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Detroit Lions CB Emmanuel Moseley not discouraged by second ACL tear: 'I'll be back'
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- Detroit Lions CB Emmanuel Moseley not discouraged by second ACL tear: 'I'll be back'
Emmanuel Moseley is in better spirits — and better shape, medically — than he was the last time he tore his ACL.
In his first comments since he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in a Week 5 win over the Carolina Panthers , the Detroit Lions defensive back said Tuesday he is set to begin walking on an anti-gravity AlterG treadmill this week, four weeks removed from surgery.
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"I'm good. I feel good," Moseley told the Free Press. "It definitely sucks to go through but God gives his toughest challenges to the guys that can handle it. I know one thing about me is I can handle it, and I will handle it. I definitely, I'll be back."
Detroit Lions cornerback Emmanuel Moseley lies on the turf after being injured in the first half against the Carolina Panthers at Ford Field, Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023.
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Moseley injured his knee on his second snap as a Lion, nearly a year to the day after tearing the ACL in his left knee last fall with the San Francisco 49ers .
The sixth-year cornerback said he suffered less meniscus damage with this injury, and the cleaner tear has put him ahead of the schedule he followed last year with his rehab.
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Moseley spent two weeks away from the team following his injury, but has been back with the team since early this month.
"Even though I can't be out there I want to be around the guys," he said. "Just the two weeks that I was away it sucked to not be around the guys. I'm always a team player, I want to see the guys do well. Help them out if I can, as much as I can, and we got a good staff in here that'll take care of me and get me back right."
One of the Lions' top free-agent additions, Moseley did not play in the season's first four games after undergoing a clean-up procedure on his left knee this summer and pulling his hamstring in his return to practice in September.
Emmanuel Moseley, who had one interception in five games for the 49ers last season, was expected to open the season as the Lions' No. 2 cornerback.
He was injured on his second snap of the Panthers game, when his knee gave out while planting to chase a receiver in coverage.
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Moseley said he suspected he tore his ACL at the time of his injury, but tried to remain optimistic until an MRI confirmed the diagnosis the next day.
"At first (you wonder why me), the first few minutes and stuff, but reality kicked in and what you going to do about it?" Moseley said. "You can't cry, you just got to keep going."
Lions cornerbacks coach Dre Bly said last week it was important to have Moseley and fellow injured defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson around the team's young secondary for what the team hopes will be a long playoff run.
Moseley said he's "excited" to still be in the locker room, and will worry about what the injury means for his future at a later date. Moseley's one-year contract will expire in March.
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"To be honest, man, I'm not even focusing on that aspect of it, the aspect of getting back out there now," he said. "I'm just focused on just trying to get back healthy, that's it. And when I get back healthy I'll get into all that, but just knowing myself, I'm a competitor."
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com . Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions CB Emmanuel Moseley not discouraged by second ACL tear
