It's been an incredibly disappointing year for Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, leading many to wonder whether this is the end. Hasselbeck, in his tenth season with the Seahawks, has been turnover prone, hurting the team with costly interceptions and fumbles over the last two weeks. In total, Hasselbeck has given the ball away eight times in the last two games, resulting in 38 points for Seattle opponents.
Though the Seahawks are still in the playoff hunt, tied with the St. Louis Rams atop the NFC West, is it time for a change? No team can overcome the staggering amount of turnovers Hasselbeck has given-up recently. With Charlie Whitehurst on the bench, Pete Carroll has a decision to make that could impact not only the final two weeks, but the future.
At some point, Seattle has to find Hasselbeck's replacement. Whether it's Whitehurst or a yet unknown quarterback, perhaps coming from the draft, something has to be done. It's time to find out what Whitehurst has and whether he can lead the team in the future.
Whitehurst had one chance earlier in the season, taking the reigns after Hasselbeck was sidelined with a concussion. Against the New York Giants, Whitehurst was less than stallar, completing 12 of 24 passes for 112 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. After Carroll had enough of Hasselbeck on Sunday, Whitehurst took over again, engineering a second half scoring drive, scrambling for a first down and finding the end zone on a one-yard rush.
While Hasselbeck is a more experienced, and known, commodity, the Seahawks have to test Whitehurst to find out whether the front office needs to find another quarterback. Throw Whitehurst to the fire in the midst of a playoff race, with two games to go to decide the NFC West, and see how he does. If he fails, so be it; at least the coaching staff gets a better picture of what he can do. If he succeeds, it helps the Seahawks in the immediate and, again, gives the staff a better evaluation of his future.
Though Hasselbeck has given years to Seattle, and provided plenty of great memories for Seahawks' fans, he just doesn't appear to have it anymore. Football is a business and tough decisions have to be made by forgetting the past and taking present performance into consideration. With Hasselbeck struggling, and hurting the team with his play, it's time for a change.