Hasselbeck does his job, and well

  • Kirby Arnold / Herald Writer
  • Sunday, November 11, 2001 9:00pm
  • Sports

By Kirby Arnold

Herald Writer

SEATTLE – Confidence boost?

Of all that seemed to bless Matt Hasselbeck in Sunday night’s victory over the Oakland Raiders, the one thing the Seattle Seahawks’ star-crossed quarterback really didn’t need was more confidence.

“I already had a lot of confidence in myself,” Hasselbeck said.

Even after a seven-game start to the season in which he had the lowest rating of any NFL quarterback, Hasselbeck maintained his confidence.

Even after being yanked from the game a week ago after coach Mike Holmgren couldn’t handle the stench of his quarterback’s first-half decision-making, Hasselbeck had faith in himself.

Even going against a once-beaten Raiders team that still had the remnants of opposing quarterbacks – including Hasselbeck, who was knocked out of the Sept. 30 game at Oakland – between its teeth, he strode onto the Husky Stadium turf knowing it was an opportunity to excel.

And he did.

Want a sure sign of Haselbeck’s effectiveness? Nobody was chanting “Dil-fer.”

Hasselbeck didn’t need a backup as he put together his best statistical line of the season: 15 pass completions in 23 attempts for 181 yards.

With no interceptions. And no fumbles. And no stupidity.

“I don’t know if it was mistake-free,” said Hasselbeck, a third-year pro out of Boston College. “But it was critical mistake-free.”

The Seahawks’ drive chart looked like something out of Holmgren’s blueprint for the game, with Hasselbeck taking every snap on scoring marches of 53, 79, 76, 61, 88 and 25 yards.

OK, that 88-yarder was one handoff, to Shaun Alexander on his team-record touchdown run to break a 20-20 tie. But somebody had to hold that lead, and Hasselbeck was most proud of the fact he faced some hectic moments at the finish and stood up well.

“Making the decisions at the end of the game,” he said. “Being in a situation where you’ve got to run the offense when the game is on the line and the crowd is loud, you just can’t simulate those kinds of things in practice.”

He could also add a few decisions to skedaddle out of the pocket when first-down yardage seemed within reach. Hasselbeck did it three times Sunday, including two dashes to keep scoring drives alive.

His best came on a second-and-5 play midway through the third quarter. With his receivers covered, Hasselbeck sprinted toward the right sideline and made a headlong dive toward the first-down stick, just nosing the football past it.

Seven plays later, including a 28-yard pass on third-and-5 to Bobby Engram, the Seahawks scored on Alexander’s 6-yard run to tie the score 20-20.

It was a marked difference from that September nightmare in Oakland, when Hasselbeck was sacked six times and had to leave the game in the third quarter with a groin injury.

“We did watch the film and you had a bad feeling in your stomach,” Hasselbeck said. “There were some things that they did in that game that we didn’t forget. Maybe it was a little bit of motivation for us today.”

That, and a 319-yard rushing game to ease the heat, will do wonders for a budding young quarterback.

“We are always going to be a better football team, certainly this year, when we can run the ball,” Holmgren said. “It takes the pressure off Matt, the quarterback in general, but Matt specifically because he’s so young.

“I was glad that Matt was able to play a game where the other things were working, too. He’s had a couple of games where the people around him dropped passes or we weren’t pass protecting.”

When those things were crumbling around Hasselbeck in past games, his head started swimming with ways to overcome it all himself. All that accomplished was to make matters worse, and last week it cost him a chance to finish the game.

On Sunday, everything seemed right in Hasselbeck’s world.

“This is really exciting right now,” he said. “This was a game that we knew people were not really counting on us. But we believed in ourselves and the guys in this locker room, and we stuck together and played a great game as a team.”

And the quarterback didn’t screw it up.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Sports

Prep basketball roundup for Tuesday, Feb. 11

Tulalip Heritage finishes second in district tournament.

Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak (left) and head coach Mike Macdonald (right) spoke to the media at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center in Renton on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025 (Aaron Coe / The Herald)
New Seahawks OC excited to coach Geno Smith

Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak has “a lot of respect” for Seahawks QB.

Vancouver Giants goalie Burke Hood makes a play for the puck against the Everett Silvertips, who lost 6-2 to the Giants at Langley Events Centre on Saturday, one day after clinching a WHL playoff spot. (Rob Wilton, Giants/Special to Black Press Media).
Tips Week in Review: Everett first in WHL to clinch playoff berth

The Silvertips defeated Kamloops on Friday to secure spot, but lost to Vancouver on Saturday

Seahawks receiver Tyler Lockett (16) runs with after a catch against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. (Photo courtesy of the Seattle Seahawks)
Tyler Lockett’s future with Seahawks remains unclear

Seattle coach Mike Macdonald noncommittal 1 month before a possible decision point.

Vote for The Herald’s Prep Athlete of the Week for Feb. 2-8

The Athlete of the Week nominees for Feb. 2-8. Voting closes at… Continue reading

Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) throws a pass against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on Sunday, Jan. 5, 2024. (Photo courtesy of the Seattle Seahawks)
O’Neil: The Seahawks will keep Geno Smith

The reasons for the Seahawks quarterback sticking around are simple and obvious.

The Edmonds-Woodway bench reacts to a foul call during the game against Shorewood on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025 in Shoreline, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Prep basketball roundup for Monday, Feb. 10

Warriors win battle of division champs.

Lake Stevens’ Kamryn Mason attempts to flip Glacier Peak’s Kyla Brown onto her back during 110-pound match at the 4A girls wrestling district tournament on Friday, Feb. 7, 2025 in Mill Creek, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Vikings girls wrestling conquers 4A District 1 Tournament

Lake Stevens dominated with champions in six weight classes and 18 total state-qualifiers

Perfect week no help to Gonzaga

An unbeaten week against a pair of middle- to lower-tier West Coast… Continue reading

LeBron James (23) and Luka Doncic (77) of the Los Angeles Lakers look on as John Collins (20) of the Utah Jazz drives to the basket during the first quarter at Crypto.com Arena on Monday, Feb. 10, 2025, in Los Angeles. (Ronald Martinez / Getty Images / Tribune News Services)
Lakers’ LeBron James and Luka Doncic hit the ground running

LeBron James and Luka Doncic represent different generations and… Continue reading

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) smiles as head coach Nick Sirianni holds up the Lombardi trophy after they defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 in Super Bowl LIX at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025. (Timothy A. Clary / AFP / Getty Images / Tribune News Services)
Eagles overwhelm Chiefs to win the Super Bowl

The Philadelphia Eagles perhaps did not vanquish the Kansas… Continue reading

Coach Derek Lopez (far right) and the Lake Stevens boys' wrestling team celebrates with their championship trophy at the WIAA 4A District 1 Tournament at Jackson High School on Feb. 8, 2025.
Lake Stevens boys capture district wrestling title

The Vikings had 17 state-qualifiers; second-place Arlington led with five weight class winners

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.