By Scott M. Johnson
Herald Writer
KIRKLAND – With the entire season riding on Sunday’s game, Trent Dilfer will be in the driver’s seat for the Seattle Seahawks.
On Wednesday, coach Mike Holmgren made official a decision that appeared obvious by naming Dilfer the starter for this weekend’s season finale against the Kansas City Chiefs. Holmgren had said earlier in the week that there was a possibility that Matt Hasselbeck, who missed Sunday’s game with a partial separation of his left shoulder, would return to the starting lineup.
“The decision to start Trent was not a difficult decision,” Holmgren said Wednesday. “It really isn’t. Had Matt been 100 percent healthy and not hurt … yeah, I might have had something to weigh there.”
The stakes are pretty high for Dilfer this Sunday, as a Seattle victory could result in a playoff berth. A loss would end the season, and would most likely end Dilfer’s short stay in Seattle. The 29-year-old is under a one-year contract, and probably won’t return in a backup role next season.
Holmgren would like to see Dilfer back for the 2002 season, and both sides have had informal discussions, but it appears unlikely that he’ll stay. There could be anywhere from seven to 11 teams looking for new starters next season.
“I would not rule out anything,” Dilfer said of possibly re-signing with the Seahawks. “But at the same time, I have not really thought about it. It would be cheating my teammates, it would be cheating my coaches, and it would be cheating this organization for me to think about anything but the Kansas City Chiefs, and what I have to do to win this football game. I refuse to let myself go there.”
Returning to Seattle would likely mean being a backup again. Holmgren reiterated Wednesday that Hasselbeck is the team’s starter when healthy.
Dilfer, whose age puts him in the prime of a quarterback’s career, will at the very least test the free-agent waters. His agent, Michael Sullivan, said he does not know what to expect from the market this offseason, but added that Dilfer’s success over the past two seasons should speak for itself.
“Trent has shown that he brings a tremendous amount of important qualities to the position,” Sullivan said Wednesday. “What he’s done in Seattle has shown that he was a whole lot more responsible to the success in Baltimore than he’s been given credit for.”
After leading the Ravens to a Super Bowl win last year, Dilfer did not exactly clean up in free agency over the summer. But the perception that he was completely overlooked has also been fabricated, as Dilfer only showed interest in two possible suitors despite queries from a number of teams. When the Kansas City Chiefs opted for Trent Green – thereby closing the door on the only starting job that interested him – Dilfer decided to play with the Seahawks so that he could learn under Holmgren’s tutelage.
Now he’s got a year with Holmgren under his belt, so Dilfer would probably need another incentive to return.
“I am hoping that I can keep Trent,” Holmgren said Wednesday, “but I also know that he wants to be the starter and continue playing and all those types of things.”
Most of the teams looking for quarterbacks in the offseason are rebuilding, with Detroit, Cincinnati and the expansion Houston Texans at the top of the list. Dilfer’s most realistic chance at starting for a winner next season could be with the Miami Dolphins or New York Jets. Miami might be looking for an upgrade over Jay Fiedler, while the Jets’ Vinny Testaverde is on the verge of a huge bump in salary that might make him vulnerable.
Dilfer’s future is the least of his worries right now, but if the Seahawks lose this weekend, it will be upon him very quickly. No matter what happens, Dilfer’s signing last summer has certainly worked out for the Seahawks.
“I’m very happy that Trent has come in and won the games that he’s won for us,” Holmgren said. “Some good things happened in those games. If you analyze the games, how we won the games and why we won the games, you’d probably have some pretty interesting discussions on those types of things. All I’m going to say is, I’m happy he’s here. I have a lot of confidence in his ability to play this game this Sunday.”
Holmgren did not rule out the possibility of using Hasselbeck as the No. 2 quarterback against Kansas City, but things did not look good Wednesday. Taking part in his first practice in nearly two weeks, Hasselbeck saw very little action, and closed out his only turn with the first team by fluttering a pass that was intercepted.
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