Matt Hasselbeck
Matt Hasselbeck
Matthew Michael Hasselbeck is a former American football quarterback and current analyst for ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown. He was drafted in the sixth round of the 1998 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers. After a season on the practice squad and two seasons backing up Brett Favre, he was traded to the Seattle Seahawks in 2001. Hasselbeck led Seattle to six playoff appearances and a Super Bowl. He was selected to three Pro Bowls and was an All-Pro in...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionFootball Player
Date of Birth25 September 1975
CityBoulder, CO
CountryUnited States of America
I don't think he faded under pressure. I thought he made some really good plays, and I'm sure he'd tell you there's some plays he'd like to have back.
Obviously, when those guys are playing well, it makes my job easier. The system that we have here, it's just able to click when those guys are doing their jobs.
It obviously helps playing at home with our crowd into it the way they were today.
Like we've all seen, Shaun Alexander plays his best games in the spotlight.
I know where Mike's coming from. He really wanted me to focus on what I could control. But the simple fact is those guys are very different, and I haven't played with them.
It was tough. There was a lot of stuff I'd never been through. I'd never really been the guy. I'd never had to play through injury. I really had never played in the NFL.
Our focus was on this year and this team. The team in this locker room is better than the one that played last year.
That sounds like a question that a bunch of sports writers sitting around a desk should discuss. I don't really have the answer to that question. I don't know. What I do know is that the more I focus on playing football the better I play. The better I play, the better I'll do in those kind of discussions down the road.
That was fun n a little sloppy at times, but some of the most exciting plays I've seen all year. Coach Fox promised, by the end of the week, 'We'll put a smile on your face.' All the Seattle guys were smiling.
Some of those people are former players here. Some are coaches that have been around or people in the building. Or maybe it's just some of the people from Seattle who have followed the team since 1976. It would mean a great deal to them.
He doesn't get the respect that he probably deserves. He's a great player for us and always has been since I've been here.
You can't make the mistakes we made and expect to beat a good team like this. The Steelers played well enough to win, and we didn't. They should get the credit.
I wouldn't say we didn't miss a beat, it's not the same with those guys out. But we all had confidence in those guys that they would play well ... and those guys played great.
I was happy to be in the NFL, living the dream. I'd get to play in the preseason when Brett would play a series or two and I got to play a quarter and a half and my whole family would come to town for the game. They never wanted tickets for the playoff games or the regular-season games, just the preseason games.