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Matt Hasselbeck

American football player (born 1975)

Player stats at NFL.com

Matthew Michael H*elbeck (born September 25, 1975) is a former American football quarterback and current *yst for ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown. He played college football at Boston College and was drafted in the sixth round of the 1998 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers. After a season on the practice squad and two seasons backing up Brett Favre, he was traded to the Seattle Seahawks in 2001, where he spent the majority of his career. H*elbeck led Seattle to six playoff appearances, including the franchise’s first Super Bowl appearance during the 2005 season. He was selected to three Pro Bowls in his career. H*elbeck also played for the Tennessee *ans and Indianapolis Colts.

Contents

  • 1 Early life
  • 2 College career
  • 3 Professional career
    • 3.1 Green Bay Packers
    • 3.2 Seattle Seahawks
      • 3.2.1 Playoff career
      • 3.2.2 Departure from Seattle
    • 3.3 Tennessee *ans
    • 3.4 Indianapolis Colts
      • 3.4.1 2015 season
    • 3.5 Retirement
  • 4 NFL career statistics
    • 4.1 Regular season
    • 4.2 Playoffs
    • 4.3 Seahawks franchise records
      • 4.3.1 Regular season
      • 4.3.2 Playoffs
  • 5 Personal life
  • 6 References
  • 7 External links

Early life

Matt H*elbeck at Xaverian Brothers High School

H*elbeck is the son of Mary Beth "Betsy" (Rueve) and Don H*elbeck, a former New England Patriots tight end. Matt and younger brothers Tim and Nathanael grew up in Norfolk, M*achusetts, and attended Xaverian Brothers High School in Westwood. He was selected as an honorable mention All-American by USA Today as a high school senior.

College career

H*elbeck attended Boston College near his family's hometown. He played for the Boston College Eagles football team from 1994 through 1997, including two years with his younger brother Tim. H*elbeck finished his college career as the starting quarterback (a position his brother Tim would later hold with the Eagles). He graduated with a degree in marketing.

Professional career

Green Bay Packers

H*elbeck was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the sixth round (187th overall) of the 1998 NFL Draft. He joined the team's practice squad in 1998 and acted as a backup for the starting quarterback Brett Favre for the 1999 and 2000 NFL seasons.

Seattle Seahawks

H*elbeck joined former Packers head coach Mike Holmgren and the Seattle Seahawks on March 2, 2001. The Packers traded him, along with their first draft pick (17th overall), to the Seahawks for their first (10th overall) and third-round draft picks (72nd overall).

In his early years in Seattle, he battled for playing time with Trent Dilfer. However, after a strong finish in 2002, H*elbeck entered 2003 as the unquestioned starter. H*elbeck started all 16 games, leading Seattle to a 10–6 record for the first time since 1988 and a Wild Card berth. He also was selected to the Pro Bowl. The 2003 NFC Wild Card Game against the Green Bay Packers went into overtime where, at the overtime coin toss, H*elbeck famously said "We want the ball and we're gonna score." During the second overtime possession for the Seahawks, H*elbeck threw an interception to Packers defensive back Al Harris which was returned 52 yards down the sideline for a touchdown. It gave Green Bay a 33–27 overtime victory.

In 2004, H*elbeck won the 2004 NFL Quarterback Challenge. He also led Seattle to their first NFC West *le since realignment in 2002.

In 2005, H*elbeck had one of his most productive career performances, earning the highest p*er rating in the NFC, and leading the Seahawks to the playoffs for the third consecutive year while clinching the NFC's top seed. He led the Seahawks to Super Bowl XL, in which they lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and was the starting quarterback for the NFC in the 2006 Pro Bowl.

H*elbeck led the Seahawks to a 4–1 record to start the 2006 season before being seriously injured on Week 7. Minnesota linebacker E. J. Henderson rolled into H*elbeck's right leg. The result was a second degree MCL sprain, causing H*elbeck to miss four games. H*elbeck contended that Henderson could have avoided injuring him. Upon returning he subsequently broke fingers on his non-throwing hand, but continued to lead his team to a 9–7 record and the divisional round of the post-season. The fourth-seeded Seahawks defeated the Dallas Cowboys 21–20 in the wild card round in Seattle, then lost to the top-seeded Chicago Bears in overtime, 27–24.

H*elbeck p*ing against the Chicago Bears in November 2007.

In 2007, H*elbeck led his team to its fourth consecutive division *le and fifth consecutive playoff appearance. He had 3,966 p*ing yards, 28 touchdowns (both career highs), 62.6% completion percentage, and a 91.4 p*er rating. He threw for 229 yards in a 35–14 NFC wild card victory over the Washington Redskins. The third-seeded Seahawks lost in the divisional round to the NFC's No. 2 seed Green Bay, losing 42–20 in the snow at Lambeau Field despite an early 14–0 lead.

H*elbeck set career highs in yards, attempts, and touchdown p*es in the 2007 season and was elected to his third Pro Bowl.

