Holmgren faces his old team in Packers

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Neither Mike Holmgren nor the Green Bay Packers have had much success in the playoffs since they parted ways five years ago.

Both expect to change that today when the Seattle Seahawks visit Lambeau Field for a NFC wild-card playoff game.

Holmgren, who led Green Bay to two Super Bowls in the 1990s, went back to the playoffs his first year in Seattle, but the Seahawks lost in the first round and only returned to the postseason this year.

The Packers have won just one playoff game since Holmgren left.

In fact, since losing the Denver in the Super Bowl following the 1997 season, the Packers' only playoff win came against San Francisco two years ago.

Many of Holmgren's 11 holdovers in Green Bay didn't even realize the extent of the drought.

"That surprises me, when you sit back and look at it," nose tackle Gilbert Brown said.

Some Packers didn't even want to ponder the fact.

"We can't worry about those things," right guard Marco Rivera said. "What does that have to do with the game this weekend? Absolutely nothing. Every game is different."

The Packers (10-6) do have more playoff experience than the Seahawks (10-6) -- a combined 166 games compared to the Seattle's 75.

All but 16 Packers have experienced the postseason, led by quarterback Brett Favre, who is starting for the 18th time in the playoffs.

Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck is among 37 playoff novices on Seattle's roster.

That's why Holmgren sported one of his three Super Bowl rings during the week and invited any of his players to his office to talk about what to expect in the playoffs.

Holmgren has coached in 25 playoff games, 10 as an assistant in San Francisco, where he won two Super Bowls, and 15 as a head coach, including 14 in Green Bay, where he won the title after the 1996 season.

"Being that he's been all the way to the Super Bowl, he knows what it takes to prepare the team and how to get the team ready," Seattle safety Damien Robinson said.