ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Former Denver Broncos wide receiver Rod Smith once framed the struggles of a player returning from injury as a fight that reached well beyond the physical pain.
Smith talked about wrestling during the recovery with the constant reminders that such a major investment of time, effort and emotion was often met with little return.
"All you know is playing football, being in the locker room, interacting with people, jokes, arguments, whatever," Smith has said. "Then you get hurt and it's like you're the night watchman. When you work everybody else is somewhere else doing something else.