300 Minutes Left?

To an outsider, these might seem like "meaningless" games down the stretch, but such is the myopia of many casual "fans." These last five games will influence scores of personnel decisions for the forthcoming VMAC administration, including the fate of Seattle's most well-known and probably most popular player.

I vividly remember when I first heard that the Seahawks had sealed the long-rumored trade to acquire Green Bay back-up QB Matt Hasselbeck. I was at a Steve's Dakota Grill in Findlay, Ohio with my wife and a couple of her friends, and when the Hasselbeck deal was announced on ESPN I pounded on the table and let out a squeal of delight. Holmgren had his QB of the future. WE had OUR franchise quarterback. No more Kitna, no more Huard. Hasselbeck had been "Mr. August" for the Packers and I fervently hoped he'd be Mr. January for us.

At the first opportunity, I ran out and bought a Hasselbeck jersey, but like everyone else in the Twelve Army I was let down by his performance in 2001. I won't lie: After Dilfer took the reigns, I thought HE'D be the man for a spell, and Beck would join Gale Gilbert, Kelly Stouffer, Dan McGwire, Rick Mirer and Jon Kitna as failed "QBs of the future."

Thankfully everyone, including me, was dead wrong. Matt Hasselbeck blossomed into the best quarterback who ever put on a Seahawks uniform, and came damn close to bringing a World Championship back to Seattle. Now, slowed by injuries and hitting his mid-30s, there is rampant speculation that his days as the Seahawks QB are numbered.

There's lot of rational evidence that Beck's skills are diminishing, and that the Seahawks need to find his replacement in next year's draft (most of which you can find over on Field Gulls). My problem is that when it comes to Beck, I'm pretty irrational. I feel a personal bond with him based on his personality, our near-exact ages, and his years of success in Seattle despite absorbing brutal punishment. He's my favorite player by far, and I don't want his time with Seattle to end on a down note. Over these last five games, I want him to make the case that the Seahawks don't need to run out and spend a first round pick on someone like Colt McCoy.

The more clear-eyed and cutthroat folks out there probably see this as folly: Hasselbeck is clearly spent! There's no room for sentimentality! There's probably even some people out there rooting for Beck to stink it up over these last five games, just to remove all doubt about his future as Seattle's starter. It's entirely possible that a rough finish for Beck this season could lead to the new regime cutting #8 loose, and then we might see him linger in the league as a back-up for a few years like Krieg did before him. Backing up Tom Brady in New England would seem like a natural fit given his Boston roots, but this is too depressing to contemplate.

I want to see Beck make the next GM's decision about the QB position complex and difficult. Over these last five games, I want Beck to go all Dave-Krieg-in-1986 on everyone's asses. If you're old enough, you remember the magical final month of the '86 season. This was the absolute peak of Dave Krieg's career: Over a 5-0 stretch he fired 11 touchdowns and one lonely interception. His QB rating? 130.96. Of course, Krieg was a spry 28-year-old in 1986, not a 34-year-old warhorse.

The end of Dave Krieg's Seahawks saga also is a word if caution for the team's incoming leadership. Krieg was tossed out into the street when he still had productive years left, and Seattle went through a dark decade vainly groping around for the answer at quarterback. Even if a young stud is drafted, it would be wise to keep Hasselbeck and his voluminous football knowledge in the Seahawks fold (for vastly reduced pay, of course... Hermes Conrad-style).

This Sunday, I hope not just for a win, but for something special from The Objectivist. Either way, I plan to appreciate what might be our last month watching this man lead our team.

Good luck, Hass!

The Ruskell Legacy

There's an NFL Films clip of D.J. Hackett's game-changing catch-and-run in OT against the Giants in 2005, and in the background you can see a doughy front-office type jumping up and down like a winner on The Price is Right. That suit was Tim Ruskell, and even though his departure was inevitable and probably necessary, we shouldn't forget that he was part of the brain trust that got us to XL, won three division titles from 05-07 and notched four of the seven postseason wins in franchise history.


8-19 over the last two years is nothing to be proud of, but before 2007 the Seahawks were 36-19 under Ruskell. A 44-38 overall record isn't going to get anyone in the Hall of Fame, but we've certainly seen far worse 5-year stretches in Seahawks lore...

Ruskell's legacy won't be entirely understood for years, but just based on the one NFC title Seattle won under his stewardship, I'd give the guy a thumbs up.

Now the final five games of 2009 are auditions for the next boss, Seahawks. Why not win them, huh?

For those of you still interested in THIS season....

Our team is 4-7, and it seems like every Seahawks blog besides this one has already moved on to performing autopsies on the 2009 squad. Seattle's football team might be comatose, but so was Steven Segal in Hard to Kill... Then he woke up, laid waste to his enemies and hooked up with Kelly LeBrock.

