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SEATTLE - Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck knew what questions were coming.
A 35-14 playoff rout over Washington insured Seattle has a second-round game next Saturday at Green Bay. That means Hasselbeck's infamous sound byte from their 2003 playoff contest — "We want the ball and we're going to score" after winning the overtime coin flip, only to have the opposite happen in a 33-27 road loss — will be replayed ad nauseam until kickoff.
But Hasselbeck isn't running from the boast or embarrassment of Packers cornerback Al Harris returning his interception for the game-winning touchdown. Hasselbeck began his post-game news conference Saturday by stepping to a podium, asking if he should give an opening statement and then delivering one that had the media in stitches.
"I'm just going to say it right now: 'We want the ball and we're going to score,'" Hasselbeck said. "Is that OK? I said it, I mean it. Thank you."
Hasselbeck then began walking away in jest but returned to answer questions about a statement that proved as accurate as Pittsburgh safety Anthony Smith's "guarantee" of a Steelers victory last month against New England. Hasselbeck said he isn't remorseful "at all, not even a little bit" about what he said. Hasselbeck thought his comments wouldn't be aired and were intended for two former teammates from his days with the Packers.
"It was funny, too," Hasselbeck said. "I regret throwing the interception."
Hasselbeck, though, wouldn't be joking Saturday without having recovered from an admittedly poor performance that almost cost Seattle another playoff game.
Although he completed 20-of-32 passes for 229 yards, Hasselbeck missed open throws and said he was "off a little bit." Such accuracy issues may have resulted from an injured right wrist he aggravated when hitting a Redskins helmet in the second quarter. Hasselbeck, who had his hand and wrist taped after the game, also had his thigh pad split in half when taking a vicious hit from Redskins cornerback Fred Smoot on a third-quarter scramble.
"Some guys don't wear thigh pads," Hasselbeck said. "It's a good thing I do."
Hasselbeck's biggest errors were two fourth-quarter interceptions, both of which were registered by Washington's LaRon Landry, as Seattle squandered a 13-0 lead. But Hasselbeck never lost his confidence when Seattle regained possession trailing by one point with 8:03 remaining.
"Matt gets in the huddle and he's looking at us with fire in his eyes knowing we're going to go out there and score," Seahawks wide receiver Nate Burleson said. "He wasn't down on himself. Nobody out there was down. We can care less about what had happened in the previous plays. We knew at that point in the game, we needed to make something happen."
Hasselbeck and Burleson did just that. The Seahawks had converted on only one of their first nine third-down attempts. But on a third-and-six from Washington's 38-yard line, Burleson ran what he called a "quick fly" down the Redskins sideline. Hasselbeck lofted the pass over Redskins (and former Seahawks) cornerback Shawn Springs for a 15-yard gain.
"I told him, 'Put it in the air. I've got a pretty good vertical,'" Burleson said. "(Springs) was kind of stuck to me and I was trying to head up the sideline. I kind of gave him a little body — a little Randy Moss — and went up and got the ball."
Hasselbeck then extracted his revenge on Landry two plays later. Hasselbeck said his interceptions stemmed from Landry "doing a great job reading my eyes" and quickly motoring to provide coverage help. This time, Hasselbeck looked off Landry with a pump to his right, then fired a 20-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver D.J. Hackett on a seam route down the middle of Washington's defense.
This is the kind of play Hasselbeck wouldn't have made four seasons ago against the Packers. Another example of Hasselbeck's development: He quickly changed Seattle's audibles after realizing Washington had figured them out. Hasselbeck said he waited too long to make a similar change against Green Bay, which allowed Harris to jump the rout for the interception that triggered Seattle's demise
"I'm probably not too different of a person," Hasselbeck said. "I'm a little bit smarter."
But to defeat the Packers, Hasselbeck must be a better player. The Seahawks (11-6) defeated Washington (9-8) largely because of superior special teams play and a defense that returned two Todd Collins interceptions for touchdowns in the final 5:56. Those turnovers marked the first time Collins was picked off since orchestrating Washington's four-game winning streak to end the regular season.
"My teammates played well around me," Hasselbeck said. "It was a good thing I got those chances."
And for Hasselbeck, it's good to have another chance for redemption at Lambeau Field.
