"Let's assume (and you know what happens when you assume) the Seahawks lose in Pittsburgh this Sunday and come into their home opener against Arizona winless in their first two games.

The home crowd is going to be a bit testy and very impatient, and if new Seattle starting quarterback Tarvaris Jackson misfires on his first pass, he will hear his first Seattle boos.

And if, in the first quarter, the Hawks have a quick three-and-out, Jackson will hear the same chants his predecessor Matt Hasselbeck heard last December.

"Charlie. Charlie. Charlie."

The fans will be calling for backup quarterback Charlie Whitehurst, who although it means almost nothing, had a better exhibition season than Jackson.

"Charlie. Charlie. Charlie."

For now, Whitehurst is the man of the people.

But what will coach Pete Carroll do if the offense continues to sputter and the heat is turned up on Jackson? What happens after the Hawks play Atlanta at home, then travel to the New York Giants?

Uncharacteristically Carroll never opened this job for competition. He understood that the lockout compressed the preseason and he had to give his new No. 1 as much practice time and game snaps as possible. Jackson has been Carroll's starter since the first day of camp."