Does Earl Thomas get a pass, but

[Bigpumpkin]

Kam wasn't totally himself, late start and injury seems to have played a part.
ET seemed to actually tried to shoulder tackle people more this season. Kinda weird considering his injury was a dislocated shoulder.

He's been wearing a shoulder brace all year. Opted out of the Pro Bowl, so he can continue to heal. I'll give him a mulligan.

Another factor that may be affecting his play this year is the new emphasis by the NFL of "proper tackling techniques". If one is constantly worried about getting "flagged" for improper tackling, it will change your approach to the game.

 

[McG]

This team had an off year and was still probably the best team in the league, regardless of record. Were the heavy hitters on defense not playing up to par? Yeah, but remember they have played on average over the last 4 seasons around 2-3 more games than the competition. With those extra games being playoff football, which equates to my best v your best, balls to the walls football. I'm sure it takes a toll on the body more than the week 17 matchup against a 2-13 team.

So to put it all in perspective, the secondary was a mess this year, more than likely tired and playing through it or flat out hurt and out for most of the season, and still managed to be one of the best defenses in the league. Imagine if we had an OL that wasn't full of average to below average guys, that could sustain an extra drive or two more throughout the year. The amount of time the defense we have been able to rest, game to game, would have added up quite a bit by the end of the year. Or how about a healthy Beastmode, to keep the defense off the field that much more? I have no doubt if those two things would have been a reality this year, then we would be the team from the NFC playing in two weeks, but it wasn't to be.

Now, there are a lot of different reasons that could be picked apart on why this years team didn't make it to the championship. You could argue against the OL, the OC, the secondary, instability at RB, Graham getting hurt, etc., you name it and more than likely an argument could be made against it. With that said, a player like Earl Thomas is one the last ones I would throw under the bus, he is the silent leader of this team. Is he perfect? No, but when he's back at 100%, a legit 100%, the secondary will be right again and the team will be moving back in the right direction.

 

[HawKnPeppa]

Earl didn't hold out and hurt the team. He was available each and every day.

That would require staying semi up to date with the team and players to know any of that. Why do all that when you can just point a finger?

What are you talking about?

Not having Kam to start the year hurt the team. That fact is not in dispute.

Ahem, I'm agreeing with you. The OP's post doesn't seem very well researched, if it puts Earl in the same category as Kam. He played all season, and with a shoulder brace to boot, so perhaps that's why he's not quite the Earl of season's past. Again, I'm referring to the OP basically saying we are letting Earl off the hook.

 

[Tech Worlds]

Earl didn't hold out and hurt the team. He was available each and every day.

That would require staying semi up to date with the team and players to know any of that. Why do all that when you can just point a finger?

What are you talking about?

Not having Kam to start the year hurt the team. That fact is not in dispute.

Ahem, I'm agreeing with you. The OP's post doesn't seem very well researched, if it puts Earl in the same category as Kam. He played all season, and with a shoulder brace to boot, so perhaps that's why he's not quite the Earl of season's past. Again, I'm referring to the OP basically saying we are letting Earl off the hook.

Sorry man. I gots reading difficulty. My sincerest apologies.

 

[bjornanderson21]

People need to get used to players not being what they once were.

Just because we get the player doesn't mean we get the player they used to be.

Out of players who receive a substantial 2nd contract the most common time for the player to start their decline IS DURING THEIR SECOND CONTRACT!

If players are lucky/dedicated the decline might be slow and they may even have a brief resurgence, but for MOST guys who get 2nd deals they peak before their 2nd deal ends (if they didn't already peak on rookie deal).


A lot can probably be blamed on Cary in Earl's situation, but injuries and father time catch up to everyone

 

[Hawks46]

Earl wasn't making hits and wrapping up for most the season, I attribute that to his shoulder still not 100 percent or not trusting it and shying off it. The Panthers game is the first time I seen him come down hill and make a crushing hit with it again.

I think this is it right here. Also, Earl said he had to wear a very restrictive shoulder brace this year that he said kept him from high pointing the ball very well. Having to wear something like that would probably mentally affect a person a bit.

I think we'll see a more dynamic Thomas next year. 80% of Earl Thomas is still better than most safeties in the league. We've been spoiled.

 

[MontanaHawk05]

The play of both Earl and Kam definitely took a step down this year. Probably a combination of injury, lost practice time, and the fact that Seattle played more zone this year than they ever have with the Legion. Wasn't a good look for them.

 

[Largent80]

Bitching for the sake of bitching?

Jeezus, people just can't appreciate how hard it is to play this game.

 

[Barthawk]

Why are we so interested in blame?

^ Agree. Sometimes our "failures" are due to the fact that other talented team on the other side of the ball makes great plays or executes in a manner that exposes our weaknesses.

