Seattle’s Hamdan could be a viable starter someday

By Connor Byrne  |   Saturday, May 27, 2006  |  Comments( 0 )

Seattle Seahawks
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Gibran Hamdan isn't exactly a household name, but the NFL Europe offensive MVP might be someday. The quarterback is the property of the Seattle Seahawks, and led the Amsterdam Admirals to Saturday's World Bowl, which is the European league's title game. Unfortunately for the 25-year-old, a broken ankle will keep him out of the game, but he more than proved his worth this season with 12 touchdown passes and an all-time league record passer rating of 113.4.

Although European league stars don't usually become success stories in America, it hasn't necessarily been that way for quarterbacks. In fact, Super Bowl winning quarterbacks Kurt Warner and Brad Johnson both got their starts in the World League, while Jake Delhomme and Matt Hasselbeck did as well. Both Delhomme and Hasselbeck have led their respective teams to Super Bowl appearances. Jon Kitna also thrived in NFL Europe, and the nine-year veteran has started in at least 14 games in five different seasons.

Of course, the common denominator between the five abovementioned names is that all are penciled in as current starters in the NFL. Warner's the Arizona Cardinals' starter, Johnson's No. 1 on the Minnesota Vikings' depth chart, Delhomme and Hasselbeck start for Carolina and Seattle, respectively, while Kitna's the favorite to win the Detroit Lions' job.

The 30-year-old Hasselbeck, who led the Seahawks to a 13-3 record last season, is one of the league's best quarterbacks, and barring an unforeseen injury, will be their starter for years to come. Thus, Hamdan's chances of being the No. 1 in Seattle anytime soon seem incredibly unlikely. The 6-4, 210-pounder needs to hope he can make the Seahawks' roster for next season, then find a way to join another roster in the future. As a matter of fact, Hasselbeck was a little-known Green Bay Packers backup for two years before joining the Seattle Seahawks via trade. Perhaps the same thing will happen with Hamdan, a former Indiana University standout.

Too often, fans forget about NFL Europe. It may be a foreign product, but sometimes the future stars of tomorrow's NFL are there waiting to be discovered. Hamdan's hoping to become the sixth quarterback success story to come from the World League. If he does, someone out there will have themselves a very good starting quarterback down the line. Don't rule it out, since nobody expected upstarts like Hasselbeck, Delhomme or the rest to prove anything, either.

--Connor J. Byrne can be reached at cbyrne@realfootball365.com

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