WP:Hasselbeck: Football Survivor

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A21406-2003Nov29.html

Hasselbeck: Football Survivor

After Stints With 4 NFL Teams, 1 in Europe, He Lands in Washington

By Nunyo Demasio

Washington Post Staff Writer

Sunday, November 30, 2003; Page E01

Tim Hasselbeck picked up several cups of coffee first thing each morning as part of his duties as a carpenter's assistant during the fall of 2001. At least Hasselbeck's other job wasn't so mundane: talking about the NFL on a Boston sports radio station. When he wasn't working, Hasselbeck was usually found on high school fields, tossing footballs until he was kicked off.

The former Boston College quarterback had been cut by the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens that summer without throwing a single pass in an exhibition game. Television personality Elisabeth Filarski, on the other hand, found Hasselbeck's passes irresistible; she accepted his marriage proposal and began planning the wedding for May 2002.

However, Hasselbeck's first love intruded in February of that year when an unexpected offer came from the Philadelphia Eagles. The catch: Hasselbeck would have to first play for NFL Europe, a spring developmental league whose season would conflict with the wedding.

With Filarski's blessing, Hasselbeck postponed the wedding and signed with the Berlin Thunder -- as a backup quarterback. That decision captured Hasselbeck's quixotic pursuit of the NFL.

"Elizabeth was cool with that," recalled Hasselbeck, who will finally make his first NFL start Sunday for the Washington Redskins. "She didn't have too much of a fuss. She said: 'You don't want to regret this 10 years from now so go for it now.' "

Before signing with the Redskins on Oct. 22, Hasselbeck, 25, had been on four NFL teams, including two stints with Philadelphia, but had never thrown an NFL pass. Instead, Hasselbeck was often identified as the brother of Matt, the Seattle Seahawks quarterback; son of Don, the former NFL tight end; and husband of Filarski, who initially gained celebrity in 2001 on "Survivor: the Australian Outback."

Sunday against the New Orleans Saints, Hasselbeck will lose some of his anonymity -- and realize his dream -- by starting in place of the injured Patrick Ramsey.

"I've been to the point where I thought maybe I'm not going to ever play in the NFL," said Hasselbeck, who declined offers to play in Canada and the Arena Football League. "There have been some bad times. As crazy as it sounds, it feels good just getting hit a little bit. That's exciting."

Hasselbeck threw his first NFL passes a month ago after Ramsey was temporarily sidelined in the fourth quarter of the Redskins' 21-14 loss to the Cowboys in Dallas. Hasselbeck completed two of three passes, including a 14-yarder to wideout Rod Gardner.

Last Sunday, Ramsey was again knocked out of the game, this time with a mild concussion in the first quarter against the Miami Dolphins. Hasselbeck performed remarkably well in his first extensive opportunity, finishing 15 of 30 for 150 yards, throwing one touchdown and one interception.

Although Hasselbeck lacks Ramsey's rifle arm, he threw precise passes while displaying poise. Hasselbeck also showed nice footwork and a savvy that belied his inexperience in Spurrier's Fun 'n' Gun system.

Hasselbeck exuded confidence against the Dolphins, cajoling his teammates and barking instructions while exhibiting a swagger.

"The guy's got a winning spirit. You like being in the huddle with a guy like that," said wideout Laveranues Coles, who caught an exquisitely thrown 37-yard touchdown pass from Hasselbeck. "Of course, Patrick is going to be missed. But Tim stepped in and took over like he's been playing all year."

Matt and Tim were star quarterbacks at Xaverian Brothers High School in Westwood, Mass. They played together one year, when Matt was a senior and Tim a freshman. Tim followed Matt to Boston College where they both started slowly before excelling as upperclassmen.

Hasselbeck became one of the top quarterbacks in Boston College history, ranking sixth in passing yards, fifth in touchdowns and seventh in completions. But despite his statistics Hasselbeck was not among the roughly 250 players chosen in the 2001 draft.

After signing with Buffalo as an undrafted free agent in July of that year, the Bills called to confirm Hasselbeck's plans of driving to training camp in Pittsford, N.Y. The next day, the Bills called to inform Hasselbeck he had been released.

Because players are seldom cut right before training camp, Hasselbeck was concerned that the abrupt decision might hurt his reputation around the league. Although most teams' camp rosters were set, Hasselbeck landed with Baltimore, the defending Super Bowl champions, within a few days. But he knew he was destined to be released; the Ravens had starter Elvis Grbac and reserves Randall Cunningham and Chris Redman. Hasselbeck didn't get any NFL feelers after being waived in August 2001, so he moved back to Brookline, Mass., and tried to fill his days with two part-time jobs.

Twice a week, Hasselbeck was a regular guest on a talk show hosted by the late Will McDonough and his son Sean McDonough. His other source of income was working part-time for a friend's construction company. After starting the day buying coffee for everyone, Hasselbeck helped with tasks such as re-shingling roofs.

