Lofa Tatupu Undergoes Surgery on Torn Pectoral Muscle
by John Morgan on Oct 29, 2009 3:12 PM PDT
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PrintLofa Tatupu will undergo surgery performed by Dr. James Andrew to repair a partially torn left pectoral muscle. This should end his season. Tatupu made some noise about returning, and he, like most athletes, would rather play without an arm than miss a snap, but the extent of the tear has narrowed that chance and maybe for the best.
Ever since Frank Gore ran all over the 2006 Seahawks, Tatupu has bulked up every season. He was cast as an active, attacking but often overmatched middle linebacker and wanted the muscle to bull through fullbacks and break free from pulling linemen. That muscle has come at the cost of lateral agility and wrap-tackling. Tatupu has become that too-common linebacker that hits, but bounces off the ball carrier and too-often allows yards after contact.
Seattle hasn't fixed its Frank Gore woes. Gore was able to slice through the Seahawks line and run for over two hundred yards in week two. Tatupu wasn't out there, but a detailed study showed it was the line and not any one linebacker that allowed Gore to storm into the second level uncontested. And it's the line that must be forever fixed to stop that from happening again.
The Seahawks could add another tackle in the middle and attempt to approximate the Marcus Tubbs, Rocky Bernard and Chuck Darby rotation that allowed its then small linebackers to swarm and stop staggered rushers. The solution is not for Tatupu to get bigger. He has bulked up so much, not coincidentally become barrel chested and can shaped, that his arms almost look like they have receded back into his body. Middle linebackers can be small. 34 year old London Fletcher-Baker has made a career out of quickness and technique. Jonathan Vilma was written off before he got some bulk back in front of him. The 238 pound Tatupu that entered the league could cut and wrap and make a play on the ball in the air, but the modern Tatupu hits, misses misdirection and must tackle after the reception. Get well Tats and maybe lose a couple while you're at it.
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Athletes vs Gym Rats
I think the point about getting too bulked up is interesting. Is there a difference between the “natural athlete” aka Walter Jones and the Gym rat that Ruskell Fetishizes. The Sims, Spencer, Tatupu type that appear to be chronically injured becuase they add too much muscle than their frame (and tendons and aponeuroses can support).
Walter went 10 years without losing a game to injury. His recent injuries are simply wear and tearon a big man. Muscles ripping off the bone of young men are entirely different issues. It seems odd that our injuries keep happening to our best conditioned players . It used to happen to our worst (like Womack and Hackett)
I think you nail the point
Walter used to skip training camp and work out pushing cars. When I heard Tatupu tore a pec, I immediately thought back to Ryan Plackemeier tearing a pec. Seattle is acquiring lesser athletes with football smarts and then trying to turn them into top athletes in the weight room, and I don’t think that’s possible.
Late to the party, but this does seem like a fair explanation for our injury situation.
But are the guys who are getting injured “lesser atheletes”?
Spencer, Sims, Locklear, Hill, and most of our WR’s seem like athletic types to me.
Vallos, Carlson, Hass, Unger and Kerney
seem like more cerebral types.
"Its not that I can't read and write, its just that I don't like to read and write."
-Charlie
What about our kickers and punters?
They’re white too!
Bird Law in this country isn't governed by reason.
by Tyler Jorgensen on Oct 30, 2009 3:37 PM PDT up reply actions
Owen Schmitt is the most cerebral person in the entire NFL not named Peyton Manning's forehead.
"Mayhap a hidden door lurks nigh. Let us search the environs."
by Fearless Frog on Oct 30, 2009 9:05 PM PDT up reply actions
*fivehead
"Its not that I can't read and write, its just that I don't like to read and write."
-Charlie
Even after he bashed up his cerebrum the other week?
He must not like being “cerebral”….painting his face red and all.
Late to the party on this, too, but it makes perfect sense.
