Horrific Matt Hasselbeck Injury Not Too Serious

Matt Hasselbeck dove toward the end zone during Sunday's game at San Francisco. As he did, 6-1, 240 lb., 24-year-old San Francisco linebacker Patrick Willis charged into his back.

Like Matt Hasselbeck, I am in my early 30s, and I will tell you what would happen if a 6-1, 240 lb. 24-year-old charged into me. I would start to be a little more discerning in my dating choices. Ha! No, seriously, I would lie on the ground until the sun absorbed the earth.

Hasselbeck sent this photo via Twitter

Hasselbeck, who is a football player and a Republican, not a writer and Obama supporter like me, actually stood up. He put his hands to his head, signaling that he was coming out of the game. Then he motioned more frantically with his hands that his replacement should arrive. Then, he collapsed into the arms of Seahawks trainers. It was terrifying.

The Hawks' QB didn't play the rest of the game, but afterwards sent a halfway reassuring Tweet to fans. "Going to be alright," it read, and was accompanied by the photo at right. I suppose in the world of professional football, where paralysis is an imminent risk, being strapped to a hospital gurney with a few fingers raised isn't so bad. For those of us with white collar jobs, it would be a little scary.

Yesterday, Seahawks coach Jim Mora announced that Hasselbeck's injury is no more than a fractured rib. Not great news, but better than it could've been--Hasselbeck missed most of last year with a back injury, the immediate fear was that he'd reinjured it.

Hasselbeck isn't expected to play on Sunday against Chicago, but neither he nor Mora will rule that possibility out. The Seahawks' backup quarterback is speedy Seneca Wallace, who was 3-5 as a starter last season. The Bears once again have one of the league's better defenses; the Seahawks will need one of their best offensive games to win.