Think back to a time when Testaverde was a Jet and Dennis Erickson was head coach of the Seahawks. A win meant the Seahawks made it to the playoffs. A loss meant the season was over. I remember the game so well. I was sitting in a sports bar in the Cayman Islands with a Jets fan from New York to my left; Seahawks fans (a Seattle sports radio announcer and his wife) to my right. We lost the game in the final seconds when Testaverde's helmet crossed the line. Not the ball, mind you, but his helmet. There was no instant replay. We lost the game. We lost the season. We lost our coach.

Fast forward to Monday Night football. Testaverde is quarterback again, this time for the Cowboys. With under 2 minutes to go and the Seahawks with momentum, the Cowboys have their work cut out for them. They efficiently move downfield and Testaverde throws a pass into the end zone. The referees signal touchdown. The PAT is good. Only THEN, when it was too late, did anyone seem to question whether or not he was in bounds. Replay after replay after replay confirmed that it was not a touchdown. Less than two minutes later the Seahawks lost the game. Perhaps the season. And maybe, once again, the coach.

Is it irony? Or fate?

I'm at a loss to explain the 2004 Seahawks' season. Even Coach Holmgren has thrown up his hands in despair and says he doesn't know what's gone wrong. On paper it's supposed to work. On the field, it fails time and time again.

The fans are restless, quick to boo. They come prepared with signs, "All I want for Christmas is a new coach", expecting the worst. The players, hearing the boo birds, play to the fans with public statements, game day gestures, and words along the sidelines.

We're falling apart. We're imploding. The team is as dysfunctional as it gets. When we lost our swagger long about Week 4 we began a downhill slide that snowballed. We've tried to get out of pit and we've put in good effort. But it hasn't been enough.

It doesn't behoove us to attack the players. It doesn't behoove us to criticize the coaching staff. What we, as fans, need to do RIGHT NOW is pull together and support the team. Do we want our favorite players to come back next year and work hard for a championship, or do we want to boo them into contracts somewhere else? You all know I'm not a fan of Mike Holmgren, but do we really want to start rebuilding all over again? Have we given up all hope of a Holmgren dynasty in Seattle?

I offer a challenge to you, Seahawks fans! A challenge to stick with the boys and support them clear through to the end of the season NO MATTER WHAT! Regardless of whether or not you like the players, regardless of whether or not we win, they are all we've got right now. Show them your best ... and maybe they'll show us their best.

As always, your comments are welcome! Send them to me and I'll post them here!