Is Matt Hasselbeck Finally Starting to Show His Age?
After initially going 4-0, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Matt Hasselbeck has now lost two consecutive starts, while noticeably struggling in each game.
It’s a fair question to ask whether the 40 year old Hasselbeck is finally starting to show his age a bit here in his 17th season.
Dec 13, 2015; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Matt Hasselbeck (8) leaves the field after an injury against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fourth quarter at EverBank Field. The Jaguars won 51-16.Mandatory Credit: Jim Steve-USA TODAY Sports
In his last two starts–both of which have been blowout losses, Hasselbeck has completed 34 of 61 passes (55.7%) for 421 passing yards, just 1 touchdown, 2 interceptions, and 2 fumbles lost.
On Sunday, Hasselbeck failed to show much rapport with his wide receivers, as his throws were either off-target or his receivers simply weren’t on the same page in their routes.
As a result, the team failed to score an offensive touchdown and was limited to just 3 field goals.
However, in Hasselbeck’s defense, he was once again under considerable duress in the pocket–taking a number of shots yet again.
With starting left tackle Anthony Castonzo out, the offensive line’s play has clearly taken a turn for the worse in recent games.
Rookie right tackle Denzelle Good has been called upon to fill in on a reshuffled offensive line, but has demonstrated his inexperience and unpolished play as of late–which has hindered the rest of the unit. Joe Reitz, who has shifted to left tackle in Castonzo’s absence, is a much more natural right tackle and has struggled a bit filling-in on the other side.
The result has been that Hasselbeck has been knocked out of the game in two consecutive games, having continued to take a number of significant big hits. The veteran is clearly physically ailing right now, and it may be negatively impacting his play.
Don’t get me wrong, Hasselbeck remains one of the better backups in football regardless of his recent struggles. However, after going 4-0, those calling for him to remain the Colts starter going forward over Luck have been emphatically silenced.
Hasselbeck does what ideally you’d want any good backup quarterback to do. Keep you around .500 and win some games that you otherwise wouldn’t have with an inferior backup quarterback.
However, those expecting him to carry the Colts the rest of the season were doing some wishful thinking.
If healthy, Hasselbeck remains a quality backup option for the Colts (and certainly a better option than Charlie Whitehurst). However, at the end of the day, he’s still a backup and a 40 year old one at that.