Week 4 QB projections   •  TEN Stats

QB Matt Hasselbeck, Tennessee Titans

HT: 6-4, WT: 220, Born: 9-25-1975, College: Boston College, Drafted: Round 6

2011 Projections

Average draft position

Current as of September 6th. [Full ADP list]

Overall: L Kendricks (185), V Shiancoe (186), Matt Hasselbeck (187), H Miller (188), J Simpson (189)
Position: D Garrard (178-QB25), J Campbell (183-QB26), Matt Hasselbeck (187 - QB27), C Henne (206-QB28), A Smith (222-QB29)
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PPR Average draft position

Current as of September 6th. [Full PPR ADP list]

Overall: T Choice (198), J Campbell (199), Matt Hasselbeck (200), V Shiancoe (201), D Garrard (202)
Position: C Newton (176-QB24), J Campbell (199-QB25), Matt Hasselbeck (200 - QB26), D Garrard (202-QB27), T Tebow (217-QB28)
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Best Case

Matt Hasselbeck still feels as though he can be a starting quarterback in the NFL and steps into that role with his new team. While rookie Jake Locker may be the long term franchise answer, he won't press Hasselbeck for playing time as the Titans want to bring the former Huskie along slowly instead of throwing him in right away. Hasselbeck has an upgraded running game to help clear a path for his receivers to get open and an offensive line which allowed eight less sacks then his old team did. Perhaps not a huge difference, unless you're a 36 year old veteran quarterback. Hasselbeck also has a better receiver in Kenny Britt then he had in Seattle for quite a while. Many are counting on Hasselbeck to repeat his woeful numbers of 2010, but instead he seems poised to recapture a bit of his old form.

Worst Case

Hasselbeck didn't get any younger between leaving Seattle and arriving in Tennessee did he? It's been clear the last several seasons that age has caught up with Hass and it's begun to take a toll on his health as he has missed games in each of the last three seasons and has seemed slow to recover from the wear and tear of a Sunday. Hasselbeck does have a great weapon in Kenny Britt, when Britt's health and lack of sound judgement don't have him hurt or suspended respectively. Beyond Britt there's nobody reliable, which is only going to make it harder on Hasselbeck to keep the chains moving. On top of that, the offense's main weapon is currently holding out and won't be there to clear out the defense for Hasselbeck's receivers. Finally, despite the fact that the team would prefer Locker not see the field much in 2011, if Hasselbeck and the offense struggles enough, they may plug Locker in to see what they have. All in all it's a risky combination even if you're only grabbing Hasselbeck for a backup spot on a fantasy roster.

Outlook

Hasselbeck is certainly on the downside of his career and it's shown the last few years. However, the team desires him to hold the fort for at least a season or two so they can bring Locker along slowly, which means it will take a huge implosion for Hasselbeck to get benched. If he can stay healthy--and admittedly that's a big if lately--he should start the majority of the games for the Titans. He remains a low end QB2 though, due to Kenny Britt's potential suspension and the aftermath of Chris Johnson's hold out. Even if Johnson comes back sooner than later, he's the engine for this offense. Hasselbeck will not have a giant number of opportunities to put up big numbers so his ceiling is pretty low.

Why he is a good deep sleeper pick

Jeff Haseley - The Titans found a great stopgap QB while they groom Jake Locker for the long term role. Hasselbeck has a good young core of offensive talent that will benefit from his presence. It's hard to believe he is ranked as the 24th best QB. He should be able to make an impact and be the starter all year, if he can remain healthy.

2011 Schedule

2011 Game Summaries

Week 1 - Hasselbeck's first start as the Titans quarterback had mixed results. While his statline looked solid enough in completing over 60% of his passes, he was not able to keep drives alive and convert third downs under that immense pressure of the Jaguars front seven. Hasselbeck did show that he still has plenty of arm strength to make all the throws. That said, the Titans inability to rush the ball put Hasselbeck in the unenviable position of having to move the ball almost solely through the air. As a result, it seemed that every solid throw was followed by an off-target throw where Hasselbeck and his intended receiver simply didn't look to be on the same page. His best pass of the day came on a critical third down with about eight minutes left in the game. On the play, Hasselbeck took a seven step drop and waited patiently in the pocket despite increasing defensive pressure. He threw a gorgeous pass to the left sideline where Kenny Britt was waiting between a cornerback and a safety. The play showed that with time in the pocket and comfort in the offense, Hasselbeck can still be effective at putting the ball in to tight spots all over the field. Hasselbeck's final pass of the game was a deep ball intended for Kenny Britt that was a bit long and intercepted by Dwight Lowery, essentially ending any Tennessee hope for a victory.

