Hasselbeck On Mentoring Andrew Luck: 'Just Trying To Teach Him All The Things I Learned As Zolak's Ball Boy'
BOSTON (CBS) - Norfolk native and Colts backup quarterback Matt Hasselbeck joined the show Thursday to preview Saturday's AFC Divisional Round game at Gillette Stadium, as well as his mentorship of Andrew Luck and how it compares to his time spent as New England Patriots' ball boy in his earlier years.
Zolak kicked off the interview with his old friend asking about the recently-signed Deion Branch, and whether or not the former Patriots wide receiver is giving away all the Foxboro state secrets to the Colts.
Belichick On Branch: 'Deion Had A Great Career Here'
Matt joked that he still doesn't know which side Deion is on, and added that Branch has been "a great addition to our locker room" - no surprise there.
It's well documented the ups and downs of the Indianapolis Colts this season. They've beaten all the best teams: Seattle, San Francisco, Denver and Kansas City (twice) - but the young team has also stumbled at times and lost games to lesser teams.
So Matt Hasselbeck . . . who is this Colts team?
"We're a young team with a few older players that's getting better along the way. We won eleven games last year, eleven games this year and we just won our first playoff game in the Andrew Luck era. I think we're just improving as we go, and we've been able to win some games in the process," the 15-year NFL veteran said on Thursday.
READ: Michael Felger Inducts Andrew Luck Into Pro Football Hall Of Fame
Matt Hasselbeck was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in 1998 and served as Brett Favre's backup for a time.
Favre went on to have a Hall of Fame Career, and while he was considered somewhat of a "wild horse" the way he improvised in the pocket, Luck is a bit more cerebral and polished.
Zo wants to know from Hasselbeck: what do you see in Luck, and how has it been mentoring him?
"Andrew makes plays when plays need to be made," said Hasselbeck. "He's always doing something special and he's just a hard worker and tremendous athlete. He's earned the respect of everybody in the locker room at a young age - obviously he had some big shoes to fill [in replacing Peyton Manning]."
"I just try to teach him all those things I learned when I was a ball boy for the Patriots, learning from Zolak and all those guys," joked Hasselbeck.
Listen below: