The start of overtime in the NFC Wild Card game on Jan. 4, 2004, provided one of the biggest and most comical foot-in-mouth moments in recent sports history.
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck was one of the team's representatives who went out to midfield for an overtime coin toss. After the referees informed the team representatives from the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks that Seattle had won the toss, they asked Seattle's captains what they would choose to do; kick the ball or receive it.
"We want the ball and we're gonna score!" replied Hasselbeck enthusiastically.
On their second drive after both teams failed to score, though, Hasselbeck was intercepted by Packers cornerback Al Harris, who then proceeded to return the pick 52 yards for a touchdown, his arm pointing toward the end zone the whole way. An emphatic "game over": Packers 33, Seahawks 27.
Every time I mention this play or even think about it, I can't help but smile a little bit. Hasselbeck's seemingly overconfident attitude one second turning into his humility the next has always reminded me to be a little more humble in my own promises.
I don't have anything against the Seahawks franchise or Hasselbeck at all, but any time an athlete in any sport gets what's rightly coming to him, unless its a player on one of "my teams," it is always a memorable and hilarious moment.
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