Published: Friday, October 16, 2009
Time for Seahawks to draft Hasselbeck’s replacement?
RENTON — It’s only October, but with the Arizona Cardinals and their 38-year-old quarterback coming to town, it’s hard not to think about a decision the Seahawks will be facing this offseason.
What to do about Matt Hasselbeck?
There are plenty of folks out there who wish the Seahawks had drafted Mark Sanchez in April, and plenty more who would like to see the Seahawks pick a quarterback with one of their two first-round picks next spring.
But perhaps it’s too soon to bury Hasselbeck’s career.
Let’s, for a moment here, take an optimistic approach (and yes, given this team’s injury history, I know that’s hard to do). But what if Hasselbeck stays on the field the rest of the year and plays like he did against Jacksonville Sunday? What if he plays like he did in 2007 again and leads the Seahawks to the playoffs?
Is it really time to find his replacement? And make no mistake, drafting a quarterback in the first round, especially if it’s in the top 10 or 15 picks, would start the clock on Hasselbeck’s career in Seattle.
If Hasselbeck can stay healthy this season — and I realize that is a huge, bulging-disc-sized if — there’s no reason he can’t be good beyond the 2010 season. Thirty-four may be old for a running back, but it’s not for a quarterback.
And if you need a reminder of that just check out No. 13 in white and red Sunday. Kurt Warner, now 38, led the Cardinals to the Super Bowl last season, and this season is completing passes at a better rate than his career average.
Two teams, St. Louis and New York, have cast Warner aside — and it’s hard to fault the Giants for doing that, they’re doing all right with the younger brother of that Colts’ quarterback. And the Cardinals thought they had their quarterback of the future in Matt Leinart, yet Warner just keep getting the job done.
“I don’t feel a lot different,” Warner said in a conference call this week. “I just think the key is that I know how to play the game. I have a limited skill set, I understand that. I’m not the fastest guy, I don’t have the strongest arm, but the things I do well, I think I do really well. That’s seeing the field and making quick decisions, and I’m accurate with the football.”
As a sixth-round draft pick, Hasselbeck too has his physical limitations, but like Warner, the Seahawks quarterback has used smarts and accuracy to become an elite quarterback. And if Hasselbeck can get the job done this season at 34, there’s a good chance he could do it at 36 or 37. And again, I know it’s a big leap to assume a guy in his mid-30s who is coming off a back injury can stay healthy, but what if he at least makes it through the rest of this year without more injuries?
“I think very seldom do you find guys that play this game at a high level and then just all of a sudden forget how to play the game,” Warner said. “I think, yeah, the physical skills may dwindle a little bit, and it may affect them as they get older, but they can still play the game. They can still see the field and make the throws and do those kinds of things. I think that’s what I’ve been able to do. I feel like I can still make all the throws, I’m probably smarter than I’ve ever been. . . . A lot of people thought I was dead in the water because some people took some opportunities away from me, and I was just fortunate to get another opportunity here.”
If the Seahawks draft a rookie next April — and God help us all if Jake Locker declares for the draft and the Seahawks pass on him, because that might make the Internet explode — Hasselbeck could someday be in a situation just like Warner, playing at a high level for another team. And that may be a risk the Seahawks have to take. If this season doesn’t turn around, maybe it will be time to get younger and rebuild. Just don’t assume Hasselbeck won’t be a successful quarterback in this league beyond next season.
“You saw the way he went out there and played,” Seahawks receiver Nate Burleson said of Hasselbeck’s performance last weekend. “He didn’t play like a hesitant quarterback, he didn’t play like a guy that was banged up, and he definitely didn’t play like an old man.”
It’s too early to know what is or isn’t the right offseason move for Seattle, but with Warner in town, it’s just a reminder of how tricky that decision will be.
Herald Writer John Boyle: jboyle@heraldnet.com. For more Seahawks coverage, check out the Seahawks blog at heraldnet.com/seahawksblog
What to do about Matt Hasselbeck?
There are plenty of folks out there who wish the Seahawks had drafted Mark Sanchez in April, and plenty more who would like to see the Seahawks pick a quarterback with one of their two first-round picks next spring.
But perhaps it’s too soon to bury Hasselbeck’s career.
Let’s, for a moment here, take an optimistic approach (and yes, given this team’s injury history, I know that’s hard to do). But what if Hasselbeck stays on the field the rest of the year and plays like he did against Jacksonville Sunday? What if he plays like he did in 2007 again and leads the Seahawks to the playoffs?
Is it really time to find his replacement? And make no mistake, drafting a quarterback in the first round, especially if it’s in the top 10 or 15 picks, would start the clock on Hasselbeck’s career in Seattle.
If Hasselbeck can stay healthy this season — and I realize that is a huge, bulging-disc-sized if — there’s no reason he can’t be good beyond the 2010 season. Thirty-four may be old for a running back, but it’s not for a quarterback.
And if you need a reminder of that just check out No. 13 in white and red Sunday. Kurt Warner, now 38, led the Cardinals to the Super Bowl last season, and this season is completing passes at a better rate than his career average.
Two teams, St. Louis and New York, have cast Warner aside — and it’s hard to fault the Giants for doing that, they’re doing all right with the younger brother of that Colts’ quarterback. And the Cardinals thought they had their quarterback of the future in Matt Leinart, yet Warner just keep getting the job done.
“I don’t feel a lot different,” Warner said in a conference call this week. “I just think the key is that I know how to play the game. I have a limited skill set, I understand that. I’m not the fastest guy, I don’t have the strongest arm, but the things I do well, I think I do really well. That’s seeing the field and making quick decisions, and I’m accurate with the football.”
As a sixth-round draft pick, Hasselbeck too has his physical limitations, but like Warner, the Seahawks quarterback has used smarts and accuracy to become an elite quarterback. And if Hasselbeck can get the job done this season at 34, there’s a good chance he could do it at 36 or 37. And again, I know it’s a big leap to assume a guy in his mid-30s who is coming off a back injury can stay healthy, but what if he at least makes it through the rest of this year without more injuries?
“I think very seldom do you find guys that play this game at a high level and then just all of a sudden forget how to play the game,” Warner said. “I think, yeah, the physical skills may dwindle a little bit, and it may affect them as they get older, but they can still play the game. They can still see the field and make the throws and do those kinds of things. I think that’s what I’ve been able to do. I feel like I can still make all the throws, I’m probably smarter than I’ve ever been. . . . A lot of people thought I was dead in the water because some people took some opportunities away from me, and I was just fortunate to get another opportunity here.”
If the Seahawks draft a rookie next April — and God help us all if Jake Locker declares for the draft and the Seahawks pass on him, because that might make the Internet explode — Hasselbeck could someday be in a situation just like Warner, playing at a high level for another team. And that may be a risk the Seahawks have to take. If this season doesn’t turn around, maybe it will be time to get younger and rebuild. Just don’t assume Hasselbeck won’t be a successful quarterback in this league beyond next season.
“You saw the way he went out there and played,” Seahawks receiver Nate Burleson said of Hasselbeck’s performance last weekend. “He didn’t play like a hesitant quarterback, he didn’t play like a guy that was banged up, and he definitely didn’t play like an old man.”
It’s too early to know what is or isn’t the right offseason move for Seattle, but with Warner in town, it’s just a reminder of how tricky that decision will be.
Herald Writer John Boyle: jboyle@heraldnet.com. For more Seahawks coverage, check out the Seahawks blog at heraldnet.com/seahawksblog
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