Robert Mathis’ Agent Refutes ‘Setback’ Talk

Yesterday, we heard news that Robert Mathis had suffered a setback in the recovery process of his torn Achilles tendon. Today, Mathis’ agent has refuted the notion of any setback.

Chris Wessling at NLF.com first reported the story.

"Agent Hadley Engelhard has assured NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport that Mathis’ rehab from a September Achilles’ tendon tear is going fine and there has been no setback.Mathis is still hoping to participate in at least a portion of OTAs, per Rapoport."

The Colts GM Ryan Grigson stated following the season that there was no timetable for Mathis’ return, but his agent is thinking otherwise. Targeting OTAs would imply that Mathis is very far along in his receovery.

I believe that give Mathis’ age (almost 34) and the nature of the injury that his return by training camp in late July would be great and possibly optimistic. OTAs are generally late May and into June which isn’t too far off.

There is also the notion of what constitutes a setback. Just because Mathis underwent a second surgery back in December doesn’t mean it was a setback. There are numerous procedures he could have been subject to in order to help his recovery. It is also possible that this surgery was completely planned and a part of his rehabilitation.

Either way, the Colts need help at the pass rush position and putting all their eggs in the Mathis basket isn’t a good idea. The recent release of Shaun Phillips, who admittedly wasn’t very effective, implies that they team either has faith in their current roster or plans to make a move in the near future.

At this point, it feels like Mathis is more a luxury than a guarantee. We wonder how much of his 2013 season was his abilities as a player or was it a result of PED use.

The Colts can’t expect the same player who generated 19.5 sacks and at the very least will have to find players who can take the pressure of Mathis in the future.