FLOWERY BRANCH – Falcons coach Dan Quinn and Indianapolis quarterback Matt Hasselbeck have crossed paths before over their NFL careers. They'll see each other again when the Falcons (6-3) face the Indianapolis Colts (4-5) at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Georgia Dome.
Back in 2009 and 2010 Quinn was Seattle’s assistant head coach/defensive line when Hasselbeck was wrapping up a 10-year stint as the Seahawks’ starting quarterback. He a three-time Pro Bowler and guided the Seahawks to Super Bowl XL where they loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 21-10.
Hasselbeck left Seattle after 2010 and went on to start one more season in 2011 for Tennessee. After 2012, he signed with Indianapolis to serve as the veteran backup behind Andrew Luck, who’ll missed the upcoming game because of a lacerated kidney injury.
“I had a chance to work with Matt and I think the thing that jumps (out), is this guy has football smarts,” Quinn said. “He’s got the ability to anticipate really well. He knows what’s coming and knows where to put it. The fact that he’s doing it for as long as he has, speaks to the competitor in him as well.”
Hasselbeck, who’s 40 and has started 154 NFL games over his career, is 2-0 in relief of Luck this season.
Hasselbeck completed 30 of 47 passes for 282 yards in a 16-13 victory over Jacksonville on Oct. 4. He completed 18 of 28 passes for 213 yards in 27-20 win over Houston On Oct. 8. He has a passer rating of 95 this season.
“Dan Quinn is an awesome coach,” Hasselbeck said. “I spent time with him and have a tremendous amount of respect for him and also the scheme they’re running. They’re probably going to be more concerned with themselves than they are about us.”
Hasselbeck will be playing against the Falcons with a different coordinator. The Colts have since terminated Pep Hamilton and installed Rob Chudzinski as the offensive coordinator.
“I do know that when Pep (Hamilton) and I would talk he would say things to me like, ‘Well, hey if you’re in the game, I may just call,’ what essentially is like kind of the old Joe Montana 49er plays or the old Brett Favre Green Bay plays or maybe some plays that I ran when I was in Seattle,” Hasselbeck said. “Those are things that I would mark as likes on my call sheet for him.”
Hasselbeck, who was drafted by the Packers in 1999 out of Boston College, doesn’t want to make too much off a fuss over his age.
“I remember when I first started in Seattle, I was like, ‘How does Brett Favre do this?’ It’s hard,” Hasselbeck said. “It’s a physical, physical game. It’s a physical position. The guys that are able to do it, I have a ton of respect for. It’s not easy to do at any age.”
With victories over Houston and Tennessee, the Falcons are 2-0 against the AFC South. While they have the Colts this week, they’ll face Jacksonville on Dec. 20 in their final game against the AFC South.
The Falcons are coming off their most disappointing loss of the season, a 17-16 shocker to San Francisco, while the Colts, who are also coming off their bye week, had their biggest win of the season, a 27-24 triumph over Denver in their last outing.
The Falcons have ample respect for Hasselbeck.
“You have to look at what he’s done since he’s played this season,” Falcons safety William Moore said. “He has led them to victories. So, we definitely plan on getting a good match from him.”
The Falcons’ offense should be able to get well against a Colts defense that is ranked in the lower half of the league in the four key categories – total yards (394.2 yards, 28th in the league), scoring defense (25.2 points, 22nd), passing yards (279.3, 28th) and rushing yards (114.9, 22nd).
“We watched some film on them,” Falcons wide receiver Roddy White said. “There was not a lot of man-to-man coverage, I can tell you that. We have to go out there find zones and pick our spots and complete passes. We have to get up to 68-to-70 completion percentage and get Matt (Ryan) rolling again.”
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