Lions running back Kevin Smith was nearly two seasons into a promising NFL career when his ACL went kerflooey. It happened in Week 14, which means that the time for rest and relaxation in January and February instead is being devoted to recovery and rehabilitation.
“I’ve been working out at the University of Miami just doing the basics trying to get my flexibility back,” Smith recently told the team’s web site. “I’m starting to squat a little bit, doing some leg presses, trying to get the muscle back in my left quad -- I had surgery on my left knee. Everything feels good -- everything’s going well right now.”
He has been shuttling back and forth from Detroit to Miami, working out in both places.
“The work starts now. There’s not much time. I got my rest in. Since I hurt my knee, I’ve been waking up every day going to rehab. It’s kind of been like I haven’t really got a chance to stop.
“I’m sacrificing what I have to [in order] to get back to being 100-percent for the season.”
The Lions need him. Smith, despite struggling through two of the worst seasons any franchise has experienced, has the kind of attitude that can help a franchise change its culture.