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Championship!!!!
Cards' Anderson had to start over
By Dan Zeiger, Tribune
FLAGSTAFF • The injury rehabilitation Damien Anderson went through in the offseason was unlike any undergone by an NFL player.
The Cardinals’ backup running back had to retrain himself to swallow. To walk. To see. To breathe.
In many ways, Anderson had to teach himself to live again — the result of nearly losing his life on an early January morning.
“Everything I’d taken for granted, I had to learn,” the 25-year old said. “Every little thing.”
Seven months after he was seriously injured in a car accident, Anderson’s painful, patience-testing rehab is behind him. Life is pretty much back to normal, and he is back in training camp, resuming his pro football career.
“I have a great family, and a lot of people depend on me,” Anderson said. “That’s what I said to myself every day. People depend on me and look up to me, so I worked hard. When I got to camp, I didn’t want anyone to look at me and wonder if I was still hurting.”
Anderson underwent surgery to remove his spleen and repair a fractured eye socket and suffered liver damage, broken ribs and a collapsed lung after he and his two brothers were involved in a rollover accident near an Interstate 10 off-ramp in Chandler on Jan. 3.
He spent 14 days in intensive care and almost three weeks in the hospital. Yet, Anderson was fully recovered in time for June minicamp and is vying for Arizona’s second-string running back duties in the preseason.
“He’s running the ball well and got his strength back up,” coach Dennis Green said. “When he started in minicamp, he was only about 195 pounds. He’s now back up to his normal, about 210.
“He’s been 100 percent in the workouts and is a very dedicated athlete. I hope he is all the way back. He’ll have a chance to carry the ball.”
Anderson, a third-year veteran, is battling Josh Scobey for the No. 2 spot behind Emmitt Smith. In Saturday’s preseason opener at Minnesota, he had four rushes for 14 yards and two receptions for four yards.
It is somewhat remarkable that Anderson can even think of where he is on a depth chart, considering what he had to endure just to regain a normal way of life.
At first, his doctors feared Anderson might require a permanent feeding tube, which would have ended his football career. He saw triple out of his right eye after surgery, so he trained that eye to see properly by keeping his left one closed.
A man accustomed to displaying NFL-level athleticism for an audience of thousands performed breathing and swallowing exercises with the help of a rehabilitation specialist — a humbling experience.
“In terms of what the doctors said, the rehabilitation was hard,” Anderson said. “I mean, I could have died from the injuries I suffered. I was so young and in good shape. The doctors said that was one of the things that saved me and helped me make such a good recovery.”
Daily, Anderson counts his blessings, especially for his wife, Elizabeth, and son, Drake. Brothers Billy and Dedric suffered leg injuries in the accident but are fine now.
“It was a scary time for me and my wife,” Anderson said. “It was a difficult time, but I prayed and persevered.. . .
“I just wanted to make sure myself and my family were OK.. . . I’ve had injuries before in my career. But I kept working hard, and since the doctors cleared me, I haven’t stopped working hard.”
http://www.aztrib.com/index.php?sty=26470
By Dan Zeiger, Tribune
FLAGSTAFF • The injury rehabilitation Damien Anderson went through in the offseason was unlike any undergone by an NFL player.
The Cardinals’ backup running back had to retrain himself to swallow. To walk. To see. To breathe.
In many ways, Anderson had to teach himself to live again — the result of nearly losing his life on an early January morning.
“Everything I’d taken for granted, I had to learn,” the 25-year old said. “Every little thing.”
Seven months after he was seriously injured in a car accident, Anderson’s painful, patience-testing rehab is behind him. Life is pretty much back to normal, and he is back in training camp, resuming his pro football career.
“I have a great family, and a lot of people depend on me,” Anderson said. “That’s what I said to myself every day. People depend on me and look up to me, so I worked hard. When I got to camp, I didn’t want anyone to look at me and wonder if I was still hurting.”
Anderson underwent surgery to remove his spleen and repair a fractured eye socket and suffered liver damage, broken ribs and a collapsed lung after he and his two brothers were involved in a rollover accident near an Interstate 10 off-ramp in Chandler on Jan. 3.
He spent 14 days in intensive care and almost three weeks in the hospital. Yet, Anderson was fully recovered in time for June minicamp and is vying for Arizona’s second-string running back duties in the preseason.
“He’s running the ball well and got his strength back up,” coach Dennis Green said. “When he started in minicamp, he was only about 195 pounds. He’s now back up to his normal, about 210.
“He’s been 100 percent in the workouts and is a very dedicated athlete. I hope he is all the way back. He’ll have a chance to carry the ball.”
Anderson, a third-year veteran, is battling Josh Scobey for the No. 2 spot behind Emmitt Smith. In Saturday’s preseason opener at Minnesota, he had four rushes for 14 yards and two receptions for four yards.
It is somewhat remarkable that Anderson can even think of where he is on a depth chart, considering what he had to endure just to regain a normal way of life.
At first, his doctors feared Anderson might require a permanent feeding tube, which would have ended his football career. He saw triple out of his right eye after surgery, so he trained that eye to see properly by keeping his left one closed.
A man accustomed to displaying NFL-level athleticism for an audience of thousands performed breathing and swallowing exercises with the help of a rehabilitation specialist — a humbling experience.
“In terms of what the doctors said, the rehabilitation was hard,” Anderson said. “I mean, I could have died from the injuries I suffered. I was so young and in good shape. The doctors said that was one of the things that saved me and helped me make such a good recovery.”
Daily, Anderson counts his blessings, especially for his wife, Elizabeth, and son, Drake. Brothers Billy and Dedric suffered leg injuries in the accident but are fine now.
“It was a scary time for me and my wife,” Anderson said. “It was a difficult time, but I prayed and persevered.. . .
“I just wanted to make sure myself and my family were OK.. . . I’ve had injuries before in my career. But I kept working hard, and since the doctors cleared me, I haven’t stopped working hard.”
http://www.aztrib.com/index.php?sty=26470
