Though the goal for any team is to win the Super Bowl and hoist the Lombardi Trophy, the Seattle Seahawks were playing for individual hardware too in Super Bowl XL against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Perhaps that’s one reason why the league’s No. 1 offense went belly-up against the Steelers, scoring a season-low 10 points in a loss. Discussing the game plan, QB Matt Hasselbeck revealed he was force feeding WR Darrell Jackson the ball to pad his stats.
“I completed the first five passes of the game to Darrell Jackson,” Hasselbeck said Thursday on The Herd with Colin Cowherd. “He was our wide receiver on the same side as the tight end. I only did that because I was trying to get D-Jack the MVP of the game.
“I had made a deal with him earlier in the year he was coming back from an injury. He was like, ‘Hey man, I’m trying to come back for the Super Bowl. I want to be Super Bowl MVP.’ He made it back before that. I go, ‘D-Jack, I’ll make it my mission to help you get the MVP.’ I just wanna start him out, get him going. That was important to me.”
Sure, enough that’s what Matt Hasselbeck did. His first five attempts all went to Darrell Jackson, who missed most of the regular season with a knee injury. He returned in Week 15 and was part of Seattle’s playoff run, catching touchdown passes in each of the Seahawks’ two playoff wins. Getting him the ball was smart, but Hasselbeck went the extra mile against the Steelers.
Because we’re thorough, here’s each of his attempts to kick off the game.
In fairness, they were largely successful plays that moved the sticks. Seattle took advantage of soft coverage by top corner Ike Taylor to work the sidelines. But for a Super Bowl, it’s strange to see the team focus so much on stats. Jackson would go on to tie the Super Bowl record with five first-quarter catches. He would’ve had six had a penalty not negated a touchdown.
Pittsburgh quickly caught on and adjusted.
“Dick LeBeau, he probably thought, ‘Oh shoot, they see a weakness,'” Hasselbeck said. “He clouded that side the whole time. Screwed up my own game plan, really. And so we had to put in plays on the fly to counteract that.”
“Clouding” meaning, rolling up a corner to prevent those quick throws. After his five-reception first quarter, Jackson didn’t catch a pass the rest of the game. Hasselbeck still peppered him with 12 total targets, including a pass picked off by CB Ike Taylor. Though the Seahawks made adjustments, their focus on Jackson ultimately hurt them.
With the Steelers focusing on team, they won the game. Their defense held Seattle in check and the offense made big plays when needed. A long third-down completion from QB Ben Roethlisberger to WR Hines Ward setting up Roethlisberger’s 1-yard TD dive. WR Antwaan Randle-El’s touchdown pass to Ward and RB Willie Parker’s 75-yard scoot to start the second half.
It’s one of several curious comments to come from Seattle’s side about that Super Bowl. Last year, RB Shaun Alexander said the Seahawks would’ve won the game “99 times out of 100,” drawing sharp rebuke from Steelers fans.
Ultimately, a wide receiver was named Super Bowl MVP. But it went to Ward, not Jackson. Poetic in a sense that Ward, a selfless player, got the glory instead of the other side that was trying to make it happen.
