Three months removed from a torn ACL, Detroit Lions running back Kevin Smith says he’s on schedule in rehabbing his knee. But he also says that he’s not running yet and not sure how long it will be before he’s back to full speed.
“My leg is feeling good and I think I’m right on schedule,” Smith wrote on his personal web site. “I’m just taking it day-by-day, doing my rehab every day and lifting. It’s time to get back into it. Football season is going to come back around real fast.”
Smith started all 13 games before suffering the injury and was the Lions’ leading rusher, but coach Jim Schwartz said at the annual league meetings that the team isn’t going to rush Smith back.
“It’s not measured in days or weeks,” Schwartz said of Smith’s recovery process. “I mean, you’re measuring the rehab in months.”
Smith will almost certainly not be ready for the start of training camp, and with a torn ACL in December, being ready for Week One may be a stretch as well. Smith acknowledged that being “on schedule” doesn’t necessarily mean there’s a clear indication of when he’ll actually be ready to play football again.
“There’s no timeline for my knee, I just know that I don’t want to waste a single day,” Smith wrote. “I rehab with a purpose, every day I find the focus to get myself right. My time is coming really soon.”