KIRKLAND — Matt Hasselbeck put in more time this offseason than ever before. And you know what it got him?
“I feel like I’ve worked twice as hard with no results,” the Seattle Seahawks’ quarterback said after Monday’s afternoon training camp practice. “I feel like I’m just at the normal spot that I would be.”
Hasselbeck spent a good part of the summer rehabilitating from surgery on his non-throwing shoulder. But that’s not the only thing that Hasselbeck is trying to fix.
In 2006, Hasselbeck saw his statistics dip below the consistent levels at which they had been for most of the previous four seasons. Due in large part to the four games he missed with a knee injury, Hasselbeck threw for less than 3,000 passing yards for the first time since 2001, while his 18 touchdowns also marked a four-year low. Meanwhile, Hasselbeck’s 15 interceptions matched the highest single-season total of his career.
After posting a franchise-best quarterback rating of 86.7 over his first five seasons in Seattle, Hasselbeck had a 76.0 rating in 2006. The two-time Pro Bowler put up pretty mediocre statistics last season.
Injuries — in addition to the sprained knee, Hasselbeck played several games with a broken bone in his left hand — were a major factor, as was a supporting cast that was under constant evolution last season. But Hasselbeck refused to use either excuse in his own defense.
“Whatever we did last year or the year before, it really doesn’t matter,” he said.
Not that Hasselbeck has completely forgotten about last season. He is still frustrated by the way his knee injury happened, as well as by the way it affected him.
“It was just such a pointless injury to me. It was very avoidable,” Hasselbeck said of the hit by Minnesota Vikings linebacker E.J. Henderson that knocked him out for four games. “It was unnecessary. Injuries happen, and I’ve had no problem with that; I’ve been hit many times — some hits cleaner than others. But to me, that one was just … It changed our whole season.”
As for how it affected him, Hasselbeck added: “You’ve got to learn to deal with that stuff. I’ve handled (playing through injuries) well at times and handled it poorly at times. But that’s part of my job. All 32 quarterbacks in the NFL have to be able to play their best when they’re hurt.”
Coach Mike Holmgren defended his quarterback’s 2006 statistics by pointing toward the obvious factors.
“Matt had a wonderful season in 2005, and then last year he was hurt,” Holmgren said. “He is at a place in his quarterback play where he should be pretty consistent and play the same way all the time — if people around him are normal.”
Hasselbeck is taking a back-to-basics approach to the 2007 season. He has more confidence in his rebuilt offensive line, which has a year of experience under its belt, and he has worked hard to build symmetry with wide receivers Deion Branch and Nate Burleson. Hasselbeck, Branch and Burleson spent an hour a day, three days a week, working together at the team’s complex earlier this month.
With new tight end Marcus Pollard and D.J. Hackett expected to be the new starter at split end, Hasselbeck will have to continue to adjust to some new teammates.
“There are definitely changes,” Hasselbeck said. “It’s a different team in terms of who’s here and who’s not here; I’ve got all the team photos to prove it. But that’s the NFL. Most teams deal with it.”
While staying healthy is a priority — “We need to pass out a bunch of health pills to our team and see what happens,” running back Shaun Alexander said of the keys for the 2007 season — Hasselbeck has several other areas to work on this summer if he’s going to return to his old form.
The Seahawks hope that Hasselbeck does just that, and that his 2006 statistics turn out to be a blip on the radar of his career.
Holmgren, for one, believes the Hasselbeck of old will be back in ’07.
“He is at the top of his game playing the position,” Holmgren said. “… Matt is the leader of this team, and he is a really good quarterback.
“I trust that he will be able to stay healthy this year. That is the big key.”
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