No QB controversy

KIRKLAND _ The Seattle Seahawks have a quarterback controversy.

That is, there just isn’t anything controversial about the position.

Matt Hasselbeck is not going to lose his starting job. Seneca Wallace is in no danger of dropping from the No. 2 position. And even third-stringer David Greene, whose slow development and three-interception performance in Saturday’s loss to Green Bay have frustrated fans and coaches alike, appears likely to keep his roster spot.

No matter how poorly the preseason performances get, the competition fails to heat up.

Greene’s only competition comes from a pair of undrafted players with unimpressive resumes. One of them, rookie Derek Devine, was a third-string quarterback in college. The other, Eastern Washington University product Erik Meyer, spent part of the summer as a backup in NFL Europa.

Of the two, Devine has had a better training camp, but he’s still probably too raw to seriously compete for the No. 3 job.

If ever there was a time to spark up the controversy talk, it came during a Monday practice that saw Devine get more reps than Greene. But coach Mike Holmgren and quarterbacks coach Jim Zorn were adamant that it had nothing to do with Greene’s Saturday performance.

“To get Derek in to play a game, I’ve got to give him some reps,” Zorn said. “That’s really the only reason I did that. It comes off David not having the greatest game, but there are really only two games left that will allow these guys to compete.

“I’m trying to get these guys reps so they’ll have an opportunity to show Mike (Holmgren) what they can do.”

Greene has not had too many opportunities to prove what he can do since coming into the league as a third-round pick in the 2005 NFL draft. But when he has taken snaps in either games or practices, he’s generally been unimpressive.

“I felt bad for him the other night,” Holmgren said, referring to a 6-for-17 performance Saturday that included three interceptions. “It was too bad. I wanted to see him play better.”

Greene acknowledged that he needs to improve.

“This is the time that I get evaluated,” Greene said of the preseason. “I need to go out there and show the coaches that I can be reliable.”

While Wallace has also failed to overwhelm anyone with his performance in preseason games, the coaching staff seems as confident as ever in his ability to be Hasselbeck’s top backup.

“We know he can play,” Holmgren said. “… He’s thrown the ball better every year, in my opinion. We’re lucky to have him. Not every team has a second quarterback as good as he is.”

Zorn said that Wallace has been so impressive in practices and meetings that he has a better shot of putting pressure on Hasselbeck than he does dropping to No. 3.

“He understands the responsibility this year,” Zorn said, “and has worked hard getting himself closer to Matt than just sitting back and saying, ‘OK, I finally made it as the backup.’ “

Despite the lack of experience behind Wallace and Hasselbeck, Zorn said that there are still opportunities for the players battling to be No. 3.

“I would say it’s still open,” he said, “and that there’s a lot of competition there.”

Meyer has been limited by shin splints during camp, but Holmgren said he hoped to give him some playing time against Minnesota this Saturday. Devine could also see some action.

Zorn said he’s been impressed by Devine’s arm strength, Meyer’s footwork and Greene’s ability to accept coaching.

“Now,” Zorn added, “They all have to improve. I wouldn’t say any of them is a No. 2 quarterback right now.”