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Battling Through Rehab
John Phillips is working hard to be ready for next year.
John Tranchina
DallasCowboysStar.com
For a player on injured reserve, life can be difficult.
There's the disappointment of having your season ended prematurely, the frustration of knowing you will not be able to compete in a real football game for at least nine months (or longer, depending on the injury and the possibility of a work stoppage next year). Then, of course, there's the physical pain of the injury itself and the arduous task of battling through the lengthy rehabilitation process.
For John Phillips, some of those factors are accentuated by the fact that he appeared to be on the cusp of having a greater role in the Cowboys' offense, as well as the horrendous luck of having his season-ending injury occur in the first half of the very first preseason game way back in early August.
The good news is his rehab from reconstructive surgery to repair a torn ACL in his right knee has been progressing smoothly and he should be back to full strength long before next year's training camp kicks off.
"Rehab's going great, the knee's responding well, doing good at treatment, so full recovery," says Phillips, who hauled in five catches for 54 yards in the last three regular-season games of the 2009 campaign, and then registered his first-ever NFL touchdown in the Cowboys' playoff victory over the Eagles. "It's a long process. Most people say it's about seven months. I can't really say if I'm ahead of schedule or not. I don't really have to push it, so I'm taking my time with it and it's responding well and there're no setbacks."
That bodes well for the Cowboys, who have missed his presence on the field this season. Following a strong finish to his rookie year in 2009, Phillips was one of the early highlights in training camp. He really seemed poised for a breakout performance, and fueled those opinions in the Hall of Fame preseason game when he recorded four receptions for 60 yards in the first half before he went down with the injury.
So the news that his season was over before it even began was crushing, both for Phillips and for the team. One could point to that as the first real setback the Cowboys sustained in a season full of them.
"I know that John's just one of those guys that gets it done, every time - just so consistent," says Scott Chandler, who spent last season and the beginning of this one on the Cowboys' practice squad before taking over Phillips' role as the third tight end prior to Week 3. "That's obviously something that you miss and we've just got to try to pick up that slack with him gone."
Beyond the impact on the field, the injury was emotionally devastating for the 6-5, 265-pound Phillips.
"It was really frustrating," Phillips acknowledges. "I had a really good camp, probably the best camp of my life, and then you go out there and blow a knee. It's really crushing, demoralizing for your spirits and stuff, but you've just got to get everything rehabbing and try to bounce back better next year."
"I know that was tough for him, but he stayed positive throughout the whole time," notes Cowboys wide receiver Kevin Ogletree, a close buddy of Phillips' who was also his teammate at the University of Virginia. "I know he'll be jogging here pretty soon and I know they freed him up in the weight room. I know it's tough not being with the team on Sundays and not being able to compete, but he'll be fine. He's a real good player."
As Ogletree alludes to, one of the most difficult aspects of being on IR can be the separation from teammates. The injured guys are often at the club's Valley Ranch headquarters receiving treatment and working out in the weight room, so they do get to interact with their teammates. But, they are not fully involved with the meeting schedule and miss the bonding moments on the field.
"That's one of the biggest problems," admits Phillips, who was the only player on IR until Marcus Spears and Akwasi Owusu-Ansah joined him on Nov. 10. "You see stuff around the league with the depression and stuff that some players go through when they go on IR or in post-football life, and you kind of have a little bit of that. But I'm still around, still interacting with the guys. So you still feel kind of a part of the team, but you're not in the huddles any more, you're not out on the field any more, so it's a little bit different."
As much as he misses the camaraderie of his teammates, the feeling appears to be mutual, as his absence on a personal level is felt more than anything else.
"I miss John as a person; it's fun having him around," Bennett says. "I'm just missing having him around and talking. He's always getting treatment and stuff, so he's not around as much. On the field we miss him, too, but I think mostly as a person because he's just a good guy."
Phillips has managed to remain positive throughout the ordeal. Now that the toughest part of rehab is behind him, he remains philosophical about what's happened, while also praising how hard the club's trainers and strength and conditioning staff worked to help him.
"You never question God's plan for you, so there's a purpose for this," says Phillips. "I've just got to look to get stronger. My upper body is the strongest it's ever been in my life. So looking at the positives, I'm getting a lot of upper body strength. Britt (Brown, associate athletic trainer) and these guys are doing great with my knee, so I should come back full speed next year."
