Matt Hasselbeck Must Shoulder Blame For Seahawks’ Losses
Matt Hasselbeck is one of those guys who is often exempt from criticism. He’s a veteran who has had a relatively long and prolific career, and is generally regarded as a leader both on and off the field. When it comes to the struggles of the Seahawks, we generally give Hasselbeck a free pass.
But after Sunday’s loss at Arizona — a game in which Hasselbeck threw for 315 yards in the process — we need to place at least some of the blame for this team’s indiscretions at the feet of number eight. Frankly, we can ill afford to spare him any longer.
In the past, we’ve had a tendency to put the onus for losing on a number of different targets. A porous offensive line, an inconsistent running game, receivers who can’t hang onto passes. The fact is, we can only make scapegoats out of certain people so many times before the words ring hollow. And our scapegoats have been the same for two seasons.
What about the rest of the team? What about a guy like Hasselbeck?
When healthy enough to play, Hasselbeck has been playing at an unacceptable level for more than a year. That could be for any number of reasons, including the ones we listed above. On top of that, he’s been hurt. Frequently. And he’s played hurt. Frequently. You have to respect Hasselbeck’s willingness to put the team before himself, before his body, and before his future. But unfortunately that gutsiness can only be used as an excuse for a certain amount of time before it becomes a crutch to stand on.
Dawg Pack Dirt: Portland State
Okay, Lamar Odom. You win.
Milwaukee Bucks rookie point guard Brandon Jennings went absolutely insane Saturday night and dropped 55 points on the runnin-and-gunnin (i.e. no defense) Golden State Warriors. The all-time rookie record for points scored in a single game is 58, set by Wilt Chamberlain in 1960.
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