Renton Quarterback or playmaker?
Youve heard that question posed during Seneca Wallaces seven-year tenure with the Seattle Seahawks.
Is he a quarterback in the traditional sense of what it means to be a signal-caller in the NFL, or is he a Michael Vick clone?
Seahawks wide receiver Nate Burleson has heard the questions from fans, and is quick to come to the defense of his teams current starting quarterback.
I talk to a lot of people in public, and theyre always, Oh, I dont know about Seneca. What do you think? Burleson said. But they dont see what I see in practice. They dont see him just dropping back and throwing. They see him in the game when he gets flushed out of the pocket and he has to use his feet. And because the guy is athletic, you dont give him credit.
Hes probably one of the most athletic guys Ive played with. But I honestly believe because hes so athletic that people dont give him enough respect as a legit quarterback. Hes extremely accurate. He can do whatever you want him to do, traditionally drop back or play however you want to play. But he is a really good quarterback, and I think thats first and foremost.
Selected by Seattle in the fourth round of the 2003 draft, Wallace has been on a mission to prove that hes more than an athletic reserve who can replace starter Matt Hasselbeck when he goes down with an injury.
Hes pretty much the same size as New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees, but critics say hes too small. And Wallaces ability to make plays with his feet puts him in a peculiar position he usually plays when Hasselbeck is injured, so the Seattle coaching staff wants to make sure he stays healthy. But by limiting his ability to take off down field, you take away one of Wallaces best assets.
You just got to make sure that hes making the right decisions, Seahawks coach Jim Mora said about Wallaces scrambling ability. (He has to decide) on when to take off and go and when its safe, and when he can protect his health, and when he needs to dump it and get it to the guys that are used to taking hits.
Wallace is 5-8 as a starter with Seattle. He did little to quell concerns about his ability to consistently lead a team with his performance against the Bears. Wallace finished 26-for-44 passing for 261 yards all career highs along with throwing a 39-yard touchdown pass to Julius Jones.
But he also threw a head-scratching interception to Chicago linebacker Lance Briggs near Seattles goal line, missed badly on a couple of potential big plays down the field, and failed to lead the Seahawks to the go-ahead score on the final drive of the game.
As most would expect, Wallace tends to play better with the more starts he gets. Subbing for Hasselbeck in 2008, Wallace lost three of his first four starts, but finished 2-2 in his last four games.
In 2006, Wallace lost his first start at Kansas City, but went on to lead Seattle to victories in two of the next three contests.
Wallace said its a matter of slowing things down and letting the game come to him once hes on the field.
The biggest thing as a backup is you dont want to go in there and hurt your team, and put your team into a bad situation, he said. And you just want to give your team an opportunity to win the game. And I think what I took from that game last week is just slowing my game down.
A lot of times when I dont play, I get anxious and all fired up when Im out there playing. But I still have got to understand and take a step back to realize that Im the quarterback and Ive got to slow the game down, get the ball in the receivers hands and let them do what they do. Sometimes I speed the game up, and thats what hurts me.
Hasselbeck likely has a few years remaining if he can stay healthy, so Wallace probably will not be the regular starter for Seattle soon. The 29-year-old is signed through 2010, but thinks he can be a starter and would like an opportunity to prove he can lead a team on a regular basis.
Every time Im on the field, I feel like Ive got to prove myself, Wallace said. And thats just the way I am. Im still going to keep pushing forward and improving.
Burleson believes in Wallaces ability.
Is he a starter in this league in the right situation? Yeah, I think he is, Burleson said. Ive talked with Seneca and Ive honestly asked him what he envisions in his career. Hes told me he definitely would like to be a starter, but he has to embrace the situation hes in and appreciate it, too. But he feels like, I can be a starter in this league.
And hes said that to me and I think a lot of people who have played with him will say the same thing.
Count Colts coach Jim Caldwell as a believer.
Im not sure you can do anything consistently against Seneca, Caldwell said. Hes a guy who has very good speed. Hes very aware, and he throws the ball extremely well. And he can get outside of the pocket and make plays, and steps up inside sometimes to do that. And sometimes he gets outside to the edge, so hes very tough to handle because hes just a multi-talented guy that adds a huge dimension to the game because of the fact that he can extend plays.
Eric D. Williams: 253-597-8437
eric.williams@thenewstribune.com
blog.thenewstribune.com/seahawks
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