While teammates were quick to praise the 40-year-old Matt Hasselbeck’s guts after last night’s win over the Texans, the reality is he didn’t have many left.
Wracked by a bacterial infection, Hasselbeck spent most of his week either in a hospital or on a toilet, making the fact he could relieve an injured Andrew Luck last night amazing.
“Lots of stuff coming out of the attic, then a lot of stuff coming out the basement,” Hasselbeck described it, via Zac Keefer of the Indianapolis Star.
More impressive than his passing stats were his IV numbers, five straight days of them with two bags of fluid yesterday before the game. He was so sick he couldn’t even talk to at the team meeting the night before the game.
“He didn’t look good, man,” offensive lineman Joe Reitz said. “He was sitting there like a zombie.”
“Looked like warmed-over death,” added Adam Vinatieri.
But he spent the day saving every bit of energy he could, and then used it all to beat the Texans, going 18-of-29 for 231 yards and two touchdowns.
“I really had nothing this morning,” Hasselbeck said. “I honestly feel like this isn’t even real now.”
The good news is, the Colts now have a 10-day break, and Hasselbeck apparently is going to need each of them.