Starting for the first time is an eye opener

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Seneca Wallace has it easy.

He’s in his fourth year of the same offensive system, he took all the snaps at practice last week, and he has one other thing going for him today: He knows he’ll be the starting quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks.

That wasn’t the case for Dave Krieg, who’s first NFL start came under a cloud of uncertainty.

“I didn’t even know I was going to play,” Krieg said of his 1981 starting debut, a 27-23 win over the New York Jets. “They didn’t think a kid from Milton College who was only in his second year in the NFL would be able to handle the pressure.

” (Offensive coordinator) Jerry Rhome told me after pre-game warm-ups. It was either going to be Sam Adkins or me (starting in place of injured Jim Zorn). If it had been Sam, it could’ve been a whole different ending to the Dave Krieg story.”

As Wallace will learn when his career is over, you never forget the first time. He’ll make his debut as an NFL starter against the Kansas City Chiefs today, and no matter what happens, it will stick with him for the rest of his life.

“He’ll remember it. Heck, yeah,” Krieg said. “He’s been itching to play, and his eyes are going to get bigger, but once he gets past that first play or two, he’ll be more relaxed and try to take advantage of the opportunity.”

While the enormity of the moment would seem to scare most people, it doesn’t always affect quarterbacks making their starting debuts. Seahawks first-time starters are 4-5 over the years, and even some of the losing quarterbacks played well.

Former Seahawk Brock Huard, who made his starting debut in a 26-3 loss to Carolina in 2000, actually gained confidence from a blowout loss.

“I remember telling my dad (Mike) after the game: ‘You know, this game isn’t bigger than me,’ ” said Huard, whose pro football career was eventually derailed by injuries. “After that game, I really believed I had the skill level to play. It wasn’t too fast; it wasn’t over my head. It didn’t go real well, but I didn’t believe it was beyond my reach.”

Wallace is more prepared than some, in that he’s been in the system and seen scattered playing time. He’s played in eight games, mostly in mop-up duty, and has been handling this opportunity with the poise of a veteran.

“It is a great opportunity for me, for myself, to find out where I am,” Wallace said last week. “I just want to make sure I go out and play a good game.”

It’s not as easy as it sounds. With an inordinate amount of attention surrounding first-time starters, the trick can be keeping one’s emotions in tact.

Former Seahawk Kelly Stouffer said that the week of practices helped calm him down as he prepared for his 1981 starting debut.

“I found comfort in the process of getting ready to play,” he said last week.

Stouffer also reveled in the opportunity to play on the road. The Seahawks beat Atlanta at Fulton County Stadium in his first start, so he kind of knows what Wallace can expect today at Arrowhead Stadium.

“There are less distractions and less hype because you’re on the road,” he said. “I just remember walking out of the tunnel and you have that moment of, ‘oh, gosh, this is what I’ve been thinking about for years. This is it.’ “

Krieg remembers having a similar thought as he walked through the tunnel, although his entrance was delayed. As soon as Rhome told him he was going to be the starter, “I went right to the bathroom and got sick,” Krieg said.

Krieg can laugh at it now, just like Wallace will laugh at the memories of his debut one day. But for now, he’s trying to stay cool.

“I’m the type of guy that gets real excited, so I have to make sure I stay calm,” he said. “As a quarterback, you always have to be calm about everything that you do. You always have to be even-keeled.”

Wallace rarely shows his emotions, either on the field or in the locker room. On the day that it was announced he would take over for Hasselbeck earlier this week, he could be found leaning against his locker with bent knee, surrounded by teammates Maurice Morris and Chartric Darby. Wallace looked more like he was hanging with his buddies outside a convenience store than fretting over his first NFL start.

That outward confidence has Wallace’s teammates feeling pretty good heading into today’s game.

“I feel like he’s going to go out there and prove a lot of people wrong, prove that a backup can play well,” wide receiver Darrell Jackson said. “It’s going to be fun watching him.”

Hasselbeck, who’s expected to miss three to four weeks with a sprained right knee, has confidence in Wallace as well. But he’s trying not to overload his temporary replacement this week.

“He’s played in big games before – maybe not in the NFL,” Hasselbeck said last week. “I know that our coaching staff is going to help him. Maybe the best thing I can do is leave him alone and let him play.”

Hasselbeck had a decent outing in his first start, a 9-6 win over the Cleveland Browns in the 2001 opener. The quarterback didn’t win that game for the Seahawks, but he did enough to make sure they didn’t lose it.

Seattle will be looking for more of the same out of Wallace today. Those who came before him have learned that it’s the best prescription for success.

“He just has to make a point of playing within the system,” Stouffer said. “Seneca was asked to do more than a lot of quarterbacks at Iowa State, and you get in that mindset of always having to do more. As an NFL player, I fought that until the last snap of my career.

“Not all of us are in the position of (former USC quarterback) Matt Leinart, where all you have to do is hand off, make a couple third-down throws and call it a day. If you play within the system, the guys around you will do a tremendous job of winning the game for you.”

Wallace probably won’t win today’s game by himself – first-time quarterbacks rarely do – but he’ll always remember the first time he stepped in for Hasselbeck, no matter what happens at Arrowhead Stadium.

“Seneca has big shoes to fill,” Krieg said. “But people can’t expect him to be Matt Hasselbeck.”