Patience might pay off at QB

  • Scott M. Johnson / Pro Football Report
  • Thursday, October 11, 2001 9:00pm
  • Sports

When the Seattle Seahawks first unveiled their new quarterback to the public, he broke onto the scene with more twists and turns than a Tom Clancy novel. He avoided pass rushers like telemarketers, moved as deftly as Baryshnikov.

He sensed defenders, changed direction, made plays out of nothing. He could take an inch and make a mile.

Mr. August was looking like the real deal. When he warned us that his style of play – the escape artist in cleats – may have been deceiving, we simply chuckled at his humility.

Then the preseason ended, and Matt Hasselbeck looked like just another of the Seahawks’ QB experiments. He suddenly appeared ordinary, quickly downshifted to below-average, then got beaten down so badly that even the home crowd turned on him. His coach started feeling heat. The season looked in peril.

So whatever happened to the golden boy with the nimble feet?

Plain and simple, Hasselbeck is learning what it’s like to be a starting quarterback in the National Football League. The regular season is worlds away from the preseason, as he quickly found out during his first three games with the Seahawks. Defenses have started blitzing. Linemen have unveiled all their best moves. Opposing coordinators have unleashed the masses.

This is what happens in the NFL: The pocket collapses. And Hasselbeck is hardly the first young quarterback to be surprised by the pace of it all.

“When I came into my first minicamp, the thing I noticed the most was how fast those holes close down – for running backs, for throwing to receivers, in the pocket,” Seahawks quarterback Brock Huard said. “They just shut down so fast.”

Huard went through a similar situation last season. Although he didn’t get hit as often, he got hit hard. Injuries sidetracked his first season, and essentially ended his chances of becoming the Seahawks’ quarterback of the future.

Hasselbeck has felt Huard’s pain this year, and for similar reasons. He’s been hit far too often, which is simply one of the pitfalls of being a young NFL quarterback. The hardest thing for any new starter to learn is how to get a feel for the pass rush.

John Elway had to take a few hits before he developed his inane sense for pressure. Brett Favre was on the wrong end of his share of sacks before developing the skill to avoid them. Almost every quarterback goes through it.

During his first full year as a starter in Tampa Bay, 1995, Trent Dilfer tied a dubious team record by getting sacked 47 times. That was Dilfer’s second year in the league, and already Buccaneers fans were saying he didn’t have the pocket presence to make it in the NFL.

Yet Dilfer looked like Fran Tarkenton at times Sunday against Jacksonville, avoiding sacks and generally delivering the ball before getting swarmed under. He handled it like a true veteran, like someone who’s been there before.

One day Hasselbeck will regain that feel for a pass rush – an NFL pass rush. It will take patience – on the part of Hasselbeck, the fans and Mike Holmgren. But eventually, Hasselbeck will develop a better pocket presence.

If Holmgren decided to take his chances with Dilfer this year, then Hasselbeck’s education would only be delayed. The only way to learn it is on the job.

“There’s no substitute for the experience that you get playing in the games, seeing the speed of the game and seeing how different defenses try to defend your offense,” said the Broncos’ Brian Griese, who struggled early on but has developed into one of the best quarterbacks in the game. “You can only get that from being on the field and actually doing it.”

For Griese, it wasn’t until the offseason following his first full year as starter that he started to understand the position. Hasselbeck deserves a similar chance.

Maybe Dilfer gives the Seahawks their best chance of winning right now. Scratch that: Dilfer does give the Seahawks their best chance of winning now. But if this rebuilding project is ever going to make it to fruition, they’ll have to feed Hasselbeck to the sharks at some point.

That’s the only way Hasselbeck will learn. And the only way this team can avoid making 2002 another rebuilding year.

Kickoff: 1:15 p.m. Sunday at Husky Stadium.

TV: CBS (Channel 7), subject to blackout.