In 2008, H*elbeck suffered from a back injury that affected a nerve in his lower back, creating a weakness in his leg that brought on a knee injury. H*elbeck twisted his back awkwardly in the preseason opener on August 8 at Minnesota and missed the rest of the preseason. His bulging disk was diagnosed and treated with injections and he opened the regular season as the starter, but he hurt his knee after a hit early in the Seahawks' loss to the New York Giants on October 5. He also received a helmet-to-helmet hit vs. the Arizona Cardinals. These injuries caused H*elbeck to miss most of the 2008 NFL season.

In the 2009 season opener, things did not start out well for H*elbeck, who threw two interceptions in the first quarter. After that H*elbeck dominated the rest of the way, completing 25 of 36 p*es for 279 yards and three touchdowns in their 28–0 win over the St. Louis Rams. During Week 2 of the 2009 NFL season, H*elbeck fractured his rib against the San Francisco 49ers and missed the next two games against the Bears (Week 3) and the Colts (Week 4). During Week 5, playing the Jaguars, H*elbeck threw four touchdown p*es in the Seahawks' second shutout of the season, beating Jacksonville 41–0. In Week 6, H*elbeck played his career-worst, losing to the Arizona Cardinals with 27–3.

During the final week of the season, H*elbeck won the Seahawks' "Steve Largent Award."

In 2010, the season started off strong for H*elbeck, leading his team to a 4–2 record and victories over the Chicago Bears and San Diego Chargers. But the degree of H*elbeck's health would prove to be inconsistent, with injuries leading him to sit out crucial games later in the season, leading the Seahawks to lose seven of their last ten. Nevertheless, Seattle would make the playoffs with their fifth NFC West division championship.

Seattle became the first team with a losing record to host a playoff game, taking on the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints during wild card weekend. Despite being 11 point underdogs, H*elbeck had one of the most memorable and clutch performances of his career. He threw for 272 yards, four touchdowns (a franchise postseason record) with one interception coming from a tipped ball, and a 113.03 p*er rating, leading the Seahawks to victory over the defending Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints. However, Seattle would go on to lose 35–24 in the divisional playoffs against the Chicago Bears. H*elbeck still played well, however, with over 250 yards p*ing and three touchdowns.

Playoff career

H*elbeck’s 11 postseason starts as a quarterback rank 16th all-time in NFL history, leading the Seahawks to five postseasons in a row under Mike Holmgren at one point.

In 2003, his first playoff appearance, H*elbeck pronounced, "we want the ball and we're going to score" at the coin flip of overtime with Green Bay. H*elbeck was intercepted by Al Harris in overtime, who returned the p* for a game-winning touchdown. After that season, H*elbeck would go on to lead Seattle to six playoff appearances in eight years.

In 2005, H*elbeck led Seattle to Super Bowl XL, where they lost to Pittsburgh in a game remembered for its poor officiating. The NFL Network called it one of the 10 most controversial games in NFL History. Head referee Bill Leavy later apologized to H*elbeck at a Seahawks offseason practice in 2010, publicly saying he would "go to his grave for kicking several calls in the fourth quarter that affected the outcome of the game."

In 2006, H*elbeck rallied Seattle in the fourth quarter and threw the game-winning touchdown at Qwest Field to beat the Dallas Cowboys 21–20, but that occurred before Tony Romo's infamous dropped snap.

In 2010, H*elbeck led Seattle to a surprising playoff upset when he beat the New Orleans Saints, who were the defending Super Bowl champions and 11-point favorites. Although the game would be remembered for Marshawn Lynch's Beast Quake run, H*elbeck was an integral part in the win with 272 yards and four touchdowns. The game was called "H*elbeck's finest hour" by ESPN, and turned out to be his final game at Qwest Field in Seattle leading Seattle to a 41–36 upset of the New Orleans Saints.

Departure from Seattle

H*elbeck's departure from the Seahawks was largely a surprise, given his status with the Seattle fan base. At the conclusion of the 2010 season Pete Carroll announced re-signing H*elbeck was the Seahawks "number one offseason priority", with H*elbeck emphasizing his desire to retire in Seattle. However, the two sides had trouble reaching an agreement as H*elbeck reportedly turned down a one-year offer before the NFL lockout began, asking for two years. When H*elbeck was rumored to be "Plan A" for the Tennessee *ans and rumors surfaced the Seahawks were pursuing Tarvaris Jackson instead of H*elbeck, Seattle fans began a web and social media campaign at the end of the NFL lockout in 2011 to "Bring Back Matt", with a website www.bringbackmatt.com. Pete Carroll and GM John Schneider called H*elbeck after the lockout to let them know they were "moving on." H*elbeck described the call as "worse than breaking up with an old girlfriend." The Seahawks took out a full-page ad in The Seattle Times the following day to salute H*elbeck and his family for their work.

Tennessee *ans

H*elbeck with U.S. soldiers prior to kickoff at a game in November 2011.

On July 29, 2011, H*elbeck signed a three-year, $21 million deal to play for the Tennessee *ans. He was recruited by Mike Reinfeldt, the former vice president of football administration for the Seahawks and current executive vice president and the chief operating officer for the *ans, who was part of the team for four of H*elbeck's five NFC West division championships and Super Bowl appearance. H*elbeck was targeted by the *ans, who were looking for a veteran quarterback to help lead the team to wins while also mentoring first-round draft pick Jake Locker. The *ans finished 2011 with a 9–7 record, narrowly missing out on the final playoff berth due to losing to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 9.

