The Best Feel-Good Stories of NFL Training Camps so Far

There are always stories of courage and perseverance that emerge from NFL training camps, and they are beautiful reminders of what fortitude and effort can bring to those players who give nothing but their all.

Some of these stories weave a tale of extreme strength of character in the face of the unimaginable, and they always evoke emotion, as they can be equally painful and inspirational. Some tell the story of an unknown player battling to make a team. And others are about redemption.

Here are the best feel-good stories coming out of league training camps in 2012.

Audie Cole and 2 Interceptions Returned for Touchdowns

The Minnesota Vikings drafted linebacker Audie Cole in Round 7 of the 2012 NFL draft. For those of us who saw him at the Senior Bowl, it seemed that he stayed on the draft board far too long. Cole was one of the players who stood out in Mobile in a tremendously positive way.

He has had a good training camp, but he made news during Week 2 of the preseason. Cole intercepted passes on two straight plays and returned them both for touchdowns, looking remarkably athletic dropping into coverage from the linebacker position.

ESPN's Kevin Seifert reported on Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier’s comments on Cole’s play:

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"What some people think is a lack of speed," Frazier said, "he's really closing and moving fairly quickly. His length makes a big difference. Those quarterbacks who think they can line-drive a ball in like they did the other night because of his length, all of a sudden that pass is not a completion. It could be an interception. But he has good instincts, he has good anticipation, he's a smart football player and that can offset a guy who doesn’t have blazing speed."

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Video of both of Cole's interceptions can be found here.

I interviewed Cole before the draft and found him to be an incredibly grounded person—just a humble, hard-working football player. He is going to continue to work hard—as he did at North Carolina State and at the Senior Bowl—and it should be no surprise when he makes the 53-man roster.

Ryan Broyles' Fast Recovery

Ryan Broyles tore his ACL on November 6, 2011. But not before becoming the FBS' all-time reception leader with 349 catches at Oklahoma.

The Detroit Lions selected Broyles in the middle of Round 2, and the pick surprised many in the Detroit area. But the NFL is becoming a specialty league, and Broyles does a few specific things extremely well.

Broyles was not expected to be ready in time for training camp considering the typical recovery time from an ACL injury. Players, however, are recovering from ACL tears quicker than ever due to medical advancements.

Broyles is just over nine months removed from surgery, yet the Lions removed Broyles from the PUP list on July 29 and team doctors cleared him for practice. The rookie has progressed well and played in the Lions' second preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens, catching two passes for 26 yards.

Via Dave Birkett and the Detroit Free Press:

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"The thing like I said after the game that you can tell with Ryan, there's a reason he's the all-time leading receiver in college football because he just knows how to get open," Lions coach Jim Schwartz said Sunday. "They blitzed, he set his route down, did a really good job. Set himself up.

"He's going to get faster, his physical skills are going to get sharper as he goes on. But he hasn't lost anything from a mental standpoint. He was sharp that way."

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Tavon Wilson's Incredible Resolve

The New England Patriots called Tavon Wilson’s name in the second round of April's draft, and his selection was viewed as a surprise and reach by just about everyone. There is a lot to like about Wilson as a person, and his ability to persevere through extraordinarily difficult circumstances makes him an intriguing player to watch.

The rookie safety's story is incredible, and the number of obstacles he has overcome is astonishing. It speaks volumes about his personal character and how he will deal with the adversity he will surely face in the pros. Wilson’s ability to deal with terrible adversity is more valuable than any 40-yard dash time could ever be.

As detailed by John Supinie at the Register-Mail, Wilson lost both his parents tragically and much too soon. His father was murdered when he was just a year old, and his mother passed away in a drowning accident when he was 12, leaving him to be raised by his grandmother.

And it was his grandmother that pushed him to continue to play football and do well in school.

"A lot of guys could have cashed it in, but my grandmother isn't that type of woman,'' Wilson said. "She wouldn't let me give up. She kept me going in a straight line and kept pushing me toward my goals.''

And he has caught the eye of head coach Bill Belichick. From Amalie Benjamin and the Boston Globe:

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"I think he’s been on a steady course since he got here," Belichick said. "Tavon works hard. He’s very attentive, he asks good questions, he really pays attention and he’s a hard working kid, both on and off the field.

"Steady improvement, long way to go, tough position to play and a tough position to transition into because of all the different things in the passing game and formations and matchups, all those type of things that veteran safeties would recognize – where the advantage of the matchup is to the offense and what we can do about it schematically or what we can do about it in terms of anticipation by formation and so forth.

"I think he’s coming along. As long as we can keep making progress and keep heading in the right direction, I think eventually it will come together for a lot of these young guys.''

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Professional athletes constantly make poor decisions, and sometimes it seems the negative news is all there is and all people see. It is refreshing to learn about Wilson and his story.

Tavon Wilson's story is exactly the sort of thing the NFL needs today, and fans should recognize it.

Scott McKillop's Comeback

Scott McKillop was a fifth-round selection of the San Francisco 49ers in 2009, and he had a particularly strong rookie season. The University of Pittsburgh standout had 19 tackles as a rookie and played a terrific role on special teams.

McKillop then tore his ACL and patellar tendon in his knee in August 2010, missed the entire season as a result, and was cut by the Niners the next August in 2011. So he's missed the last two years of football due to injury.

The Buffalo Bills signed the LB this past January, and he is turning heads in what is a career rejuvenation.

Via John Murphy and the team's official website, McKillop spoke about his thoughts after the Bills' first preseason game.

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“It was a big hurdle,” he tells Bills Focus. “Because of the extent of my injury, I was told by a bunch of people that I would never play football again. So it was a big personal goal for me, and my family and my friends, that I was able to achieve. Each practice and each week it’s a little step by step, just trying to get better as a football player. I’m happy. I’m in a great place. No complaints.”

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Bills head coach Chan Gailey apparently has also taken notice and is happy with McKillop's progress:

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“He made a lot of tackles,” Head Coach Chan Gailey says. “He was in on a lot of plays the other night. Scott’s done a good job; he’s a good special teams player. He’s making a real run at this football team. He’s got a lot of natural instincts, that’s the great thing about him. He understands the game. He’s got to continue to work on pass coverage, but we’ve got a couple of linebackers in that spot.”

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Eric LeGrand Signs with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Eric LeGrand once played defensive tackle for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. He suffered a devastating injury on October 16, 2010 and was paralyzed from the neck down.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Greg Schiano was LeGrand’s coach at Rutgers, and the Buccaneers decided to make a dream of LeGrand’s come true. This past May, the Buccaneers signed him as an undrafted free agent.

SB Nation's Jason Kirk has Schiano’s comments on LeGrand and the signing:

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"Leading up to the draft, I couldn’t help but think that this should’ve been Eric’s draft class," said Schiano. "This small gesture is the least we could do to recognize his character, spirit, and perseverance. The way Eric lives his life epitomizes what we are looking for in Buccaneer Men."

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LeGrand would retire from football on July 26, 2012. From Brendan Prunty and the Star-Ledger:

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"Making it to the NFL was my dream," LeGrand said in a story posted on the team's website. "But now I want to see my team as strong as possible at the start of Training Camp."

LeGrand then added: "I'm a Buc for life."

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The gesture was only a symbolic one, but it is simply the greatest feel-good moment of 2012 training camp.