FLOWERY BRANCH — Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins gave an injury update on his ruptured right Achilles after three practices to NFL Network analyst Steve Smith on Saturday before the scrimmage at Seckinger High in Buford.
Cousins hasn’t spoken to the others in the media since training camp started Thursday.
“It’s coming along,” Cousins said. “It was the first surgery in my life. First thing I’ve every really ruptured. Just learning a lot about what it means to truly rehab. To come out of surgery. To rest. To push. ... What I’ve learned is like, guys and yourself and others, they come back and they make this (look like) it was no big deal.
“Going through it, I’m kind of scratching my head because I’m like, I could play quarterback and I’ll be fine. But if I was a receiver or DB (defensive back), this is not easy. Getting back to who you were before, as a pocket passer, I (didn’t) lose any sleep. But it’s impressive to see what guys have done coming back from this injury in the past.”
Smith, who played wide receiver for the Panthers from 2001-16, also ruptured his Achilles. He asked about Cousins’ post-surgery approach.
“For me, if anything, it lit a fire a little bit,” Cousins said. “If there was an inkling of ‘hey will this be my last game’ or ‘am I going to ride off in to the sunset.’ I felt like going through this injury process, ‘no, no, I’m coming back. I’m playing.’ I feel like it makes you want to play longer and have great years after it.”
Cousins admitted that the comeback was challenging and that he drew inspiration for others like Smith, who suffered a double-ruptured Achilles in 2015. Cousins was amazed that running back Cam Akers made it back in five months.
Smith noted that his right calf was much smaller than his left calf after the injury.
“Yeah, there is a little bit of atrophy,” Cousins said. “I don’t have big calves to begin with. There is a little bit on the medial side. They told me that even if the strength were to be 100 percent the same, the calf is still a little bit smaller forever.”
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