RENTON – The first few minutes of Jim Mora’s weekly Monday press conference are rarely the most positive moments, despite the coach’s seemingly optimistic nature.
That’s because Mora often gives the rundown of the injured Seahawks players and their status for the week.
And in recent weeks, those five or six minutes – as Mora reads down the lengthy list of injured players who won’t be participating that week – haven’t been the most pleasant for the Seahawks or their fans.
But on Monday, Mora got to deliver some positive news for a change.
About 24 hours after the debacle that was a 27-3 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, and telling reporters that Pro Bowl middle linebacker Lofa Tatupu was lost for the season with a torn left pectoral muscle, Mora told assembled reporters at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center that initial reports on Tatupu might not be that dire.
“After further review and further imaging, we’re not certain yet Lofa is done,” Mora said. “They did an MRI test, and it doesn’t look like the muscle and tendons are completely detached from the bone.”
It’s definitely far more positive than when Mora said that Tatupu was done for the season.
“It was a little premature, but it was based on the evaluation that we did in the locker room with some pretty competent doctors,” Mora said of his comments on Sunday.
However, the news doesn’t mean Tatupu will be back playing for the Seahawks when they return from their bye week to face the Dallas Cowboys in two weeks.
The pectoral muscle is still partially torn. The next thing for Tatupu is to have an MRI taken of his right pectoral muscle. From there, doctors will compare the two films to see the extent of the tearing in the left pec. “Right now if it holds true to what I heard today, it would just be rehabbing the muscle, and I don’t know how long that will take,” Mora said.
Still, after having to deal with a plethora of injuries that have forced 11 of the Seahawks’ projected starters to miss games, the possibility of Tatupu returning this season was a positive.
“It was pretty grim (Sunday),” he said. “So we got good news this morning. Sometimes it goes the other way, so it was nice to have the good news.”
Tatupu was injured in the second quarter of Sunday’s loss while trying to tackle Arizona receiver Larry Fitzgerald. However, replays showed it may have actually been teammate Deon Grant, who was also in on the play and may have delivered the critical hit that caused the injury to his teammate.
“I can’t say for sure that’s what it was,” Mora said. “It’s ironic and it’s unfortunate, but you know what it also shows me ... is that they are flying to the football.”
With Tatupu out, second-year player David Hawthorne will start at the middle linebacker this season.
Hawthorne, an undrafted player out of Texas Christian, started his first game against Chicago a few weeks ago when Tatupu was out with a sore groin. Hawthorne made the most of that opportunity, racking up 16 tackles with a tackle for loss and a fumble.
“David is becoming a good football player,” Mora said.
But to be fair, he’s not Tatupu.
“Lofa is a three-time Pro Bowler, and they don’t just vote you in unless you deserve it,” Mora said. “The intangibles that Lofa brings to the huddle, to the field, to the practice, to the meeting rooms, to the locker rooms, those are the things you miss sometimes when a guy gets injured. They can’t have the presence that they had when they’re out with their team every day.”
Hill, Trufant set to return
The positive news surrounding injuries wasn’t just limited to Tatupu. Mora said that cornerback Marcus Trufant, linebacker LeRoy Hill and offensive lineman Rob Sims will all practice this week and should be ready for the game against the Cowboys.
Trufant will be activated off the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list and practice today. He has not taken a single snap in practice this season as he was plagued by back issues.
Obviously, Trufant’s presence should help the Hawks’ secondary, but Mora is being cautious with his expectations.
“We expect a lot out of Marcus because he’s a very good player, but I think there is an aspect of holding true to reality,” Mora said, “and the reality is that he hasn’t taken any snaps in this defense. There is a learning curve.
“He’s fresh out of rehab. We’ll push him as hard as we can. And I’m sure he’ll push himself more than we could ever push him. But he’s got to get himself back in the groove. Hopefully it happens quick.”
Hill tore his groin in the first game of the season and had surgery. Unlike Trufant, he’s comfortable in the defense and should be ready to play.
Sims (ankle) practiced on Friday and will practice in a limited fashion this week. While Mora admitted that Sims isn’t 100 percent, he is well enough to practice.
Of course, not all the injury news was good. Offensive linemen Walter Jones (knee) and Sean Locklear (ankle) won’t practice this week and seem unlikely to be ready to play next week.
“Walter and Locklear are still in doubt, in limbo for this next game,” Mora said. “I can’t tell you yet. We are going to start Walter up next week. Sean was walking around without that boot on today, which is a real good sign. Once they get him out of that boot, their progress starts to accelerate. I know he’s anxious to play, and if he can he will.”
Ryan Divish: 253-597-8483
ryan.divish@thenewstribune.com
