The sustained applause interrupted Randy Thomas’ gloomy prediction, giving him a jolt of hope. Maybe if the fans were cheering this way they knew something he didn’t.
Turns out they didn’t. Shortly after leaving the field on this December day, Thomas learned his season was over thanks to a broken right ankle. Months of using crutches, worrying about swelling and pain lied ahead.
But now, a week or so away from mini-camp, Thomas is almost his old self, save for the 14 screws still in his ankle. He knows such injuries often take a year to fully heal, but Thomas already is going through every drill in the organized team activities. Healso plans to full participate in mini-camp.
“It is a bad injury, but he’s done extremely well,” Redskins director of sports medicine Bubba Tyer said. “We’re very pleased and he may be ahead of schedule. Randy’s a tough guy and has a lot of pride and wants to be out there. He’s worked real hard to get where he is now.”
That doesn’t mean he’s going to try and do too much.
“I don’t want to do anything stupid,” Thomas said. “I’m very tentative on it. I don’t want fans to think I’ll be crazy and try and hurt it again. It’s not 100 percent, but I’m getting there.
“This has been one of the bigger obstacles in my life as far as not knowing what direction it would go. Sometimes it was good; sometimes it was bad.”
Thomas spent approximately 12 weeks on crutches after the injury.
“That was my down time,” Thomas said. “I have [four] kids and I couldn’t run around and play with them. I couldn’t stand up or do things. It was temporary, but it seemed so slow, especially during the playoffs.”
But what bothered Thomas was missing the playoff games. That’s why he’s having so much fun now, even if it’s only May.
“I’m trying to feel the vibe,” he said. “That’s what I missed. This is like a reward for going through what I went through.”
Thomas never doubted he would return. But he also said he’s continued to push himself. He won’t take anti-inflammatories and figures any soreness is a sign of improvement; and the soreness tends to eventually fade.
“Every day the pain gets less and less,” he said. “The doctor told me it can’t get any worse; that’s why I push myself. This is not going to be a setback.”
Guarded optimism
» Thomas broke the ankle and suffered a high ankle sprain. He had a plate put in his leg, in
addition to the 14 screws, plus another long screw that waseventually removed.
» Thomas was having what his coaches considered to be an outstanding season before the injury. He was not named to the Pro Bowl — the voting was done before his injury — which disappointed his coaches and linemates.
» The Redskins will conduct a mini-camp from June 16-18. It’s not open to the public.
