By Scott M. Johnson
Herald Writer
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – He entered the offseason knowing the immediate future would include a new home, as well as the opportunity to step out of the shadows of one of the game’s great quarterbacks. He waited patiently for the phone call, then found out he had been traded to a team with a coach he knew well.
His new team’s system was also familiar, and he embraced it with fervor at the beginning of training camp. Soon he realized that some of his teammates were not quite as adept in the system, so he tried to do too much.
That led to a plethora of mistakes, and the home crowd quickly turned on him. So now the quarterback is just trying to simplify things – and he’s starting to find success.
This is the story of Trent Green.
And Matt Hasselbeck.
The starting quarterbacks for today’s game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Seattle Seahawks have traveled similar paths in the past nine months.
Hasselbeck went from the Green Bay Packers to Seattle in a February trade, reuniting him with coach Mike Holmgren. Green landed in Kansas City just before the NFL draft and is now back with Dick Vermeil, who coached the St. Louis Rams during Green’s first year there.
“You can draw comparisons there,” said Holmgren, who inquired about Green’s services before opting to deal for Hasselbeck. “I think any quarterbacks, you look around the league, and quarterbacks who have to be in that situation, usually it takes a little time for them to be at their best and most effective.”
That’s the other thing that these two quarterbacks have in common: they’ve both experienced some unexpected growing pains as the new kid in town.
In fact, the bottom five quarterbacks in the AFC passer ratings all share a common bond in that they’re in their first season with a new team. Hasselbeck ranks 13th in the conference with a 70.4 rating, while Green is dead last at 62.6. Green’s major problem this year has been the interception. He leads the NFL with 16 after throwing just five interceptions in eight games with the Rams last year.
“You kind of get used to a certain tempo and guys being in a different spots and having everybody understand what is exactly going on,” Green said. “We are just not there yet. That is not to knock anybody, and that is not to point any fingers at anybody. It is just where we are in terms of installing the offense and guys getting the understanding of the timing of it and the spacing of it. It is just something we will continue to work on.”
Green started five games last season in relief of injured Kurt Warner and led the NFC with a 101.8 quarterback rating. His numbers this year aren’t exactly what the Chiefs were expecting when they acquired him and a fifth-round pick from St. Louis in exchange for the 12th overall pick in the April draft.
“I know what Trent can do. I’ve been there, I’ve seen him do it,” Vermeil said. “We’ve got to gradually surround him with people who can help him be what he has the ability to be, and also improve the ability of the people we have right here by doing a better job of coaching them.”
Like the Chiefs, the Seahawks are molding new offensive players together all at once. So Hasselbeck has taken the brunt of the blame on a young, emerging unit this year. But Holmgren has continually been in Hasselbeck’s corner.
Hasselbeck has improved so much in the past two weeks that his rating has gone up seven points, which is a direct result of a more conservative game plan. Hasselbeck knows his main job right now is to take care of the football and let Seattle’s running game do most of the work.
“I think we are realizing what we are good at,” Hasselbeck said. “Obviously, the more time we spend together out on the practice field, the better we are going to be.”
Holmgren will gradually ask Hasselbeck to do more as the season carries on, but for the time being he’s comfortable favoring the ground game over the passing game.
“We have changed how we go about doing things for him a little bit,” Holmgren said. “At some point, he is going to come to me and say, ‘Come on now, give me some more.’ Right now (running the football) gives us the best chance to win. If he can continue to eliminate the mistakes, we are going to be better.”
Hasselbeck has not been responsible for a turnover in the past two weeks, and he’s only been sacked once. Those kinds of statistics represent a nice start for a new quarterback, but eventually he’ll also have to make some plays to win games on his own.
“All the quarterbacks I have been around, if they only throw 23 passes a game, eventually they want to throw more,” said Holmgren, referring to the number of pass attempts in each of the past two games. “That is what they do. They do take pride in handing the ball off, but that is not as much fun as (throwing). It is just a natural progression on how a young man fits into the position: wins some games and gains some confidence, learns and then plays. I am perfectly willing to feed (Hasselbeck) that as I see fit.”
Certainly the adjustments to new teams have taken longer than Green and Hasselbeck may have expected. But their seasons aren’t over yet.
“You’ve got to be patient,” Vermeil said. “You’ve got to be very understanding. The older you get and the longer you coach, the more important you realize that is, and the easier it is for you to do it. But it’s not always pleasant.”
GRAFIC:
A Call to Arms
Finding a veteran quarterback is much easier said than done. At least that has been the case in the AFC this season. Here is a look at the five new starters in the AFC, all of whom rank at the bottom of the conference’s passer ratings:
QB 2001 team 2000 team Rating
16, TRENT GREEN KANSAS CITY St. Louis 62.6
15, Jon Kitna Cincinnati Seattle 68.9
14, Elvis Grbac Baltimore Kansas City 69.5
13, MATT HASSELBECK SEATTLE Green Bay 70.4
12, Doug Flutie San Diego Buffalo 71.4
1, Rich Gannon Oakland Oakland 100.7
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