H*elbeck's first action in the 2012 season came in Week 1 against the New England Patriots after Locker left early in the game with a shoulder injury. H*elbeck started the next four weeks while Locker healed, finishing 2-2 in those starts; his victories were at home against Pittsburgh (the first *ans win over Pittsburgh since 2008) and at Buffalo, winning on a last-minute touchdown to Nate Washington. The *ans went 6-10 on the season.

On March 18, 2013, H*elbeck was released by the *ans.

Indianapolis Colts

On March 19, 2013, the Indianapolis Colts signed H*elbeck to a two-year deal worth up to $7.25 million. He beat Chandler Harnish to win the backup job for the 2013 season. Backing up Andrew Luck, H*elbeck saw little playing time during his first two years but mentored the budding star. In 2013, H*elbeck attempted only 12 p*es, completing seven for 130 yards and one interception. The following season, H*elbeck appeared in only four games but led two touchdown drives, one during a blowout loss against the Dallas Cowboys and another during garbage time in the season finale against division rival (and former team) the Tennessee *ans.

2015 season

On February 26, 2015, H*elbeck signed a one-year contract to remain with the Colts.

H*elbeck made his first start with the Colts on October 4, 2015, filling in for the injured Luck. He led the Colts to an overtime win, defeating the Jacksonville Jaguars, 16–13. After a short week that included H*elbeck being ill from a bacterial infection and having virtually no practice time, he was once again called upon to play for Luck. He became only the second 40-year-old NFL quarterback to win back-to-back games, when he engineered a 27–20 win over the Houston Texans on October 8, 2015. Over those two starts, he completed 48 of 76 p*es for three touchdowns and no turnovers, compiling a 2-0 record as starter.

On November 22, 2015, H*elbeck started his third game for the Colts, as Luck suffered a kidney injury that would ultimately take him out for the remainder of the season. He p*ed for 213 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in a come-from-behind win over the Atlanta Falcons. The win kept Indianapolis in the lead of the AFC South division and improved them to a 5–5 record. The following week, the Colts took on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who were on a four-game winning streak. H*elbeck led the team to a 25–12 win, p*ing for 315 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions, which led to a p*er rating of 100.8. H*elbeck led the Colts to a 6-5 record with a 4-0 record as starter at the age of 40, and was the first quarterback in NFL history to do so. However, injuries began to take their toll on the aging quarterback, and H*elbeck's play would begin to deteriorate as the Colts lost three straight games. H*elbeck won the final start of his career, an 18-12 win over the Miami Dolphins, thanks in large part to Frank Gore's two rushing touchdowns. He and backup Charlie Whitehurst were unable to play the season finale due to injury; to take their place the Colts signed Josh Freeman and Ryan Lindley, who subsequently split time in a 30-24 win over the *ans. Overall, H*elbeck was responsible for five of the Colts' eight wins over the season, despite only starting eight games.

Retirement

On February 28, 2016, it was reported that H*elbeck would not return to the Colts. On March 9, 2016, H*elbeck announced his retirement from professional football, and that he would join his brother Tim and become an *yst for ESPN, replacing Mike Ditka on Sunday NFL Countdown. H*elbeck signed a one-day contract with the Seattle Seahawks to officially retire as part of their organization.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

Seahawks franchise records

Regular season

  • Most wins by a starting quarterback, season (tied with Russell Wilson) – 13 (13–3 in 2005)
  • Most p* attempts, season – 562 (2007)
  • Most p* attempts, game – 55 (at San Francisco, 12/1/02)
  • Most p* completions, game – 39 (vs Detroit, 11/08/09)
  • Most p*ing touchdowns, game (tied with three players): 5
  • Most 4th quarter comeback wins in a single season – 4 (2006) (tied with Russell Wilson and Dave Krieg)
  • Most game-winning drives in a single season – 5 (2006) (tied with Russell Wilson and Dave Krieg)

Playoffs

  • Most consecutive p*es without an interception – 109 (2004–05)
  • Most touchdown p*es in a single game – 4 (1/8/11 vs. Saints)

Personal life

H*elbeck married his college sweetheart, Sarah Egnaczyk, on June 17, 2000. They met at age 17. Sarah was an athlete at Boston College, playing with the field hockey team. Together they live in Weston, M*achusetts and have two daughters, Annabelle (born 2001) and Mallory (born 2003), and one son, Henry (born 2005). Annabelle and Mallory both play women's lacrosse at Boston College.

Matt and his wife have been struck by lightning. Matt was struck in 1996.

He is the brother-in-law of television personality Elisabeth H*elbeck, who is married to his younger brother Tim.

On August 25, 2021, it was reported that H*elbeck was going to be inducted into the Seattle Seahawks Ring of Honor on October 25, 2021.

References

    External links

    • Official website
    • Indianapolis Colts bio
    • Tennessee *ans bio
    • Seattle Seahawks bio
    • Matt H*elbeck at IMDb