Hasselbeck Has MRI

According to KJR-AM 950 in Seattle, Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck has undergone an MRI on his injured right knee this morning. The results of the MRI are expected to be announced during Mike Holmgren's press conference at 2:15pm (PDT).

On former NFL quarterback Hugh Millen's regular Monday morning segment on KJR, I found the glimmer of hope I had been searching for. According to Millen, this injury appears to be a "grade 2" sprain of the MCL. The recovery time is anywhere from 1-3 weeks. Millen suffered a similar injury in his playing career, and missed one game. It should be noted that Hugh Millen is not a doctor, nor does he play one on TV or radio. The fate of the Seahawks season still rides on the results from the MRI.

In 2005, Matt Hasselbeck was sacked just 24 times all season long. This year, in just 5.5 games, Hasselbeck has been dropped 19 times. The problem isn't limited to the loss of Steve Hutchinson. It's true that his replacements, Floyd Womack and Chris Spencer, haven't played very well. To be blunt, they've stunk.

Womack and Spencer are just part of the problem. Center Robbie Tobeck, right guard Chris Gray and fullback Mack Strong are over 35, and the evidence that their better days are behind them can be seen by Shaun Alexander's broken left foot and Matt Hasselbeck's sprained right knee. If that's not enough evidence, take a look at the 3.5 yards per carry average from 2006.

Aside from Walter Jones (who isn't as dominant as he's been in recent years) and Sean Locklear, the blocking on this team simply hasn't been good enough to get back to where they were a year ago, even if Shaun Alexander and Matt Hasselbeck are playing in December (and beyond).