Matt Hasselbeck
In the world of professional sports, the age of 40 is typically considered to be ancient. But somebody forgot to mention that to Indianapolis Colts quarterback Matthew Hasselbeck. Hasselbeck turned 40-years of age this past September and he is in the process of defying the odds. Hasselbeck joined the Colts in 2013, but he is far from being someone that is merely holding on in order to collect a paycheck in the National Football League.
After being a sixth round pick of the Green Bay Packers in 1998, Hasselbeck was an understudy to quarterback Brett Favre. In 2001, Hasselbeck would be traded to the Seattle Seahawks where he got his chance to be a starting quarterback in the National Football League. By 2003, Hasselbeck would help the Seahawks make the playoffs and in 2005, he would be a part of the first team in franchise history to play in the Super Bowl. Hasselbeck is the Seahawks franchise leader in passing yards (29,434) and completions (2,559) along with being a three-time Pro Bowl selection. But in 2011, Hasselbeck left the Seahawks when he and the organization were unable to come to an agreement on a new deal. However, Hasselbeck would immediately land on his feet when he signed a two-year contract to join the Tennessee Titans.
With the Titans, Hasselbeck was expected to serve as a mentor for the young quarterback in Tennessee, Jake Locker. But the script changed for the Titans as Hasselbeck became their starting quarterback in 2011 and helped Tennessee finish with a record of 9-7. And after Hasselbeck’s contract with the Titans expired, he would join the Colts in 2013.
Hasselbeck came to the Colts knowing that Andrew Luck was entrenched as the team’s franchise quarterback, but this year, it has been the elder statesman that has kept Indianapolis afloat.
Coming into the 2015 National Football League season, the Colts were picked by some observers to win the Super Bowl with Luck leading the way. But this year Luck is in the midst of of having his worst season in the NFL as he has thrown 12 interceptions. Luck has also attempted to play through pain with shoulder and rib injuries which have not helped the Colts to be successful on the field. Luck’s injuries have forced him to become a spectator in recent weeks which has allowed Hasselbeck to show that he still has the skills to get the job done.
In the four games that Hasselbeck has started for the Colts this year, Indianapolis is undefeated while they are 2-5 in the contests is which Luck has been under center. Unlike Luck, Hasselbeck has protected the football as he has thrown 7 touchdowns to just 2 interceptions. What the Colts are getting from Hasselbeck is a player that is not attempting to do too much which is the polar opposite from Luck who has simply attempted to do everything while he has been playing with a bad shoulder. We don’t have to worry about seeing a quarterback controversy with the Colts as Luck is the guy, but Hasselbeck is showing the entire National Football League about the importance of having a quality backup quarterback.
We’ve seen several National Football League teams have this season have to use a backup quarterback either due to injury or an ineffective starter, and for the most part the results have not been good. But for the Colts, they have a quarterback in Hasselbeck who has been a starter in the NFL with a solid resume. Even when Hasselbeck was the starting quarterback for the Seahawks, he never received the respect that he deserved due to the fact that his prime years were overshadowed by Favre, current Denver Broncos starting quarterback Peyton Manning and New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady who received all of the national notoriety. However, Hasselbeck has always been an efficient quarterback as he has completed 60.5 percent of his passes for his 17-year NFL career which he has once again illustrated for the Colts in 2015.
At some point the Colts are going to get Luck back and he will undoubtedly be their starting quarterback. But you could make the case for Hasselbeck being the Colts team MVP in 2015. After a Week 8 loss to the Carolina Panthers, the Colts found themselves with a record of 3-5 and their was speculation about the job security of head coach Chuck Pagano as the team did fire offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton. Hasselbeck’s calming presence for the Colts now has them with a record of 6-5 which is good enough for first place in the AFC South while also quelching the noise about Pagano’s job status which has allowed Indianapolis to get back to focusing on football. Hasselbeck’s play has also allowed Luck to take his time in healing all of his physical injuries while also taking a mental break.
From Luck’s first day with the Colts, he has been the team’s starting quarterback and he has had to put the franchise on his back. However, Luck can now be a spectator while allowing the game to slow down for him a bit. Some people tend to forget that Luck is only in his fourth National Football League season and I do believe that he is a player that will be the league’s MVP while also winning the Super Bowl someday. But even the great quarterbacks have had seasons that they would like to forget which is a part of the growing pains of succeeding the NFL. However, most young franchise quarterbacks in the current NFL don’t have the luxury of having a solid backup such as Hasselbeck due to the fact that organizations invest so much time and money into their signal callers that they hand some of these guys the keys to the franchise without seeing if they have the ability to be the guy. In Luck’s case, he has the mental and physical skills to lead the Colts, but it doesn’t hurt him or Indianapolis that Hasselbeck can still get the job done. And just like some people doubted Hasselbeck when he was in his prime which saw him prove them wrong, he is doing the same in a new National Football League city while wearing a new uniform with the same results which is winning football.
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