Calm down, everyone.

Nobody is saying Matt Hasselbeck is a better overall quarterback than Andrew Luck. Nobody is implying that Hasselbeck is the new franchise quarterback for the Colts going forward. But in football, and more specifically the NFL, you have backups for a reason. It's time for the Colts to use their backup, again.

Every great quarterback goes through a slump at some point in their career. Getting benched isn't the worst thing in the world. Quarterbacks used to get benched all the time back in the day. Notable Hall of Fame quarterbacks like John Elway, Roger Staubach and Steve Young have all been benched before. Honestly, it's really not that big of a deal. Sitting on the sidelines allows that quarterback to watch from the outside and view the game from a totally different perspective and prepare for the next game.

The Colts have a good backup quarterback. As a matter of fact, they have a fantastic backup quarterback in Matt Hasselbeck. Hasselbeck has accomplished so many great things in this league dating back to his playing days with the Seattle Seahawks. He led the Seahawks to the Super Bowl, and he is 2-0 as a starter this year. Luck is 1-5 as the Colts starter this season. Hasselbeck is the ideal veteran quarterback that every team wants. He knows how to read defenses and avoid sacks because of his experience.

Luck ranks 30th out of 32 qualified quarterbacks in total QBR this season ahead of only Ryan Tannehill and Sam Bradford. It should also be mentioned that Luck did lead the league in fumbles last year with 13.

Luck is turning the ball over far too often. He leads the NFL in interceptions with 12, which is amazing because he missed two games. He now has seven more interceptions than Colin Kaepernick, who has been benched for Blaine Gabbert. Hasselbeck is a quarterback who plays not to lose, and there's nothing wrong with that. In Hasselbeck's two starts he has three touchdowns and zero interceptions.

Rumors have been circulating that Luck could still be hurt, and that is causing him to play poorly. If that's the case, it's totally acceptable for poor play but not for participation. If Luck is hurting but playing, he's only hurting his team in the end. If Luck is in pain and it's affecting his ability to throw the football, he's just being selfish by playing. Is it possible Luck is just playing because he wants that new big long term contract?

The Colts recently fired their offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton. That's pretty unfortunate considering we're only halfway through the season. As bad as things may seem, the Colts are still in first place in the AFC South. To Hamilton's credit, he was able to win back-to-back games without Luck on the field. Now, with Luck on the field turning the ball over, he's been fired.

This weekend the Colts face the undefeated Denver Broncos and their incredible defense. The Broncos rank No. 1 in yards allowed, points allowed, pass defense, and fifth in interceptions. Facing a turnover prone quarterback like Luck is music to their ears. After that, the Colts get a bye week. What a great situation this is for Luck to just rest and watch a veteran from the sidelines and not return until at least Week 11 against the Atlanta Falcons.

Again, there's nothing devastating with being benched. It's happened to many notable quarterbacks throughout NFL history. There's no reason Luck should be any different, especially with the way he is playing, and possibly hurting.

Follow Damon Salvadore on Twitter @DamonSalvadore1