Hasselbeck set to receive Seattle honor

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck looks for a receiver during the second half of an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Sunday, Nov. 21, 2010. Hasselbeck seems to hold sharper memories of the tougher times during his long tenure in Seattle than the moments when the Seahawks experienced success. The tougher moments seem to be the ones that have resonated. But that also makes Hasselbeck appreciate the successes he had during his 10 years as quarterback and moments such as Monday, Oct. 25, 2021 when he will be inducted into the Seahawks “Ring of Honor” at halftime of Seattle’s matchup with New Orleans. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck looks for a receiver during the second half of an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Sunday, Nov. 21, 2010. Hasselbeck seems to hold sharper memories of the tougher times during his long tenure in Seattle than the moments when the Seahawks experienced success. The tougher moments seem to be the ones that have resonated. But that also makes Hasselbeck appreciate the successes he had during his 10 years as quarterback and moments such as Monday, Oct. 25, 2021 when he will be inducted into the Seahawks “Ring of Honor” at halftime of Seattle’s matchup with New Orleans. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

SEATTLE -- For reasons even he can't fully explain, Matt Hasselbeck seems to hold sharper memories of the tougher times during his long tenure in Seattle than the moments when the Seahawks experienced success.

The blazing hot training camps in Eastern Washington. The time he was benched. Some of the painful losses. The tougher moments seem to be the ones that have resonated.

But that also makes Hasselbeck appreciate the successes he had during his 10 years as the quarterback of the Seahawks and moments such as tonight when he will be inducted into the Seahawks' Ring of Honor at halftime of Seattle's matchup with New Orleans.

Hasselbeck's final home game with Seattle was against the Saints in the 2010 playoffs, and now he'll become the 13th inductee in franchise history on the night the Seahawks face the same opponent.

"We created something really, really special and in the process of that happening there were some moments, seasons, plays, or games that you will never forget," Hasselbeck said this week.

"It really was an incredible journey and an unlikely one if you were to be in the moment and say that one day it would be us. It would have been hard to imagine, but it makes it that much more special, knowing what's been accomplished."

Hasselbeck was a mainstay for the Seahawks during most of the 2000s, the hand-picked selection of Mike Holmgren to be Seattle's quarterback and the engineer of one of the best runs of success in team history.

He helped lead Seattle to five NFC West titles and took the Seahawks to their first Super Bowl appearance in his tenure. And in another moment of synergy Holmgren will become the 14th Ring of Honor member during next week's game against Jacksonville.

"It meant a lot and to go through that journey with him where it wasn't always easy, but we weathered the storms, stayed the course, and bought into his message, and we were able to do some special things and set a foundation for future success," Hasselbeck said.

"The fact that he's going in and I'm going in the same year where I know that could have easily been some other combination of some players and coaches. I'm very grateful."

While Holmgren was the head coach for most of Hasselbeck's time, his final season was with Pete Carroll in charge. Hasselbeck said he didn't want to like Carroll's coaching style, but "I absolutely loved it. I loved playing for Pete."

For his part, Carroll said he was attracted to the Seattle job in 2010 partly because of Hasselbeck's presence.

"We didn't win all of our games or anything like that, but we did some great stuff," Carroll said. "We started a relationship that I'm really proud of."

Despite his fond memories for Seattle, Hasselbeck is also an analyst for ESPN in his current profession who sees tonight as a possible tipping point in the Seahawks season. A win and Seattle would seem to have a chance at getting back to .500 before the bye with a home game next week against Jacksonville.

"I'm just kind of looking at the landscape of the NFC, I still think Seattle can accomplish the goals they set out to have at the start of the year," Hasselbeck said. "They've just made it pretty hard on themselves because they dropped a couple games that they didn't need to drop."

Former NFL quarterback Matt Hasselbeck wears a combination of the Tennessee Titans and Indianapolis Colts jerseys before an NFL football game Monday, Oct. 16, 2017, in Nashville, Tenn. Hasselbeck played for both teams. (AP Photo/Mark Zaleski)
Former NFL quarterback Matt Hasselbeck wears a combination of the Tennessee Titans and Indianapolis Colts jerseys before an NFL football game Monday, Oct. 16, 2017, in Nashville, Tenn. Hasselbeck played for both teams. (AP Photo/Mark Zaleski)

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