Seahawks’ experience has Packers concerned

Seattle’s players have much more postseason activity than Green Bay’s squad.

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — It was the kind of question Al Harris probably was supposed to answer no to, even if he didn’t really believe it.

Instead, the Green Bay Packers cornerback chose to acknowledge the obvious: Yes, the Seattle Seahawks’ postseason experience gives them an advantage in today’s divisional playoff game at Lambeau Field.

“There is a big difference and I think it will play a factor,” Harris said. “The teams who constantly go to the playoffs and have been to the playoffs, and the players who’ve been in these situations, you see come up big and play well. So I think it will be a big difference.”

Seattle’s 53-man roster has a combined 240 games of postseason experience. Green Bay, the NFL’s youngest team, has 94.

The Seahawks will start 10 players — including kicker Josh Brown and his battery powered heating pants — who started the Super Bowl 23 months ago. Bobby Engram will make it 11 if receiver D.J. Hackett isn’t able to start after aggravating a sprained ankle late in the week.

Twelve Packers starters, including kicker Mason Crosby and punter Jon Ryan, will be playing in their first playoff game.

But the Seahawks aren’t sure their top-to-bottom experience advantage outweighs the fact the Packers have wily old Brett Favre. And they’re playing at Lambeau after a bye week.

“Even though they don’t have a lot of guys who have been in the playoffs, we’re still playing at Lambeau Field. Against Brett Favre,” running back Shaun Alexander said, chuckling at the absurdity of Favre’s experience alone.

And Favre, who will make his 21st postseason start, said some of the Packers’ unexpected success this season can be attributed to the fact their young players don’t get caught up in what they’re not supposed to be able to do.

“Not knowing any better sometimes worked in our favor — not realizing the odds that you’re up against,” Favre said. “Sometimes you get a veteran team that’s been around a while. They kind of go, ‘I don’t know, we don’t stand a chance.’ A younger team’s like, ‘Bring them on.’ We’ve made mistakes at times that I think show our inexperience, but we’ve been resilient, too.”

Among Packers starters making their first postseason starts will be wide receiver Greg Jennings, running back Ryan Grant, linebackers A.J. Hawk and Brady Poppinga, and safeties Atari Bigby and Nick Collins.