Matt's Knee: Let the Medical Layperson's Speculation Begin

Why do I feel we've had this discussion before, Yogi Berra?

	Matt leads the entire Pacific Northwest in a group prayer. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

"Matt Hasselbeck" and "sprained knee" are our Google News Alert search strings for Monday. Sando poses the scenario with his usual due speed. He hypothesizes that Matt's medial-collateral ligament, or MCL for us brevity fans, was the most likely spot of the sprain considering where he was hit.

Sando also suggests that Hasselbeck's departure from the field after the injury might be a sign of -- well, "hope" feels like the wrong word here, but whatever you want to call it, go ahead. From where I was sitting, although Hasselbeck sort of drifted off the field with the help of Seahawks assistants, it seemed like he might have been able to put a little pressure on his gimpy leg for stability. Sando saw something similar.

Given our observations, that seems to suggest -- somewhat -- that Hasselbeck's season isn't over. But we may be talking an absence of a couple games here. These guidelines on knee injuries are also helpful to review.

More as I develop a stomach for it.

Update [2006-10-23 3:4:2 by Shrug]: And the first tricklings of armchair diagnoses begin: Yahoo Sports quotes "league officials" as saying Matt's absence from the field looks to be "a couple of weeks." The definition of "a couple" has, of course, expanded in recent years to mean "anywhere from 10 days to 6 weeks."