After helping the Tennessee Titans avoid complete failure the last couple of seasons, 37 year old NFL quarterback Matt Hasselbeck–he of the “We want the ball and we’re gonna score” fame–has moved on to the (still lucrative) land of backing up the young studs who have taken the reigns. Such is the case of the Indianapolis Colts and Andrew Luck, who will be entering his second season in the NFL, and all eyes will be watching to see how the potential franchise quarterback progresses. While the up-and-comer did help his team to an 11-5 record, he has not been getting the same amount of “love” as other first year quarterbacks he shared the limelight with, namely, Robert Griffin III and Russell Wilson.

Granted, most of the off season chatter has focused solely on RG3, his knee and his Bed, Bath, and Beyond registry, but the point remains, the hype surrounding Luck has been somewhat quiet this summer. This is where Hasselbeck comes into play. After being around the second-year player during the Colts’ OTAs (organized team activities), Hasselbeck has been very impressed and sees big things for the young starter he will be backing up:

“I knew he was a great player,” Hasselbeck said Wednesday after the Indianapolis Colts’ latest organized team activity at their Northwestside complex. “I obviously saw him play in college and also last year.

“But I really didn’t know what kind of leader he was in the locker room. It just comes real natural to him. He’s got a great sense of when to pull somebody aside, how to deal with coaches, just how he treats everyone around him.

“He’s been off-the-charts impressive that way.”

That’s high praise from a quarterback who has actually started–and some would robbed–in a Super Bowl. Granted, it’s not like the elder quarterback would openly bad-mouth the new face of the franchise, but Hasselbeck’s words follow a pattern of those who have spent time with Luck. It helps when you’re dealing with a player who has the amount of talent Peyton Manning’s replacement has: