Jeff Nusser took a look at five burning questions facing the Seahawks after the bye week. Does Matt Hasselbeck have anything left in the tank? Will Marshawn Lynch have an immediate impact? Jeff muses on those issues and more in his feature.
Hasselbeck has been the starter for the Seahawks for nearly a decade, and the last two years have been marred by injuries. We had been told he was healthy, even given the old "best shape of his life" line. Many fans held out hope that Hasselbeck would be able to come back as the quarterback of old -- after all, his last full season (2007) could arguably be considered his best.
But this year has hardly been up to that standard so far, and at 35 years old, he's looking more like an aging quarterback well on the back half of his career. It's not just the arm strength that seems to be fading -- although it's clear that's happening. It's that Hasselbeck's decision making seems to be reverting to its early-career form. Upon his arrival from Green Bay, he used to drive Mike Holmgren nuts with his cavalier attitude toward throwing the ball. In time, Holmgren reigned that in, leading to his seminal 2005 season.