FRISCO, Texas -- The words fly out of Charles Tapper's mouth so fast that you can feel his excitement about football practice.
Yes, practice.
Tapper missed his rookie season with a stress fracture in his back, a "pars defect," that he had his entire life but wasn't diagnosed until he missed a few weeks of training camp. Last week's organized team activities were his first taste of 11-on-11 action since last spring, when he was a fourth-round pick.
Perhaps he could have played last January if the Dallas Cowboys made a long postseason run, but even that was unlikely.