No Choice

With the season on the line this Sunday, Coach Mora has no choice but to start Matt Hasselbeck at Quarterback. It's a gamble, but an unavoidable one.

Beck could get blasted behind a makeshift O-line and get knocked out of the game (or worse). If we were 2-2, maybe we play it safe and start Seneca again, but at 1-3 we can't afford another loss. Beck's less mobile than Wallace, but his decision-making and accuracy is far above what Seneca can provide. As long as Wallace is at quarterback, our assets at Wide Receiver can't be completely utilized either.

Then there is the matter of leadership, which the Seahawks need on the field desperately. Wallace didn't seem to provide that, but Hasselbeck has proven to be a leader of men time and time again. By playing hurt, he's once again proving his commitment to this team and to all of us in the Twelve Army.

I am an unreformed, unabashed Hasselbeck loyalist. What he has accomplished for this team warrants immediate Ring of Honor recognition once he retires, and I have always felt a special connection to him. We are the same age, and he comes across as an intelligent, funny, but "regular" guy. My adoration for him is such that I can even happily overlook his conservative politics (and that is something I can't do for most Republicans).

This might be the last game he ever starts. This might be the start of the last stretch of games he plays for Seattle. Or, hopefully, he is able to play the rest of this season injury-free, lead us to the playoffs, and then hang around to mentor whoever becomes our QB of the future.

No matter what the outcome this Sunday or for the rest of the season, I feel better with #8 out there in Seahawks blue. Godspeed, Matthew.