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Holmgren, Hasselbeck to face former team again

Jan 12, 2008 - 12:50 PM Seattle (11-6) at Green Bay (13-3) Saturday 4:30 pm EST

GREEN BAY, Wisconsin (Ticker) -- Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck hasn't forgotten his last visit to Lambeau Field in the playoffs.

"We're going to take that ball the first time we get it and score," Hasselbeck joked after the Seahawks booked another postseason trip to Green Bay with a 35-14 wild card victory over the Washington Redskins on Saturday.

Hasselbeck poked fun at himself for the comment he made at the start of overtime in a wild card playoff game at Lambeau Field on January 4, 2004.

The Seahawks won the overtime coin toss, prompting Hasselbeck to say, "We want the ball, and we're going to score."

Things didn't work out that way for Hasselbeck, however, as Green Bay cornerback Al Harris returned an interception 52 yards for a touchdown, giving the Packers a 33-27 victory.

The teams meet again on Saturday, when Green Bay hosts the Seahawks in a divisional playoff contest. The winner advances to the NFC championship against either Dallas or the New York Giants.

The Packers, who had a bye last week as the NFC's No. 2 seed, return to the postseason after a two-year hiatus. They haven't won a playoff game since their win over the Seahawks four years ago.

Green Bay is 12-2 at Lambeau Field in the playoffs, and Hasselbeck and Seattle coach Mike Holmgren understand the mystique of the "Frozen Tundra" as well as anyone.

Hasselbeck got his start in the NFL with the Packers, spending the first two years of his career in Green Bay before moving on to Seattle in 2001.

"It's a very special place to me," Hasselbeck said of Lambeau Field. "If it wasn't for that organization, I wouldn't be in football. I'd be wearing a suit. It's the best venue in sports."

Holmgren posted a 75-37 record in seven seasons (1992-98) as coach of the Packers, including a 35-21 victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI. He even has a street named after him near Lambeau Field.

Like Hasselbeck, Holmgren will be facing his former team in the playoffs for the second time. Holmgren was the losing coach in the game four years ago.

The Packers enjoyed a renaissance this season, matching a franchise record for wins set in 1996 and 1997, when Green Bay made back-to-back Super Bowl appearances under Holmgren. The Packers finished 7-1 at home, losing only to the Chicago Bears.

For most of the season, 38-year-old Brett Favre performed like the Favre of 10 years ago. He threw 28 touchdowns and surpassed 4,000 yards for the fifth time in his 16 seasons in Green Bay.

Still, Favre played poorly in a 35-7 Week 16 defeat at Chicago, a loss that cost the Packers a shot at home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

Aside from Favre, the Seahawks have a huge advantage in terms of playoff experience, having won five straight NFC West titles. However, Seattle has lost five straight road playoff games.

Ryan Grant, an unknown at the start of the year, boosted Green Bay's stagnant running game when DeShawn Wynn went down with a season-ending shoulder injury in Week Eight.

After playing sparingly in Green Bay's first six games, Grant finished with 956 yards, surpassing the century mark five times.

One key Saturday could be how well the Packers' line protects Favre. Green Bay surrendered only 19 sacks, tied for third-fewest in the league. However, Seattle recorded 45, the league's fourth-best mark.