Other Opinions About Whitehurst
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A couple have days have passed since the acquisition of Charlie Whitehurst, and shock has been replaced with thorough opinion. Below are some excerpts from Seahawks blogs around the web; you’ve had some time to think, how do you feel about the Whitehurst trade?
While John Morgan from Field Gulls agrees that adding a quarterback is a very encouraging step, he isn’t sold on the deal yet:
"Seattle became the first team I can remember that signed a tendered player and agreed to trade more than the original tender in exchange. Multiple quarterbacks changed hands before the Seahawks signed Whitehurst, and there is no reason to assume Whitehurst has much more potential than Brady Quinn or Derek Anderson. He is older and less experienced than either. Some are awarding him credit for having not screwed up in a regular season game, but his preseason stats are markedly worse than Quinn or Anderson’s regular season stats."
As a lifelong fan of the Seahawks, Rick Nickum from Hawkstrap remains cautiously optimistic:
"His hairstyle makes him appear as the second coming of Jesus. Let’s just hope it’s not the second coming of Rick Mirer."
Chris Sullivan from Seahawks Addicts notes that while change is inevitable, it is never easy on fans:
"Our team was terrible last year and the year before. We can’t forget that. We love a lot of these guys, and many of them are not going to be on the team in 2010. That’s tough. No one said this would be painless. Seeing Tapp go hurts; seeing Sims go, someone I’ve personally rallied for when others were hating him, might be tough. Deon Grant is a phenomenal guy and was fun to have on our team. This sucks. It does. But it’s part of being a fan."
In the same entry, Sullivan admits that Whitehurst is a gamble, but isn’t as risky as other options:
"I’d rather that than spend the first pick of the second round on any of the QBs in this draft; moneywise, you take about the same size risk for Clausen or Bradford (though they’re younger), but they cost 7x as much and possibly much more than that in guaranteed money."
Dave Krieg’s Strike Beard thinks the Seahawks are taking a huge risk that could possibly backfire:
"These are either the bold moves that will pay off with a contending team in a couple of years, or the bat-shit crazy, desperate flailings of a cadre of jittery lunatics. Unfortunately, things could get very ugly for our Seahawks before we know which path the Carroll regime has traveled down…"
Mike Sando of ESPN.com analyzes the value of the trade, estimating that the Seahawks gave up the equivalent of the last selection in the second round for Whitehurst:
"Seattle gave up about 270 points for Whitehurst, or the equivalent of the 64th overall choice (the last pick of the second round). The value represents the difference between the 40th and 60th picks, plus the estimated value of a 2011 third-rounder. A third-rounder next year is generally worth about the same as a fourth-rounder this year. The 112th overall choice would fall in the middle of the fourth round, so I used that pick — worth 70 points — in the calculation."
On his Seahawks draft blog, Rob Staton writes that Seattle’s acquisition of Whitehurst doesn’t necessarily mean they won’t consider drafting a quarterback next month:
"There’s a lot of money tied up in Hasselbeck and Whitehurst this year. Reportedly, $5m for Whitehurst in 2010 and an extra $5.75m for Hasselbeck. Alternatively, the two year contract isn’t a grand commitment and Seattle’s latest acquisition could merely be seen as a ‘holding position’ in preparation for introducing a newly drafted prospect. It would afford the Seahawks flexibility as to when they wish to introduce the new guy. John Schneider was part of a similar situation in Green Bay with Aaron Rodgers. Signing Whitehurst also offers some flexibility if both Sam Bradford and Jimmy Clausen are off the board by the 6th overall pick."
The Seattle Times’ Danny O’Neil recognizes the importance of the acquisition but prefers the “wait-and-see” approach:
"Was it worth it? We’ll know in two years. For now, we have the first real yardstick to measure the Seahawks’ new administration. They’ve staked quite a bit on the belief Whitehurst can play."
Shaun Dolence: dolencesm@gmail.com
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