07-23-2023, 03:15 PM
Daronte Jones walked through the trainer's room last October to get a bag of ice. What he saw in there stopped him cold.
About 10 days after safety Lewis Cine's bone-breaking, season-ending leg injury, Jones saw him walking — without assistance from anyone or anything.
This couldn't be the plan, Jones thought, so soon after the first-round rookie suffered compound fractures of the tibia and fibula. Wrapping concealed an inch-long gash on the inside of Cine's left leg where bones protruded just a few days earlier, as well as a bigger incision above his knee where surgeons inserted a rod that's with him for life.
Under doctor's orders, Cine took the new hardware for a test drive — a week after surgery — when his position coach walked in.
"I'm like, 'Lew, what are you doing? Where are your crutches?' " Jones said. "He's like, 'Nah, nah, Coach, they told me I'm OK.' I'm like, 'Dude, you're not supposed to be off crutches this fast.' "
"It was too fast for me," Jones added. "I was about to call everybody."
Nearly nine months later, Vikings training camp will begin with rookies reporting to Eagan on Sunday and veterans on Tuesday. Cine will be there, ready to run again.
The first practice open to fans is Saturday, when Cine's impressive recovery will come into full view. The hard-hitting safety was a participant in spring workouts. He's healthy, ready to earn NFL stripes and eager to show that his time away was spent growing as a person and player.
"It's mind-blowing," said special teams coordinator Matt Daniels, who suffered a similar injury as a Rams safety in 2013. "It's more of a mental block than it is a physical block, and I think he has surpassed that mental block because of how he trained and rehabbed his way back. He has that supreme confidence back in him and he's out there flying around."
Cine grinned when revealing he could walk unsupported a week after surgery — three weeks earlier than when he made headlines for walking past reporters for the first time.
"No crutches, no boot," Cine said. "Once I could flex my muscles, it was, 'Get up and walk.' It was, 'Lazarus, get up and walk.' My first couple steps were like a waddle, and once I could raise my feet up it was a walk."
https://www.startribune.com/minnesota-vikings-lewis-cine-broken-leg/600291422/
About 10 days after safety Lewis Cine's bone-breaking, season-ending leg injury, Jones saw him walking — without assistance from anyone or anything.
This couldn't be the plan, Jones thought, so soon after the first-round rookie suffered compound fractures of the tibia and fibula. Wrapping concealed an inch-long gash on the inside of Cine's left leg where bones protruded just a few days earlier, as well as a bigger incision above his knee where surgeons inserted a rod that's with him for life.
Under doctor's orders, Cine took the new hardware for a test drive — a week after surgery — when his position coach walked in.
"I'm like, 'Lew, what are you doing? Where are your crutches?' " Jones said. "He's like, 'Nah, nah, Coach, they told me I'm OK.' I'm like, 'Dude, you're not supposed to be off crutches this fast.' "
"It was too fast for me," Jones added. "I was about to call everybody."
Nearly nine months later, Vikings training camp will begin with rookies reporting to Eagan on Sunday and veterans on Tuesday. Cine will be there, ready to run again.
The first practice open to fans is Saturday, when Cine's impressive recovery will come into full view. The hard-hitting safety was a participant in spring workouts. He's healthy, ready to earn NFL stripes and eager to show that his time away was spent growing as a person and player.
"It's mind-blowing," said special teams coordinator Matt Daniels, who suffered a similar injury as a Rams safety in 2013. "It's more of a mental block than it is a physical block, and I think he has surpassed that mental block because of how he trained and rehabbed his way back. He has that supreme confidence back in him and he's out there flying around."
Cine grinned when revealing he could walk unsupported a week after surgery — three weeks earlier than when he made headlines for walking past reporters for the first time.
"No crutches, no boot," Cine said. "Once I could flex my muscles, it was, 'Get up and walk.' It was, 'Lazarus, get up and walk.' My first couple steps were like a waddle, and once I could raise my feet up it was a walk."
https://www.startribune.com/minnesota-vikings-lewis-cine-broken-leg/600291422/