Week 2 - Matt Hasselbeck and the Titans pulled out perhaps the weeks biggest shocker in their dismantling of the Ravens. The Ravens possess a defense that does a great job of shutting down the run. But Hasselbeck and the Titans showed no fear of putting the ball in the air, as the offensive gameplan called for Hass to throw quickly and frequently. Though it's late in his career, Matt Hasselbeck has one of the best supporting casts that he's ever had. His offensive line gave him incredible protection. He was never sacked. He really made it look easy. If Hasselbeck continues to get this type of protection, and especially if Kenny Britt keeps up his unbelievable play, he is going to have a very big year. You really have to wonder if the offensive gameplan for Tennessee is now going to change. After the first quarter, the Titans were at a point where the first 5 offensive quarters of the season were pretty subpar. Tennessee is an offense known for their running game, and teams have just been shutting the running game down. In a noticeable shift, the Titans really began throwing the ball in the 2nd quarter and Hasselbeck picked apart an already thin and inexperienced secondary. The Ravens had no cornerback that could match up with Kenny Britt, and Hass exploited that weakness continually. He also used Nate Washington frequently as well. It's been a long time since a Tennessee QB used the wide receivers as much as Hasselbeck did against Baltimore. Hass did make a few errant throws, including one pass that should have been intercepted. But all QB's get a way with a few bad throws. All in all it was a spectacular game for the Titans.

Week 3 - Matt Hasselbeck continues to turn back the clock and show that he is still quite capable of playing at a high level in the NFL. Despite a fumble when the ball was knocked from his grasp in the pocket, Hasselbeck looked poised and in control of the offense all game. More to his credit, Hasselbeck was able to engineer long drives and pick up key first downs through the air once it became clear that the Tennessee running game was not going to produce again in week 3. Hasselbeck's best pass came on touchdown throw to Nate Washington. On the play, Hasselbeck threw the ball low and outside near the front pylon in a spot that only Washington could catch it. He also had a number of impressive throws down the field including a 20 yard pass in the air to Craig Stevens that split two defenders on the way to a 54 yard gain. Hasselbeck seems to be benefiting greatly from the stellar play of the Titans offensive line. While Hasselbeck was sacked twice and fumbled once from the pocket, the Titans line is doing an extraordinary job on most plays not only keeping the pass rush off of Hasselbeck but also directing the pass rush away from where he wants to go. On rollout and bootleg throws the line successfully pushes the pressure to the middle of the pocket. And on plays that keep Hasselbeck in the pocket, the line is successfully pushing the pass-rush outside. As long as the protection keeps up, Hasselbeck is likely to have a number of productive games as the season progresses. That said, he is still relying on his first or second read in the passing game on most every down. While getting rid of the ball quickly also helps reduce sacks, the Titans still don't have time to develop downfield routes very often before Hasselbeck throws for a modest gain. With Kenny Britt gone for the second two-thirds of the game, Matt Hasselbeck looked fairly unaffected. On the one hand, he continued spreading the ball around to different parts of the field as he had with Britt healthy. On the other hand, he still keyed in on his first and second options. With Britt in the game, that was Britt and Washington. With Britt out of the game that was Washington and either a tight end or running back. Hasselbeck continues to rarely get past the second read before releasing the ball

Week 4 - Matt Hasselbeck spent the first three weeks of the season quickly releasing the ball and looking for the first available open man in his progressions. He spent week 4 against the Browns being patient and looking for the big play. The results were outstanding: despite a decrease in completion percentage, Hasselbeck had an 11 yards-per-attempt average to go with three touchdowns and one interception. Hasselbeck threw the ball with excellent touch, mixing in soft arcs and hard bullets with a veteran's savvy. Hasselbeck's best throw came early in the first quarter. On the play, he found a streaking Lavelle Hawkins for an 18 yard gain on third down. He deftly placed the ball between two defenders in a position that only Hawkins could receive it. He also threw the ball with velocity not seen much this year, making sure the safety did not have time to close in on the receiver before the ball arrived. Hasselbeck also seemed much more trusting of his offensive line, taking the time to let routes develop instead of throwing the ball as soon as possible. One such example was a pick route that resulted in a 57 yard gain for Nate Washington. On the play, Hasselbeck faced a two man blitz from the right side but waited an extra moment for Washington to break free before lofting a soft pass to him. Hasselbeck is playing as well as ever and the Titans offensive line is doing a stellar job keeping him upright.