Dion Lewis 'A Little Rusty,' Working Hard To Be Himself Again
BOSTON (CBS) -- Patriots running back Dion Lewis hit the practice field for the first time on Monday since undergoing knee surgery in the middle of last season.
"It feels good to do football stuff," Lewis told reporters following Monday's OTA session at Gillette Stadium. "It's been a while and I'm a little rusty. I'm just trying to be myself again."
While Lewis was excited to resume football activities with the rest of his teammates, he didn't sound ready to commit to being good-to-go for New England's Week 1 tilt against the Cardinals in Arizona on September 11.
"Week 1 is a long way away," Lewis said.
It's been seven months since Lewis tore his left ACL in New England's Week 7 win over the Washington Redskins. The shifty back made the Patriots' roster after an impressive training camp and preseason, adding an explosive element to the New England backfield. Lewis racked up 622 total yards (234 rushing, 388 receiving) and four touchdowns, breaking a few ankles along the way, before going down with the injury.
After battling for a job in his first four NFL seasons, Lewis took nothing for granted in his time away.
"[I learned to] just cherish football. I love football and when I was away from it, it sucked. I just told myself to work as hard as possible so I could be back as fast as possible," he said. "I'm still trying to get better and stronger every day."
Returning to the field is part of that process, so Monday was a very good sign for Lewis. It was reported earlier this month that he is on track for a Week 1 return, even if the running back was non-committal after his first practice.
Bust rest assured that until the time comes for a decision on Week 1, Lewis will continue to do everything he can to return to the Dion Lewis of old.
"[I'll be doing] whatever the team thinks I should do. I'm doing whatever the trainers are telling me to do and whatever is best for the team," he said, joking he's seen too much of the New England training staff the last seven months. "Whatever they think will help me help the team, get my knee better quicker, faster or however, I'll do whatever the team thinks I should do.
"It was tough, but like I said, I love the game and being away hurt a lot," Lewis added. "Hopefully I can have a lot of fun in September."
Hopefully, that fun will last through February.
