“[The injury] was pretty devastating,” Buzbee said. “I didn’t expect it at all, it’s nothing you can plan for. It’s just one of those freak things that happens every now and again and it took me a while to get over. I was in a full cast up to my knee just sitting on my butt for two months straight. I couldn’t do anything.”

The injury took place while backpedaling during a punt coverage drill.

“When we started doing the punt drill here I had a little flash back thinking about everything that happened last year,” Buzbee said, “so when we did that drill I was very, very careful but when we were running around I didn’t really think about it at all.”

Buzbee came out of Georgetown’s football program in 2004. He spent 14 games on the Redskins practice squad, and then got signed to the active roster in December of 2007.

An Achilles’ injury usually take a full year to recover from. The exercises range from trying to pick up a marble with your toes to pressing up against a towel working the resistance. Once Buzbee got the cast off he was able to participate in some light jogging, but nothing too strenuous.

“Watching the other guys go out to practice was really frustrating,” he said, “but once I got the cast off and started rehabbing, I started to get over it and was able to put it behind me.

Now he’s back out on the field practicing, working with the teammates he’s watched for a season from the sidelines. He says his ankle feels strong, but it was a long road to putting on his No. 90 jersey and helmet again.

“I was a little nervous about [playing] once I got out there and started running around but it felt pretty good,” Buzbee said. “The main thing was doing football stuff again like technique and foot work stuff that I haven’t done in a while.”

“The speed of the game is so different,” he said, “all the plays are pretty much the same, I mean its still football, but the plays just happen a lot quicker. Everything is bang! Bang! Bang! It took a while to get used to.”

Since arriving to the NFL, Buzbee has improved his foot and hand placement, helping him shed blocks more efficiently, but he still has a ways to go — thanks to his injury.

The Hoyas’ football program has not produced an NFL player since 1956, but Buzbee was determined to work hard and get his spot back on the roster.

“All he did, from the day he got hurt to the day he got out here, is work his fanny off to get himself ready to compete,” said defensive line coach John Palermo. “He’s got a long road ahead, but he can do it. He’s so determined and dedicated.”

“I’m not 100 percent yet,” Buzbee said, “but I feel like I’m slowing getting there and by training camp I feel like I’ll be there.”