According to Indianapolis Colts veteran pass rusher Robert Mathis, he’s ‘feeling good’ after a full week of practice:
"“It feels good. No setbacks. No soreness. Nothing like that, so I’m just happy just to be out there,” said Mathis."
The 34 year old pass rusher hasn’t played in a real game since the Colts lost to the New England Patriots on January 11, 2014, after he suffered a season-ending torn Achilles last season.
However, the Colts franchise’s all-time sack leader with 111 career sacks is hopeful that he’ll be ready to go for his team’s regular season opener against the Buffalo Bills on September 13th given his encouraging progress.
In fact, he’s already had that moment in practice where he now believes he’s back:
"“Yeah, just to put the pads back on and hit somebody for the first time in over a year, and it felt good,” said Mathis. “Just kind of lets you know that everything is good, intact, and ready to move forward.”"
If Mathis can regain anything close to his prior form, he’ll be a significant boost to the Colts pass rush. The 13-year veteran is just one year removed from a league-leading 19.5 sack season. However, given his age and the significance of his injury, it’ll be interesting to see if he can fully recover at an NFL position that places explosion at a premium.
Either way, Mathis figures to join the likes of proven veteran Trent Cole and emerging 2nd-year pro Jonathan Newsome in what could become a formidable trio of Colts pass rushers with holdovers Erik Walden and Bjoern Werner also factoring into the outside linebacker equation.
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