Wallace ponders switch to full-time starting QB
RENTON, Wash. – Mike Holmgren may be headed toward his final two games as the coach of the Seattle Seahawks, but he’s still imparting advice.
His latest pupil: quarterback Seneca Wallace, who after consecutive strong performances is starting to make it known that he’s ready to be a starter in the NFL.
“I told him, ‘OK, I know you can play, I’ve always known you can play, you know you can play, the people, I think, know you can play, now how do we get better? What’s the next thing you have to do better?’ ” Holmgren said. “It’s gotta be your life during the season. And then along with that great preparation comes very good judgment. It should happen for him. He’s proven himself to me many times.”
With starter Matt Hasselbeck still bothered by back and knee problems, Wallace is likely to get his seventh start of the season on Sunday against the New York Jets in Holmgren’s home finale with the Seahawks.
Wallace has been solid the last two weeks, nearly engineering an upset of New England at home, then rallying the Seahawks with 10 points in the final 2:47 of last week’s 23-20 win in St. Louis.
Against the Patriots, Wallace was 20 of 28 with three touchdown passes and a career-high passer rating of 128.9. Last week in St. Louis, Wallace was just 15 of 25, but threw for 226 yards and came through with clutch throws in the final minutes as Seattle rallied.
In those efforts, Wallace has displayed what makes him stand out as a quarterback – his ability to throw, coupled with athleticism that allows him to escape trouble when plays break down. With that success is a growing confidence that Wallace believes he can be a full-time starter.
“Fortunately, I’ve been here and been on a great team the last six years and we’ve been in the playoffs, been in the Super Bowl, so I wanted to be a part of this and still do. At the same time, in the back of your mind, you always think – ‘If I got the opportunity to go somewhere and be a starter, would I want to do it?’ ” Wallace told The Sporting News radio this week. “You always think about it, but right now my mind is here in Seattle and trying to win these last two games for Mike.”
When later asked by local media about the next step in his career, Wallace would only say, “Every quarterback dreams to be a starter, but I’m not worried about that right now.”
Before the season began, Wallace was regarded as Hasselbeck’s backup, and a part-time receiver and kick returner with the athletic ability to excel at those positions if he desired. Wallace was on his way to being a stopgap for Seattle’s beleaguered receiving corps early in the year when he injured his calf in pregame warmups against San Francisco in Week 2.
But the idea of Wallace jumping around to other positions has quieted for the moment, as his performance at quarterback is an audition not only for the Seahawks but the rest of the league. Wallace is signed with Seattle through the 2010 season but could become a trade option if another team searching for a quarterback with starting experience makes Seattle an offer.
“You always have to prove you can play every time you step on the field,” Wallace said. “I’m hard on myself and it doesn’t matter the situation, I just want to go out and play hard every single time.”