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Coming: The Amazing Return Of J.R. Reed
May 10, 2006
There was never an option. Quitting was never a consideration. J.R. Reed walked without a foot for months, but deep in the back of his mind, during the time he wasn't crying and depressed and flat as a pancake in his bed, Reed knew this day was coming. He knew it had to arrive, sooner or later.
He would work harder than anybody else. He would never stop. He would focus only on someday stepping back on the football field.
As the Eagles prepare for their post-draft mini-camp, Reed expects to be there. He is, in his words, "100 percent, in my mind."
Do you believe in miracles? Reed sure does.
"Definitely. Thank God. It's all God. I don't deserve anything," says Reed. "I made a mistake and messed my leg up and God blessed me and God brought me back. I'm here for a reason.
"I'm going to use this reason that He put me back and use it for good."
This came from absolutely nowhere. For a full year following that fateful evening when Reed, running away from a chasing dog, got the back of his knee stuck on a chain-link fence, severely damaging the peroneal nerve that affects the use of the lower leg and foot -- more on that later -- all we heard was that Reed's chances of every playing football again were slim.
Actually, he had two chances -- slim and none, and slim had his bags packed.
So how did he get here? How is it that Reed kept saying yes when everyone else was saying no?
"The major part was discovering a brace that stabilized my ankle good enough for me to play," Reid said on Wednesday at the NovaCare Complex. "That, and getting my leg stronger, because it's been a year and a half of sitting out. You can't really do much rehabbing with a nerve. I've spent a lot of time getting it stronger, getting cleared to lift and work out here and become part of this team again (about a month ago) ... that has made the difference."
This is an amazing story, of course. Reed averaged 23.1 yards on kickoff returns as a rookie in 2004 -- second among NFL rookies -- and he added 20 tackles. A fourth-round draft pick from South Florida, Reed's future looked bright as a return man and as a safety.
Then came that night, one that Reed plays in his mind over and over and over again.
"Every time I think about it, it hurts physically," says Reed. My body hurts. I go through it every time I think about it. Hanging upside down on the fence with my leg, I can't even describe it.
"I was hanging, and I tried to push off once -- I think this is what hurt me more -- and my hand slipped, because it was my left arm and it was my weak arm and it slipped underneath me so I fell deeper into my leg on the spike. Somehow, with my weak arm, I pushed myself off and I kind of fell backwards.
"I got up and tried to run, but my foot wouldn't work and I just fell right on the concrete. I kind of dragged myself to the street. I don't know how."
For much of the time in his rehabilitation process, Reid was all alone. He stayed in Philadelphia and worked out at his house with the gym set he had purchased. Money was tight and spirits were dragging.
And he kept pushing forward and not looking back.
"I never gave up. I've been through the depression, being in bed for weeks at a time. I just kept praying. I was going to find a way," he says. "Nobody showed me the brace, nobody found it. I found it myself. I knew I was fast. Without my brace, I could run full speed. I knew I was fast and I knew I could still do things. I just had to find something to stabilize it.
"I've been through four or five of the braces. I finally found one that would help me do what I can do. Now it's more mental, teaching myself how to use the brace."
Reed was given a brace after his surgery following the accident. That brace was designed to help him lift his foot, something the damaged nerve would not allow him to do. Reed then had a hands-on approach with his doctor to re-design the brace to the exact specifications he needed.
Finally, he has a finished product, one he prefers not to show right now, one that is made of carbon fiber. He wants to see how things go on the field, how he responds to the demands of the game.
There are no guarantees for Reed. Not even close. Practice is one very important step, but there are many more to follow.
Hey, reaching this point is incredible. Reed spent time with a psychologist, and he questioned "life, and why I live. It was hard for a long time. I just cried for no reason. I didn't want to talk to anybody.
"I was in my bed, doing nothing. I was here the whole time and I didn't know anybody. It was just me."
Reed did manage to complete his degree in Management Information Systems at Rowan University and Temple University when he wasn't working out three or four times a day in his basement.
But the days dragged by slowly. The darkness seemed like it would never end.
There were signs, here and there, that Reed thought he might have a chance. At Rowan, he would wear one of his braces and play basketball. He wasn't able to go full speed, but he had some success, and came to the conclusion that if he tweaked the brace just a little bit, it might help.
That's exactly what happened. And his performance on the basketball court convinced Reed that maybe, just maybe ...
He called the Eagles. He took a pre-season physical and failed it. He spoke to Eagles head athletic trainer Rick Burkholder, who said to Reed, "Do you really think you can play?"
Reed's enthusiasm and determination through the phone convinced Burkholder, who then asked Andy Reid and Tom Heckert to watch Reed go through some drills in the indoor practice facility at the NovaCare Complex.
"I was impressed myself. I never did it with the brace before," said Reed. "I impressed myself. Coach said, 'You look good. You're a little weak in that leg, but you look good.' "
And since then, Reed was cleared to work out and be part of the team.
Practice awaits.
"It's going to be an emotional time, especially if I get back on that field," said Reed. "This is part of the road back."
JR Reed: Completing the improbable comeback
JR Reed: Completing the improbable comeback
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