INDIANAPOLIS – He looked and spoke like a man who had just been in his own "Round of the Century."
Earlier this week, Chuck Pagano showed his team clips of a 2002 boxing match between Micky Ward and Arturo Gatti. Boxing historians have labeled their epic Round Nine clash as "Round of the Century".
Taking one look at Matt Hasselbeck scratch his way to the final gun on Sunday, and he looked like a battered and bruised fighter.
The tank for Hasselbeck is nowhere near full right now as, for a third straight game, he spent a portion of it on the bench with yet another injury.
"I got nothing left," Hasselbeck said after going 17-of-30 for 147 yards with a touchdown and an interception on Sunday.
After practicing in a limited role last Thursday, Hasselbeck was unsure if he would start some 72 hours later.
When the Colts announced their starters on Sunday afternoon, there was Hasselbeck running out of the tunnel to start his seventh game of 2015.
For Hasselbeck, it's been a trying past three weeks from a physical standpoint.
A jaw injury Sunday added to shoulder, rib and back ailments for the 40-year-old quarterback (Hasselbeck also played through a bacterial infection this season).
"Obviously he's beat up right now," Chuck Pagano said of Hasselbeck after the 16-10 loss.
Playing through wincing pain all afternoon, Hasselbeck had to exit for four plays in the fourth quarter. A hit from Texans linebacker Whitney Mercilus forced Hasselbeck out.
Athletic trainers examined Hasselbeck's jaw before the quarterback was cleared and finished the game.
Following Sunday's loss, Hasselbeck was extremely disappointed with his own play and ultimately the lack of offensive production.
"I probably feel worse than anybody," Hasselbeck said after falling to 4-3 as a starter this year.
Hasselbeck was not talking from a mental standpoint, but he might as well have been pointing to his physical state.
The Colts will once again evaluate Hasselbeck this week and see where he's at before the team hits the practice field on Tuesday (the Colts will move up their normal practice schedule by a day this week because of Christmas).
Andrew Luck's health and kidney will also be examined again. After Sunday's loss, Chuck Pagano didn't have any update on Luck, who returned to practice in a limited role last week.
If it's Hasselbeck, he will rise from his corner stool one more time.
"I'm just going to give them what I got," Hasselbeck says of the upcoming week.
"We'll see how it goes."
