Matt Hasselbeck Practices
by John Morgan on Oct 7, 2009 2:49 PM PDT
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PrintIt's a sad testament to the decline of the USA that we are so far behind Europe in television technology. We've ceded education, health care and quality of life, but television is part of the American psyche. The Simpsons, an animated television show broadcast on Fox, is arguably the most important cultural achievement of our generation. America is TV and TV, America. So why the heck is Comcast Red Zone in low definition?
Okay, I don't have Red Zone and I don't have a high definition television. I'm forced to pick out players from the murk and moire blur of standard def. It sucks. Will fans across the country see Seattle's intrepid signal caller lobbing ducks in the end zone on COMCAST"S Terrific Product, first he'll need to take the field.
Part of SBN's contract with Comcast is that write a post about the Seahawks and fold the Red Zone product into the post. That makes me sick inside. As does reporting on Matt Hasselbeck's health. But it's part of doing the job. Look, it's a humble, self-effacing quote from Matt about his practice today:
"I want to be fair to the team," Hasselbeck said. "I want to give everybody everything I've got, and hopefully I'll be out there. But at the same time, I want to be fair to Seneca, if for some reason I'm not able to go, then he needs to prepare to play. Today was a good start, we'll see how tomorrow goes."
That sounds like NFL fans won't be seeing Matt in nauseating low def. Maybe it's better that way. The frame rate necessary to display his wobblers is known to break older model TVs. Instead, fans will not get the glory of Seneca Wallace's immaculately manicured facial hair on COMCAST's Terrific RED ZONE Product, but a blury, swarthy stranger in a sea of blue, unidentifiable muck. How about getting that fixed, nation's largest cable provider. It's a national insult that AMERICA's National Passion is broadcast in Burmese quality video. Did Comcast outsource their crew to 1962?
Hasselbeck practiced. Product shillling over. Another post in the crapper. Maybe I just wasn't made for these times.
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Wait...
I thought FG was just sponsored by various brands of beer, which are delivered to your house for sampling.
Well that's cheery.
You don’t have to turn into such a personally-attacking asshole when we lose…
The Hawks should be better.
by Woodinville_12thMan on Oct 7, 2009 3:07 PM PDT reply actions
I'm sorry, I overreacted.
It’s just that I hate it when we start losing and you start attacking Matt’s performance. He hasn’t even played more than a game and a half so I don’t think that it’s fair to the player to imply that every one of his passes is a wobbler. He has been a great quarterback but has been injured for the last two seasons.. What do I know, he may be done, it just seems unnecessary to ridicule him at this juncture in the year.
The Hawks should be better.
by Woodinville_12thMan on Oct 7, 2009 3:20 PM PDT up reply actions
The knock on his arm strength is in good fun
I don’t think it’s mean, and I don’t think it’s that controversial. He hasn’t had a cannon for a while, but he sure kicked ass in 2007. Trust me that I want him back and healthy as much as anyone.
I was trying to make fun of the team’s need to give fans good news after a humiliating loss in which their backup quarterback looked unskilled and discouraged. I was sort of juxtaposing my selling Comcast with the locals selling the Seahawks product.
Ah, I see your point.
Sorry again for reacting the way I did, it was out of line.
The Hawks should be better.
by Woodinville_12thMan on Oct 7, 2009 3:52 PM PDT up reply actions
It's cool
I just didn’t understand, honestly, and wanted to know if I’d been a dick. I do that sometimes.
I've got an HDTV
and I think that SD looks worse on my HDTV than on an SDTV.
I saw the RedZone preview last weekend and it seemed to be in HD and wasn’t bad. It got a little jumpy in parts, but it was interesting.
""I wanted to be a quarterback, but I got hungry."
-LG Rob Sims
it does
almost any new HDTV contains a terrible analog converter which makes anything non HD look like horseshit.
by Hancock.Brett on Oct 7, 2009 3:21 PM PDT up reply actions
thanks for the confirmation
I thought that maybe it might have just looked horrible in comparison to the HD feeds.
""I wanted to be a quarterback, but I got hungry."
