NFL
O-line mission: To protect and to serve

By José Miguel Romero
Seattle Times staff reporter

ROD MAR / THE SEATTLE TIMES Matt Hasselbeck has earned the respect of his linemen. "He's really grown into the on-field leader that we all expected," guard Steve Hutchinson says.

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Dan Marino once gave his offensive linemen pairs of sleek Isotoner gloves, or so he claimed as a TV pitchman for the product.

Trent Green, the Kansas City Chiefs' quarterback, showered his protectors with luggage and massage chairs.

Other signal-callers have thanked their lines for their hard work with gifts of watches, digital cameras and framed jerseys.

And then there's Matt Hasselbeck. The Seahawks' quarterback, in appreciation of those who watch his back, gave them framed action posters from every season the five have played with him in Seattle.

Hasselbeck also gave his linemen a cooler full of various quality meat cuts, perfect for five guys — Chris Terry, Chris Gray, Robbie Tobeck, Steve Hutchinson and Walter Jones — who like to eat hearty. But it was the photos that turned a few of the big guys into big softies, if only for a moment or two.

"It was a thoughtful thing to do and that was a pretty neat gift," Tobeck said. "Linemen are usually a little more humble, as far as we don't go out and get big posters made of ourselves, like maybe other positions. So it's kind of a neat thing to have to be able to hang in your room at home."

"That was really unexpected and probably one of the best gifts I've ever gotten," Hutchinson said.

The gifts are fantastic, and make no mistake about it: The offensive linemen love their quarterback, and Hasselbeck loves them. The linemen even consider Hasselbeck one of them.

"For some reason, I've always had a natural draw to those guys," Hasselbeck said. "I don't know if you just feel sorry for them or they were the heavy kid growing up that kept his T-shirt on at the swimming pool. You have a special place in your heart for guys like that."

Off the field, Hasselbeck trades barbs with Tobeck, knows all of the linemen's nicknames, eats dinner with them and takes his family to their homes.
 
On the field, Hasselbeck sometimes gets in the face of opposing defenders, woofing at them like trash talk in a pickup basketball game. Such moments inspire his linemen, who protect him with a fervor and can't stand to give up a sack or even make Hasselbeck hurry a pass.

"Every team I've ever been a part of, offensive linemen have always been kind of a group within itself," Tobeck said. "I don't know if it's because no one else likes us or wants to talk to us. ... I think to be a good offensive lineman, you have to be close and you have to really enjoy playing with each other. And Matt's moved into that role as being one of us."

Hasselbeck remembers his first season in Seattle in 2001, when the Seahawks traded for him and coach Mike Holmgren named him the starter long before training camp opened.

In offseason minicamps, Hasselbeck struggled to get to know his linemen, four of whom are still together this season. One day, he asked Tobeck if he wanted to practice some snaps.

Tobeck said no. "I'm money," he retorted.

Hasselbeck wondered what he had to do to be accepted. But when the two finally worked on the exchange, Tobeck was right on target with his first snap to Hasselbeck.

With that, a relationship began to build. When Hasselbeck took a pounding in his first two games in 2001, at Cleveland and against Philadelphia, the linemen felt his pain and responded with gifts.

"My birthday's in September, and ... each guy got me a massage at a Gene Juarez salon," Hasselbeck said. "It was a, 'Hey, we're going to get this protection thing worked out, and we're going to have a better year.' And they kind of stepped it up. They took the first step in terms of us really having a good friendship, and it was sort of easy from then on."

Hasselbeck lost the starting job after that season to Trent Dilfer, who was 4-0 in his four starts in 2001. But Dilfer went down with a torn Achilles tendon in Week 8 of 2002.

Hasselbeck took over early in that game and led the Seahawks to a 17-14 win at Dallas. He has been a mainstay since, earning Pro Bowl recognition and shattering team passing records along the way.

Tobeck believes the Dallas win was when Hasselbeck took control of the team. It was a time that is forever etched in Tobeck's memory.

"When he walked in that huddle — and you know how this team feels about Trent Dilfer, we love the guy — but it became Matt's team at that point, whether at that time the coaches knew it or anybody else knew it," Tobeck said.

"He walks in and he goes, 'OK, we're going to go down and we're going to win this game.' We were playing that game with guys that aren't normally in there. And Matt took that game over and won that game. That was his moment."

Hasselbeck has since led the Seahawks to come-from-behind wins, overtime wins and a playoff spot. And he has won the hearts and minds of the guys he depends on the most.

"He'll warn you about certain situations," Terry said. "He'll tell you the down and distance. He'll tell you (to) look out for a blitz coming on this side.

"We know that we've got to protect him," Hutchinson said. "It comes down to us having to give him that extra second he needs to get the ball down the field or whatever the situation calls for. It is a personal thing to us.

"I think he's really grown into the on-field leader that we all expected and need him to be."

For Hasselbeck, such confidence is worth more than gold. For his line, it's worth more than any gift.

José Miguel Romero: 206-464-2409 or jromero@seattletimes.com