Don't mess with this!

Though this is certainly not new news, it is a situation which I simply must address; that is Jerry Rice being allowed to wear the only retired (players) jersey number.

What it comes down to is this; attitude and perception. What kind of attitude do the Seahawks as a franchise wish to project, a winning never say die, don't mess with us attitude; or a aw-shucks, I'll take the back seat attitude.

Remember a few years back when the Niners/Cowboys rivalry was at its height, and Terrell Owens decided, after scoring a touchdown, to run to the center of the field of Dallas Stadium and spike the ball on the star? Remember the anger, the outrage that action fueled, not only among the fans but also among the Dallas players? Remember George Teague rushing out, as if his life depended on it, to make the tackle on T.O., to drag him away from the star, which represents everything the Cowboys stand for?

Now in your minds eye, picture Torry Holt, scoring a touchdown, then running onto the Seahawk in the center of Qwest field, and spiking the ball. Then picture someone, say Michael Boulware rushing out to grab Holt or tackle him in order to get him off the Seahawk. Couldn't picture it? O.K. O.K., maybe using Torry Holt was the wrong choice, since he is far too much a class act to pull a stupid stunt like that, but put anyone you like (or hate) in that mental picture and you will still have a difficult time visualizing it. Why? It's simple; first, if someone did spike the ball on the Seahawk symbol, it's highly unlikely that anyone would even understand why they did it, or for that matter, care. Second it's unlikely that any current Seahawks would rush out like Teague to pull that player off the Seahawk's symbol. Third, no one would even bother spiking the ball on the Seahawk in the first place. Why? Because it doesn't really matter. The Seahawk symbol just isn't something which inspires hatred or envy or fear or respect on the same level as the Cowboy star does.

The reason that T.O. spiked the ball on the star in the first place, is because he was being disrespectful of the Cowboy tradition, he was trying to make a statement about Niner domination over the Cowboys. It was classless, (who would expect otherwise from Owens?) but his point was made and the Cowboys players were infuriated.

The problem with picturing someone doing that to the Seahawk's symbol, is that there is no Seahawk pride, history or image to tarnish. The truth is, there is simply no reason for anyone to hate the Seahawks enough to desecrate the symbol in that way. Not just because they have never established a winning tradition, but also because they have never even developed a swagger, an attitude of winning, which would make others envious or angry. Also the front office has never, done anything (other than retire #12) to reinforce Seahawk pride and tradition. And their most recent actions, of allowing a jersey number to be unretired only reinforces the idea that the Seahawks are pushovers, lap dogs for the rest of the NFL.

There have been only two numbers retired by the Seahawks during the length of the franchise, number twelve, for the fans, and number 80, for the best player in franchise history, Steve Largent. Retiring a number is done to give ultimate honor to the player whose number was retired. It is meant as the ultimate compliment, saying in essence, you were so great, that no one ever will wear that number in our uniform again for as long as this franchise exists. It is also done to give the fans a sense of tradition, a sense of history and legacy, as well as HONOR. The only Seattle Seahawks history and legacy that we as fans have to celebrate, is Steve Largent, whose number we retired and who was the only Seahawk ever to be elected into the Hall of Fame. That is our history, tradition, image and legacy. Yet when an over the hill, former great player (who just happened to be the guy who broke Largents records) asked to wear his number 80, he was given a "no problem, what ever you want Jerry, whatever it takes to accommodate you" answer. It was as if the Seahawks as an organization were sending the message that, not only do we NOT mean retired when we say retired, and not only does this franchise's history mean very little to us, but also, what little it does mean, we will sell out for the price of an over the hill, former great player. The point is, retired means just exactly that, retired. Never ever to be worn again! How can anyone respect an organization or take an organization seriously which not only treats it's former accomplishments so callously, but also is not really serious when it says, "retired."

Furthermore, no matter how great Jerry Rice was and is, he did not set the records he holds wearing a Seahawks jersey. Even though most of the records he broke formerly belonged to Largent, that does not undo the accomplishments Largent made AS A SEAHAWK. Even if Rice is a better reciever than Largent was (highly debateable in my opinion), that has nothing whasoever to do with Seahawk tradition and pride; and in no way means that Rice deserves to wear #80 in a Seahawk uniform. Rice's greatness does not entitle him to be allowed to desicrate Largent's greatness. I don't really care that Rice got permission from Largent, (of course Largent would give his permission, he's a humble man), but it never should have been his decision in the first place. This should have been a decision of the fans.

Imagine a future hall of famer, whoever you like, going to another team, which retires jersey numbers, and asking to wear the retired jersey number. Imagine if a team like the Packers or Bears or for that matter, the Niners, were asked to unretire a number. The player would be laughed at. The player would be told, immediately and resoundingly NO! Actually, that player would probably never even bother to ask in the first place, because he would know well in advance what the answer would be. He would already know that teams like the ones I mentioned would never ever sell their history down the toilet the way the Seahawks did. He would know that, because these teams have developed an attitude; an attitude of winning, of "don't you dare mess with this." They have developed a mind set, which says that their history is sacred, that they would never disrespect the fans and their former players and their tradition by allowing someone to wear a retired number.

Bottom line is this; had the situation been reversed, had it been Rice who had retired first, and Largent who had broken Rice's records, then later gone to play for the Niners, there would simply be no way the Niners would allow Largent to wear Rice's number. Of course, Largent is far too classy to ever ask in the first place, but you get my point. The Niners would never allow it, because they revere their great players, they honor their past, and they have a "don't mess with this" attitude, which the Seahawks utterly lack.

Until the Seahawks franchise, learns to develop this type of an attitude, until they learn to treat their history as sacred, they will never become a real winner on the field. This type of winner mentality starts at the top and works it's way down throughout the organization. It starts with the front office refusing to take a back seat to anyone. By dishonoring Largent's number, the Seahawks front office has sent a loud and clear message to the players and to the fans, that "we're not winners, we don't respect our history, we'll take the back seat and roll over for anyone with an impressive resume and until we learn to truly honor our past, we will never be winners in the future." Until the Seahawks front office learn to honor and cherish their past, they will never develop a future worthy of honoring.

Let's hope the Seahawks can learn to be true to their word, mean what they say and develop an attitude of never taking a backseat, of "don't mess with this", before their fans have to suffer through too many more seasons of underachieving and mediocrity such as last season.