The message—8—was short, simple, and completely understandable given the context. That’s what former Seahawk Dave Wyman texted to talk-show host Dori Monson after attending Seahawks coach Pete Carroll’s news conference today. As Monson helpfully explained before passing it on during his radio show, “Dave is a man of few words.”
As a general practice I don’t text. But given the difficulty I have in pecking out even a word or two using my phone’s keyboard, I can appreciate the elegance of a concise message. Plus the utility of the common texting abbreviations. However, Wyman’s message achieves extreme brevity by employing not texting shorthand but instead a common sports synonym for a key player—the player’s number. For example, pro football fans know who #4 is (or was before he just retired), right?
After a 16–6 upset (according to many experts) victory over the St. Louis Rams last Sunday night, the Seattle Seahawks are in the NFL playoffs. A lot of factors contributed to the win, but the performance of backup quarterback Charlie Whitehurst is certainly near the top. He had the game of his career. He did everything right, including easily running for several key first downs. That’s a dimension the injured regular quarterback, Matt Hasselbeck, couldn’t have added to the offense.
Hasselbeck is almost healthy again. Or at least mobile enough to play this week against the New Orleans Saints on Saturday. So all week a debate over who should start the game has politely raged in Seattle: Hasselbeck or Whitehurst.
Hasselbeck is an accomplished veteran quarterback. He led the team to its only Super Bowl appearance in 2006. He is the starter. He knows the offense and the players are used to working with him. He had a productive game against the Saints earlier in the season (a 34–19 loss). On the negative side, he has been interception-prone in the last few weeks. Whitehurst doesn’t have a track record. He surprised most observers with his mistake-free game last Sunday and accurate passing. I liked his performance for two reasons: I think his running ability made the rest of the running game work, and I have never seen a quarterback do better at getting rid of the ball safely when a sack is imminent.
The coach kept his decision private until today. He had all of the above to consider plus a lot more in making it.
Whitehurst wears number 6.
Hasselbeck wears number 8.
Go Seahawks!
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