Matt Hasselbeck Fractures Rib
by John Morgan on Sep 21, 2009 10:15 AM PDT
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PrintMatt Hasselbeck rolled out right and made a head-first dive for the end zone. As can be seen above or here, Hasselbeck miscalculated the distance and attempting an end zone plunge, took an elbow to his back and jeopardized the Seahawks season. Adam Schefter is reporting that Hasselbeck has a fractured rib, but that "[d]octors tested him for lung, liver and kidney damage and did not find any". For Hasselbeck's sake, that is heartening.
Hasselbeck is signed through 2010. 2009 is his third consecutive season costing more than $9 million against the cap. I will demonstrate this in a later post, but Hasselbeck has played poorly when injured. 2009 is now his third season in four years that he has missed time with injury. He is nearing the end of his career. It might be overdue.
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Erm?
Hasselbeck has played poorly well when injured
All I heard on the drive in this morning
was a great big rush to defend him. I don’t condemn him, in the slightest. I find it pretty understandable. And a little admirable. That doesn’t mean he should’ve. He shouldn’t’ve. But he did. So, moving on.
late hit?
For those of you who could watch the play in real time, can you tell me why this wasn’t an illigal hit?
It just looks like Matt is clearly down and the play over, but I haven’t seen it at full speed.
Not illegal.
The hit happened a split-second after Hass hit the ground. Willis had already started his tackle motion.
I will smash your face into a jelly.
by Phil Hatzenbuehler on Sep 21, 2009 11:09 AM PDT up reply actions
QB's are only protected on QB slides.
As in feet first slides.
NEEDS MORE FREEDOM!
by Scruffy Lefty on Sep 21, 2009 11:16 AM PDT up reply actions
QBs protected
I understand that Hass wasn’t protected. I just didn’t think it was legal to hit anyone who was already down.
by Hawksince77 on Sep 21, 2009 11:17 AM PDT up reply actions
He wasn't down though.
This isn’t college football.
NEEDS MORE FREEDOM!
by Scruffy Lefty on Sep 21, 2009 11:18 AM PDT up reply actions
And sorry if I seem brash.
But to many Hawks fans are calling it a dirty hit.
NEEDS MORE FREEDOM!
by Scruffy Lefty on Sep 21, 2009 11:22 AM PDT up reply actions
A player isn't down until down by contact
He could crawl in his belly all the way from the one end of the field to another if he wasn’t touched by an opposing player.
This would be awesome.
NEEDS MORE FREEDOM!
by Scruffy Lefty on Sep 21, 2009 1:10 PM PDT up reply actions
That would be a great disguise
but I’d think they’d notice if Colin Cole was slowly moving down the field, dragging his entrails.
by ninjasocks on Sep 21, 2009 2:50 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
I think Knapp's got that one in his playbook as well.
No gif yet, though. I hear they call it the Sea-Crab.
by jacobstevens on Sep 21, 2009 1:19 PM PDT up reply actions
I just saw the play again, Hasselbeck was still sliding when Willis hit him.
It was a clean hit, it sucks that Matt got hurt, but nothing dirty about it.
no way.
hit was totally clean. A great play by Willis to stop the TD and punish Matt.
Very stupid play by Hasselbeck. The ‘trying to make a play – competitor’ defense is silly. It was second down folks.
by michaelfox99 on Sep 21, 2009 11:32 AM PDT up reply actions
Can we hate Willis with extra gusto anyway?
I mean, the Steelers weren’t the real culprits of XL, but we all hate them more than Osama. And its fun to hate something!
Leroy Hill and Rocky Bernard
Did something similar to SF and STL a couple of years ago. Neither Alex Smith nor Marc Bulger have been the same since.
Still has small hands.
NEEDS MORE FREEDOM!
by Scruffy Lefty on Sep 21, 2009 2:57 PM PDT up reply actions
Fine, but that's a different argument
He was unable to play in 2008 because of a lingering injury from the beginning of 2007.
Still smells like cabbage.
It's Great to be a Florida Gator!
09/05
Terminated contracts
S Brian Russell
by Wayward Llama on Sep 21, 2009 6:28 PM PDT up reply actions
I don't hate Willis or the Niners.
Just want to beat them and everyone else.
Don't get me wrong...
I HATE the Stealers (and their idiom fans).
At first I didn't think it was dirty or late...