On the Black & Blue Report from a couple weeks ago, when Kris Jenkins had ACL surgery, in which they graft one of your hamstrings, Will talked to the doctor and was surprised to find out that people’s ligaments are roughly all the same size. Not bigger, for the real big guys. That really struck me. So, natural athletes, where do I sign.
by jacobstevens on Oct 30, 2009 12:45 PM PDT up reply actions
do you think that's fair?
“Ruskell Fetishizes” gym rats? Really?
How about noticing that there are far less "natural athletes" like Walter Jones born into the world than “gym rat” athletes, and there are barely enough talented “gym rats” to fill the rosters of 32 NFL teams?
"Football players are temperamental. That's 90 percent temper and 10 percent mental." - Doug Plank
You're right about Walter, of course
but Seattle hasn’t emphasized athleticism in their talent evaluation. They have emphasized football smarts.
Who would you say has emphasized athleticism and succeeded?
This is not a sarcastic comment, but a real question.
The Raiders.
League championships (4)
* AFL Championships (1)
1967
* Super Bowl Championships (3)
1976 (XI), 1980 (XV), 1983 (XVIII)
Division championships (15)
* AFL West: 1967, 1968, 1969
* AFC West: 1970, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1983, 1985, 1990, 2000, 2001, 2002
Playoff appearances (21)
* AFL: 1967, 1968, 1969
* NFL: 1970, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1990, 1991, 1993, 2000, 2001, 2002
Well, I didn’t say it was ALWAYS successful, but it does have its moments.
Bird Law in this country isn't governed by reason.
by Tyler Jorgensen on Oct 29, 2009 11:03 PM PDT up reply actions
Danny confirms his season is over
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/seahawks/2010163337_hawk30.html
Broncos 12 Bengals 7: The story of the 2009 Seattle Seahawks.
"Seattle hasn't fixed its Frank Gore woes. "
Gee, what a pity considering that’s more or less what this entire offseason investment was about.
"Mayhap a hidden door lurks nigh. Let us search the environs."
Cory Redding, Colin Cole, Aaron Curry?
"Mayhap a hidden door lurks nigh. Let us search the environs."
by Fearless Frog on Oct 29, 2009 3:53 PM PDT up reply actions
Cole was brought in to make the interior bigger; Redding and Curry were brought in because they are good players.
I suppose Ken Lucas, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Max Unger and Deon Butler were also brought in to stop Gore.
"the Seahawks could add another tackle"
Where the heck is Red Bryant lately? I keep expecting him to push Craig Terrill to the sideline. Mebane, Cole, and Bryant is a big rotation at DT.
"Football players are temperamental. That's 90 percent temper and 10 percent mental." - Doug Plank
He was invisible in San Francisco.
That’s all I know.
And all the land was in ruin, and burnination had forsaken the countryside.
What's funny
The two fumbles forced by Aaron Curry were recovered by Cory Redding. They’re sucking in tandem I guess.
Broncos 12 Bengals 7: The story of the 2009 Seattle Seahawks.
Up until week 2 Gore hadn't hurt us since 2006.
I highly doubt the entire philosophy of the off-season was “How do we stop Frank Gore”
Speaking of Frank Gore
How many wins would Darren Sharper have brought to the Hawks by now
Can someone please tell me who our medical staff is!
It’s interesting because when we built our new facility which is VMAC that is when a bunch of our players started getting hurt and i’m just wondering John if you know who our medical staff is because I want to look into that.
Mike Clark is the S&C coach.
From what I hear from 3rd part sources they are some of the best. I don’t know, could be just really shitty luck 2 years in a row. Once is bad luck, twice is a coincidence, three times is a trend, so we’ll know next year. I’m buzzed to the point of tipsiness.
O ok thanks
Cuz I understand last year that it might have been bad luck but this year shouldn’t have to do with bad luck at all. I mean who knows, maybe the players aren’t stretching right, working out too much etc. It just seems really odd.
by Seahawksfan23 on Oct 29, 2009 6:58 PM PDT up reply actions
I'm not so sure that we are anymore injured than any other team...