-LG Rob Sims
"getting behind a giant black man's ass sure feels good again, I tell ya"
What? Does Matt think Vallos is chopped liver?
""I wanted to be a quarterback, but I got hungry."
-LG Rob Sims
Immaculately manicured, indeed.
It's Great to be a Florida Gator!
Next year's notable Ex-Seahawks:
Walter Jones, Patrick Kerney, Seneca Wallace
The girls seems impressed.
NEEDS MORE FREEDOM!
by Scruffy Lefty on Oct 7, 2009 3:29 PM PDT up reply actions
But the Yankees are "cool"
It's Great to be a Florida Gator!
Next year's notable Ex-Seahawks:
Walter Jones, Patrick Kerney, Seneca Wallace
by Wayward Llama on Oct 7, 2009 6:46 PM PDT up reply actions
Are you more of a fan of 'au natural'?
""I wanted to be a quarterback, but I got hungry."
-LG Rob Sims
Can this be our next running back?
It's Great to be a Florida Gator!
Next year's notable Ex-Seahawks:
Walter Jones, Patrick Kerney, Seneca Wallace
by Wayward Llama on Oct 7, 2009 6:46 PM PDT up reply actions
He's not all that much older than Edge
and he’s got a mean streak that a lot of Ruskell-haters would admire.
""I wanted to be a quarterback, but I got hungry."
-LG Rob Sims
Man, I just knew you had seen that pic when you said he looked like a tranny once.
"I wish the Seahawks were back in the AFCW so we didn’t have to face Willis and Gore twice a year."
by Fearless Frog on Oct 7, 2009 3:41 PM PDT up reply actions
That's not really Seneca is it?
Is that Seneca’s face over a Spike Lee picture?
Saw-knicks
"I wish the Seahawks were back in the AFCW so we didn’t have to face Willis and Gore twice a year."
by Fearless Frog on Oct 8, 2009 9:51 PM PDT up reply actions
Yvan eht Nioj!
"The truth will set you free. But not until it is finished with you."
- David Foster Wallace R.I.P.
by phil26687 on Oct 7, 2009 3:34 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
Red Zone
John, I find this Red Zone thing quite funny. Something tells me Comcast didn’t envision this type of post when it negotiated its deal with SBN, but it should have. Bloggers tend to lean toward nonconformity and really don’t like being told what to write. Trying to force them to write about a commercial product is just a bad, bad idea. Hopefully SBN can keep the dough and Comcast will drop this particular aspect of the deal.
Truth is
Companies are learning that selling a product is about keeping that product in the discussion. No one cares if I write almost anything about Comcast as long it mentions the product. Well, if I said it gave you nut cancer, they might bothered.
Think about Peter King. Bloggers jump all over each other to call out his stupidity, but the truth is, if anyone wasn’t in on the deal, they wouldn’t call him out, they’d ignore him. They wouldn’t be reading his work in the first place. King lives on people calling him stupid, because it keeps him relevant.
That makes me sad
Because he is very stupid; he presents conjecture and information that’s already well know as “insider access.” He’s the Jay Leno of sports, but now I should shut up before I make him more famous.
You don't write shit and hope people don't read it.
Did you ever get any skrill from comcast John? Wanted to follow up on that.
by Seahawka 12th on Oct 8, 2009 7:10 AM PDT up reply actions
Not yet
but SBN has lawyers and such. It’s a done deal. I may be an amateur, but SBN is a respectable company.
I don't think you have to worry about it if the FTC has anything to say.
It looks like you’re taking the right tack in the interest of disclosure
Agree completely
One reason I never accepted “promotional” crap for the many years it was offered me.
When I think about it, you're absolutely right
When you say the whole goal is to get the product mentioned, period. After all, there’s nothing stopping a Comcast employee under the guise of a forum member from responding to this by posting a sterling review of Red Zone. Disclosure is not that big an obstacle for a company to overcome. Still, at least it’s something.
It's not like there aren't enough ads built into the site
although, thanks to adblock, I don’t see any of them
Places need to pay for themselves, I get it, but having their bloggers blog about it is like product placement in movies. It’s annoying. It works. But it’s annoying.