But after about the seventh time they replayed it, it occured to me Willis wasn’t going for the STOP, because he was aiming for the ground. His only purpose was to hit Matt while he was on the ground. His action would NOT have stopped Matt if he was still running or upright, so I’m now more inclined to think it was a hit designed to punish rather than to stop Matt. And he DID hit him after he was already 1) legally down and 2) laying on the ground.
How was he already legally down?
NEEDS MORE FREEDOM!
by Scruffy Lefty on Sep 21, 2009 1:57 PM PDT up reply actions
And if Matt was still running up right he would of hit him up high.
NEEDS MORE FREEDOM!
by Scruffy Lefty on Sep 21, 2009 1:59 PM PDT up reply actions
Again, I'll have to look again...
but if you’re saying Willis saw him go down, then aimed for him on the ground, then that supports the dirty play theory.
But he could of slid on the ground into the endzone. He had enough momentum after his dive.
Willis did what he needed to do to ensure matts momentum would stop.
NEEDS MORE FREEDOM!
by Scruffy Lefty on Sep 21, 2009 2:44 PM PDT up reply actions
He could have...
but I think he was giving himself up where he landed. I guess someone could ask him about that.
Bottom line is nothing will help us except for Matt to get better. A Fine won’t help, a 2 ft. penalty certainly wouldn’t have helped, and a replay (of what?) would have been pointless.
My cynical side predicts that the NFL will change some rule to protect QBs who go down (but not sliding), and the first time it’s called next year will be at a crucial point against us that costs us a game.
If he was giving himself up he wouldn't be diving for the endzone.
With a full head of steam from the 6 yard line.
NEEDS MORE FREEDOM!
by Scruffy Lefty on Sep 21, 2009 2:54 PM PDT up reply actions
just looking at the picture...
…I have to wonder, what kind of tackle was that supposed to be at the goal line? He’s awfully low, the kind of position you never would take to try and keep someone from scoring. It looks to me like he is targeting Hass who is already on the ground.
It wasn't dirty at all.
Even though Hass is on the ground he wasn’t down yet. NO ONE had touched him. He could’ve crawled in.
NEEDS MORE FREEDOM!
by Scruffy Lefty on Sep 21, 2009 11:18 AM PDT up reply actions
I will say this also.
If it was lofa doing the same thing to another QB most of us would’ve cheered the play. Its just he unfortunate side to this game that he got hurt.
Just look at how McNabb got hurt thats way worse then Hasselbecks.
NEEDS MORE FREEDOM!
by Scruffy Lefty on Sep 21, 2009 11:21 AM PDT up reply actions
He still could have just touched him with his hands. >:(
A Mariners fan in Seattle
by Coach Owens on Sep 21, 2009 11:30 AM PDT up reply actions
I can't expect
anything from a LB to do anything other than attempt to prevent a score, there.
by jacobstevens on Sep 21, 2009 12:34 PM PDT up reply actions
Football players are not known for politely love-tapping one another
Not like Willis could change his momentum in the air once it was obvious Hass wasn’t going in the end zone anyway.
I thought he was down,
but I’ll have to check the DVR to be sure.
Once again this is college.
NEEDS MORE FREEDOM!
by Scruffy Lefty on Sep 21, 2009 1:59 PM PDT up reply actions
I think they take a long time to heal
But a lot of times guys can play through the pain
by michaelfox99 on Sep 21, 2009 11:30 AM PDT up reply actions
Longer then that.
But its a pain tolerance thing.
NEEDS MORE FREEDOM!
by Scruffy Lefty on Sep 21, 2009 11:36 AM PDT up reply actions
Thank God our bye week is somewhat soon
The demise of the Broncos in '09 is our future. Pray hard.
by Nick Andron on Sep 21, 2009 11:41 AM PDT up reply actions
I was there. Matt is crazy
Dude you have a bad back! You can’t do stupid stuff like that and expect to stay healthy. Especially when trying to dive when P Willy is coming after you. Without Matt, you guys are in trouble. Talking to Hawk fans at the game, I kept hearing that you guys should’ve drafted a QB instead of Curry(Not to take away from him cuz hes good). I seem to agree.
"Bar None!" - William Floyd
Hindsight is a great thing
I loved it when we took Curry, and didn’t believe too much in Sanchez (saw a lot of Leinart similarities). If the Jets offered a trade right now I’d bite their hands off for it, but Curry still has the raw tools to be a constant pro-bowler. I think he’ll look a lot better when Lofa, Leroy or both are on the field with him to give a bit of direction
Sanchez had a great second half yesterday
His first half was absolutely horrible. He was 3 of 5 for 15 yards in the first half.
