Coming out of Wk 1 of the NFL season, as a huge Jets fan watching what unfolded on MNF, the last injury I thought I’d be writing abt would be that of a player on another team. That said, maybe as a long-time suffering fan of Gang Green, just enjoying the W & not concentrating on the A-Rod injury is what’s best for my MH :).
Instead, another on-field injury is turning into a heart-warming one, now that details are emerging. The Cowboys, love ‘em or hate ‘em, always seem to make news. This wk they came out of the gate in explosive fashion, beating the Giants on Sunday Night Football, 40-0. Their Defense is incredibly talented this yr, w a secondary that’s got tremendous depth. One of the players in that secondary is 7th yr CB, Jourdan Lewis, out of Michigan. The Cowboys are the only team he’s played for in his 7 yr career.
It’s been over 300 days from a fateful interception last yr – one that absolutely shattered his ankle, to now: making it back to the 53 man roster. A lot of players, especially in a sport as volatile as football, don’t make it back from injuries that bad for a # of reasons – both physical & mental.
The injury was so devastating last yr that it dragged his MH to the point where he couldn’t reply to texts from coaches & teammates who were hoping to check in on him. But in one of the most admirable acts you’ll see, as D coordinator Dan Quinn noted at training camp, the coaching staff & players didn’t take the silence from Lewis as lack of commitment to the recovery that lay before him.
Instead, they took it for what it actually was: a heartbroken playmaker forced to the sideline. They leaped into action — literally showing up at Lewis’ front door to let him know he’s still a huge part of the team, & how badly they wanted him to recover & return to the field.
When you hear stories like that, on a big stage, you wonder: imagine that was a boss & coworkers coming to someone’s house…a teacher & fellow students. It hasn’t been the norm for so long in MH. Ppl struggle in anonymity. Unlike breaking a bone (where everyone visits), w MH, they stay away. The Cowboys showed, it doesn’t have to be that way.