Scott Campbell
08-08-2007, 06:44 PM
http://www.packersnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070808/PKR01/708080636/1989
Underwood fighting to regain form
Safety returning to action after ACL, MCL tears last preseason
By Rob Demovsky
rdemovsk@greenbaypressgazette.com
Running back DeShawn Wynn caught a check-down pass in the flat during practice earlier this week and turned to run up the field. Suddenly, he found himself knocked to the ground.
The seven-on-seven drill was supposed to be non-contact, but somebody forgot to tell safety Marviel Underwood.
It was almost as if Underwood was saying: "Don't forget about me."
It was at this time a year ago when Underwood was on top of the world. Two weeks into training camp 2006, he was making plays left and right and putting up a serious fight for a starting job in the Green Bay Packers' secondary.
A year later, he's a bit of a forgotten man.
After his torrid start to camp last summer, Underwood tore the anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in his right knee in the preseason opener at San Diego, ending his season.
Now, he's just trying to prove he belongs on an NFL roster. Perhaps it's to be expected, but he's off to a slow start this year. He hasn't taken a single snap with the No. 1 defense. Instead, he has worked with the second-stringers behind Marquand Manuel — the player he might have beaten out last year.
"At times, you see him do things and you say there's nothing (wrong), and other times, you might see a false step that he has trouble coming out of or something like that," Packers secondary coach Kurt Schottenheimer said. "But I can't really determine how long it will take him (to get back to last year's form). That's kind of a medical question. There are times when you see a dart of quickness that is very, very impressive."
Underwood says his knee feels strong, but he knows from talking to teammates Brady Poppinga and Mark Tauscher, both of whom sustained similar injuries, that the first year back from the injury isn't the best.
"They say you feel great, but the second year is always better," Underwood said. "I feel good right now, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to feel a lot better next year. Plus, I'll be back up to football speed."
Eleven months after his surgery, Underwood says he has put the mental aspect of the injury behind him. But he admitted that for a time, he found himself asking: "Why me?"
There's no way to know what would have happened had he not blown out his knee last Aug. 12, but Underwood said there's no use dwelling on it.
"I'm working every day to try and get things right," Underwood said, "so if I get that chance again, I'm going to try to take advantage of it."
However, after missing an entire regular season, Underwood feels a bit like he's starting over.
"It's not my knee or anything mental," Underwood said. "I just had to adjust to the speed of the game again. Every day, my reads are getting better; my breaks are getting better."
Perhaps that's why he hasn't flashed on the practice field as much as last year.
"He's made some plays," defensive coordinator Bob Sanders said. "He's still getting back into things and getting used to the pads again, but he has made some good plays. He's been in position a couple of times where they wanted to throw the ball and didn't because he was in good position to take away the throws."
Underwood fighting to regain form
Safety returning to action after ACL, MCL tears last preseason
By Rob Demovsky
rdemovsk@greenbaypressgazette.com
Running back DeShawn Wynn caught a check-down pass in the flat during practice earlier this week and turned to run up the field. Suddenly, he found himself knocked to the ground.
The seven-on-seven drill was supposed to be non-contact, but somebody forgot to tell safety Marviel Underwood.
It was almost as if Underwood was saying: "Don't forget about me."
It was at this time a year ago when Underwood was on top of the world. Two weeks into training camp 2006, he was making plays left and right and putting up a serious fight for a starting job in the Green Bay Packers' secondary.
A year later, he's a bit of a forgotten man.
After his torrid start to camp last summer, Underwood tore the anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in his right knee in the preseason opener at San Diego, ending his season.
Now, he's just trying to prove he belongs on an NFL roster. Perhaps it's to be expected, but he's off to a slow start this year. He hasn't taken a single snap with the No. 1 defense. Instead, he has worked with the second-stringers behind Marquand Manuel — the player he might have beaten out last year.
"At times, you see him do things and you say there's nothing (wrong), and other times, you might see a false step that he has trouble coming out of or something like that," Packers secondary coach Kurt Schottenheimer said. "But I can't really determine how long it will take him (to get back to last year's form). That's kind of a medical question. There are times when you see a dart of quickness that is very, very impressive."
Underwood says his knee feels strong, but he knows from talking to teammates Brady Poppinga and Mark Tauscher, both of whom sustained similar injuries, that the first year back from the injury isn't the best.
"They say you feel great, but the second year is always better," Underwood said. "I feel good right now, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to feel a lot better next year. Plus, I'll be back up to football speed."
Eleven months after his surgery, Underwood says he has put the mental aspect of the injury behind him. But he admitted that for a time, he found himself asking: "Why me?"
There's no way to know what would have happened had he not blown out his knee last Aug. 12, but Underwood said there's no use dwelling on it.
"I'm working every day to try and get things right," Underwood said, "so if I get that chance again, I'm going to try to take advantage of it."
However, after missing an entire regular season, Underwood feels a bit like he's starting over.
"It's not my knee or anything mental," Underwood said. "I just had to adjust to the speed of the game again. Every day, my reads are getting better; my breaks are getting better."
Perhaps that's why he hasn't flashed on the practice field as much as last year.
"He's made some plays," defensive coordinator Bob Sanders said. "He's still getting back into things and getting used to the pads again, but he has made some good plays. He's been in position a couple of times where they wanted to throw the ball and didn't because he was in good position to take away the throws."