RENTON – Matt Hasselbeck hasn’t given up on the 2009 football season. And he doesn’t think anyone else should, either.
On Tuesday, he stayed after practice to make good on his promise to get better timing with wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh. The two talked and worked, and then talked and worked some more while most of their teammates had already gone inside the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.
On Wednesday, Hasselbeck met with the local media and openly questioned those people – be it fans, media types or even his own teammates – who might think this season ended with an embarrassing 27-3 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.
“I know that there’s a time in a season … where a team can pull apart or pull together,” he said. “After a performance like we had at home, I think people have definitely counted us out. I think there’s a lot of negativity around our team. I’ve heard people say that this season is over and we’ve got no chance. That’s ridiculous. That’s absolutely ridiculous.”
Often in times of adversity, teams will look for an idea, a moment or a situation as a rallying cry. Often, it’s the idea of lack of respect. But Hasselbeck believes the premature belief that the season is finished could be that idea.
“I think for us as a team, this is an opportunity for us to pull together and prove people wrong,” he said.
Of course, Hasselbeck admitted that proving people wrong starts from within. The team and the players have to believe in it. Hasselbeck knows players are just as susceptible to getting a negative attitude as fans or the media.
“It’s also an opportunity where you’ve seen teams in the past point the finger at each other, maybe whisper or doubt the plan that the coaches have put forth,” he said. “Mentally, we have to rise above all that stuff. It would be easy for us to make excuses. But I think what’s important is to block that stuff out and continue to work hard and just stay together, continue to be a team, continue to be the things we said in training camp were so important.”
One player who hasn’t given up is Houshmandzadeh, although he understands why some do.
“We’re human, like everybody else,” he said. “You kind of get discouraged here and there, some more than others. There are a lot of games left. I think last year Buffalo was 4 or 5 and 1, or 4 and 2 – something like that. I know they were good early on, and they didn’t make the playoffs.”
Hasselbeck credited head coach Jim Mora’s relentlessly positive attitude and the continued vigilance of defensive coordinator Gus Bradley and offensive coordinator Greg Knapp have provided as examples for the players to follow.
“We’re in this together,” Hasselbeck said. “Be all in, everybody be all in. We can’t have 10 guys rowing this way and one guy rowing that way. It doesn’t work that way. We know it doesn’t work. We’ve tried it that way in the past. I think everybody is buying in.”
Everybody does not include some fans, but Hasselbeck isn’t disappointed with them for feeling that way.
“That’s sports,” Hasselbeck said. “A team goes down 3-0 in a seven-game series and everyone is, like, ‘Ah, it’s over.’ But it’s not over.”
Perhaps, but Hasselbeck knows it isn’t easy.
“Your chances are worse and you’ve made it a lot harder on yourself, but it’s not over,” Hasselbeck said. “And that’s what we’ve done to ourselves. We’ve made it a lot harder on ourselves. We’ve lost games at home that we could’ve won. And now we have to do something that we haven’t been necessarily great at, we have to go on the road to win some games.”
Coaches having a little fun
It’s been a tense week at the VMAC, but Mora decided to have a little fun toward the end of practice, lining up Bradley across from Knapp in a one-on-one pass play.
Knapp ran some semblance of a fade route and Hasselbeck delivered a perfect throw to Knapp, who made a fingertip over-the-shoulder catch, sprinted away from Bradley and into the end zone for a 40-yard touchdown reception.
Most of the Seahawks’ offensive players sprinted after Knapp in celebration.
“It was fun,” Hasselbeck said. “I gave it a little air. If Gus wanted to make a play on it, he could have. It was just great execution.”
Knapp was quite pleased, even teasing Bradley a little as he walked by in front of the assembled media.
“It was tight coverage,” Knapp said. “Just a great throw. I don’t want to give away the secret, but there was a sight adjustment because of the coverage he was playing on me that you might see on YouTube.”
Seahawks add guard
The Seahawks made a roster move signing guard Mike Gibson off the Philadelphia Eagles’ practice squad to the 53-man roster. Seattle then signed recently waived tackle Kyle Williams to the practice squad and released practice squad guard Mark Lewis.
The 23-year-old Gibson (6-foot-2, 315 pounds) was drafted in the sixth round in 2008 out of California, where he was a two-time All-Pac-10 player. He practiced with the team Wednesday.
Ryan Divish: 253-597-8483
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