Webb: I'm 70 percent healthy

Fabian Washington has said he plans on being at full strength at the start of training camp after tearing his ACL last year.

His fellow injured cornerback, Lardarius Webb, says he's now about 70 percent healthy as he recovers from his own ACL tear.

Webb, who spoke to reporters today for the first time this offseason, said he is making progress in the rehab of his right knee, but shied away from proclaiming himself ahead of schedule and is unclear of when he will be able to return to practice.

lardarius_webb.jpg

"I don't even know the schedule to be ahead of the schedule," Webb said. "I'm just listening to the doctor telling me when I can come back. It usually takes about seven to nine months to get back, so that's what we're going off.

"I'm working on it, working on getting some strength back in my leg. All I can do is come here everyday and work and listen to [athletic trainer] Bill [Tessendorf]. It just takes time."

Webb's rise to prominence came quickly last year; he played his way from a rookie third-round pick out of tiny Nicholls State into the Ravens' starting defensive backfield by Week 11. He made four straight starts late in the regular season, and was tabbed by many as the team's next stud cornerback.

The ACL tear in late December brought all that talk to a halt. Webb now has to work his way back into the rotation at corner, and if you apply his "seven to nine month" estimate for recovery, it means that Webb could be ready to practice somewhere between late-July and September.

"I haven't even been thinking about that," Webb said. "All I've been thinking about is coming here everyday, putting in the work that I need to and God will handle the rest."

The 24-year-old says that he's now running at about 60-65 percent speed and claims that he no longer has any pain while making movements. The hardest part, he says, is getting out of his breaks.

"It's not the backpedal, it's not the run, it's putting weight on it coming out of a cut," Webb said. "I have two or three more months until we get back out there and I want to do my best to be at my best."

Webb hasn't just used the last few months to rehab his knee; he's also continued to lift weights with his upper body, which has gotten noticeably bigger.

He comes in at 7:00 a.m. every day, lifts, and then heads into the training room to get treatment. He says head coach John Harbaugh has also asked him to be on the sidelines for every practice so that he can get mental reps and stay on top of the playbook.

Harbaugh has raved about Webb's work ethic this offseason, praising the cornerback's drive and dedication to getting back on the field.

Webb says he's only missed two days of work the entire offseason, and that was when his grandfather died and he left town to attend the funeral. Other than those two days, he's been at Ravens headquarters every day trying to get healthy.

"I play football, that's my life, that's my career, that's my job, so if I don't have my ACL, then I can't do my job," Webb said. "I just wanted to get to work as soon as possible and I've been here working ever since I hurt it. So, sooner or later, I will be back.

"I know there's a light at the [end of the] tunnel. I just put the hard work in and they always say that if you work hard enough it will pay off. So, I'm going to work."

blog comments powered by Disqus