Redskins.com:Quotes From Seattle (Conference Call), Nov. 5

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Quotes From Seattle (Conference Call), Nov. 5

11/06/2003

Seattle Seahawks Conference Call

With Washington, D.C. Reporters

SEAHAWKS HEAD COACH MIKE HOLMGREN

On last year’s 14-3 loss to the Redskins:

“We played a horrible game last year against Washington. Since that game, our team has gotten better. We finished last season on a pretty good note and we won our last three. And Matt Haseelbeck really established himself as the quarterback of our team—which is a big step in our foundation. We’ve been fortunate this season to win some close games. I just told our guys, ‘It feels a whole lot better to be 6-2 than 2-6,’ which is what our record was last year.”

On whether it was the worst game the Seahawks played last year:

“I try to block bad games out of my memory banks, but I can’t imagine any games being worse than that game. We just didn’t do the things I would hope we’d be able to do. And give credit to the Redskins. But I’m pretty demanding of our offensive football team and we just did not play very well that day.”

On quarterback Matt Hasselbeck’s development:

"There were a couple things. I think sitting back and watching Trent Dilfer play and run the offense helped him. The tough thing about being a starting quarterback and losing some tough games and getting hurt—those things he had never experienced before in this league. He hadn’t played very much other than in the preseason in Green Bay and then when he got his second chance, he really took it and grabbed it by the horns."

On what changed in Hasselbeck from last year to this year:

"In our exit interview last season, I asked him, ‘Tell me what the difference was.’ And he said, ‘I humbled myself. I came in and I thought I had most of the answers. After that, he began to have some success. The coach and the quarterback eventually develop this trust and you just get better after that. Now we have a pretty good understanding of each other and we’re just getting better each week.”

On Patrick Ramsey and the hard hits he’s been taking:

“Patrick was the quarterback against my team in the Senior Bowl when I coached in it a couple years ago. He’s a good football player. But sacks can happen to a young guy. It’s part of the learning process. It happened to Matt here. When Matt started, the expectations were very high and physically he got beat up. We played the Raiders and he got beat up, and he never could quite physically get out of that. It was tough on him physically. So that can happen to a young guy. I think they’re both very similar personalities in that they’re both very resilient guys. As long as you can come out of the tunnel at the end of the day, you kind of go through the tough things and then emerge much stronger and a much better football player.”

On whether quarterbacks get tentative in the pocket as a result of hard hits:

“If you even think that’s beginning to happen [during a game], then you change your protection or go to different plays. If the quarterback is getting hit a lot, you can take the ball out of his hands. You can run the ball more or put in max protections or get different personnel in there to try and get him out of that. All quarterbacks are tough guys. If they can make it through those tough times, then things are a lot easier for them later on down the road. Most of these guys are so strong psychologically, that unless it’s catastrophic, you don’t really have to worry about [a quarterback being permanent hindered by hard hits].”

On Steve Spurrier’s offense:

“I don’t watch the other team’s offense all that much during the week. I’m pretty focused on the other side of the ball. I do know this: Steve Spurrier is a fine coach. That I know. We played against each other one time and he beat me. Sometimes it takes some time. You have to get the right combination of players and you have to believe in what you’re doing and then teach it. Everybody knows that Steve Spurrier can coach. That’s not even a question. My feeling is that it takes some time to get the players that you want and need to make your particular system work.”

MATT HASSELBECK (QB, #8)

On possibly facing his brother on Sunday, Redskins backup QB Tim Hasselbeck (#8):

“It’s exciting. I’m excited for him to get another opportunity in the NFL. I was really disappointed when he got let go in Philadelphia. I’ve been around this game a long time and I’ve played with a lot of different quarterbacks and there’s no doubt in my mind that Tim can play. I’m excited for him to get an opportunity. I think he deserves one. He’s good enough to play in this league. It’s going to be tough. On one hand I love my brother and I want him to do well. But I have a job to do this weekend and that’s to help the Seahawks beat the Redskins.”

On what difficulties Tim has faced knowing he may have to lead the Redskins after only being here a short time:

“I think it’s hard, but he’s a smart guy. He’s been in a bunch of different offenses and from what I can tell he’s done a real good job of picking things up. He seems to have a lot of confidence if he would have to go out there and play. He doesn’t sound worried at all when I’ve talked to him. I thought he did a real nice job last week. I’m not worried for him. I think he’ll do fine if he gets in but obviously the best thing for the Washington Redskins is if Patrick Ramsey (QB, #11) is playing quarterback.”

On Patrick Ramsey being a young quarterback in the league:

“I can completely empathize, watching him and watching the hits that he’s taken and seeing him played injured. The one thing I would say to him would be that my first year here I played in pain the whole year and with injury the whole year. It’s tough to play at a high level in pain. It really is. That’s one thing you can’t necessarily teach or coach or learn in practice. You just have to learn from doing it. I think he’s done a great job with it. When that kid gets healthy and when he’s spent a little bit more time with those receivers and in that offense, I think he’s going to be a great player.”

On being sacked/hit so much you become skiddish:

“I think that’s the case for a lot of quarterbacks but I don’t think Patrick Ramsey would be that kind of a guy. I think around the league if you would ask most quarterbacks who some of the tougher quarterbacks are, I think you might get Brett Favre and Patrick Ramsey. I think a lot of people respect his toughness.”

On the advice he gave brother Tim when he signed with the Redskins:

“I think he’s meant more to my career than I’ve probably meant to his. He’s been there for me with advice when I was struggling here in Seattle and even when things have been going well. He’s a really smart football player and has a lot of knowledge. He’s my younger brother but he has a real veteran presence about him.”

On losing to the Redskins 14-3 last season and going 2-6 and then coming out this year with a winning record:

“That’s how this business is. There’s a fine line between winning and losing. Last year, I felt like we were on the wrong side of that fine line. This year I think we’re on the right side of it. I haven’t followed the Redskins as closely as you. But it has seemed to me that they are just on the wrong side of that fine line and it’s not going to take too much to bring them back. They just have to come together as a team, a little bit like we did at the end of last year. We really came together as a team and got rid of all the negativity and remained positive. That really helped us.”

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