New England Patriots cornerback Cyrus Jones tore the anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus in his right knee while covering a New York Giants wide receiver during an NFL preseason game on Aug. 31. Fifty-one weeks later, the former Alabama standout made it back to the football field, when he returned the opening kickoff of the second half of a preseason game against the Carolina Panthers on Friday night.
"Anxious, nervous, all types of emotions," Jones said. "But once I got the ball in my hands, it felt like the same thing I've been doing my whole life.