^^^^Good luck with that!!
A 35-14 playoff rout over Washington insured Seattle has a second-round game next Saturday at Green Bay. That means Hasselbeck's infamous sound byte from their 2003 playoff contest — "We want the ball and we're going to score" after winning the overtime coin flip, only to have the opposite happen in a 33-27 road loss — will be replayed ad nauseam until kickoff.
But Hasselbeck isn't running from the boast or embarrassment of Packers cornerback Al Harris returning his interception for the game-winning touchdown. Hasselbeck began his post-game news conference Saturday by stepping to a podium, asking if he should give an opening statement and then delivering one that had the media in stitches.
"I'm just going to say it right now: 'We want the ball and we're going to score,'" Hasselbeck said. "Is that OK? I said it, I mean it. Thank you."
Hasselbeck then began walking away in jest but returned to answer questions about a statement that proved as accurate as Pittsburgh safety Anthony Smith's "guarantee" of a Steelers victory last month against New England. Hasselbeck said he isn't remorseful "at all, not even a little bit" about what he said. Hasselbeck thought his comments wouldn't be aired and were intended for two former teammates from his days with the Packers.
"It was funny, too," Hasselbeck said. "I regret throwing the interception."
Hasselbeck, though, wouldn't be joking Saturday without having recovered from an admittedly poor performance that almost cost Seattle another playoff game.
Although he completed 20-of-32 passes for 229 yards, Hasselbeck missed open throws and said he was "off a little bit." Such accuracy issues may have resulted from an injured right wrist he aggravated when hitting a Redskins helmet in the second quarter. Hasselbeck, who had his hand and wrist taped after the game, also had his thigh pad split in half when taking a vicious hit from Redskins cornerback Fred Smoot on a third-quarter scramble.
"Some guys don't wear thigh pads," Hasselbeck said. "It's a good thing I do."
Hasselbeck's biggest errors were two fourth-quarter interceptions, both of which were registered by Washington's LaRon Landry, as Seattle squandered a 13-0 lead. But Hasselbeck never lost his confidence when Seattle regained possession trailing by one point with 8:03 remaining.
"Matt gets in the huddle and he's looking at us with fire in his eyes knowing we're going to go out there and score," Seahawks wide receiver Nate Burleson said. "He wasn't down on himself. Nobody out there was down. We can care less about what had happened in the previous plays. We knew at that point in the game, we needed to make something happen."
Hasselbeck and Burleson did just that. The Seahawks had converted on only one of their first nine third-down attempts. But on a third-and-six from Washington's 38-yard line, Burleson ran what he called a "quick fly" down the Redskins sideline. Hasselbeck lofted the pass over Redskins (and former Seahawks) cornerback Shawn Springs for a 15-yard gain.
"I told him, 'Put it in the air. I've got a pretty good vertical,'" Burleson said. "(Springs) was kind of stuck to me and I was trying to head up the sideline. I kind of gave him a little body — a little Randy Moss — and went up and got the ball."
Hasselbeck then extracted his revenge on Landry two plays later. Hasselbeck said his interceptions stemmed from Landry "doing a great job reading my eyes" and quickly motoring to provide coverage help. This time, Hasselbeck looked off Landry with a pump to his right, then fired a 20-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver D.J. Hackett on a seam route down the middle of Washington's defense.
This is the kind of play Hasselbeck wouldn't have made four seasons ago against the Packers. Another example of Hasselbeck's development: He quickly changed Seattle's audibles after realizing Washington had figured them out. Hasselbeck said he waited too long to make a similar change against Green Bay, which allowed Harris to jump the rout for the interception that triggered Seattle's demise
"I'm probably not too different of a person," Hasselbeck said. "I'm a little bit smarter."
But to defeat the Packers, Hasselbeck must be a better player. The Seahawks (11-6) defeated Washington (9-8) largely because of superior special teams play and a defense that returned two Todd Collins interceptions for touchdowns in the final 5:56. Those turnovers marked the first time Collins was picked off since orchestrating Washington's four-game winning streak to end the regular season.
"My teammates played well around me," Hasselbeck said. "It was a good thing I got those chances."
And for Hasselbeck, it's good to have another chance for redemption at Lambeau Field.
^^^^Good luck with that!!
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