Amid the long list of injuries the Detroit Lions were hit by on the defensive side of the ball last season, defensive tackle Alim McNeill's torn ACL in Week 15 against the Buffalo Bills was toward the top of the list in terms of impact. And with it happening so late, his status for the start of this season was automatically in doubt.
So it was no surprise when McNeill opened the season on IR. Now approaching 10 months removed from his injury, October seemed like a viable target for his return to action. Head coach Dan Campbell confirmed the start of the fifth-year defensive tackle's 21-day activation clock would start, now that four games have passed and indeed McNeill was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice.
As Richard Silva of the Detroit News noted, McNeill was not talkative in the post-game locker room right after he suffered his injury against the Bills. He later acknowledged he had never suffered a season-ending injury like that before.
There were never any reports of McNeill suffering significant residual damage to his knee, so as ACL recoveries go his seemed to be very straight-forward.
And most importantly, perhaps, McNeill had plenty to say when he met with reporters after Wednesday's practice.
Alim McNeill is in great spirits as his return to action nears
Wednesday's practice was a light one for the Lions, with no pads and by all accounts (and as expected) McNeill didn't get a lot of reps.
McNeill said he has felt ready mentally for a little bit. but he had proper perspective about his recovery process.
"It's just like baking a cake", McNeill said. "There’s just different steps and different layers you just gotta cook a little bit. Mentally I feel like I’ve been ready, I’ve been itching to get out there. But now that the moment is here, it’s time to capitalize on it."
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McNeill then talked about the intensity of the workouts he did with the Lions' training staff, compared to practice.
"It feels great, because of the work we put in here with (Josh) Schuler and (Brett Fischer) Fish and everybody," McNeill said. "And the work I was getting before I came back for that OTA period with (physical therapist) Derek Samuel and everything. The way we work out is, I'd say it's about two to three times harder than practice. So, when I came in, it just felt normal. Today I didn't get that many reps, but I got a good amount of reps and I got to feel how everything felt and it felt great. I wasn't gassed or anything like that. So, everything felt good. We've been putting in work, though, so I expect to feel that way."
Recovering from a major injury can be as taxing mentally as it is physically, but McNeill said he didn't have any of those "dark days."
"Me personally, I can’t have dark days, just because that doesn’t do anything for me. I have to go forward, and my only goal was to get back on the field," McNeill said. "So I'm like, dark days for what? I play for the Lions, I'm training, I don’t have to pay for this training. Every day I woke up and was like, let’s get better today. I knew I was coming back to the field. It was definitely work that had to be put in, but that's what I love to do. That’s why I didn’t have any dark days where I was down. I love working out, I love getting better and training hard 'till you can’t walk no more. That’s me."
McNeill would not set a target day for his return, since he can only control his portion of that decision by showing he's fully ready to contribute.
"I'm just taking it day-by-day, practice-by-practice right now. And just putting good film, putting good tape out there to let them know that I'm good to go," McNeill said. "So no, I don't have a target date myself. But, I can't wait till it is."
Barring something unforeseen, McNeill won't be suiting up in Week 5 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
A return in Week 6 against the Kansas City Chiefs or Week 7 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is possible, but the Lions tend to be very conservative when it comes to players returning from major injuries. So his return to action could be extended toward the full extent of his 21-day window to be activated.
The last days of that three-week clock also happen to be during the team's bye week, which would then push McNeill's return to Week 9 against the Minnesota Vikings if he's not deemed ready to go before then.
In any case, the "Return of the Mac" is looming for the Lions' defensive line.