What to do at the QB Position; or the Matt Hasselbeck Conundurm

Over the first 10 games of the season Matt Hasselbeck was one of the Seahawks best players. He was also one of the reasons fans felt like that wins could keep coming. Despite limited offense weapons and a patchwork offensive line he was playing well. He only had 7 INT and 2 fumbles over the 10 game span and the Seahawks were 5-5. However, after week 11 something changed. In the three games against the Chiefs, Panthers and 49ers, Hasselbeck had 10 turnovers. Then last Sunday with the Seahawks battling the NFC's best team Hasselbeck threw two more interceptions and lost another fumble (his worst of the year as it was recovered for a defensive TD). The performance was bad enough to get Hasselbeck pulled from the game in the third quarter and replaced with Charlie Whitehurst. With last week's three turnovers included, Hasselbeck now has a total of 13 in the last four games. His inability to keep possession of the ball cost Seattle three of those four games.

Witnessing these four poor performances in a row caused a commotion in the Seattle sports fan base. Everyone started talking about the QB position. The conversations have mostly been centered around what to do next year. Hasselbeck will be a free agent then and probably want to be a starter somewhere. Most fans can be split into three separate groups. The first thinks that the problem lies somewhere else then Hasselbeck. They point to the terrible offensive line, the mediocre receiving corps, and/or the lack of a running threat as a reason for Hasselbeck's poor play. They argue that given the right tools around him he could still be a good QB. They want to re-sign him. The second group thinks the problem rests squarely on Hasselbeck's shoulders. Much like Shaun Alexander in 2007, Hasselbeck has lost it. For whatever reason, he cant play the QB position effectively anymore. He needs to be benched, the faster the better and on top of that the Seahawks need to cut all ties with him this off season. The third group tends to sit in the middle, unable to make up their minds. They remember how great Hasselbeck once was, while at the same time admitting to his bad play now. This cautious fans tends to want to take the wait and see approach. They dont want to risk throw away the chance at a established QB for the unknown, but they also dont want to be stuck watching a fading star drag the team down.

I remember a very similar discussion last year. Over the final games of the season last year Hasselbeck struggled mightily. Take a look at the graph labeled QB rating compare. It shows Hasselbecks rating game by game for both the 2009 and 2010 seasons. The slope of the trend line for 2009 is -2.43. The slop of the trend line for 2010 is -2.29. These are strikingly similar results. They cause me to believe that age is the primary reason for Hasselbeck's struggles. He is 35 years old now and he can longer take the wear and tear of a 16 week long NFL season. Especially one where there aren't many other offensive weapons to protect him. His body and mind seem to only be able to withstand about nine or ten weeks of NFL beatings before he simply breaks down.

This offseason the Seahawks have to find an heir to Matt Hasselbeck's QB throne this offseason. I think this is the best approach the Seahawks can take would be to sign Hasselbeck to a 1 year deal and draft a QB in the second or third round. They have weakness in too many other parts of the team to spend their first pick on a QB. Hasselbeck can still pass as a serviceable QB for at least part of a season. This means the Seahawks don’t need to find a new QB that can step right into the fray in week 1. Whoever they draft/sign can sit for a few weeks and learn under the tutelage of a three time pro bowler. Around midseason the coaching staff can re-evaluate the situation. If the Seahawks are still in the hunt and Hasselbeck is playing well, great! The rookie QB can keep sitting on the bench and learning. If things are going well but Hasselbeck is struggling, you have a young and fresh QB who can step in and try his hand at running the offense. Finally, if the team is struggling yet again they can put in the rookie and let him gain valuable in game experience against the best football players in the world.