Four years later, Hasselbeck’s audibles have improved

By Chris Cluff  |   Sunday, January 06, 2008  |  Comments( 0 )

Seattle Seahawks
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"We want the ball, and we're gonna score!"

Those were Matt Hasselbeck's confident words to his former Packers teammates after the Seattle Seahawks won the overtime coin toss during a playoff game in Green Bay on Jan. 4, 2004. The Seahawks didn't score, instead losing the game when cornerback Al Harris intercepted one of Hasselbeck's throws and returned it for a touchdown.

Much was made of Hasselbeck's infamous utterance on national TV that day, and he hasn't forgotten. Because right after the Seahawks beat the Washington Redskins 35-14 in an NFC wild-card game last Saturday to earn a return trip to Green Bay this weekend, Hasselbeck walked into the interview room and announced boldly and with tongue firmly in cheek, "We want the ball, and we're gonna score!"

Hasselbeck has come a long way from that January afternoon in 2004, which was the first playoff game for the quarterback and the day he had a national coming-out party. He had already secured his first Pro Bowl berth, and he showed how he had earned it by dueling evenly with Packer legend Brett Favre, Hasselbeck's former mentor, in 20-degree weather at Lambeau Field. Both quarterbacks threw for more than 300 yards, leading their teams up and down the field in gunslinger style throughout the second half.

After Favre drove the Packers to the go-ahead touchdown with 2:44 left in regulation, Hasselbeck responded by leading the Seahawks 63 yards in seven plays for the tying TD. But on Seattle's second series of overtime, Hasselbeck called an audible and threw the ball toward Alex Bannister near the left sideline. Harris cut in front of the receiver, picked off the pass and went 52 yards for a touchdown that gave the Packers a 33-27 victory.

It was an epic duel, and it will be played out again Saturday when Hasselbeck and the Seahawks return to Green Bay for another big playoff matchup.

Hasselbeck was great on that day in 2004, but his inexperience -- it was his first playoff game and just his 38th NFL start -- finally showed. Four years later, he is a seasoned veteran who now has started seven playoff games and one Super Bowl and is headed to his third Pro Bowl. His experience now rivals Favre's, and he gets to face his old mentor and fellow Pro Bowl QB one more time.

Hasselbeck will have to play a much better game than he did against Washington, when he threw two ill-advised interceptions. And he knows it.

His right wrist might be hurting, but his head is working. And that should keep the Seahawks in the game. They might not win, but it won't be because of Hasselbeck, who has turned into one of the league's top on-field orchestrators. Since that 2003 season, Hasselbeck has been given more and more leeway by coach Mike Holmgren to change plays at the line of scrimmage. And most of the time, the quarterback has made the right call. He was nearly flawless in the Seahawks' 2005 Super Bowl season.

He will need to be again for the Seahawks to have a shot at upsetting the storied Packers in what is sure to be another dramatic meeting, pitting former Packers Hasselbeck and Holmgren against current Packer Favre.

And you can be pretty sure that this time, instead of announcing during the coin toss what he's going to do, Hasselbeck will make the audibles at the line of scrimmage like the savvy veteran he has become. He still wants the ball, but now he knows how to score when the game is on the line.
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About Chris Cluff

Chris Cluff spent 10 years as an editor and sportswriter for The Seattle Times. He was a key figure in the newspaper's coverage of the Seahawks, particularly during their Super Bowl run in 2005. He also has written two books on the Seahawks: "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Heart-Pounding, ...
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