I was born and raised in the same small town for all twenty one years of my life so far, and most of my friends and family ask me, "Why do you like the Seahawks?" And to be honest, it really boils down to me playing Madden 2008 and choosing the team that was as middle of the pack as any other. Even then, it was uncommon for hear shouts of random explictives and the name Hasselbeck in response to anything going wrong. Essentially, he became a catch-all punching bag for any rage directed at the game.
For a full two years this was the extent of my relationship with football. I understood the sport, but that Sunday bug hadn't yet bitten me, and I was more interested in beating my friends in our Fantasy simulation or scrimmages than I was in what was happening in the NFL. When I did turn on the television, it was usually to watch Rutgers Alum Ray Rice tearing the field up for the Ravens.
Then, in 2009, Seattle drafted Mike Teel, and I couldn't help but to laugh the whole day I found out. I thought Teel was way overrated during his time at RU, and Seattle picking him up to sit in line with a starter who missed most of the previous season, and a scrambler who had produced mediocre numbers at best. I thought that the QB position was a train wreck waiting to happen. I predicted then that Hasselbeck would go down by game three, and that even if Wallace was second on the depth chart, Teel would end the season at the helm of this Hindenburg. I started to watch the games religiously. Those that I didn't get because of Jets black-outs I would have live-streamed, just so I didn't miss the man who tanked my college team fry in the NFL.
And it never happened. Even though he was playing hurt the whole year, he missed little time and finished strong. It wasn't the greatest season of football, but it wasn't a complete disaster. At some points (Wk 5 vs. JAX) it even looked fairly promising. During all this, I finally sat down to look at Matt Hasselbeck, mostly in part to his sheer refusal to let anything stop him if he thought he could play. Sure, there were many missteps (we want the ball, and I'm sure you can finish this quote), but there were also a lot of gems (crushing teams on the way to play in the Super Bowl looked pretty easy). Each clip I watched made his career seem more impressive, but it also showed me the other talent that the team had through the years (Shaun Alexander, Deion Branch, Nate Burleson... I only just became a fan, I need some time!).
I know I haven't been a fan for the longest, and I haven't always been the most dedicated, but Matt Hasselbeck made a believer out of me. This past season I watched every single game I could, and never missed a highlight reel, because I finally had my team. Things didn't always look like sunshine and rainbows, but my two best friends are Giants and Dolphins fans, so when it came time for the play-offs, I got the last laugh after my team not only made the cut, but proceeded to upset the previous year's Super Bowl champions. As it turns out, we blew you out in the regular season really doesn't mean much after some play-off performance.
So this post season has been up and down for me as I've been told through trickles of information in press releases that Hasselbeck might be wearing a new set of colors next season, and my first reaction may have been a swear filled tirade in the South Jersey Pine Barrens. But today I was looking through the highlights again, and it's been a great run. Every career has its peaks and valleys, and I can definitely say that its been more up than down, and it ended up.
Matt, you made a believer out of me. You made a fan, both of the Seahawks, and football as a whole. Thanks for going out there and taking your knocks every week giving it everything to win. The way I see it, it doesn't matter what happens from here on out, but you have impacted my football experience immensely, and all I can offer you is my thanks. I hope that you stick around, but even if you don't, I wish you nothing but the best.
...just please teach Clipboard Jesus a few things before you go.
P.S. Here's a highlight reel for everyone who needed one. It might do you some good.
P.P.S. Sorry to Mike Teel, it was just a bit of stupid to hate on someone representing my Alma Mater. I was young and stupid, and you pushed our program forward in ways that I wouldn't realize until about a year after you left.
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