It's hard to have a good half when you're not given the opportunity to throw the ball.
I will smash your face into a jelly.
by Phil Hatzenbuehler on Sep 21, 2009 1:45 PM PDT up reply actions
Saying it was a poor decision is insane to me.
I agree with the his coaches, former players, former QB’s… etc.
It was a football play made by a guy trying to score. That he got hurt is part of the game. He had very little time to make the decision to go for the TD. If part of every decision Matt makes is whether or not he might get hurt… my guess is he spends half the game curled up in a ball after taking a knee.
To say he was wrong to go for the end zone there is Monday Morning QB’ing at it’s worst. He had maybe a second to make that choice and commit to it. We have 7 days to pick apart every decision a guy makes.
If he slides right there he gets a cracked in the sternum or jaw btw.
Guys that don’t have the instinct to try to score on that play are typically guys like you and I writing on a blog and not playing on Sunday.
I saw a Kelly Jennings INT.......really....
No ones saying he should of slid. We're saying he shouldn't of ran.
NEEDS MORE FREEDOM!
by Scruffy Lefty on Sep 21, 2009 1:17 PM PDT up reply actions
Am I the only one cool with the run?
Sure it was a dangerous play, but playing football is dangerous. Staying in the pocket too long is dangerous. Stepping into your throw is dangerous. He though he had a chance at a TD, but missed it by half a second’s worth, and unfortunately got hit in the back. Seems like results-based analysis.
99% of the time, that’s a 3rd and 1 to get a TD.
.5% of the time, Hasselbeck gets hurt.
And .5% of the time it’s a TD. (Numbers probably exaggerated, but I can’t see Hasselbeck getting injured on that play more than 5 out of 100 times).
A TD wouldn't make the injury any better.
Some may be employing results-based analysis, but I’m not. And I’ve reached the same conclusion as they.
It’s not that big a deal. The injury is a bigger deal, but he could have gotten hurt on any given snap, so the correlation as far as retrospection goes is negligible. It’s just the lack of restraint. Not a big deal, but that doesn’t mean I can’t say he should’ve been more prudent. I was worried before he laid himself out. I didn’t know an injury was coming, but I instantly knew it was unwarranted recklessness. Considering all things.
by jacobstevens on Sep 21, 2009 1:35 PM PDT up reply actions
I agree with Manchild if he would of tried to QB slide he would've ended up like Trent Green.
NEEDS MORE FREEDOM!
by Scruffy Lefty on Sep 21, 2009 2:00 PM PDT up reply actions
We don't know that at all
The only thing we can be reasonably sure of is that if Hasselbeck slid, Wills could not legally lay the lumber. He would have most likely pulled up. He had time to.
Even Deion Sanders is saying don't do it during that highlight.
NEEDS MORE FREEDOM!
by Scruffy Lefty on Sep 21, 2009 2:40 PM PDT up reply actions
I'm just saying the way he was leaning forward - It would be hard for him to get into a feet first slide in time.
He started that dive at the 4 yard line.
NEEDS MORE FREEDOM!
by Scruffy Lefty on Sep 21, 2009 2:42 PM PDT up reply actions
Technically it's 'should have'.
But I agree, if he runs at all, 3rd and2 yards to go is still pretty good.
I understand the difficulty of making split second decisions
in an extremely intense context. I understand it’s a bit contrary to the nature of competition to expect that Hasselbeck or coach More or Knapp ought to keep Matt’s health at the forefront of their minds on every play.
That’s why it’s hard to fault him. I’m empathetic and I appreciate his tenacity.
That doesn’t mean it’s the right decision. And, like the subject a short while back about whether we have a right to criticize trades like Branch/Bedard, you’re rather assuming that I didn’t already find the decision questionable even before the play was over; even before he laid himself out.
I cringed. It was second down. We had another shot. Even with a field goal, it was half-time and the game was well within reach. I felt Hasselbeck’s frustration, we didn’t expect it to be so hard to get something going against the 49ers, but we underestimated them.
Just a little restraint, would have been nice. Throw that ball away, live to make another play. The war, not the battle.
by jacobstevens on Sep 21, 2009 1:30 PM PDT up reply actions
There is no instinct to score
Hasselbeck’s decision to scramble and not slide must be evaluated like any other decision he makes. Throwing into double cover is a split second decision, and it’s a mistake whatever the outcome. Scrambling for the touchdown was a split second decision, and it was a mistake exacerbated by Hasselbeck choosing not to slide.
