[Underdog]

Training Day
Off-Season Program Begins Tuesday For Injured Rookies

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IRVING, Texas - For the Cowboys' 2009 draft class, the emphasis now is to turn negatives into positives.

So what, then, if the most impactful rookie of the season was a kickoff specialist - the team can rightfully say it will have a draft class-and-a-half of unproven young players with upside when summer practices begin.

And so what if three of the players coaches were most hopeful about were lost to preseason injuries last year. For Robert Brewster, Brandon Williams and Stephen Hodge, the task now is to make the most of some bad luck and turn the redshirt season into something they can build on, thanks to progress made in the weight room.

That process continues for Brewster and Williams on Tuesday, when they get a head start on the eight-week off-season program their teammates will begin in March. With Brewster's torn pectoral muscle healed, and Williams' torn ACL in good enough shape to begin simple leg work, the players are ready to start moving past their respective rehab stages. Hodge, who had the more invasive microfracture surgery for his knee injury, is a bit farther behind, but continues to work with trainers and strength and conditioning coach Joe Juraszek to complete his own comeback.

After their individual injuries, each player faces a different timeline to get back to 100 percent.

"There comes that point where guys want to be aggressive," Juraszek said. "But the term we always use is 'appropriate physical progression.' Don't take two steps up the ladder. You've got to take each rung."

Brewster seems to have made the most progress. The Cowboys' third-round pick (75th overall) out of Ball State, Brewster tore a pectoral muscle while performing a dumbbell press last July. The injury landed him on the Non-Active Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list for the entirety of training camp and much of the season, and he was eventually moved to the injured reserve.

"It really hurt me more than words can explain," Brewster said. "I never missed one play in college, never missed a game, then made it to my dream of being in the NFL. But I decided to put (the injury) behind me and overcome it. I know it's going to help out in the long run, and when my time comes, God's got a plan. He might've done it for a reason so I can get faster and stronger for next year."

Indeed, Brewster did take some steps forward through the injury. While he said it took nearly three months before he could perform any upper-body exercise, he lost some weight, which was a must before he could have an impact. Juraszek said the time lost allowed Brewster to learn how to burn calories and make his body more efficient, giving him a chance to get back on the field.

Williams, one of the club's fourth-round choices (120th overall), had impressed coaches with his first-step burst in the mini-camp and OTA season last summer, and Wade Phillips singled him out as a potential impact pass-rusher. That all ended when he tore his ACL in the home preseason opener, ending his season. The 21-year old Texas Tech product had already missed almost every training camp practice and the first preseason game with a shoulder injury.

With hardly any practice time under his belt, Williams' conversion from 4-3 defensive end to stand-up 3-4 outside linebacker has been undeniably stunted. Juraszek said he has improved in one way since his season ended, though, improving the strength in his back and shoulder muscles, an area he had been lacking coming into the year. Williams said he expects to begin running again this week, pending the go-ahead from assistant trainer Britt Brown, who heads the medical staff's rehabilitation efforts.

"It's getting a lot better," Williams said. "The progress is really good right now. I've been rehabbing with Britt and he's helping me a lot, so I feel real good about it."

Juraszek said the hope is that by March, Brewster and Williams will be on the same plane as their fellow rookies who weren't seriously injured.

Hodge has farther to go, and won't begin training fully for a while still. Trainers have to go particularly easy on the sixth-round inside linebacker from TCU because his microfracture surgery required an extended time without putting any pressure on the knee, and it will take even more time before the knee can handle a full load.

Hodge said he is eager to resume a lower-body routine and running schedule because he added bulk to his upper body during the season, and wants to even out his frame. As he eases back into a full workload, Hodge's days are currently spent much the same as they have been the past few months.

"Resting," he said. "I go to the trainers every day, and I stay off my leg because I don't want to put pressure on it, or just wear it out walking around. We took a week off after the season, but now I'm back working hard and grinding, trying to get my body in shape, and later I'll start getting prepared for OTAs."

Since they were not active the entire season, all three injured rookies are eligible to participate in the Cowboys' rookie mini-camp, typically held the weekend after the draft. If totally recovered, they should also get the complete slate of OTA and veteran mini-camp practices in May and June. The on-field work will be crucial in their quest to make up for lost time, but the next couple months are equally important.

Brewster calls it the most critical period of his career. The same can be said for Williams and Hodge, as well as the rest of the 2009 rookie class. After only six weeks in an NFL-caliber weight room before their first season, this is the best time for a young player to make gains.

"They have to make their greatest physical improvement now," Juraszek said. "And then take that to the field. When they get back on the field and start doing some things for the coaches they should be significantly different. . . . If you go that period of time and you don't wow somebody, then you just become another guy."

I'm really interested to see where these guys stand this offseason.