NFC West: The Hurt is On

by: Michael Steffes

Two big injury developments for the Seahawks divisional competitors today. It is good to see that the Seahawks are not the only team battling through the injury bug so far. In fact, you might say that by suffering them early they are making out better than their NFC West competitors.

First, Arizona starting center Al Johnson was placed on injured reserve today, ending his 2008 campaign. The team will be going with Lyle Sendlein as the first stringer, and they have pulled former Hawk Pat Ross off their practice squad. Sendlein has two NFL starts, the first of which was vs the Hawks last September; one of the road games the Seahawks failed to record a sack in last year.

Also, Alex Smith, backup QB for the Niners, was a late addition to the SF injury report. After practice on Friday he complained of trouble with his surgically repaired shoulder (complements of the SugarBear). That has prompted a visit to the infamous Dr. James Andrews of Birmingham, Alabama. Andrews is the surgeon who repaired the shoulder the first time. If you think this won't affect the Niners, I would beg to differ. In a Martz run offense, the quarterback will take some abuse, even with a decent line. The chances of JT O'Sullivan's experience mirroring that of someone like Kurt Warner's is slim. Alex Smith is clearly the most talented QB on that roster, even though he has been handled poorly. Shaun Hill will be the backup if anything long term is wrong with Smith. Hill was terrible in the few reps he did receive this summer. ~END~