How NFL Players Prepare to Return from Injury on a Deadline

As the saying goes in the NFL, sometimes the best ability is availability. But with a sport as violent as professional football, injuries are an unfortunate inevitability.

Once injured, the recovery process for NFL athletes is typically presented to fans in easily digestible, 30-second video clips as part of some cliche redemption story. Most merely pander to the promising perception of progress—embodied with close-up imagery of quick moving feet through cone drills, ball tosses with one foot on a balance board or the classic shot of the player running in place during routine aquatic therapy.

The challenges throughout this tedious endeavor could never be fully comprehended unless experienced or observed on a daily basis—for it’s those monotonous accumulation of days that can eventually wear on even the most determined minds.

Imagine dedicating your entire life to develop, tone and enhance every inch of your body in order to become a dangerous weapon on the football field. Now imagine a single play suddenly depleting a huge part of your life’s work.

With the flip of a switch you can go from achieving feats of remarkable skill to suddenly being incapable of tying your own shoes. “Humbling” barely captures the entirety of the emotion here.

The early stages of rehab for an NFL athlete are long and decidedly more boring than the days of their healthier counterparts. I’ve watched countless teammates throughout the years suffer through this process. The routine consists primarily of various forms of round-the-clock treatment. This requires very little in terms of energy but can definitely take a toll on the psyche.

It’s during this time in an athlete’s journey when he tends to feel the most helpless.

On the long road to recovery as a professional athlete, sometimes the biggest setback to overcome is the struggle from within. Emotional defeat and obliterated self-confidence can poison the recovery process from the inside out.

For professional athletes willing to do anything for an edge on the competition, there’s really no telling what a player will subject himself to if he believes it can help him recover faster and provide him with some peace of mind. Check out this Adam Carriker video for a good example of unorthodox treatment and insight into the vulnerable mind of an injured athlete.

Muscles may heal, tendons can reattach, a broken bone will eventually mend, but the protocol to fix the damaged psyche of a man once completely dependent upon his now broken body can be a delicate and tricky proposition.

Much of the day is spent sitting around with ice packs and electric stem machines designed to target the injury and increase circulation, thus speeding up recovery time.

Meanwhile, the idle mind quickly becomes the devil’s playground as you find yourself isolated from teammates and familiar routine. Fear, doubt and worry begin to take root in the back of your thoughts during this time of heightened vulnerability.

Will I ever be the same player I was before the injury? Will I still have a job when I get healthy? Have I already been forgotten? Can my body hold up from an NFL pounding? Am I going to play scared the next time a similar play occurs?

Most athletes present themselves publicly with unlimited and often unfounded optimism in the wake of their setback. But deep down it’s their doubt and fear of decline which best motivates them through the roughest points of the grind.  

An important element to consider once the rehabilitation process begins is that most operations will eventually lead to substantial muscle atrophy. A large component of rehab is strictly dedicated to rebuilding and strengthening those muscles which often remain immobile for months post-surgery.  

Trying to build muscle from scratch is a slow and arduous practice. This is absolutely the most physically demanding aspect of the recovery effort.  

For many who suffer through those incremental signs of progress, every milestone is met with enthusiasm and a boost of self-confidence. Many players claimed to have come out of rehab in the best shape of their professional careers. These commonly voiced sentiments speak rather loudly in regard to the hardships of the process.

Finding a way back on the field within the time-table meticulously laid out by medical professionals can be yet another element of stress for a recovering player. The pressure to return fully healthy and in a timely manner can serve as a positive function by way of motivation.

But on the flipside, there also exists the inherent dangers of a player inadvertently pressured into returning before recovering completely. This pressure is exasperated by fan expectation and a star’s unyielding desire not to disappoint his loyal admirers.

Adrian Peterson dealt with these concerns a year ago and eventually proved his status as a cyborg by rushing for over 2,000 yards last season.

I personally dealt with the issue of trying to return from injury well before a full recovery. My injury was less severe in terms of recovery time but equally as painful. Trying to play a football game with a high-ankle sprain is no joke. My ability to plant and change directions was completely compromised. This was still a far better alternative to sitting out another game after missing the previous week.

Trying to compete with a nagging injury absolutely changes both your mindset and approach throughout the contest. Rather than trying to dominate, you naturally slip into survival mode while struggling to trust the capabilities of your own body. These limitations can be frustrating at times but when positive plays do come under such conditions, they’re met with greater excitement considering the added obstacles in the way.

This year Robert Griffin faces a similar situation after coming off significant ACL/MCL surgery. Since the injury he has yet to experience full contact at any level.

He seems to have the confidence and desire to play—which is a good sign from a psychological standpoint. Griffin is clearly a highly competitive individual who has shown no public signs of an emotional setback. His belief in himself is encouraging so far but a true test of his confidence will come when he’s forced to plant hard off his knee in a game.  

Despite the limited reps, RG3 is scheduled to start in the Redskins’ season-opener on Monday night against the Eagles—only time will tell whether or not his reconstructed knee is ready for the abuse of a 60-minute contest.

But as you watch guys like RG3 running around the field this Monday night, try to understand how much he has worked and how far he has come to make that moment possible. Furthermore, do try to understand that playing quarterback in the NFL despite being less than nine months removed from surgery is nothing short of a miracle, especially considering the normal recovery time is between 12 and 18 months.

Ryan Riddle is a former NFL player and current Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report.

Follow @Ryan_Riddle