After having offseason surgery on his shoulder following the team’s 2014 playoff run, Seahawks free safety Earl Thomas started last year’s training camp on the Physically Unable to Perform List, and as he admitted Thursday after the club’s fifth training camp practice of 2016, he never felt completely healthy last season.
“I don’t think I was 100 percent,” Thomas said of his 2015 season that saw him tie a career-high five interceptions. “I think I got to 100 percent mentally, though. I was able to overcome it. I watched enough film to see and that helped me get over the top.”
Thomas didn’t spend much time on PUP last year, but when he did return to practice he wore a red jersey, limiting the amount of contact he could receive, and perhaps more importantly, dish out.
“I think you could see it,” Carroll said of how the shoulder setback impacted Thomas last season. “It took him a while. Remember he didn’t play until late in camp, we just had to protect him. He was safe, we knew he was safe, but he wasn’t really confident, he wasn’t at his best. It took him some time. It was all part of the start of last season. We were struggling to get it right.”
Through five training camp practices this summer, having a healthy Thomas on the field has given the Seahawks greater chemistry, unity, and continuity in their defensive backfield, something cornerback Richard Sherman touched on earlier this week.
“It’s a whole lot better,” Thomas said of being ready to go from day one. “I gave myself to get in good shape, I can run all day now. That’s a big part of the game, especially when it’s late. Late in the game, fourth quarter, everything’s on the line, you’ve got to be able to think clearly out there and conditioning is a big part of it.”
(Seahawks.com)
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