After a stellar rookie season in 2012, Indianapolis Colts running back Vick Ballard looked like a lock to be quarterback Andrew Luck's backfield insurance policy for years to come.
However, he's played just one game in the past two seasons due to a catostrophic ACL tear and other surrounding problems. Relegated to the background for the past two years, Ballard's tried hard not to get down on himself.
"I can't even put into words how I've felt," Ballard said, via ESPN.com. "But everything happens for a reason."
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Ballard has been a mainstay of the team facility the past two seasons, attempting to rehab himself back into game shape. He hopes to join the team on the field when training camp opens on August 2nd, but head coach Chuck Pagano knows there's going to be hurdles both physical and mental before Balland is fully ready for game action.
"You have back-to-back season-ending injuries, it's hard," Pagano said. "It's hard when guys have one significant injury and they come back. Physically, the doctors and trainers, they all say, ‘Hey, you're 100 percent.' But this right here, it takes time to get your confidence back and get back on the field. Especially for the big guys playing interior line of scrimmage and defensive lineman having 700 pounds on them on a double team, and he's coming off a knee. It takes some time to gain your confidence and things like that."
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