I don’t care though, one post about it a week so John can have beer on the table to drink, that doesn’t bother me.
Agreed,
and no matter how much I respect John’s opinion, or how many times he plugs RedZone, I have no plans of ever subscribing. How about they start a service where you can pay to order up specific games? I’d happily fork over my hard-earned cash for that.
It's Great to be a Florida Gator!
Next year's notable Ex-Seahawks:
Walter Jones, Patrick Kerney, Seneca Wallace
by Wayward Llama on Oct 7, 2009 6:48 PM PDT up reply actions
I thought Comcast had something like that.
I think I remember a friend of mine saying he was watching old Seahawks games of happier seasons when Shaun would lay waste to opposing defenses through some on-demand thing on TV.
Also, didn’t NFL.com create something like that?
"I wish the Seahawks were back in the AFCW so we didn’t have to face Willis and Gore twice a year."
by Fearless Frog on Oct 7, 2009 8:16 PM PDT up reply actions
I have standard def too.
It was fine until I got that goddamn DTV converter box which cuts and lags and in general makes my NFL experience a total hell.
"I wish the Seahawks were back in the AFCW so we didn’t have to face Willis and Gore twice a year."
Intentional threadjack
To have this posted.
http://www.cbc.ca/sports/football/story/2009/10/07/sp-football-jones.html
Seattle is cursed. For life.
After reading the headline and waiting for the page to load,
I thought it was referring to Julius, and I was like Wtf?
"I wish the Seahawks were back in the AFCW so we didn’t have to face Willis and Gore twice a year."
by Fearless Frog on Oct 7, 2009 3:50 PM PDT up reply actions
Just reading that story
Depresses me but isn’t surprising.
He has to be done after this season and I think he should have his jersey retired in the Ring of Honor and raise the 12th Man Flag to start our home opener next season.
May Walter forever be a Seahawk.
Seattle is cursed. For life.
Man, that news was depressing.
"I wish the Seahawks were back in the AFCW so we didn’t have to face Willis and Gore twice a year."
by Fearless Frog on Oct 7, 2009 5:35 PM PDT up reply actions
That sucks
I think that’s probably all she wrote.
""I wanted to be a quarterback, but I got hungry."
-LG Rob Sims
Reported in Canadian news?
Dont trust it! I should know, I’m Canadian.
In related news the BC Lions signed Casey Printers.
Yeah I saw it on ESPN's ticker
And frivolously copied and pasted the first link that came after typing in “Walter Jones” in Google.
Seattle is cursed. For life.
They knew about us signing our punter before we did.
"I wish the Seahawks were back in the AFCW so we didn’t have to face Willis and Gore twice a year."
by Fearless Frog on Oct 7, 2009 3:55 PM PDT up reply actions
The Seahawks could be the unofficial dumping ground for Canadians
JP Darche, Jon Ryan, Colin Cole, and Nate Burleson all in the last few years!
Seattle is cursed. For life.
Non Canadian Link
http://www.king5.com/sports/stories/NW_100709SHB-AP-walter-jones-injury-TP.1f387ebf9.html
Basically says the same thing. Out until November and possibly the whole season.
Seattle is cursed. For life.
I'd just like to say JM
You’re at your most hilarious when you’re being a snippy jerk. (well, I don’t think you’re being a jerk, but I can see how others would). I, for one, am happy you’re not a man of the times. It’s refreshing.
We’ve ceded education, health care and quality of life, but television is part of the American psyche.
Um, what???
Also, per PFT it sounds like Walter Jones isn’t recovering so well.
Already been posted twice
Yeah I think that quote is somewhat true and partially sarcastic.
I highly recommend looking at Interactive TV in the United Kingdom versus the “On Demand” bullcrap on Comcast or Verizon FIOS. You’ll be floored.
Seattle is cursed. For life.
I don't see it posted anywhere
But I’m not referring to the TV quality, I’m referring to the first three things we’ve “ceded”. Maybe not a good topic because it’s political, but I’m either completely stupid and missed the joke or completely mystified as to how someone could think European health care and quality of life is better than it is here.
by Brendan Scolari on Oct 7, 2009 4:11 PM PDT up reply actions
Okay the discussion will end there
And I posted two links just a few comments above you.