"I wasn't the most skilled in the trade," said Hasselbeck, "so I usually got stuck with 'Hey, take those to the trash,' and that kind of stuff. I was going around doing odd jobs, trying not to cut my fingers off."

His NFL future looked bleak when Hasselbeck and Filarski began planning their wedding. But on Feb. 2, 2002, the Eagles made Hasselbeck an offer -- "out of the blue," he said -- which required playing for the Berlin Thunder. The Eagles had three quarterbacks, including perennial Pro Bowler Donovan McNabb, making Hasselbeck a long shot to make the team.

In withdrawal from not playing a live football game in almost a year, Hasselbeck persuaded his wife to move the wedding to July 6, after NFL Europe's season ended. "That was a big decision," Matt Hasselbeck said. "My advice was, 'Hey, football is important but it's not that important.' But they were able to make it work."

Hasselbeck had second thoughts during the NFL Europe season -- especially in May -- because he was averaging about 10 snaps. The lack of opportunity seemed to defeat the purpose of gaining film highlights for NFL teams. "It wasn't cool at all," Hasselbeck said, grinning. "Because basically I thought: 'I'm playing 10 snaps a game. Really no one is getting any tape on me. I'm probably going to get cut by the Eagles as soon as I get back and pass my physical.' "

Despite his limited playing time, Hasselbeck was 30 of 47 for 342 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions as Berlin won World Bowl X. After his wedding, Hasselbeck joined the Eagles' training camp. In four preseason games, he was 23 of 32 for 200 yards and one touchdown, and for the first time in his NFL career, Hasselbeck lasted the entire training camp before being released on Aug. 31, 2002.

On Oct. 2, 2002, Hasselbeck signed with the Carolina Panthers, who temporarily made him their No. 2 quarterback before releasing him. Philadelphia signed Hasselbeck to its active roster on Nov. 27 because of injuries to McNabb and backup Koy Detmer. He was the holder for field goals in two games.

Yet without those brief NFL stints, Hasselbeck wouldn't have landed in Washington. Scout Mike Kelly joined the Redskins this season after being with the Eagles the previous two years. Kelly consistently brought up Hasselbeck's name during quarterback discussions and provided tape to quarterbacks coach Noah Brindise.

"He was always bragging about him," said Redskins vice president Vinny Cerrato. "He pushed him a couple of times."

Thus, the coaching staff was familiar with Hasselbeck when he was among six quarterbacks who worked out at Redskins Park on Oct. 22. Hasselbeck had the most impressive session, and Washington signed him before cutting Rob Johnson.

Hasselbeck's rocky NFL path is not uncommon. Redskins safety Todd Franz, 27, can empathize with Hasselbeck's persistence. Franz has been released so many times -- "eight or nine" -- that he has lost count.

"I can relate to Tim," Franz said. "Man, I'm sure he was a little nervous [against Miami]. There's a lot of pressure he probably put on himself."

It has helped to have an older brother who has also struggled to make his way in the NFL. Last Sunday, Matt Hasselbeck tossed five touchdowns during the Seattle Seahawks's 44-41 overtime loss to the Ravens in Baltimore. On the flight home, Matt Hasselbeck watched his brother finally get his chance.

"I was just nervous, acting like an out-of-control parent," said Matt. "I was like a basket case, on the edge of my seat. [Tim's play] was great medicine to get over that loss."

"He gives me plenty of advice," said Tim, whose other brother Nathaniel is a returner for Boston College. "He even tells me what shoes to wear, what face mask to pick out."

Despite being the least-known Hasselbeck, Tim doesn't seem to suffer from an inferiority complex. He no longer corrects people who mistakenly call him Matt. Even after his career performance against the Dolphins on Sunday, his wife received more headlines on Monday after she had won a three-woman competition to co-host ABC's daytime talk show "The View."

Last year, Tim and Matt Hasselbeck went with their wives to Disney World along with two other NFL players. Despite being two years removed from "Survivor," Elisabeth Filarski received the most attention. "You'd think her celebrity would have died down," said Matt Hasselbeck, who introduced Tim and Elisabeth at Boston College, where Elisabeth played on the softball team. "Not one person recognized any of us. And she couldn't walk 10 steps without someone asking for a picture or an autograph. I'm sure it gets annoying sometimes, but they handle it well."

The couple have seen each other only a few times in the past month. They intend to exchange their Los Angeles apartment for places in Manhattan, where she works, and Washington. After Wednesday's practice, Hasselbeck picked up his wife from the airport for the holiday weekend.

With the spotlight on Tim Hasselbeck today, Elisabeth Filarski Hasselbeck will be at FedEx Field, cheering a true survivor.

© 2003 The Washington Post Company