Two important things regarding the Cardinals came out today.
First, Darren Urban has confirmed that Wide Receiver Steve Breaston has been offered a Restricted Free Agent tender, although it wasn't said if he has signed it yet. It was previously suspected that the Cardinals could let Breaston go because they were weary about his knee injuries, but now it sounds like they want to keep him around. And a lot of us believe that keeping Breaston around is a good idea. It wasn't said if anyone else has been offered one of these tenders as well, but some of the guys who are about to become Free Agents were probably offered one.
It was also reported by Mike Jurecki that Adrian Wilson has undergone surgery to repair a torn abductor muscle (a muscle around the groin/hip area). It was also revealed that he played through the season with it although it wasn't revealed when he suffered the injury. I do remember him cramping up near the end of the season opener against the Rams where he had one of the most dominant games from a Defensive Back that I have ever seen (two Interceptions, a Sack, and a blocked Field Goal) so it is possible that he suffered the injury then, but I really have no idea when it happened.
More info about the injury after the jump.
The injury could also explain some of the struggles that he had in coverage last season. ESPN's injury expert Stephanie Bell also explained the injury on Mike Sando's blog earlier today.
"If Adrian Wilson had enough damage to the abductor, it would decrease his power and speed because he is going to lose so much in lateral stability," ESPN injury expert Stephania Bell said. "Overall, his stability at the hip and pelvis was probably compromised. That would make him less precise and sharp in those maneuvers (turning his hips in coverage). I think a lot of it is loss of power in terms of vertical explosiveness and running straight ahead."
It's difficult to know how much the injury affected Wilson without knowing which abductor was damaged, and to what extent. An injury to the main abductor, the gluteus medius, would be more significant.
Standing on one leg can help illustrate the abductors' role in providing stability. Lifting the raised leg to the side puts direct strain on that leg's abductor. At the same time, the abductor on the other side provides the stability for balance and alignment.
"People with really weak abductors, we see them walk with this little bit of a limp, a sashay," Bell said. "Depending on which abductor is injured and to what extent, it could manifest itself differently."
There is no word yet on how long it will take for Wilson to rehab from the surgery, but it doesn't seem like he will miss any significant time from what I'm hearing right now.
UPDATE:
Just got some new information. According to this link, A-Dub told Jurecki that he had the surgery done today, and that it will take from three to seven weeks for him to heal. He also said that he played the entire season with the injury. He also never mentioned the injury to the media during the season, and the Cardinals did not have to report it because he wasn't missing any practice time.