Matt Hasselbeck is beyond ecstatic that the Seattle Seahawks are America's team.
The Seahawks have become a fan favorite amongst fans after winning Super Bowl LX over the New England Patriots in dominant fashion. They have a young likable franchise quarterback in Sam Darnold, a hungry young head coach in Mike Macdonald and an overall fan-friendly core featuring the likes of Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Kenneth Walker.
Hasselbeck, who helped lead the franchise to their first lengthy run of excellence in the 2000s, believes this current team has what it takes to repeat and win more Super Bowls moving forward.
“I get careful, we're celebrating the parade and I am cautious to say, ‘Next year,' because I want them to enjoy their day,” said Hasselbeck in a one-on-one interview. “It's a lot of hard work to get here, but at the same time, if you sit back and you say, ‘We've got a great GM and Executive of the Year. We've got a head coach who if he wasn't in Seattle, could have very easily been the Coach of the Year.' We also got a young quarterback who I think his best football is in front of him. This event is only going to be better next year.”
The Seahawks won 10 straight games to end the season behind a top three offensive unit and the best defense in the league. Outside of a stumble against the Los Angeles Rams in which Darnold had his worst game of the season (four interceptions), the Seahawks didn't lose a single game after October 5.
The fact that they stifled a red-hot Patriots team in the biggest game of the year was proof in the pudding that the Seahawks were the best team in the NFL this season. New England had defeated three top five ranked defensive units in the playoffs prior to their meeting against Seattle.
The Seahawks have the third-youngest head coach in the league in Macdonald and Darnold is just entering his prime at the age of 28. Meanwhile, general manager John Schneider has been on the job since 2010, but he's just 54 years old. In other words, Seattle will have another crack at winning the Super Bowl next season and maybe in the future after that.
Hasselbeck also plays up the Seahawks' 12th man advantage, noting that Seattle actually lost two games at home compared to just one game on the road this season. He said if the Seahawks can be better at home next season, “look out.”
“This is great, and you've ignited a fan base that was already ignited,” said Hasselbeck. “This city is alive right now, and so to get that home field advantage — here's the thing about the Seahawks, they were incredible on the road this year. They actually were better on the road than they were at home. If you can really, really recapture that home field advantage like we used to have it, look out. because everyone's tasted it and everyone's really excited.”
Considering how young the entire core is, the Seahawks may not be done just yet. They could have the makings of a potential dynasty.
