The Knox Era, then the Holmgren Era helped setup the perfect storm for the current regime.
The Nordstroms were first class and Jack Patera took an expansion team and had them winning early with some zany football that was fun to watch. They were over-matched talent wise but fighters. Knox along with Mike McCormick built on that with some no nonsense football as the franchise matured. They just couldn't get that once in a life-time QB to take the franchise to the upper echelon. Eventually they were replaced by Bubba and life was not good for the Franchise.
But it was the club's meager successes that helped entice folks to get Paul Allen to buy the club when it was looking like football was done around here. Paul Allen revived the class the Nordstroms gave the early clubs, plus he had the firepower to bring a well-regarded coach into the organization.
If Holmgren had been fired as both coach and GM, I am not sure we sit here today as Superbowl champions. He showed Paul what it would take to create a Superbowl team and atmosphere in the building. The mess that was the FO/Holmgren relationship aside, Paul knew what he needed to get into the organization once Mike and the organization moved on. He made the move to Pete and John based on his experiences with MH and the early 2000's Seahawks.
No, it wasn't dismal all the time before Shaun came on-board, but with him not knowing the history prior, and the only thing him really understanding is the decade before he got here, it probably seems to him that he and the early 2000's Seahawks were the foundation.
The franchise probably would have been much healthier if the whole Bubba Behring era never happened, but it did and there was a stain put on the team due to that chucklehead.
Athletes are prideful people and Alexander did have a nice size ego (stabbed in the back, no less). I don't entirely disagree with him. He just has a slightly slanted view on the history of the organization is what I say.
ukeface: 
