Tatupu Headed For Injured Reserve

The hits kept on coming for the Seattle Seahawks, as Lofa Tatupu, the heart-and-soul of their defense, will be placed on season-ending injured reserve after undergoing surgery to repair a torn pectoral muscle.

A day after placing their nine-time Pro Bowl left tackle on injured reserve, the Seattle Seahawks will do the same with three-time Pro Bowl middle linebacker Lofa Tatupu.

Famed orthopedist Dr. James Andrews examined Tatupu in his Birmingham, Alabama office on Wednesday, and surgery was recommended to repair a torn pectoral muscle, which occurred during the Seahawks' 27-3 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on October 18.

According to Matt Pitman of 710 ESPN Seattle, the surgery was being performed today.

Tatupu was slowed earlier this season by a troublesome left hamstring injury, which kept him out of the second game of his NFL career in Week 3. Tatupu returned to action in Week 4 and his pectoral muscle was torn when he collided with teammate Deon Grant late in the first half.

With Tatupu out of the lineup, the middle linebacker duties fall to second-year linebacker David Hawthorne, who made 17 tackles and had an interception in his 1st NFL start against the Chicago Bears on September 27.

In addition to writing for NorthwestFootball.net, Brian McIntyre blogs daily at Mac's Football Blog. You can follow Brian on Twittah, and if you’d like to e-mail him, you can always do so by clicking here.