Whether Cole Strange can be a consistent, productive member of the Patriots’ offensive line long term is still to be determined, but there’s no denying his commitment to his teammates and the organization.
That could and should go a long way.
Meeting with the media on Thursday for the first time after practicing for the first time Wednesday, Strange discussed what it has taken to just get to this point after a torn patellar tendon.
“Everything that I had to re-learn to do…walk, even. Squatting, jumping, running, it felt very awkward at first,” he explained. “But, I just kept hammering away at it and I don’t know? I feel good. I feel confident the same thing with happen with ball.
“I will say, I felt a little awkward (Wednesday) doing drills, but then when we went onto film and I watched myself, it wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it was. So, it felt awkward but I just have to get back into the swing of things. Honestly, it looked a lot better than I thought it would.”
At one point, there was admittedly some self-doubt from Strange as to whether or not he could return to the NFL. Not for a lack of confidence or desire, but the inability to do basic human things on his own.
“Early on, I think I started to get doubtful of myself. But, that was just early on like whenever my leg was stuck at 180 degrees, you know? It wasn’t really like, ‘aw I’m never going to come back.’ It was just getting down on myself because I couldn’t go to the bathroom by myself. So, I was like, ‘how the hell am I going to go back to playing in the NFL?’
“But, you know, it’s just taking it one day at a time and not getting to bogged down by what’s going on in that moment.”
It also turns out that Strange thought he already loved football, but has gained an even greater appreciation for everything the game provides.
“I guess I’d say that I need football more than I thought I did,” Strange said when asked what he had learned about himself. “I’ve always loved it. But, not having it, I just did not like that at all.”
After one inspiring story with Christian Barmore returning, Cole Strange is doing his best to provide another one. While there’s no timetable on his return to game action, Strange will take the same approach to practice as he did to the rehab process.
“I’m not really sure how close…not to give you the dance around, but with yesterday being my first day, I’m just kind of taking it day-by-day,” he said.
There’s also been some talk about Strange playing center, something he’s confident he can do with more reps in practice.
“I have a little bit of background. I played center in college. I played center at the Senior Bowl. I feel pretty comfortable about it, comfortable with it. I just need to get practice reps at it…the only way to get better at (the mental and vocal part of the position) is to do it. I can sit in meetings, I do sit in meetings and envision myself making the calls, but you have the bird’s eye view. So, it’s different being out there. It’s different whenever you’ve got the cadence you need to remember, the play and also the check. You’ve gotta remember it all and do it like snap that.” I’ll figure it out. I’ve just got to get some reps at it.”
Whether Strange returns or not, he appears to be an ideal culture guy you look to rebuild around. His display of mental and physical toughness and commitment to get back for his teammates is something to be admired and remembered when it comes to fan appreciation and roster movement.