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          NFL Nation

          Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck tweets his farewell to the Colts

          INDIANAPOLIS -- Matt Hasselbeck went to Twitter on Monday to thank the Indianapolis Colts for his three seasons with the franchise. The Colts have decided not to re-sign the 40-year-old quarterback.

          Hasselbeck spent his first two seasons with the Colts having one of the best jobs in the NFL. He backed up quarterback Andrew Luck. Hasselbeck's playing time was limited to when Luck was taken out of games because the outcome was already determined or they played a game that didn't impact on them in the standings.

          That changed for Hasselbeck during the 2015 season.

          Luck was injured for more than half the season and Hasselbeck become one of the best stories in the league when he led the Colts to a 5-3 record and he did his best to keep them in the AFC South race before his body couldn't take it anymore.

          It wasn't an easy season for Hasselbeck.

          • He played through a viral infection in his first start of the season, a 16-13 overtime victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 4.

          • A viral infection from a chicken burrito caused Hasselbeck to spend part of the following week getting intravenous fluids. He wasn't sure he would play in the team's Week 5 game at Houston. Hasselbeck, not only played, he led them to a 27-20 victory despite being sick. He was 18-of-29 for 213 yards and two touchdowns. He said after the game that he had “lots of stuff coming out of the attic, then a lot of stuff coming out of the basement” while battling the sickness.

          • A jaw injury suffered against Houston in Week 15 caused Hasselbeck to go on a liquid diet. “I've had those conversations with the doctors and they said, ‘Hey if you really think you can handle it, you're not going to make it worse. You're not going to die on us.' I think they said that once,” Hasselbeck said back in December.

          • Hasselbeck's season came to an end when he suffered a shoulder injury against the Miami Dolphins in Week 16. He finished his 17th season throwing for 1,690 yards and nine touchdowns.

          As I wrote Sunday, the Colts are making the right decision in going with Josh Freeman as Luck's backup next season.

          Several Colts showed their appreciation for Hasselbeck via Twitter on Monday.