Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck defends T.O.
Aug 24, 2006 | 1:24PM | report this
Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck may be 2,000 miles away from the World of Terrell Owens in Dallas, but all he knows is that he could have played with the wide receiver.
“I think he’s a great player and I think I could work well with him,” Hasselbeck told me. “But we don’t need him. We have good receivers here. But, yeah, I think he’s gotten a bad rap. Me, I feel we would have a good relationship. From what I hear, he’s usually upset because they don’t throw him the ball. My thing is, he’s probably right.
“If he was my teammate, I would throw him the ball all the time until someone covered him. When he was in San Francisco and Trent Dilfer and I were in Seattle, I stopped him in pregame warm-ups and told him exactly that. He smiled and said, ‘Right on, man.’ I think he’s really a nice guy and a hard worker. That’s the one thing I love about him, how hard he works."
Hasselbeck compared T.O.’s style to how linebacker Ray Lewis operates and is allowed to function in Baltimore.
“In Baltimore, Ray is allowed to be that guy,” Hasselbeck said. “He’s allowed to lead and say, ‘Hey, this is the standard we’re playing at. If you’re not going to be in sync with this standard, I’m going to get it going without you.’ The thing wide receivers are generally not allowed to be that guy. Sometimes people say well, only the quarterback, the center or the tailback can be that guy on offense.
“Where I feel everything went sour for him is when he became that guy to the media,” Hasselbeck said, referring to when Owens would call out teammates for their lack of effort or style of play. “You don’t see Ray doing that with the media. Ray is as loyal to his teammates as they come. But I do know that Ray talks to his teammates. I’ve played against him. I hear what he says to his teammates. Calling them out. But had T.O. been on our team on some point, in the last few years, I think he and I would have jelled nicely.”
Hasselbeck believed that everything unraveled in Philadelphia because too many people were involved in T.O.’s business last season. Agents, executives, assistant coaches, trainers, team doctors, etc.
“Sometimes the basic thing gets lost in the process,” Hasselbeck said. “It’s like going back to high school and working things out with your teammate and the head coach. That’s all that matters. It can be as simple as all that.”
Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck may be 2,000 miles away from the World of Terrell Owens in Dallas, but all he knows is that he could have played with the wide receiver.
“I think he’s a great player and I think I could work well with him,” Hasselbeck told me. “But we don’t need him. We have good receivers here. But, yeah, I think he’s gotten a bad rap. Me, I feel we would have a good relationship. From what I hear, he’s usually upset because they don’t throw him the ball. My thing is, he’s probably right.
“If he was my teammate, I would throw him the ball all the time until someone covered him. When he was in San Francisco and Trent Dilfer and I were in Seattle, I stopped him in pregame warm-ups and told him exactly that. He smiled and said, ‘Right on, man.’ I think he’s really a nice guy and a hard worker. That’s the one thing I love about him, how hard he works."
Hasselbeck compared T.O.’s style to how linebacker Ray Lewis operates and is allowed to function in Baltimore.
“In Baltimore, Ray is allowed to be that guy,” Hasselbeck said. “He’s allowed to lead and say, ‘Hey, this is the standard we’re playing at. If you’re not going to be in sync with this standard, I’m going to get it going without you.’ The thing wide receivers are generally not allowed to be that guy. Sometimes people say well, only the quarterback, the center or the tailback can be that guy on offense.
“Where I feel everything went sour for him is when he became that guy to the media,” Hasselbeck said, referring to when Owens would call out teammates for their lack of effort or style of play. “You don’t see Ray doing that with the media. Ray is as loyal to his teammates as they come. But I do know that Ray talks to his teammates. I’ve played against him. I hear what he says to his teammates. Calling them out. But had T.O. been on our team on some point, in the last few years, I think he and I would have jelled nicely.”
Hasselbeck believed that everything unraveled in Philadelphia because too many people were involved in T.O.’s business last season. Agents, executives, assistant coaches, trainers, team doctors, etc.
“Sometimes the basic thing gets lost in the process,” Hasselbeck said. “It’s like going back to high school and working things out with your teammate and the head coach. That’s all that matters. It can be as simple as all that.”
posted by The Gryphon at 5:37 PM
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