It would mean a whole lot to the people of Detroit if the Lions pulled off a stunning upset against the Seattle Seahawks in the opening round of the playoffs this weekend. For Golden Tate, it would mean even more.
Tate, who signed with the Lions three seasons ago after spending the first four years of his career in Seattle, was asked on Thursday if beating the Seahawks would be just a little sweeter than beating any other NFC team.
“Yeah. We just want to win. We want to win. It’s deeper than me. I want to win because I think this organization deserves to win,” Tate said, via Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press. “I think we’ve earned our way into the playoffs. We had a great week of practice. It’s time to win.
“But I’d be lying if I said personally I don’t want to win as much.”
Tate has said in the past that he was surprised by the Seahawks’ lack of interest in him when he became a free agent.
“I thought they wanted me back,” he told the Free Press in 2015. “I thought I did everything I could, helped them win a Super Bowl and was in the community, was a good guy.”
Many believe the rumors of serious drama between Tate and his former teammates had a lot to do with Seattle’s decision to let him walk, but it was probably more about business. The Seahawks have a run-first offense and prefer to spend most of their money on the defensive side of the ball, and that approach has served them well.
The Lions went 9-7 during the regular season, and every one of their wins came in an indoor stadium. They enter Saturday as an 8-point underdog against Seattle.
