The Seattle Seahawks’ success over the last three seasons has been predicated by their defense, the heart and soul of which is the vaunted Legion of Boom secondary. Heading into the Super Bowl, it was widely known that some members of the secondary were coming in a bit hobbled. Now, four days later, we’re finding out that “hobbled” is putting it kindly.
We knew that Richard Sherman had suffered an elbow injury in the NFC Championship Game, after he got caught between his own teammate (Earl Thomas) and a Green Bay Packer. Sherman played the rest of the game using only his right hand, and was officially diagnosed with a sprained elbow. Turns out that wasn’t the case, as Sherman may actually need Tommy John surgery to repair his ulnar collateral ligament (UCL). Sherman still played the entire Super Bowl, still tackling with his injured arm.
Two days before the Super Bowl, reports came out that safety Kam Chancellor had suffered a bone bruise, but was cleared to play. Kam definitely had a bone bruise, but he also had a torn MCL to go along with it. Then, there’s Earl Thomas, who suffered a separated shoulder against Green Bay and even went back to the locker room before finishing the game. He played through the Super Bowl with a far worse injury as well: a torn labrum. He underwent surgery today and will be sidelined for 6-8 months.
Seahawks S Earl Thomas undergoing surgery for fully torn labrum he played with in SB and NFC Champ game, per source. Will be 100% by camp.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 5, 2015
Of course, we already know about the injuries suffered during the game. First, there was cornerback Jeremy Lane, who intercepted Tom Brady in the first quarter and was injured (in rather gruesome fashion) on the return. His day was over early with two compound fractures in his wrist. Meanwhile, the Seahawks’ pass rush was already at a disadvantage, even if they were already used to playing without Brandon Mebane and Jordan Hill. That meant it was up to Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett to work their magic against Brady. Unfortunately, Avril went out with a concussion, and whatever pass rush the Hawks were still getting completely dissipated, allowing Brady to throw on a secondary with about two human beings’ worth of working appendages.
Say what you will about the Seahawks, but you can’t say they’re not tough as nails.
[photo: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports]
