Indianapolis Colts veteran pass rushing linebacker Robert Mathis suffered a slight setback in his recovery from a torn Achilles.
Robert Mathis was an absolute superstar for the Indianapolis Colts in 2013, but missed the entire 2014 season due to a torn Achilles and suspension for PED usage. He was expected to be good to go for 2015, but he has suffered a slight setback in his rehab and recovery from the torn Achilles according to ESPN Colts beat writer Mike Wells.
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It is certainly tough news to hear for the Colts and their fans, but it is good news that it isn’t the re-torn Achilles that it was rumored to be.
At 33 years old, Mathis is on a long road to recovery. He isn’t young anymore and his body isn’t healing at the pace that he would like it to. The Colts desperately needed Mathis and his pass rushing ability last season, and they will need it again this year if they want to knock off teams like the New England Patriots to get to the Super Bowl.
During the 2013 season, Mathis racked up 19.5 sacks to go along with 59 total tackles and eight forced fumbles. Those numbers alone show just how dangerous Mathis is, and how much of a threat he is to opposing quarterbacks.
Indianapolis didn’t have a legitimate pass rusher this past season, and saw Bjoern Werner struggle to make any type of play down the stretch of the season. Erik Walden and rookie Jonathan Newsome were the two most consistent pass rushers all of last season. Both of those guys are quality football players, but they aren’t ideally what a team would have as the primary players to put pressure on the quarterback.
Mathis has played in 11 NFL season so far throughout his career, and has totaled 111.0 sacks in those years. He is one of the NFL’s most prolific pass rushers when he is on the field and healthy, and the Colts need him to figure out how to get on the field for next season.
Coming back off of a torn Achilles is never easy for any player, but especially for a veteran player like Mathis. His work ethic will definitely help him, but these setbacks are not minor things for a player of his age.
Hopefully Mathis will be able to heal up completely and get back on the field at some point in 2015. Even if he can’t start the season, getting him back halfway through the year would be huge for the Colts.
H/T ESPN
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