Matt Hasselbeck: The Story

Matt Hasselbeck is possibly one of the most underrated players at his position in recent years. Every football fan knows who he is, of course, but people always ride him off as being mediocre. I can't help but ask why. Besides Tom Brady, Hasselbeck has to be one of the top draft steals in the last 10 years or so at quarterback.

Hasselbeck was drafted in the sixth round of the 1998 draft by the Green Bay Packers, was on the practice squad for a year, then became the backup to Brett Favre and was nicknamed Mr. August, for his ability in preseason games.

Hasselbeck was then brought to Seattle in 2001 via trade from Green Bay, and was instantly rejected from Seattle fans in favor of Trent Dilfer, who had just won a Super Bowl in 2000 with Baltimore.

Hasselbeck, then having two underachieving seasons in 2001 and 2002, and sharing time with Dilfer, became a success in 2003, his first year starting all 16 games. Hasselbeck would throw for more than 3,800 yards, 26 touchdowns and 15 interceptions, and be voted to the Pro Bowl. Not bad for a QB who was sacked 42 times that year. The Seahawks went 10-6 that year.

Then came 2005. Hasselbeck would lead the Seahawks to a 13-3 record, and there first Super Bowl appearance and be named to his second Pro Bowl.

Then came a very shaky 2006 season where he would get injured, miss four starts, and have a QB rating of just 76.0 and take the Seahawks to a record of just 9-7. Despite the record, Hasselbeck took the Seahawks to a win over the favored Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Wild Card matchup, and would fall in overtime to the NFC champion Chicago Bears.

Hasselbeck would find great Success in 2007 when he led the Seahawks to a 10-6 record, and would post career highs in almost ever passing category. He set franchise records for touchdowns, yards, completions, and attempts - 3,966 Yds, 28 TD, 12 INT. Hasselbeck would do all this despite a running game that ranked in the bottom half of the NFL.

Then came a horrible year for Hasselbeck in 2008, where he would throw for five touchdowns and 10 interceptions in seven starts, this was due to a bad disk in Hasselbeck's back and having his top five wide receivers miss games and three of them go on injured reserve.

I understand people will look at those numbers and  laugh saying he is mediocre. But how can he do good with a mangled up offensive line that had all five starting linemen go on IR, and have one of the worst receiving corps in the NFL? He can't. Every good QB in the NFL had a GO-TO-GUY. Hasselbeck's best WR is a 36-year-old vet by the name of Bobby Engram. That's not a promising WR to pass to when you need a big play.

My point is, is why hasn't Hasselbeck gotten any respect in the NFL?