I hate like hell to see Earl injured again and to the same leg that betrayed him before. I’ll say this without emphasizing the “I told you so”, to much. When Earl first announced his plans to set out and demand a trade or a long term contract, and it was clear the home office wasn’t going down that path again after the Kam fiasco, I was all for trading him away, because I worried his heart wasn’t with the Seahawks anymore,?he made it crystal clear that he wanted a divorce from the 12 and a fat juicy contract with the Dallas Cowboys.
I saw the writing on the wall when he announced he wasn’t going to suit up and show up for practices and training like all the other players are mandated to. Any professional athlete knows that the best way to minimize your risk of injury, is to stay in peak condition. Even then it will only diminish your possibilities of injury.
Earl knows this better than anyone in the game, and he also had to have contemplated that, his safety first philosophy to avoid injury, and cinch himself a fat sassy contract at seasons end, might very well backfire on him. Well folks it did today in Arizona where it happened before. Hindsight is always 20/20.
In his first injury the 12 all stood firmly and unanimously honored his contract and showed all the love and support a player could ask for during his recovery efforts. That was then and this is now. Since Earl sat out the first half of his current contract, with his reinjury combined, and ran off Dow the tunnel at the Cowboys to announce his lifetime loyalties to his beloved Cowboys, and in the process, embarrassed and humiliated his teammates, coaches, fans and the Seahawks home office personnel who sign his contracts and paychecks.
Then he does everything he can to try and force our hand and get us to give him to the Cowboys for a song and a dance, who didn’t want to gamble in his longevity either. They offered some trade and would have paid him as much as the Seahawks were bound to for this season, but it didn’t appear that they were all that interested in giving Earl the big bucks extended contract he was demanding fro Seattle either.
If you read back thru some of my prior post I cited that Earl didn’t look or play like the Earl of old, and thAt he kept gimping off the field at the end of plays when he had to pursue missed tackles down the field, grabbing at the back of his rehabilitated leg. I hoped it would all heal up and that he’d fully heal up and return this season.
This season, Earl to his credit, was giving it his all when he was on the field for us, but not as well as he played for us prior to his previous leg break. He is such a talented baller, that even not recovered, he played better than about anyone else in the NFL in his position could play.
I’m not saying we should turn our backs on Earl, that in spite of the chitty way he has treated us, and the piss poor approach he returned to play for, dictating that if he so much as had a toe ache he was going to set out practice, so not to possibly sustain an injury that would jeopardize his leverage for a fat long term deal with the Seahawks. I remember thinking to myself when I was listening to his rant, that sure as hell, as fate would have it, he was going to end up injured for the same reason as he used to avoid getting injured.
If, and it’s a big if, Earl is able to recover from this present injury, and finish out the season, and do so with the same fire and dedication as everyone else in the team, and show a little genuine humility regarding the way he crapped on all the people that have cared and cheered him on since day one in the NFL, I would not object to signing Earl to a 3 or even a 4 year deal at whatever the going rate is in the league for a free safety.
I guess for now it’s going to be a wait and see, I’m curious to hear from Earl, and what he’s got to say about things as they are now. I know I was miffed when he came back to practice and went on the rant about not forgetting the disrespect shown to him? Which is how a lot of us felt about his Cowboy fiasco. I hope when all is said and done, Earl realizes who has had and who will continue to have his back from day one.
Go Seahawks!
