt every year.''
Just like he did in Green Bay.
Not surprisingly, ties to the Packers run deep in Seattle.
The list of assistants who worked with the Packers under Holmgren is long: defensive coordinator Ray Rhodes, offensive coordinator Gil Haskell, line coach Tom Lovat, receivers coach Nolan Cromwell, strength coach Kent Johnston, tight ends coach Jim Lind and quality control coach Gary Reynolds.
In the buildup before Seattle's loss in October, there was plenty of talk about how it was a homecoming for many.
``I'm sure that football game was a lot more personal to some of the coaches and also very important for us at the time,'' linebacker Chad Brown said. ``That gives this game that much more drama, importance, whatever word you want to put in there.''
Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck was a sixth-round draft pick by the Packers when Holmgren still coached in Green Bay. Hasselbeck backed up Brett Favre for three seasons before Holmgren, by then handling the Seahawks, traded for him.
Hasselbeck, though, sees this trip differently from the one in October. Instead of lining up tickets for friends and sharing memories with his old pals, he's focused on the playoffs.
``This is 100 percent a business trip,'' Hasselbeck said. ``I know people say it, but I actually mean it. I'm there to do one thing, and that's win the game.''
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