Dress to the Eights, Twelves.

Let's get the unpleasantness out of the way: Matt Hasselbeck isn't the quarterback he used to be, and his tenure under center with the Seahawks is near its end. We've reached the point where every week he is playing to keep his job; The next performance he has like last Sunday in Denver might be his finale as an NFL starting quarterback.

I want to be clear: The second that Charlie Whitehurst actually would give us a better chance to win, I will want Beck to get the hook. There's no room for misty-eyed sentimentality and nostalgia in an NFL front office.

This much is ALSO clear: While my confidence in Hasselbeck is fading, I have ZERO confidence in Whitehurst. It seems Coach Carroll feels the same way, and I think as long as Hasselbeck is healthy and the Seahawks are in playoff contention, this change will have to wait (If we are 1-3 going into the bye, we might still be technically in "playoff contention," but presumably we'd be coming off not just three straight losses, but also three steaming-loaf performances by Matthew- I'd expect a QB change in that scenario before the Chicago game).

So the painful ending that we see for so many athletic careers is nigh for Matt Hasselbeck... That's obvious. But this week, he is still Seattle's starting quarterback. This week, he comes home to a friendly Qwest Field crowd. He can still be effective this week, and the Seahawks can (and will) win this game.

So I'm asking everyone out there who reads this blog: If you have a Hasselbeck jersey, wear it on Blue Friday. Particularly if you are going to the game on Sunday, wash it on Saturday and wear it again on gameday. Roar like T-Rexes when he is introduced, and for the love of fuckin' fuck: Don't boo the man.

I HATE when fans at Qwest boo the Seahawks in general, but booing Hasselbeck is supremely fucked up and makes one deserving of a robust, lusty dick-punching. Why?

A) What is it going to accomplish? Do you actually think Carroll will yank him because you yell boooooo?

B) What are you booing? The inevitable decline we all encounter as we age? No one has ever questioned Matthew's commitment to this team, his work ethic, his willingness to play with pain, and on and on.

C) If you boo Hasselbeck, you reveal your utter ignorance/contempt for the dude's place in Seahawks history. Beck is without question the best QB in franchise history, and one of the top 5 players of said history. Over the last 10 years he's given us much more joy than heartbreak, and has refreshingly brought a little bit of humanity to what is increasingly a robotic, corporate NFL.

Some of you might be covertly or overtly hoping Beck sucks on Sunday, in order to hasten the dawn of the glorious Whitehurst age. To you, I echo what the young magician once said to GOB Bluth: Fuck off, traitor. Like it or not, Beck is our QB this Sunday. If he has a bad game, we will probably lose. Rooting for the Seahawks to lose makes you look like a huge fuckbag of assholes (or a Niners fan).. So don't fucking do it.

Next year, Matt Hasselbeck will be retired or holding a clipboard in another NFL city. My hope is that he (and the team) can cobble together enough decent performances that we can win the NFC West and he can leave Seattle on a high note. If a more unpleasant scenario plays out, I'll deal with it when it happens. Until then, Beck has my heart, and he'll have my support.

How about you?