The bald truth

DETROIT — Along with the entire Pacific Northwest and an area of Massachusetts where he attended high school and college, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck will have another group rooting for him Sunday in Super Bowl XL.

The bald set.

“A good, clean head is going to make headway on Sunday,” said John T. Capps III, who 33 years ago founded Bald-Headed Men of America. “I like the way he’s bald and proud of himself and sets an example by not hiding it.”

Hasselbeck, 30, doesn’t hang on to some “scraps” as Elaine told George on an episode of “Seinfeld.” And the quarterback is gaining fans like Capps as the Seahawks prepare to face the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“He’s just like the rest of us — we’re proud of every hair we don’t have,” Capps said yesterday from his home in Morehead City, N.C.

Hasselbeck is proud of his perseverance on the road to the Super Bowl, one ridden with potholes that had some thinking his time as a starter in Seattle was over three years ago.

• Then: Benched in favor of journeyman Trent Dilfer one game into the 2002 season.

• Now: Hasselbeck enters the Super Bowl with 13 touchdowns and one interception in his last seven games.

• Then: He gained infamy before overtime of the Seahawks’ playoff game in 2004 at Green Bay when he said, “We want the ball, and we’re going to score.” Moments later, Al Harris returned a Hasselbeck interception for a touchdown. He also clashed with coach Mike Holmgren about the depth of the young player’s offensive knowledge.

Hasselbeck now has Holmgren’s and his team’s full trust. He’s a player who still is a quote machine but also a teammate who knows how to lead his team down the field and make huge plays on third down.

“He certainly had a great season, and I think he’s the perfect fit for what we ask the quarterback to do,” Holmgren said. “It takes just a little time to feel comfortable in the offense, and now he’s at the point where I think he feels very comfortable. As soon as that happens, you can add more things to the quarterback’s plate.

“When I got to San Francisco [in 1986 as the quarterbacks coach], Joe Montana was the master of it already. When I got to Green Bay [in 1992 as the head coach], Brett [Favre] had to learn that, and he learned it to the point where you could do anything your imagination could conjure up.”

Unlike Pittsburgh second-year quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, Hasselbeck has endured plenty of lows in football. At Boston College, the Eagles went 20-26-1 during his four years, and he ended his two starting seasons with 22 touchdowns and 26 interceptions.

Those unflattering numbers made him a sixth-round draft choice in 1998. Hasselbeck languished on the Green Bay practice squad as a rookie and attempted 29 passes the next two seasons.

Still, Holmgren traded for Hasselbeck and handed him the keys. Insanity later ensued. Hasselbeck was 10-12 as a starter in 2001-02.

“That first year was a tough one for me,” he said. “I think all quarterbacks go through a tough year or two.”

Holmgren, though, was undeterred because he liked Hasselbeck’s physical tools, decision-making under duress and ability to play well while injured. When Dilfer ruptured his Achilles tendon in Game 7 of the 2002 season, Hasselback got his second chance.

“I could have either gone in the tank or be ready the next time I got an opportunity,” he said. “I had to prepare myself and improve to a level where I could be a good quarterback by the time I got my next shot. I was a little more ready the second time around.”

Said Holmgren: “I’ve always said it takes three years. Three to get where they know where to go, to feel comfortable where to go. Then, years four and five, they polish their trade and really become very good.”

In Seattle’s system, Hasselbeck had 48 touchdowns, 34 interceptions and a 20-20 record in years one to three; he has 51 touchdowns, 25 interceptions and a 22-11 record in years four and five.

“He sets the standard really high, especially at the quarterback position, and he isn’t going to settle for anything less,” Hasselbeck said of Holmgren. “Bottom line is he just wants you to do things his way, and if you do that, things will work out and he’ll be happy and you won’t have that friction as long as things are going well.”

The scary part for the NFC: Holmgren sees Hasselbeck’s performance this season as only the start of something great.

“I think Matt’s best years are still ahead of him,” he said. “He should be good for a while and keep getting better because of his experience.”

As Hasselbeck has grown in stature, he has become a fan favorite in Seattle and points beyond for his play, his sound bites and, of course, his bald dome.

Capps, who says his membership of 20,000 “keeps growing because of a lack of growth,” has a speaking engagement this spring in Washington state. He will be glad to make Hasselbeck a celebrity member.

“There’s always room for one more,” Capps said. “Several folks from up his way have called me, and they told me not to forget to invite their good, bald-headed quarterback to attend.”