ON THE ROAD TO RECOVERY

Shawne Merriman feels great. “I just went for a little swim!” he exults over the phone. Don’t think for a second that one of the top players in the NFL is chillin’ on the beaches of San Diego, letting those torn knee ligaments that have forced him out of action this season heal by themselves. No, what Shawne calls a “little swim” is one of two grueling daily rehab sessions he is undergoing in order to return to terrorize quarterbacks from his outside linebacker position.

Serious injuries have been a defining characteristic of the 2008 season, unfortunately, and greats like Tom Brady, Osi Umenyiora, and Carson Palmer have seen their seasons ended before they ever really got started. Merriman, a pass-rushing powerhouse, is right at the front of the list of impact players felled by the injury bug. He told me he had been seriously injured “since last December,” and, although he wavered on season-ending surgery for a while, is now relieved he did it.

Merriman starts his day early, sweating through a strength and flexibility workout designed by former player turned renowned trainer Darren Willis. Later, Shawne puts on his swimming trunks and hits the pool. Merriman performs several exercises aimed at improving his overall strength and conditioning while in the pool. Like Rocky Balboa under the tutelage of Apollo Creed, Merriman is “using muscles he never knew he had.”

“I do a lot of balance work in the pool,” says Merriman. “I’m working on the little muscles, like the groin, not just the big ones like the quads. The pool works muscles that never get worked on land. I always stayed in good condition, of course, but I was so gifted athletically that I didn’t pay much mind to the little things.”

Now, pro football players are never totally healthy—as Merriman put it, “any player who says he’s 100% healthy isn’t telling the truth.” Near the end of the season, guys are usually hurting from head to toe. Getting past the pain to get out on the field and perform is a big part of being a pro. Ironically, that “I have six days to make this better” mentality was a handicap at first for Shawne in his effort to rehab his knee. “This is a lot different,” he says. “It’s weird to not be looking ahead to Sunday to get well. I have to de-train myself to account for all the time I have to overcome the injury.” After a month or so of rest to heal from the surgery, it was time to get to work, and Merriman has been attacking the rehab with the same zeal and intensity he brings to the field.

So, as you expected, much of Shawne’s time in football limbo is occupied with getting the knee back to optimus prime. But what about the rest of the day, usually consumed by pigskin-related matters? Surprisingly, there’s not as much free time as you might think.

”I’m a team leader,” says Merriman. “That means I help out my fellow teammates, even when I can’t play. Most of that is the mental part of the game. I watch the pass rushers—they ask me what I’m seeing on film, actually. I tell them if they need to come out of their three-point stance sooner, or line up a little wider, that sort of thing.”

Merriman also is getting some camera time while out, appearing on Fox Sports Net’s Pro Football Review each week, commuting up the 405 to Los Angeles to impart his football knowledge. But talking about the game and playing it are two different things, and Merriman sounded wistful when I asked him what he missed most while sitting out.

“Oh man, it’s tough—I guess two things. Being around the guys in the locker room is one. And the competitiveness. It’s not just eleven on eleven out there. It’s me versus the guy trying to block me, the guy in front of me, and I have to beat him to do my job. That’s something you can’t get anywhere else.”

Thanks to his hard work, Merriman feels he’ll be better than ever and ready to go for next season, even as he admits he’ll be a little nervous about the knee until he goes on it full speed. And that’s of course great news. But don’t go on my say so—watch Shawne bust out those workouts yourself. His website, ShawneMerriman.com is posting videos of his rehab for fans anxious to see the man putting the injury in his rearview. Check those out, and see Shawne regain that eye of the tiger.

Robert Weintraub is a regular contributor to the Nike Football blog