Sorry word freak :)
Instinct wasn’t the correct word. How about we replace it with desire? I understand that it is probably more nurture vs nature that causes decisions on the football field but that doesn’t discount the fact pro-football players became pro-ball players because something sets them apart from the millions of guys that would love to take their place.
The not-running for the end-zone argument is shaky at best given what I have heard from everyone who has actually played or coached professional football.
The sliding argument seems pointless because sliding or diving at the point were both going to lead to a big hit that wouldn’t have drawn a penalty and wouldn’t have reduced the risk for injury.
I saw a Kelly Jennings INT.......really....
by The Manchild on Sep 21, 2009 2:03 PM PDT up reply actions
I just think you are glorifying a bad decision as a brave decision
Or an instinct, ie not a decision at all. What separates Matt from the rest of us is amazing athleticism, a strong throwing arm, chance, luck and hard work. I am sure it is not scrambling to the end zone.
Also, this argument that Hasselbeck was just as likely to be injured if he slides does not make sense to me. If he slides, Willis would attempt to avoid him to avoid the personal foul. Hasselbeck put himself into a position to get hit and ignored a basic NFL rule that is designed to protect him.
That play reminded me of Any Given Sunday in the Playoff game.
I cringed the first time I saw the movie to. May seem smart in the short term, but the long term impacts are a lot worse than 1 touchdown is important.
Yep..time to take him out back and shoot him.
Matt is the leader of this team. True leaders do so by example. How could he ask a teammate to take a shot for the team if he wasn’t willing to do so himself? He’s doing everything in his power to win football games, that’s what he gets paid for. That’s what he lives for. He is a leader in every sense of the word.
I applaud him for the effort and will NEVER disparage someone for giving it 110%. It sucks he got hurt, but these kinds of plays that make winners. These are the kinds of plays that win games. Willingness to sacrifice your body for the better of the team.
How about rallying behind the guy and wish him a speedy recovery rather than put him out to pasture before you even know how serious the injury really is?
I bet he’ll be back, ready to make another run for the endzone.
Everyone here wants Hasselbeck back and healthy, that's why were so frustraded about this.
I also don’t think anyone is getting on Matt for lack of effort.
Lofa is the leader of the defense and took himself out of the game.
Because he knew that a 80% lofa wasn’t as good as a 100% Hawthorne.
Matt gave a hell of a effort but had a serious lack of judgement that could cost this team this season.
NEEDS MORE FREEDOM!
by Scruffy Lefty on Sep 21, 2009 3:03 PM PDT up reply actions
And he also realized that by playing further he could cause a larger injury to that hamstring
which would be bad.
Eh.. 80% Lofa may be better than Hawthorne, for one game anyways.
But I think Lofa was just worried about future games and aggravating his injury.
I agree with Mr. K M Smith
He was trying to make a play to win a game.
John and a few others make a strong case that it was a bad idea.
He tried as hard as he could to score a big TD. He failed. He got hit in such a way that all the force was absorbed by him because the ground just pushes back. The safest thing to do would probably been to stay on his feet or go airborne so the energy from the impact could have been dispersed a little bit with him flying into the crowd.
Natural born leaders (not nurture this time) try to make plays. Sometimes it really is just that simple. I know the tendency for us in the blog world to break down every play until our eyes bug out but sometimes…. bad shit happens and it doesn’t require a fall guy.
I saw a Kelly Jennings INT.......really....
by The Manchild on Sep 21, 2009 6:27 PM PDT up reply actions
"Leaders" should also realize that them being injured is a massive detriment to the team as a whole.
It’s imperative that they know when to reign it in. Matt was coming off a serious back injury and still had downs to work with in that situation. His process was bad and the result was predictably bad.
Being a leader doesn’t mean you’re obligated to throw caution to the wind and do something stupid.
I think there might be two equally correct point of views here
Hasselbeck’s decision not to slide was awful and he should have known better.
I appreciate the hell out of Hasselbeck wanting to win so badly.
I really don’t think these are mutually exclusive. Hasselbeck is a leader, he’s a fierce competitor and those are two parts of what makes him the best QB the Hawks have ever had. But like John said above the decision to put his body on the line like that is no different than the decision he made to throw into double coverage on the first possesion of the Rams game. Both were made out of a desire to make a big play and win, both were retarded.
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