Thanks for looking out for us anyway….I think.
Seattle is cursed. For life.
Sure
Although I’d appreciate it if we don’t have to have John’s political beliefs thrust upon us. Maybe as a non-Seahawks fan I don’t have the right to request that but I think I speak for everyone when I say we come here to learn and discuss the Seahawks, not to hear someone else’s political beliefs. I know that kind of stuff wouldn’t fly at True Blue LA (where I write).
by Brendan Scolari on Oct 7, 2009 4:18 PM PDT up reply actions
Oh
My bad then. Please try to dumb it down for those of us who aren’t so quick next time. ;-)
by Brendan Scolari on Oct 7, 2009 4:24 PM PDT up reply actions
Eh?
I don’t see anything wrong with it…
by Brendan Scolari on Oct 7, 2009 4:25 PM PDT up reply actions
Look at the bottom
I am using Firefox and reloaded, it looks like a link in the bottom is messing up a lot of the ads. Let me recheck.
Same thing
some messed up code somewhere. Maybe someone pasted from Word without using the Word past function.
I'm using Explorer
maybe that’s why I don’t see anything. But thanks, I’ll let the manager know.
by Brendan Scolari on Oct 7, 2009 4:29 PM PDT up reply actions
Does it really matter?
With the amount of times the Seahawks get into the Red Zone, let alone the endzone, RZ won’t be showing Matt or Seneca. Comcast is giggling behind your back, JM.
Interesting tidbit from the latest Seahawks Draft Blog post
Hasselbeck has now missed as many games as the perennially injured Deion Branch since his trade from New England in 2006 (15).
It’s an awkward sentence, sure, but also an interesting one.
Unlike Branch though he hasn't been good when healthy.
Anybody know how much cap space we could save by cutting Hasselbeck? Think we could trade him for a backup tackle?
Yeah in 2007 he was healthy
In 2008 and 2009 he has not been healthy AND he’s been bad.
Seattle is cursed. For life.
And great in 2005
We can do this all day (or until we get to 2003).
""I wanted to be a quarterback, but I got hungry."
-LG Rob Sims
Maybe healthy is the wrong word
Unlike Branch he has not been good when he’s returned to the field after missing time. Either way, John’s right, I was joking about all the things that get said about Branch’s injuries.
I don't know,
Branch took a while to get going last season, sometimes you’d hardly notice he was on the field.
"I wish the Seahawks were back in the AFCW so we didn’t have to face Willis and Gore twice a year."
by Fearless Frog on Oct 7, 2009 8:17 PM PDT up reply actions
Cutting Hasselbeck is about the worst possible thing Ruskell could do.
No one wants to see Hass cut. He’s the face of the franchise. It would be like the Bears cutting Urlacher. It’s just not gonna happen.
It's Great to be a Florida Gator!
Next year's notable Ex-Seahawks:
Walter Jones, Patrick Kerney, Seneca Wallace
by Wayward Llama on Oct 7, 2009 6:52 PM PDT up reply actions
As with Alexander
we need to start making decisions based on a realistic estimate of a player’s present and future value, not on what he did for us a few years ago.
No clue, but let's wait until we have a viable option before we think about cutting someone.
And even if we draft a QB in the first round next year, I’d still want Hasselbeck around to a) show the rookie the ropes b) start the rookie’s first year c)if the rookie starts, you always have the option to go with Hasselbeck if he struggles.
thou too, Brutus?
“Friends, Seatlites, countrymen, lend me your ears;
I come to bury Hasselbeck, not to praise him.”
How can he show his arm strength if he can’t take a three step drop? Has this injury cleared the silent rift about who should start at Quarterback? Was this latest injury do to his age? Was he to ambitious with the Expedia-Gate.
"Superhero like even"
I thought Fooch did a decent enough job mixing his Redzone plug in:
No elaboration, just stuck it into a visible article and moved on.
"I wish the Seahawks were back in the AFCW so we didn’t have to face Willis and Gore twice a year."
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