NFL News: Seattle Seahawks' Matt Hasselbeck ready to face New Orleans Saints
Seattle Seahawks' quarterback Matt Hesselbeck is there for his team even when he isn’t playing. Last week, when the Seahawks were locked in battle against Saint Luis Rams, Hesselbeck had to stay on the sidelines and watch Charlie Whitehurst play in his stead.
Before the end of the game, Hasselbeck delivered a speech to his teammates and told them to seize the opportunity that had presented itself.
“It meant a lot for him to come out and be as vocal as he was, and take charge and still be a leader. Some guys have a tendency to sit back when they're not playing,” Seattle’s receiver Ben Obamanu said. Obamanu added that the quarterback’s words showed
Charlie that he had his support and the rest of the team that he was there for them even when he couldn’t be on the field.
The situation must have been even more frustrating for Hasselbeck because unless the Seahawks won, he would have played his last game for the club. The quarterback’s contract with Seattle ends this season. He has been with the Seahawks for 10 seasons now.
The 35-year-old desires to retire with his present side. The signing of Whitehurst to a 2-year-contract for a second round draft pick was another sign that Hasselbeck could be moving on. We can’t know if he would be with the Seahawks next year but he is here
right now and the season hasn’t yet ended.
This week, the quarterback would be on the field with his teammates leading the charge against New Orleans Saints. After winning the NFC West title by defeating Ram and finishing the season with a 7-9 record, Seahawks would next host the defending world
champions in the wildcard round of the playoffs.
Hesselbeck is also Seattle’s playoff veteran. The quarterback led his team through the last 9 playoff appearances. He is currently on a 4-game winning streak in playoff matches played at home. Hesselbeck is really excited to be able to play again for the
crowds. He said, “Anybody who has played here when the crowd is really into it, it's always a lot of fun. Hopefully, we can keep that rolling.”
While it might be fun, it would also be a challenge. Saints ended the regular season with a 11-5 record and also second place in the highly competitive NFC South. They have a strong offence and an even stronger defence. Seahawks have virtually nothing going
for them except for the home field advantage. That advantage didn’t do them much good in the regular season as they lost all 3 of their home games against teams with winning records. But that was the regular season and this is the playoff.
Saints would be challenged by the fact that the road game is scheduled for Saturday. “It is different from a time standpoint,” New Orleans' coach Sean Payton said. “When you play a Saturday game, there's a quick turnaround, but that being said, we're looking
forward to the challenge.”
The other challenge for New Orleans would be the beaten down roster. The Saints would face the Seahawks without their running backs, Chris Ivory and Pierre Thomas. Saints' quarterback Drew Brees said that it would be tough for the offense without them. “You
can't deny that just because of the physical presence they bring and obviously their productivity.”
Despite all that, Saints are still the favourites to win the game. When the two sides clashed earlier in the regular season, Hasselbeck threw 366 yards. Saints won that game but it proved that their defence was not insurmountable.
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