Prospects for Matt Hasselbeck – NFL Feature
Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck has been a great performer for the Tennessee Titans, but not lately. This year he had a few opportunities on the starting line but failed to really capitalise on them. Otherwise, he has settled as a backup to first-year offence
leader quarterback Jake Locker.
It all stemmed from an opportunity for then-rookie QB Locker. Matt had to skip a game because of an injury scare last season, and Locker performed so well as a replacement for him on the starting line that it led a talk of competition between the two to
decide who would be the offence leader next season.
This preseason marked a phase of competition between the two QBs, and after playing a couple of games, the Titans confirmed Locker their new offence leader. This ended immediate prospects for Hasselbeck as an offence starter.
Interestingly, Locker did not prove to be very successful as a leader, but it was also rather unfortunate for him that he suffered a shoulder injury in the very first game of the season. He returned to play the next but aggravated his problem to miss another
five straight.
This provided Hasselbeck a rare opportunity to prove his leadership credentials. He somehow could not manage the pressure and failed. According to some commentators it was the lack of full support behind Hasselbeck as a starter that led to his poor show.
They think since he had been performing rather well in the role in the recent past, he should have been allowed to continue as a leader. The team could have adjusted Locker at in-between slots for another couple of years instead of throwing Hasselbeck at a
backup position straightaway.
Further, the team did not commit full support to the veteran quarterback, which could have proven to be some sort of a guarantee or surety for immediate prospects as an offence leader.
Nevertheless, he failed in all those opportunities he got on the starting line while Locker was out with injuries, and this bears as a bad sign to his future. He has played the league for more than a decade and he could sustain on the field for another couple
of years as maximum.
In any case he would not like to play at a backup position. If he does he will definitely have chance with the Titans. Apparently, this is not what he has been thinking of. He was hit with an uncertain phase earlier in the offseason, when owner Bud Adams
attempted to lure free agent and former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning.
Irrespective of the fact that Manning bid by the Titans was unsuccessful, Hasselbeck did not feel comfortable during that process and time. Some quarters near him had then claimed that he was about to seek his release by the Titans. That possibility could
have looked even more imminent if Peyton Manning had arrived in Tennessee as a quarterback.
There were also reports that Hasselbeck wanted to be traded off to another team because there were opportunities with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Cleveland Browns then, and he could possibly have negotiated a deal with any of these two or any other team.
Since nothing happened regarding Manning’s prospects of joining the Titans, Hasselbeck survived the scare, but just to be left as a backup quarterback. Now he faces uncertainty about his future.
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