Earl Thomas was more banged up in XLIX than previously imagined.
The four-time All-Pro selection will undergo surgery and miss six to eight months.
Most of the Legion of Boom was banged up in the title game, including his elite running mates in Richard Sherman (elbow) and Kam Chancellor (). Both Sherman and Thomas injured themselves during the NFC Championship Game, but the cornerback the safety's fate of going under the knife.
Cornerback Jeremy Lane left the crushing in the first quarter with what coach Pete Carroll later called a "significant" arm injury, leaving the Seahawks' secondary notably banged up.
A six-to-eight-month recovery window would place Thomas in coming back as early as August, the beginning of the preseason. A pessimistic diagnosis would place Thomas in pads no earlier than October, a handful of games into the 2015 season.
For Seattle to pace the NFL , a healthy Thomas is necessary. The rangy playmaker, Troy Polamalu and Ed Reed comparisons, -- and did so. The dropoff to whoever the opening day backup will be is significant; it's a reality Carroll and Co. would prefer to avoid.
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