Matt Hasselbeck: Why Seattle Keeps Him

Matthew Hasselbeck, quarterback of the Seattle Seahawks has had his ups and his downs.

Under him, Seattle won the 2006 NFC Championship. Hasselbeck also holds the Seahawks record for the most passing yards in a season, with 3,966.

But, he has had many injury problems in the past. Hasselbeck has only played seven full seasons during his 11 year career. Altogether, he has missed 17
games—more then 1 complete season.

So why do the Hawks keep Matt?

How It Started

It began in 1999 in Green Bay. Matt Hasselbeck played two seasons with the Pack until being traded to Seattle in 2001.

In his first season with Seattle, Hasselbeck came off the ground running. He had a total of 2,023 passing yards after only making 29 total attempts in his first three seasons with Green Bay.

That got the Seahawks thinking, "This kid may have a future with us!"

The Ups

Hasselbeck has had his ups.

He holds 17 Seahawks regular season passing records, such as holding the most 3,000 yard passing seasons with five. Matt also has 13 franchise playoff records.

Above the records, the stats, there are the wins. He has lead Seattle to multiple playoff appearances—above all, a NFC Championship (2006).

The Downs

Hasselbeck is 31.

He has won games in the past, but recently, "injured" seem to have been Hasselbeck's main attribute.

From his ribs to his finger, the Beck has been crippled. As said earlier, he has only gone seven full seasons out of his career total of 11.

Hasselbeck's major problem has been his knee—which takes a long time to heal. After being hit by Minnesota linebacker E.J. Henderson in 2006. He missed four games that season.

Also, you may of noticed most of Hasselbeck's highlights are from years ago.

This is 2009, and there is no time for the Seahawks to look back if they want a shot at a championship.

So Why Do They Keep Him?

The downs of Matthew Hasselbeck's career seem to almost overtake the ups. Injuries, interceptions, bad knees, oh my!

But Hasselbeck is one of the few that run the "West Coast "style of offense—and beautifully.

He reads defenses like books. He changes the plays when needed, and knows what is needed.

But the real reason the Seattle Seahawks have held onto their longtime starter is because he knows how to win.