Radio: KQBZ-FM (100.7 FM)

Stars to watch: Seahawks – RB Shaun Alexander proved his worth as the feature back last week, rushing for 176 yards and two touchdowns. WR Darrell Jackson has caught eight passes for 173 yards over the past two weeks and leads the team with 15 receptions. DT John Randle has notched one sack in all four games. LB Chad Brown leads the AFC with 5.5 sacks.

Broncos – QB Brian Griese is the second-ranked passer in the AFC, with a 99.6 rating. RB Mike Anderson, the AFC Rookie of the Year in 2000, replaces injured starter Terrell Davis as the starting tailback for the second consecutive season. WR Rod Smith leads the AFC with 36 receptions and 470 receiving yards. CB Deltha O’Neal tied an NFL record with four interceptions last week.

Breaking down the game: Several factors prove that the Seahawks are better suited to slow down Denver’s offense this season. Considering the fact that each of Seattle’s last six losses to the Broncos have come by a touchdown or less, an improved defense may be enough to propel the Seahawks to an upset win.

Denver’s offense has not been the same since wide receiver Ed McCaffrey went down with a season-ending leg injury in the season opener. If not for four interceptions by cornerback Deltha O’Neal last week, the Broncos may well have lost to Kansas City.

Rod Smith has been a thorn in the Seahawks’ side recently, but he’ll be easier to double-team without the threat of McCaffrey on the other side.

Seattle’s defense is also improved, most notably against the run. Considering that four different Denver running backs have surpassed the 100-yard mark in 10 of the last 11 meetings between these teams, the Seahawks’ run defense will be a huge factor.

Throw in the fact that Seattle has been able to sustain a consistent pass rush – something that did not happen very often in 2000 – and there is a good chance the Seahawks could keep Denver below 30 points for the first time in four meetings.

That said, this Broncos team keeps finding ways to get it done. They might not look like the recent Super Bowl teams, but their defense is improved and their running game is always among the best in the NFL.

Besides, with 14 wins in their last 17 meetings with Seattle, the Broncos clearly have the Seahawks’ number.

Pick: Broncos, 20-16.

Injury report: Broncos – WR Kevin Kasper (ankle) and RB Terrell Davis (knee) are out; G Dan Neil (ankle) is questionable; LB Bill Romanowski (hip), TE Patrick Hape (shoulder) and CB Denard Walker (head) are probable. Seahawks – RB Ricky Watters (shoulder) is out; KR Charlie Rogers (toe) and T Chris McIntosh (neck) are questionable; WR Alex Bannister (concussion), QB Matt Hasselbeck (groin), CB Shawn Springs (hamstring) and LB Tim Terry (concussion) are probable.

Little-known fact: The last seven meetings between Denver and Seattle have been decided by a touchdown or less.

N.Y. Giants (3-1) at St. Louis (4-0), 10 a.m. Sunday: The Giants have a solid defense, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be down by two touchdowns before the opening coin toss hits the turf. The Rams have beaten their last two opponents 77-10, a spread that would have been much worse if they hadn’t called off the dogs late in games. St. Louis can score 30 points like Michael Jordan in his prime. Michael Strahan, Jason Sehorn and Co. might be good … but not this good. Pick: Rams, 31-10.

Oakland (3-1) at Indianapolis (2-1), 5:30 p.m. Sunday: Maybe the Colts folded against the New England Patriots their last time out, but at least they have a clean placekicker. Sebastian Janikowski’s rap sheet is making Dennis Rodman look like Mother Teresa. Pick: Colts, 31-30.

Washington (0-4) at Dallas (0-4), 6 p.m. Monday: It’s hard to imagine two more balanced teams facing off. Add the historical rivalry, and Monday Night Football has the makings of a classic. If two teams play on national television and no one watches, does it still count in the standings? The only winner in this game is Tony Banks, who wouldn’t have had a paycheck at all this year if not for the offensive incompetence that reigns in D.C. and Big D. Pick: Redskins, 3-0.

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