Top Five Reasons the Seahawks Need to Dump Matt Hasselbeck

Reason #6

When the Klingon moon Praxis blew up at the start of Star Trek VI – The Undiscovered Country, the Empire had a dilemma. Facing a critical energy shortage that threatened their entire race, they had to choose between an uncertain war with their old adversaries or to make peace with them.

The Seahawks today find themselves in much the same position. The main cog around which their offense has turned for the last 6 years is grinding down, and if they don’t do something drastic about it right now they may not get another chance for years. Yes, it is time for Matt Hasselbeck to go, primarily because the 2009 off-season affords a rare opportunity for the Seahawks to acquire a long term replacement.

Here are 5 reasons why the Seahawks are like the Klingon Empire, and why they must face their uncertain future now, before things deteriorate even more.

Reason #5 – His age and injuries – We all know it; Matt Hasselbeck is soon to be 34 years old and has a bulging disk in his back. This sort if injury rarely gets better with age and physical stress, and it is pretty certain he’ll continue to have problems with it in the future. Injuries have always affected Hasselbeck’s mechanics rather dramatically, and it seems likely that his condition caused a lot of his errant throws this season (5 TD’s - 10 Int’s). Hasselbeck missed 9 games this year because of the injuries and 4 in 2006 because of knee and shoulder problems. Not a good trend line for an aging guy who will be playing behind a rebuilt offensive line and isn’t that elusive to begin with.

Judgment: This is a bad sign. Move him while you can.

Reason #4 – His falling production and natural limitations – You can make all the excuses you want, injuries to the wide receivers, the O-line and even Hasselbeck himself, but the bottom line is Hasselbeck’s play declined dramatically this season. Hasselbeck has always been at his worst when he’s uncomfortable or pressing, and he can make some spectacularly bad decisions with the ball. Now, all QB’s will make mistakes under pressure to some extent, but Hasselbeck panics under pressure, and there’s a difference. And no one was pressuring him when he made a game ending INT to lose the Redskins game. The simple fact is Hasselbeck is fine as front runner, but he won’t carry your team when the chips are down, and things are likely to be down in Seattle for at least the next couple of years.

Judgment: In two years Hasselbeck will be done, if not before. Why hang on to the final few years of a declining QB when you have better options?

Reason #3 – His absurd cap number – According to ESPN’s Mike Sando, Hasselbeck's contract counts $9.45 million against the Seahawks cap in 2009 if he's on the roster. That includes $5.25 million in base salary, $3.2 million in bonus proration and $1 million in a roster bonus. Hasselbeck's contract would count only $3.2 million in dead money against the cap if the team released or traded him before the season.

Obviously, $9.45 million for the lowest rated starting QB in the NFL is absurd. Hasselbeck must either take a dramatic pay cut or he shouldn’t be surprised if he is traded or released before the roster bonus is due. Getting him off the roster clears $6.25 million in cap space that could be used to acquire a younger, more productive player.

Judgment: No Brainer. Save the cap space.

Reason #2 – The Seahawks have a unique opportunity this off-season to secure their QB of the future – It isn’t very often that a team that has made 4 consecutive playoff appearances gets a chance to draft, trade or simply sign a franchise QB, but the 2009 offseason presents exactly that opportunity. Because of the bizarre run of injuries, the Seahawks find themselves with a uniquely high pick, #4 overall. If the draft were held today, offensive tackles Michael Oher and Andre Smith and junior QB’s Matthew Stafford and Sam Bradford would probably go as the top 4. Obviously, a lot changes between January and the April draft, and the Lions and Chiefs ahead of the Seahawks would seem likely to be QB hungry, but there is a better than 50% chance that one of the rookie QB’s would be there with the 4th pick. The Seahawks are also in range to make a trade up to get the QB they covet, be it Bradford, Stafford, or even USC’s Mark Sanchez. Trading down a few spots for Sanchez could also fill the need.

But there is yet another path to the QB of the future. New England’s Matt Cassel had a spectacular first season as a starter, throwing for over 3,600 yards and 21 TD’s against only 11 interceptions. He engineered game winning drives, made a ton of great throws and showed leadership, guts and resiliency, even in the face of the tragic death of his father. Unlike the college prospects, Cassel is already proven at the NFL level, and at 26 is 8 years younger than Hasselbeck. Acquiring him could take a bit more maneuvering though.

Cassel is eligible to be an unrestricted free agent, and if he is not franchised all it will take to get him is money. The Seahawks, owned by the richest owner in the NFL, will have no problem ponying up the money. In addition, the Seahawks would seem to offer a better destination than any of the other likely bidders for his services. They have a decent running game and receivers Deon Branch and Nate Burleson returning to health, along with a high pick that can then be spent on a shiny new offensive weapon like Texas Tech’s Micheal Crabtree or a stud blind side protector like Oher.

Of course, the Patriots could conceivably franchise Cassel at $15 million for the QB tender, and he’d be nuts not to immediately sign such a tender. But here again, a combination of Cassel and the 24th pick, or Cassel and a few lower picks in exchange for the 4th overall pick could be worth it to the Patriots since they are expecting the great Tom Brady back next year.

Judgment: Any of these options are a better plan going forward than a 34-year old washed-up QB with a bad back. Plus, getting a new signal caller in might buy GM “Timmay!” Ruskell and new coach Jim Mora Jr. a couple of seasons to fix other roster problems.

And the #1 Reason the Seahawks Must Part Ways With Matt Hasselbeck – Teams that wait too long or get sentimental pay a high price – It is simply an axiom of the pro game. If you wait too long to dump your declining players, it will take a lot longer to build back up again. How many more games would the Chargers have won this year with Michael Turner instead of LaDanian Tomlinson? How much misery did the Jets, Chiefs, Dolphins and Vikings endure because they passed on the chance to sign Drew Brees in 2006? If the Seahawks don’t bite the bullet, make a clean break with the Mike Holmgren era and start fresh, they’ll likely be down 3-5 years. If they get the QB of the future now, they could be back in the playoffs in 2010, if not 2009.

It just depends on how much flack they’re willing to take for making such a bold move now.

Judgment: We love you, Matt. Come back and raise the 12th man flag someday, will ‘ya?

Posted by MB – 1/5/2009