Skins.com:Hasselbeck Makes Most of Opportunity

[TK]

http://redskins.com/story.asp?ContentID=12303

Hasselbeck Makes Most of Opportunity

11/25/2003

Inside the Redskins

By Gary Fitzgerald

Redskins.com

Talk about a great weekend for the Hasselbeck family. First, Tim Hasselbeck’s younger brother Nathanael was part of a Boston College team that upset 12th-ranked Virginia Tech on Saturday. On Sunday afternoon, older brother Matt threw five touchdown passes for the Seattle Seahawks. Then Tim's wife Elisabeth was named a co-host on “The View,” a popular television talk show.

As for Tim Hasselbeck, he established himself as a NFL quarterback prospect with an effective and efficient performance Sunday night against the Miami Dolphins on national television.

It had been a long time coming for Hasselbeck, whose father Don was a tight end for the New England Patriots from 1977-83. Before joining the Redskins in late October after the team had released backup QB Rob Johnson, Hasselbeck had been out of work after getting released by the Philadelphia Eagles in preseason.

“I’ve been to the point where I’ve thought, ‘Maybe I’m never going to play in the NFL,’” Hasselbeck said. “When you get cut, it hurts your feelings. So to have an opportunity to play in a game and just realize the excitement…It had been a long time since I’d even thrown a touchdown pass. As crazy as it sounds, it feels good just to get hit a little bit.”

In his first extended NFL action, Hasselbeck was 15-of-30 for 150 yards and one touchdown pass, a 37-yarder to Laveranues Coles on a post pattern in the second quarter. At one point, he led the Redskins on three consecutive scoring drives, helping the team to a 20-7 halftime advantage.

Washington couldn’t hold on to the lead, losing 24-23. But Hasselbeck earned praise from head coach Steve Spurrier.

“I thought Tim made some real good decisions back there,” head coach Steve Spurrier said. “He showed a lot of moxie. I thought he picked out his receivers well. I think the more he plays, the better he will become.”

Hasselbeck received the bulk of snaps during practice the week heading into the Miami game, since starter Patrick Ramsey had been slowed by a bone bruise in his right foot. Then, in the first quarter, Ramsey suffered a mild concussion during a sack by Jason Taylor.

Since Hasselbeck has limited experience in Spurrier’s offense, he was instructed to call no audibles called during Sunday’s game. That could change should Hasselbeck get in another game in the future.

“We ran right into the teeth of their defense sometimes and we left on a few plays that had very little chance,” Spurrier said. “Hopefully, we can coach him up to maybe get out of bad plays and into better plays.”

That should be no problem for Hasselbeck. Just listen to Hasselbeck talk to reporters after practice and your first impression is that he has been well-schooled in quarterbacking and understands the nuances of the game. Once he learned Spurrier’s offense, his biggest challenge was getting him timing down with the receivers.

While he lacks the strong arm of Ramsey, coaches have been impressed with his ability to throw crisply and learn the offense quickly. Hasselbeck credits his old coaches, from Boston College head coach Tom O’Brien to Philadelphia’s head coach Andy Reid, a former quarterbacks coach who has helped develop Brett Favre and Donovan McNabb.

At Boston College, Hasselbeck finished his career ranked sixth in total passing yards (3,980), fifth in touchdowns (29) and seventh in both pass completions (278) and attempts (501). As a senior, he earned MVP honors in Boston College’s Aloha Bowl win over Arizona State.

In 2001, Hasselbeck joined the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Buffalo Bills. He also spent time with Baltimore before joining the Philadelphia Eagles and seeing some playing time in preseason games. He also had a short stint with the Carolina Panthers during the 2002 campaign.

As soon as Hasselbeck entered the game on Sunday, one of his first priorities was to make sure his teammates had confidence in him—even if he wasn’t too sure how he would perform against a highly regarded Miami defense.

“I’ve been around this game a long time, and I’ve seen guys walk into the huddle and whisper a play and I’ve seen others who walk into the huddle and just exude confidence,” he said. “I think there’s something to be said for, even if you don’t know what you’re talking about, you can at least make everyone else in the huddle that that you do. They’ll also feel better about how that play is going to go.”

“I don’t know, maybe when I walked into that huddle some of those guys were thinking, ‘Oh man, it’s going to be a long night.’ But I think if I can go in there and make them think, ‘You know what, we might be all right with this guy,’ then that’s good.”

Hasselbeck admitted he may have been overly excited during the game. At one point, during a third-and-one play, he yelled out in the huddle: “Let’s get this first down!”

He kept his wits about him, though. He recognized that Miami’s defense had not blitzed him much during his first few offensive series.

“I said to everyone [in the huddle], ‘They’re going to start coming after us, we’ve got to be a little bit more aware and a little bit better,’” Hasselbeck said.

Whether Ramsey is able to play next Sunday against New Orleans has yet to be determined—team officials will know more this week as he tests his sore right foot. But Hasselbeck has shown that he can be a dependable second option should Ramsey be unable to go.

“Tim played very well Sunday night,” Coles said. “He came in and we didn’t miss a beat. That’s good to have a backup quarterback who can come in and step up the way he did.”

Hasselbeck said he’ll feel more comfortable with the offense should he get into another game. For now, he’s just grateful for the opportunity.

“I’ve always believed that I could play this game,” he said. “I’ve been on five teams—and one team twice—so a lot of people have told me I’m not good enough. I’ve never bought into any of that. I’ve had a family that’s been extremely supportive and I’ve been able to keep chasing my dream.”

[ibrahim]

I say he should start the next game...nothing against Ramsey, he needs to rest anyway