John Phillips is working hard to be ready for next year.
John Tranchina
DallasCowboysStar.com
For a player on injured reserve, life can be difficult.
There's the disappointment of having your season ended prematurely, the frustration of knowing you will not be able to compete in a real football game for at least nine months (or longer, depending on the injury and the possibility of a work stoppage next year). Then, of course, there's the physical pain of the injury itself and the arduous task of battling through the lengthy rehabilitation process.
For John Phillips, some of those factors are accentuated by the fact that he appeared to be on the cusp of having a greater role in the Cowboys' offense, as well as the horrendous luck of having his season-ending injury occur in the first half of the very first preseason game way back in early August.
The good news is his rehab from reconstructive surgery to repair a torn ACL in his right knee has been progressing smoothly and he should be back to full strength long before next year's training camp kicks off.
"Rehab's going great, the knee's responding well, doing good at treatment, so full recovery," says Phillips, who hauled in five catches for 54 yards in the last three regular-season games of the 2009 campaign, and then registered his first-ever NFL touchdown in the Cowboys' playoff victory over the Eagles. "It's a long process. Most people say it's about seven months. I can't really say if I'm ahead of schedule or not. I don't really have to push it, so I'm taking my time with it and it's responding well and there're no setbacks."
That bodes well for the Cowboys, who have missed his presence on the field this season. Following a strong finish to his rookie year in 2009, Phillips was one of the early highlights in training camp. He really seemed poised for a breakout performance, and fueled those opinions in the Hall of Fame preseason game when he recorded four receptions for 60 yards in the first half before he went down with the injury.
So the news that his season was over before it even began was crushing, both for Phillips and for the team. One could point to that as the first real setback the Cowboys sustained in a season full of them.
"I know that John's just one of those guys that gets it done, every time - just so consistent," says Scott Chandler, who spent last season and the beginning of this one on the Cowboys' practice squad before taking over Phillips' role as the third tight end prior to Week 3. "That's obviously something that you miss and we've just got to try to pick up that slack with him gone."
Beyond the impact on the field, the injury was emotionally devastating for the 6-5, 265-pound Phillips.
"It was really frustrating," Phillips acknowledges. "I had a really good camp, probably the best camp of my life, and then you go out there and blow a knee. It's really crushing, demoralizing for your spirits and stuff, but you've just got to get everything rehabbing and try to bounce back better next year."
"I know that was tough for him, but he stayed positive throughout the whole time," notes Cowboys wide receiver Kevin Ogletree, a close buddy of Phillips' who was also his teammate at the University of Virginia. "I know he'll be jogging here pretty soon and I know they freed him up in the weight room. I know it's tough not being with the team on Sundays and not being able to compete, but he'll be fine. He's a real good player."
As Ogletree alludes to, one of the most difficult aspects of being on IR can be the separation from teammates. The injured guys are often at the club's Valley Ranch headquarters receiving treatment and working out in the weight room, so they do get to interact with their teammates. But, they are not fully involved with the meeting schedule and miss the bonding moments on the field.
"That's one of the biggest problems," admits Phillips, who was the only player on IR until Marcus Spears and Akwasi Owusu-Ansah joined him on Nov. 10. "You see stuff around the league with the depression and stuff that some players go through when they go on IR or in post-football life, and you kind of have a little bit of that. But I'm still around, still interacting with the guys. So you still feel kind of a part of the team, but you're not in the huddles any more, you're not out on the field any more, so it's a little bit different."
As much as he misses the camaraderie of his teammates, the feeling appears to be mutual, as his absence on a personal level is felt more than anything else.
"I miss John as a person; it's fun having him around," Bennett says. "I'm just missing having him around and talking. He's always getting treatment and stuff, so he's not around as much. On the field we miss him, too, but I think mostly as a person because he's just a good guy."
Phillips has managed to remain positive throughout the ordeal. Now that the toughest part of rehab is behind him, he remains philosophical about what's happened, while also praising how hard the club's trainers and strength and conditioning staff worked to help him.
"You never question God's plan for you, so there's a purpose for this," says Phillips. "I've just got to look to get stronger. My upper body is the strongest it's ever been in my life. So looking at the positives, I'm getting a lot of upper body strength. Britt (Brown, associate athletic trainer) and these guys are doing great with my knee, so I should come back full speed next year."