In fact, when I look at the NFL injury reports week by week, we actually appear slightly LESS injured than the “weekly leaders” if you will.
The fact that our injuries are so “marquee” seems to make the problem seem worse.
or
It could just be a case of myopia.
Bring Your Game, Leave Your Name.
John... I swear I'm not trying to be sensational with this question... but
In light of what I perceive to be n unflattering editorial from you about Lofa’s conditioning, and his subsequent drop in effectiveness (both of which I would agree with)…
and the mostly flattering capsule on Heater….
Is there any way that the Hawthorne / Tatupu exchange will be an upgrade for the remainder of the year?
Bring Your Game, Leave Your Name.
So far Hawthorne has proven to be an improvement of Tatupu in my humble eyes
much like I would rather see more Tapp and less Kerney.
by GarethLewin on Oct 30, 2009 12:14 PM PDT up reply actions
Really?
…
"Mayhap a hidden door lurks nigh. Let us search the environs."
by Fearless Frog on Oct 30, 2009 1:05 PM PDT up reply actions
Sando linked to you this morning
http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcwest/post/_/id/7954/around-the-nfc-west-unconventional-cardinals
and seems to disagree with your assessment:
John Morgan of Field Gulls thinks Tatupu became less effective after trying to bulk up. The Seahawks listed Tatupu at 238 pounds as a rookie. They list him at 242 pounds now.
"Its not that I can't read and write, its just that I don't like to read and write."
-Charlie
Sando continues to be a douchebag.
Yesterday he posted one of his EXTREME CLOSEUP vids talking about how Walt would return in 2010, because he’s playing for his $$.
It's Great to be a Florida Gator!
Next year's notable Ex-Seahawks:
Walter Jones, Patrick Kerney, Seneca Wallace, Jordan Babineaux, Kelly Jennings
by Wayward Llama on Oct 30, 2009 2:06 PM PDT up reply actions
I've got no patience for the vids
Why would I want to see sando’s face or hear his voice when I could just read his words. The story should be the focus, not the writer (as an Internet tv personality).
"Its not that I can't read and write, its just that I don't like to read and write."
-Charlie
by ninjasocks on Oct 30, 2009 3:25 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Sando's vids are awful
He makes Clayton look telegenic
I just watched that
it makes no sense to me. Seattle asks Walter Jones to restructure or they cut him. He’s 36. He may never play again. No one would fault Ruskell for asking him to take a pay cut or cutting him.
The idea that it's disrespecting a veteran,
what I assume is the unstated reason “no GM would want that on their record” to paraphrase Sando, is foolish. Great players end their careers on other teams. People don’t freak out because Emmitt Smith was a Cardinal, Tony Gonzalez is a Falcon, Joe Montana became a Chief, it’s standard operating procedure in the NFL. This seems like kicking up dust about nothing.
Careful with those superlatives... (I just cant bring myself to insert the smiley)
Bring Your Game, Leave Your Name.
I don't see how him holding on to get paid isn't valid but out of context it could be misused to make him look bad.
It’s not like he doesn’t care about our team. I trust that he does. He deserves all the respect, honor, and patience we can afford.
Early prospect watch: RB C.J. Spiller, OT Ciron Black, DT Gerald McCoy, S Eric Berry, DT Ndamukong Suh, CB Ras-I Dowling 6'2, 200, RB Jonathan Dwyer, Sam Bradford*.
If Walt didn't want to continue playing,
I’m sure the team could work towards an injury settlement and begin the process of freeing (his) cap space.
Early prospect watch: RB C.J. Spiller, OT Ciron Black, DT Gerald McCoy, S Eric Berry, DT Ndamukong Suh, CB Ras-I Dowling 6'2, 200, RB Jonathan Dwyer, Sam Bradford*.
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