Earl Thomas out 6-8 Months

[NorthHawk]

He's getting surgery soon and the expected recovery time is 6-8 months.
We might not see him until late Sept at this point.

With half the LOB gone for the first part of the season, I suspect they will be looking at DBs a lot more in the draft or FA.
Even though it might not help us early this year, a good pick in the secondary will help us down the road.

[Uppercut]

The Offense may have to step it up a notch and be prepared to score 28 - 35 pts per game for awhile.

[burrrton]

Season doesn't start until September, so that should be close to enough time for full recovery.

However: sh*t. Get well, ET. I want to be celebrating "Two in Last Three Years" next February.

[NorthHawk]

6-8 months takes us to the end of August with the very best outcome. At worst, it's the end of October or later if an infection occurs.
Although he will want to get back in right away, it might not be the best thing to do for his longer term health, so I suspect he will miss at least a few games.

[Hawk Sista]

Hope he heals quickly and correctly - with the latter being more important. Still, why not have that surgery three weeks ago??

[RiverDog]

He's getting surgery soon and the expected recovery time is 6-8 months.
We might not see him until late Sept at this point.

With half the LOB gone for the first part of the season, I suspect they will be looking at DBs a lot more in the draft or FA.
Even though it might not help us early this year, a good pick in the secondary will help us down the road.

I think we were already looking for DB's in the draft.

The good news is that Earl should have no problem maintaining his conditioning like he would if this were a leg injury.

[mykc14]

This is a blow, but I don't think it is earth shattering news as there has been a good chance of this since the SB. I think maybe he waited to see if it could heal on its own, without surgery. Here's to a speedy recovery. If he were to miss any games they would be the first of his career. We might have to weather the storm to begin the year with at least a few key guys out. Hopefully the rest of our offseason and training camp don't offer any more injuries.

[c_hawkbob]

Hope he heals quickly and correctly - with the latter being more important. Still, why not have that surgery three weeks ago??

It sounds odd but often you have to let an injury "heal" enough for surgery, or enough for the proper diagnosis of requiring surgery to be made. Particularly if there is a lot of swelling or an infection involved.

[Anthony]

The Offense may have to step it up a notch and be prepared to score 28 - 35 pts per game for awhile.

Yeay there are a few problems there

1. Wr
2.Oline
3. BEVEL

[Hawk Sista]

"It sounds odd but often you have to let an injury "heal" enough for surgery, or enough for the proper diagnosis of requiring surgery to be made. Particularly if there is a lot of swelling or an infection involved." C-Bob

That's right, Bob. Cooler heads prevail - I saw the timeline and went into orbit as the strength of our D is indeed in the infirmary. While injuries can be temporary, they can also represent a slow and steady decline. Our secondary plays so aggressively that their career length may suffer a bit. Operative word there is MAY. Kam played injured a lot last year and we all know the story of the super bowl. Earl, Richard, Jeremy and Kam were either out or could/should have been. Secondary health really changed the complexion of the game, IMHO, and points to the fragility of this winning thing we want to do forever.

[c_hawkbob]

That's right, Bob. Cooler heads prevail - I saw the timeline and went into orbit as the strength of our D is indeed in the infirmary. While injuries can be temporary, they can also represent a slow and steady decline. Our secondary plays so aggressively that their career length may suffer a bit. Operative word there is MAY. Kam played injured a lot last year and we all know the story of the super bowl. Earl, Richard, Jeremy and Kam were either out or could/should have been. Secondary health really changed the complexion of the game, IMHO, and points to the fragility of this winning thing we want to do forever.

Absolutely correct! The single most fragile (and random), element to our winning formula (not just ours obviously but ours in particular due to our defensive style) is health. I wish there were more we could do to impact it's effect, but the truth is healthy teams win! It's why luck is a real and undeniable factor in winning.

[Hawk Sista]

Right! We had the depth to address the injuries we faced last year AND we were lucky at the same time. This year, we were much less fortunate AND had weaker depth (overall, anyway....see Thurmond vs. Simon for example). Still, we had enough juice to make it to the big dance and were only inches away.

My fear heading into next year (or is it this year?) is that the Lynch/RW deals (and others) will handcuff us from nabbing FA veteran depth including our very own Maxi. I'm not being doom and gloom here; I have many reasons to believe that we will be a winning team for several years - we all believe we will, at minimum, be in the hunt. W/ injuries mounting, however, we are but a few ACLs away from mediocrity. I realize this is the case with all teams - it just feels like our guys and their aggressive style (which we all LOVE and appreciate) are starting to get dinged up more and more. We barely made it to February this year. IMHO, it makes the 18 week season sound even more asinine than it did when I first heard the idea and thought it was asinine.

[c_hawkbob]

Oh there's no doubt that having to pay our assets what they're worth is going to cost us depth, that's a mathematical certainty ... then we'll be merely the best team in the league when we're healthy

[NorthHawk]

They've played a lot of football the last couple of years.
38 games that count in the last 2 years alone and lots of very competitive practices.
That's a lot for a body to absorb so it's no wonder there are some health concerns in the Secondary.

[savvyman]

Sherman, Thomas and Chancellor should have all been sitting out the Superbowl with their injuries - But since it was the biggest game of the year - well you know....

I knew something was wrong with all three in the first quarter.

Patriots were fortunate that the Legion of Boom was so injured they were unable to lay the Boom on this fateful day. Then throw in Losing Lane - and still this team was in a position to win it all. What a team.

[Hawk Sista]

All good points. I think missing the preseason training has more of an impact on a newbie (Paul Richardson) then it will on a guy like Earl, but it is never ideal. The thing that worries me about the type of injury Earl has is that once you are prone to dislocation and/or subluxation, you are prone forever. THAT SUCKS, particularly (as I've said and you have all reiterated) with the style of play he has.

With Lane's injuries (compound fracture + a torn ACL on ONE damned play - both requiring major surgeries and he is projected to miss the start of the season), significant injuries to all other LOB members except Maxwell (who is almost assuredly gone) and Simon (whose play is not at the level we are used to seeing) - I'm really starting to think we go corner in the first if there is one who remotely fits the bill at 31. I know we have had success in later rounds with the secondary (all but Earl were 5 - 7 rounders), but I'm flat out worried. We would have dominated the SB with a healthy secondary and never been in a position to lose on O... we must fortify the troops. While the thought of a beefy lineman or a playmaking WR/TE WAS my preference, I'm beginning to see that our LOB needs help and needs help fast.

[NorthHawk]

I'm prepared for Schneider to trade out of the first round, but they might still be able to get Jalen Collins from LSU depending on how far down they trade.
Collins is 6-1 203 with a 36" vertical and a 4.48 40 as measured at the Combine. According to Rob Rang, the buzz about him is his length and fluidity.
That seems like the type of player we look for at CB.

He's also a Kick and Punt returner, so that would help upgrading those areas as well.

[Hawktawk]

I had that surgery Dec 12th of 2013. It is without a doubt the most painful thing Ive ever experienced. Recovery took 8 months to be somewhat normal and it still isn't 100%granted I'm an old dude. I couldn't imagine unloading on receivers and coming up in run support.At least ET is a young fit elite athlete but this one has this fan worried.

[NorthHawk]

It certainly is worrying, but the Seahawks (and other professional sports teams) have the best physiotherapists and injury recovery experts around.
Most of us don't have that same type of access to have those experts monitor progress and ensure things are progressing properly as well as correct any problems at an early stage.

Maybe he will have to wear some type of brace for the rest of his career, or maybe he will be 100% when he returns. Time will tell.