No Pads, But The Hits Keep Coming: Terron Armstead Is Reportedly Out 4-6 Months With A Torn Labrum

Sources: #Saints star LT Terron Armstead is scheduled for surgery on Monday to repair a torn labrum. The timetable to return is 4-6 months.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) June 16, 2017

#Saints LT Terron Armstead suffered an injury on Wednesday & had tests on Thurs. Result was a torn labrum, sources say. Crushing loss for NO

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) June 16, 2017

The #Saints promising offseason has been dealt two serious injury blows: Max Unger & his foot surgery. Now Terron Armstead & labrum surgery.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) June 16, 2017

If for no other reason than the dark side being a sad, lonely place underneath my pillow that I'd rather not visit on a Friday afternoon, let's look on the bright side here.

For starters, the Saints' all-too-important draft grade just got bumped up a couple of letters. I don't think I was the only one that was skeptical about selecting an offensive lineman in the first round when there were still so many holes on defense, but - if grading on the inevitable injury curve - it appears they really aced that Ryan Ramcyzk pick. As is par for the course he's also on the mend, but that might be a good thing with how many substantial pieces to the puzzle have dropped before pads have been put on.

Obviously I would rather the Saints have their starting Pro Bowl-caliber left tackle protecting Drew Brees' blindside during this extremely telling upcoming season. However, proving the draft pundits wrong while avoiding the uncertainly of the weekly "will he, won't he" that's seemingly been Terron Armstead's playing status since he came into the league is quite the (depressing) consolation prize.

In all seriousness though, this is awful news. Did the Saints forget to exterminate team facilities over the offseason? How is that goddamn injury bug still biting this team? When will the epidemic end? First Max Unger mysteriously finds out his foot needs operating on after months in which it could have been recovering. Then Nick Fairley's dormant heart condition seemingly arises as the ink dries on his long term contract. Now Terron Amstead - an athletic anomaly whose sky-high potentially is ironically being limited by his own freakish body - needs (potentially season ending) shoulder surgery after taking part in non-strenuous workouts in which he had absolutely nothing to prove? What the hell is going to happen when this professional tackle football team actually starts playing professional tackle football? 

Now, the good thing about the Saints' depth getting put to the test is that - for the first time in a long time - they might actually have some. I just really, really wish they would reach the part of training camp where they are actually playing a contact sport at a high level before having to absorb brutal, detrimental blows to it. Make no mistake, losing Terron Armstead is just that. 

Heartbroken when I found out I need surgery! No one is more frustrated than me after working so hard. I'll be back #WhoDatNation STRONGER!!

— Terron Armstead (@T_Armstead72) June 16, 2017