Seattle Seahawks upbeat despite being knocked out in the second round
The glass is half-full as far as the Seattle Seahawks are concerned, (the Chicago Bears drank the other half). They barely made it to the playoffs after defeating the Saint Luis Rams in the final game of the regular season on 2nd
January. They won their first playoff game against the New Orleans Saints despite being the underdogs. It is a pretty good run for a team that no one considered a playoff contender.
No one, not even the Seahawks themselves, expected Seattle to come this far in the playoffs. “I don't know if everyone realizes how close we were to doing something really special,” Seattle’s quarterback Matt Hasselbeck said after
suffering a 35-24 defeat at the Soldier Field. “I mean, we had everything set up for us.” Hasselbeck added that in his opinion, the Seahawks did not deserve the opportunity but it was right there for them.
A few weeks ago no one would have disagreed with Hasselbeck. The Seahawks are the only team in NFL history to make it to the playoffs with a losing record. Before the postseason began many commentators questioned NFL’s playoff
policies that allowed a team with a losing record into the playoffs. However, the Seahawks went a long way in redeeming themselves when they defeated the Saints.
Their playoff run has ended but their performance has added to the team’s spirits and confidence. “It's a start. The foundation is set, the atmosphere, the attitude, the direction is in place,” wide receiver Mike Williams said
Monday. “There is a lot of change, a new offense, new personnel, (but) the jump from Year 1 to Year 2 is usually pretty positive. A lot of guys will be moving around, we don't know who will be here, but the core of our guys and the attitude is here.”
The offseason began for the Seahawks when they lost to the Bears and a lot of soul searching is in order. “A lot of us are still in shock,” quarterback Matt Hasselbeck said. “We were in Chicago (Sunday), trying to win a game, and
we putzed around for 30 minutes, and just messed up our opportunity.”
With the season over, the quarterback must make a decision about his future. The 35-year- old is one of the 21 players in Seattle’s roster who have not been signed for the next season. That total includes 3 starters on the offence
and defence. All clubs have shown reluctance in signing players until the next collective bargaining agreement is signed between the owners and the players. “I'm not stressed about anything,” Hasselbeck said. “There's nothing I can do about anything right
now. The only X factor here is I don't exactly know how it works.”
Seattle could still re-sign Hasselbeck before he becomes a free agent. Hasselbeck has said that he would prefer that if the two sides could work something out before then, “but again, that's not up to me.” Hasselbeck knows that
he is not the future of the Seahawks. The 12-year veteran of NFL has spent a decade with the Seahawks and has contemplated retiring in Seattle.
Coach Pete Carroll has made it clear that Seattle wants to retain the quarterback. Hasselbeck has experience and he has showed that he still has what it takes to lead an NFL franchise. Many teams are looking for a quarterback in
this year’s draft and for those teams Hasselbeck would be quite the catch. That would only happen if the CBA keeps the Seahawks from signing Hasselbeck before free agency.
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