 

[Sgt. Largent]

Earl came back from an injury and played as hard as he always plays, so yeah he gets a pass.

Kam on the other hand held out, came back, got hurt a couple times and played at about 60% of his level of the past 2-3 years. So sorry, no pass.

 

[jdemps]

Neither of these guys had a season at the level we expected, but....

Earl practiced all of the last week of training camp and saw his first game action against the Rams. He was HERE in the physical sense, but in reality, he only practiced and played 3 weeks more than Kam. It's hard to say whether his early season struggles were really due to Kam helping him with alignments, being rusty after not playing a snap of football for months after his surgery, having to play GB, Cinci, Carolina early, or compensating for Cary Williams. He looked a step slow early in the season. In years past, when a runner got out into space, you see Earl streak into the TV screen and lay the wood. Early this year, he got there a second late and sometimes he'd miss the tackle or bounce off, resulting in explosive plays. Later in the year, he was the same old Earl. Actually, his number were up this year. (5 int; 9 PD vs 1int; 6 PD in 2014). I'm not really worried about Earl moving forward.

On the other hand...

Kam held out. He put himself ahead of the team. He ended up injured, again, and was a liability in coverage against TEs. Whether that's due to missing training camp, scheme, or injury is irrelevant in my mind. He shoulders the blame for selfish reasons. That being said, he's still one of my favorite players to watch and I hope to see him in a Hawks uniform at least through 2017.

 

[SirTed]

Kam wasn't totally himself, late start and injury seems to have played a part.
ET seemed to actually tried to shoulder tackle people more this season. Kinda weird considering his injury was a dislocated shoulder.

He's been wearing a shoulder brace all year. Opted out of the Pro Bowl, so he can continue to heal. I'll give him a mulligan.

Another factor that may be affecting his play this year is the new emphasis by the NFL of "proper tackling techniques". If one is constantly worried about getting "flagged" for improper tackling, it will change your approach to the game.

I have a similar injury to Earl's, I have opted for PT in the place of surgery so far. I can't comment on what recovery from that surgery could be like. But I can tell you what it's like dealing with the actual injury, and if that's anything like how the recovery feels (which would make sense) I think it makes perfect sense he went for more shoulder tackles, etc.

The hardest thing to deal with, when the shoulder feels the most vulnerable is when my arm is extended. I play basketball, and the thing it has affected most is rebounding. I'm terrified to extend for rebounds because when I'm extended, if my arm gets resistance to go in the direction of injury, there is no strength and a LOT of pain. Just think about the amount of potential strain on a shoulder when wrapping up. I shudder just thinking about it. Guaranteed this is a factor.

Someone else mentioned high pointing the ball, and for sure, the same applies there. Again, arms extended, leaving that shoulder totally prone. Hopefully, he can get some rest, and get on a solid PT regimen and get healthy.

 

[IndyHawk]

Earl didn't hold out and hurt the team. He was available each and every day.

Exactly this!

 

[IndyHawk]

Kam wasn't totally himself, late start and injury seems to have played a part.
ET seemed to actually tried to shoulder tackle people more this season. Kinda weird considering his injury was a dislocated shoulder.

He's been wearing a shoulder brace all year. Opted out of the Pro Bowl, so he can continue to heal. I'll give him a mulligan.

Another factor that may be affecting his play this year is the new emphasis by the NFL of "proper tackling techniques". If one is constantly worried about getting "flagged" for improper tackling, it will change your approach to the game.

I have a similar injury to Earl's, I have opted for PT in the place of surgery so far. I can't comment on what recovery from that surgery could be like. But I can tell you what it's like dealing with the actual injury, and if that's anything like how the recovery feels (which would make sense) I think it makes perfect sense he went for more shoulder tackles, etc.

The hardest thing to deal with, when the shoulder feels the most vulnerable is when my arm is extended. I play basketball, and the thing it has affected most is rebounding. I'm terrified to extend for rebounds because when I'm extended, if my arm gets resistance to go in the direction of injury, there is no strength and a LOT of pain. Just think about the amount of potential strain on a shoulder when wrapping up. I shudder just thinking about it. Guaranteed this is a factor.

Someone else mentioned high pointing the ball, and for sure, the same applies there. Again, arms extended, leaving that shoulder totally prone. Hopefully, he can get some rest, and get on a solid PT regimen and get healthy.

I had that injury and had surgery just like Earl..Its fixed and repaired.It's the nerves healing and feeling normal is what takes a long time.You had PT so you must have a small tear,mine/Earls was a complete tear.You also know any tear cannot be fixed without surgery(Labrum)thats why you still don't feel right.I bet it hurts to sleep on it.Anyway you still need to do PT- surgery or not a shoulder moves in a lot of angles