Matt Hasselbeck in the Seahawks' 2010 NFC Divisional Game against Chicago. Photo: Getty Images
The end of the NFL Lockout brought about a free agent-signing frenzy yesterday that was reminiscent of National Signing Day for college football, with free agent signings having been halted during the duration of the lockout.
Yesterday, the Seahawks decided to part ways with longtime quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, who has led the team to multiple playoff appearances and a Super Bowl appearance in his 10 years in Seattle.
Hasselbeck, 35, is the franchise record-holder in passing yards in a game (449), passing yards in a season (3,966) and career passing yards (29,434).
He’s one of the most-celebrated players in franchise history, and his departure from the team in favor of Charlie Whitehurst and yesterday’s signee Tarvaris Jackson has been bittersweet for all of us a part of the 12th Man.
But, I have a confession: I never liked Matt Hasselbeck.
Never liked him, not even when he was good.
The Seahawks acquired Hasselbeck in a trade with Green Bay for Ahman Green, who was a perennial pro bowler with the Packers but is now playing in the Canadian Football League. In hindsight, the Seahawks got the better end of the deal, and as much as I hate to admit it, I’m really glad they did.
I’ll be the first to admit I’ve never been good at scouting talent at the quarterback position and there have been multiple instances that serve as proof: I thought Joey Harrington was going to be the savior of the Detroit Lions, I didn’t think Ben Roethlisberger would be any good (he still isn’t in my book because I absolutely cannot stand him) and I thought Matt Leinart would already have a ring by now.
Maybe my warped judgment of talent makes my disliking of Matt Hasselbeck irrational, but the two had never seemed linear until today when I first got the idea to write a blog post about it. Isn’t the mind just great?
In 2001, before the Seahawks had their string of success with five-straight playoff appearances and four-straight division titles, then-coach Mike Holmgren had a tough decision to make regarding who would start between Hasselbeck and Trent Dilfer. At the tender age of 10, I had already decided I did not like Matt Hasselbeck and that Trent Dilfer should be our guy. Dilfer, who had absolutely minimal involvement in the Baltimore Ravens’ Super Bowl XXXV victory as the starting quarterback, was already washed up and was poised to producing little-to-no success for the Seahawks, but for some reason, I had more faith in him than I did in Hasselbeck.
Matt Hasselbeck lobs a pass in the 2003 NFC Wild Card game against the Packers in Lambeau Field. After winning the coin toss, Hasselbeck arrogantly stated, "We want the ball and we're gonna score." He then preceded to throw an interception that would be returned for the game-winning touchdown for the Packers.
Much to my chagrin, Hasselbeck remained the starter and the Seahawks found success one year after their move from the AFC to the NFC following the Houston Texans’ entrance into the league, forcing the realignment into four divisions per conference, the format we have today.
Hasselbeck led the young-and-budding Seahawks to the playoffs, something I only faintly remembered in 1999 when Jon Kitna led the Seahawks to an AFC West title with a 9-7 record.
I had to watch this game from a motel a block away from my mom’s house because she had gotten in a fight with her boyfriend with whom she resided with, she had been projecting the entire argument on my sister and I who were already reluctant to even spend the day with her with the state that she was in. She was crying, which made Leah cry, but I just wanted to watch the damn football game.
I was already in a terrible mood as Hasselbeck managed to keep the Seahawks in the game and (somehow) force the game into overtime. A big second-half for the Seahawks kept them in the game, although from what I remember, the Packers had been dominating for the most part. Maybe that was a feeling I had gotten from the anxiety that came with watching my Seahawks take the heavily favored Packers to the brink of a possible upset, who knows. All I knew was I was potentially going to see something great… Until this happened.
I shouted at the top of my lungs in anger and disbelief after hearing Matt Hasselbeck say that.
“We want the ball and we’re gonna score.”
You don’t say that. Ever. I don’t care how confident you are, you just don’t say that.
Al Harris returns an interception from Matt Hasselbeck for a touchdown to defeat the Seahawks, 33-27, in the 2003 NFC Wild Card game.
Well, my fear of Hasselbeck having jinxed himself flashed before my eyes: Hasselbeck steps back to pass, throws, and launches a perfect spiral into Packers CB Al Harris’ chest. Harris, who looked like he almost expected it to be thrown at him, returned it for a touchdown, thus successfully putting an end to the Seahawks’ almost-improbable upset over the heavily favored Packers.
I sat there in disbelief. A violent snowstorm had inundated my mom, sister and I in that motel room my mom had hastily gotten for her day with us (it was not a good time in our lives), and it was only made worse by the fact that the idiot quarterback had just jinxed the entire team and gave up the interception that would seal the deal for the Packers to advance.
I wanted him dead.
My feelings toward Hasselbeck were reiterated after the Seahawks failed to defeat their hated division rival St. Louis Rams in the NFC Wild Card round the next year. The reason I was so upset about that one? The Rams were 8-8 and had no business being in the playoffs, plus I just flatout hate the Rams. Everyone has that team that they hate, and for me, it’s the Rams. I know ‘hate’ is a strong word, but I still hate the Rams. Marc Bulger was an overrated tool and Mike Martz was the old lady who talked way too loud and spit on people at bingo night. I hated the Rams.
Matt Hasselbeck reacts to another bad call by the referees in Super Bowl XL. Did the Steelers really deserve to win that game? Absolutely not.
Even through the fairytale year of 2005 that ended with me endlessly sobbing due to the terrible calls made by the referees in Super Bowl XL that favored the Pittsburgh Steelers, I cringed at the thought of Hasselbeck hoisting the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
Don’t get me wrong, I wanted nothing more than the Seahawks to win Super Bowl XL to shut up the obnoxious Steeler fanbase, but the thought of Matt Hasselbeck leading us to that victory made my stomach turn. Throughout the playoffs that year I was crossing my fingers and wishing Hasselbeck would break his leg and give former Cyclone Seneca Wallace a chance to become the next Tom Brady. It never happened, but a kid could have only have hoped at that point.
Well, here we are. After years of wishing Matt Hasselbeck would pull a Vince Young and fizzle out after a few short-lived successes, he is finally parting ways with the organization.
Now that the tides of change have finally come flowing in my favor, I can honestly say it’s a little bittersweet.
Earlier today, he signed a three-year deal with the Tennessee Titans, which, to me, is incredibly insulting. During this year’s draft I was almost assured the Seahawks would take Jake Locker in the first round. Some people have doubts and Jeremiah still think he sucks, but who doesn’t want a quarterback named Jake Locker? Besides, do you really think he’s worse than Blaine Gabbert and Andy Dalton? So for the Titans to have both Locker and Hasselbeck is kind of a middle finger to all Seahawk fans.
But, I’m really hoping this year will be a casualty so the Seahawks can lock up the No. 1 pick and take Andrew Luck. It’s probably not going to happen, but you can only hope.
So here we are. Hasselbeck is gone, and all we have left is Charlie Whitehurst and Tarvaris Jackson. OH GOD, WHY DID MATT HASSELBECK HAVE TO GO?
-Calhoun 7/27/2011
jakecalhoun 