Bears Center Hroniss Grasu Close To Return From Careful Rehab
By Chris Emma--
LAKE FOREST, Ill. (CBS) -- Finally getting into a rhythm, Hroniss Grasu's rookie season suffered a setback. He was two starts in at center when he suffered a neck injury in practice leading up to the Bears' Week 8 contest with the Vikings.
Bears medical personnel took every precaution at the time of the injury, simply because it was a neck injury. Now three missed starts later, Grasu is still slowly working his way back to full health. On Thursday at Halas Hall, he practiced in a limited role.
He believes a return could come soon, perhaps Sunday against Denver.
"Obviously, the first thing that comes to your mind when it's your neck is you're scared," Grasu said. "But it's just something where I got to let it wait, let it heal. The doctors, it's in their hands. Whenever the doctors let me play, I'll go out there and play right away, and I won't skip a beat."
A rookie out of Oregon, Grasu didn't go into specific details about the nature of his injury. However, he's "getting better every single day." Bears left guard Matt Slauson has subbed in at center during Grasu's absence. Grasu took over for veteran center Will Montgomery, who suffered a season-ending broken fibula in a Week 4 win over the Raiders.
Grasu's first start came in a win against the Chiefs, in which he seemed to improve as the game went on. The next game, a contest in Detroit, he showed similar comfort. Teammates have credited his knowledge and preparation for the role.
Yet, Grasu was making great progress just two starts into his NFL career, so having football temporarily taken away was surely frustrating. However, he understands the precautionary measures that still exist in his slow road back to recovery.
"It's a risky thing when it comes to your neck, especially in our position, we hit our head every play," Grasu said. "If your neck is messed up and you mess it up even more, it's more of a long-term deal."
In Sunday's win over St. Louis, Grasu was on the field prior to kickoff testing his health. It was determined by doctors that he would be best to sit out, with Slauson starting in his place.
The Bears have yet to give Grasu the full indication that he will return to his starting role at center, though it seems likely that Slauson will move back to his more comfortable position of left guard and Grasu will retain his starting spot.
Battling back from injury hasn't been easy for Grasu, but he's ready to return without missing a beat.
"You just got to respond from it," he said. "Get better from it."
