THE FRONT ROW WITH JASON ELLIOTT: Jan. 31, 2015

A lot has changed in the last nine years.

Same job, but new place.

And seeing my favorite childhood team, the Seattle Seahawks, advance to three Super Bowls over a decade.

Not too shabby.

AS I grew up, watching games on television when they played at the Kingdome, it seemed unreal to think that the Seahawks could ever get to a position where they are right now.

Last year, it was about as special of a season as it could have been, seeing the team finally ... finally ... break through for a championship - against a former AFC rival Denver Broncos team - was almost too great for words.

Of course, teams have their hurdles in an effort to repeat as champions, with Marshawn Lynch holding out, Percy Harvin being traded to the New York Jets, and some fans even leaving early when it seemed over in the NFC Championship game against Green Bay a few weeks ago.

Somehow, some way, they're in position to win a second straight title this weekend, as unreal as that seems to a life-long Seahawks fan.

My first game in person didn't come until 2000, when Seattle hosted the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos.

Back then, there was no Kingdome - it had been blown up - and no CenturyLink Field, as it was in construction at that time.

No Legion of Boom.

No Beast Mode.

On that day, it was Jon Kitna trying to lead the Seahawks back from a 38-14 deficit on a rain-soaked day at Husky Stadium.

The next year, I watched as the Miami Dolphins found a way to win, then the Arizona Cardinals spoil the inaugural game in what is now know as CenturyLink Field.

AT LEAST for a while, the fortunes changed a little bit and I found myself in downtown Detroit in 2006 as the Seahawks lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XL.

Disappointed, definitely, but quite the fun weekend regardless.

A few years later, the Seahawks were rebuilding, reloading and at times, it seemed like they'd never get a chance to redeem themselves from the missed chances that night in Detroit.

No matter what happens on Sunday, win or lose, you can't help but enjoy this run if you're a Seahawks fan.

For many years, the postseason was an afterthought, with 2-14 finishes, top-five draft picks and bad losses ultimately keeping them from the playoffs.

There's something special about this run that the Seahawks have been on. With that, more fans have jumped on the bandwagon, making games in Seattle some of the loudest in the NFL.

And if the past in the NFL is any indication, this ride won't last much longer.

I'm just hoping there's enough air in the tires of that bandwagon to get through the weekend.

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for the Coeur d'Alene Press. He can be reached by telephone at 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at JEPressSports.