A year ago, Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman Isaac Alarcon was convinced his football career was over.
The aftermath of surgery to remove a benign cyst in his lower back had left the 6-foot-6, 320-pound Monterrey Tech product 25 pounds lighter because of changes to his diet. He was unable to practice for more than two months. When he returned, he found himself consistently being knocked over like a bowling pin. That wasn't ideal, considering he knew NFL scouts were watching.
"I thought I had lost it all," Alarcon said in Spanish before reporting to Cowboys camp in Frisco, Texas, on July 21.