There is an old saying - It doesn't matter how many times you get knocked down. It only matters how many times you get back up.

I will remember this weekend for a long time to come. This memory will sit in my memory bank for the next several months. It was a challenging weekend.

The human body is wonderful machine. It is a powerful machine. It is a machine that can break down in an instant.

My weekend was chugging along just fine. I completed several projects around the house on Saturday. I was excited to work out at football practice on Sunday. Football practice was going well. We ran routes. I was catching the ball well. We learned new plays. More and more of the offense is falling into place. We worked on special team assignments. We practiced kick off coverage. We then went into a 7 on 7 scrimmage. The 7 on 7 scrimmage was ok. The defense was doing a pretty good job of shutting down the offense. Coach called my number. He wanted me to be the primary receiver on a deep pass. We were going to try to exploit the defense. About half way through the play, I turn the corner and sprint up field. I turned the corner. I got a good step on the defensive back. I was open. The quarterback released the ball. It was coming on a beautiful path. SNAP. Then it all changed.

Something in my leg popped. My leg went numb. I tried to finish the route. I tried to catch the ball. I could not get to the pass. The ball was 2 steps ahead of me by this point. I slowed to a stop. I knew something was wrong. I knew it was bad.

I walked back to the scrimmage. I knew I couldn't run any more. I was done for the day.

Moments later practiced was over. I hobbled to my car and tried to drive home. I could no longer extend my right leg. I had to drive home with my left foot operating the pedals. My right leg was twitching. It hurt. It really really hurt.

Eventually, I made it home. My wife, who has a Master's degree in Physical Therapy, evaluated the damage.

I have torn my (left) hamstring before. I know what that pain feels like. I tore my hamstring while in college. I was in weight room doing my first set of 'hang cleans' when I felt a "pop". It hurt. I was unable to sleep for a couple of days because of the throbbing pain. In the course of about a week, a purple bruise formed on the back of my leg. The deep purple bruise ran from the bottom of my calf muscle straight up to my butt. It was a severe tear. Had the tear been much worse, it would have been considered a 'rupture' and I would have required surgery.

The pain I experienced yesterday was not much different than the pain I felt 5 years ago in that weight room. I know my (right) hamstring is torn. I know it is really badly torn. I believe it is more severe than my previous (left) hamstring tear.

My wife surveyed the damage. I can contract my hamstring. That is a good sign. However, when I contract my hamstring, a large 'ball' emerges behind my knee. It appears that I ripped my (tendon) hamstring / muscle from the bone. The muscle ripped away from the bone and rolled down my leg. So when I contract the muscle, it rolls into a ball at the bottom of my leg.