Yeah, yeah, our team probably won't miraculously reach the postseason, but there's still a chance. Until we lose another game, there's no reason for the Twelve Army to abandon hope. If the Seahawks win out, they have a 21% chance of making the playoffs. Those chances are slimmer than DJ Lance Rock, but it's enough to keep me focused on THESE Seahawks, rather than the theoretical team of the future.

If you're keeping the faith, if you're as batshit crazy as I am, I'm here to give you mental ammunition. It might just be self-deluding propaganda, but it you're a dead-ender Soldier of Twelve, I'm here to give you some reason to believe.

First, it's time to leave the bodies of the 49ers broken and splayed out all over the Qwest fieldturf. The continuing media love affair with these jokers is based almost entirely on the tough-guy bluster of Mike Singletary rather than results on the field... Seattle and SF have both beaten the Rams twice, and the Jags at home. The difference? SF knocked out Hass and beat us in week two, which directly led to our narrow loss to Chicago. SF, with their starting QB, barely beat the Bears. Despite public perceptions, there isn't much separation between these two teams, and the Niners are still a team the Seahawks SHOULD beat at home.

Beyond this Sunday, the Seahawks have the 3rd easiest remaining schedule in the NFL. While winning out is unlikely, there isn't a game left on the schedule which seems absolutely hopeless, like our trips to Indy and Minnesota. The Texans are only 2-4 at home in 2009, and while that game in Green Bay after Xmas looks tough, the Pack are a not-exactly-fearsome 7-5 at Lambeau since September 2008.

Assuming the Hawks win on Sunday (which I think will change some minds about Seattle), here's the other games that are important this weekend, with the results that help the Hawks:

Falcons over Eagles, Ravens over Packers: If GB and Philly get to 10 wins, we are eliminated from the Wild Card race. Them being brought back to the pack is imperative.

Vikings over Cardinals: Not that I'm happy Warner got concussed, but no Seahawks fan needs to apologize about our guys possibly BENEFITING from an opposing player getting injured for once. If the Cards get to nine wins, we're out in terms of the NFC West race, so each AZ loss helps keep us alive a little longer.

Cowboys over Giants, Rams over Bears, Bucs over Panthers: In terms of the Wild Card, each of these results would hurt a team ahead of or tied with the Seahawks right now.

So there's your daily dose of crazy... What do you think, sirs?

Seahawks 27, Rams 17

No NFL team should ever apologize for a win fairly earned. Those out there who want to minimize or disregard today's win in St. Louis show their lack of respect for the team they supposedly root for and the sport they follow.

Let's face it, the general reaction to last week's loss in Minnesota was "The Seahawks fucking SUCK!" Very few people graded Seattle on a curve because they were playing a Super Bowl contender. The loss "counted." Playing Favre, Purple Jesus, Hutch, Jared Allen, etc? Who gives a shit? You still lost, losers.

However, many of the same people want to give the Seahawks NO credit for a win today, because it was against a team deemed "less than." I call bullshit on that. You can't have it both ways. Are the Seahawks an elite team? Hell no. They're 4-7, and there's no way to spin that in a positive way. However, they have a collection of some pretty good players, and they still have something to play for.

Sure, there's the vanishingly small chance of winning out and making the playoffs, but that's not what I'm talking about. If it's true that Ruskell will not return, all these guys are auditioning for the next boss, whether it's Holmgren, Mueller, or somebody else. There's also the chance to destroy the playoff dreams of up to four teams down the stretch, including those preening fake tough guys from down the coast next week.

Yes, the Niners come to Qwest next Sunday, and this week will be a marathon of media blather about how SF is going to roll into Seattle and leave it a smoldering ruin, pillaged of its football honor. I say fuck that noise. I say the Seahawks, with the might of the Twelve Army behind them, can and WILL win. I'm not afraid of Mike Singletary. Vernon Davis? Frank Gore? Alex Smith? Patrick Willis? Michael Crabtree? Just guys. Just a 5-6 team. Nothing special. They can be had. The Seahawks are 20-7 at Qwest all-time against opponents with losing records.

For now, we have a meaningful game against a divisional rival at home next week. Lose? I'll admit that all hope is lost, cover my face in ash and gnash my teeth in grief. Win? We get to huddle around the flickering fires that warm the hearts of us dead-ender, delusional fans for another week.

Looking for Seahawks Stuff for Xmas? Why not buy from DKSB?

Remember... When you buy from my amazon store, you're getting great Seahawks merchandise AND helping out your favorite unemployed, bedraggled blogger.

Happy Xmas, everyone!