Colin McCarthy ‘about 80 percent’ recovered

Titans middle linebacker Colin McCarthy isn’t back to full health yet following his offseason ankle surgery, but he’s encouraged by the progress he’s making.

McCarthy has been participating in the Titans’ OTAs, which haven’t yet featured offense vs. defense drills.

“If I had to put a percentage on it, I’d say I’m probably about 80 percent,” McCarthy said Tuesday. “I think the biggest issue I’m having is just some of the acceleration, some of the cuts, some of the backpedals, just coming in and out of breaks. I don’t feel 100 percent.

“But I feel a whole lot better than I did all of last season playing. So it’s coming along. The trainers are excited about my progress. I feel better. I’m just excited to get back out there with the guys and start working again.”

McCarthy endured a very frustrating 2012, as the ankle injury suffered in the season opener, along with a later concussion, limited him to just seven games and 388 snaps – 34 percent of all the Titans’ defensive plays.

It was all the more disappointing because of the potential McCarthy had showed as a rookie the previous year. He’d emerged as a playmaker in 2011, leading the team with eight tackles for loss and finishing fourth in tackles (76) despite starting only seven games that year.

He says he hasn’t suffered from any concussion issues during the OTAs.

“Concussion-wise, I feel great,” McCarthy said. “I think mentally it was more just the injury to my ankle and the irritation of dealing with that. Once that all went aside and the season was over with, the coaches just kind of put me on the shelf and told me to take care of myself and be ready to go for next year.

“It took a lot of weight off my back, a lot of the things I was going through. Right now I’m in a lot better state. I’m excited about next season. I’m excited about a healthy season and a winning season.”

When does McCarthy believe the ankle will be 100 percent?

“We finish up OTAs on June 21st and then get almost a month (before training camp), so during that month, there’s no reason why it won’t be 100 percent,” McCarthy said. “Even during these OTAs, the more I’m out on the field cutting and doing drills, the more confident I get and the more stable I feel.”

The Titans have bolstered their depth at middle linebacker during the offseason by adding free agents Moise Fokou and Greg Jones. But a healthy McCarthy would serve as a huge boost to a defense that surrendered a franchise-record 471 points last year.


(tennessean.com)