Rivers puts faith into his comeback
FOXBORO — Derek Rivers didn’t know he had torn his ACL. He didn’t until he got the MRI, which ended a promising rookie season before it could even start.
The Patriots defensive end knew he had a long recovery ahead, but he used a strong support system to help rally him through the rehab.
Nine months later, Rivers is back on the field and says he’s 100 percent healthy. There doesn’t seem to be anything holding him back.
“It’s a blessing,” Rivers said yesterday after the Patriots’ second OTA session. “It’s a blessing to be able to come out here and have this opportunity. Praise God. My knee and everything feels awesome.”
A third-round pick in the 2017 draft, Rivers was coming along nicely last summer when everything turned for the worst. He was a standout during joint practices with the Jaguars and Texans, and the Youngstown State product’s development seemed faster than some anticipated. Rivers certainly looked the part of a player who would have been a major contributor to the Patriots defense.
But it came to a frustrating and sudden end in early August when the Patriots were practicing with the Texans in West Virginia. Rivers was covering a kickoff when he went down. A few different tests confirmed the ACL tear, and that he’d spend his rookie season on the sideline.
“There’s a reason for everything, so I knew that time wasn’t my time, and it’s all in (God’s) plan,” Rivers said.
While his rookie season was lost on the field, Rivers was still productive in his first year. He didn’t play, but he was regularly at Gillette Stadium, where he actively participated in meetings, worked out and learned the playbook with his teammates.
While some players recovering from major injuries may feel like they’re separated from the team, Rivers didn’t. And for a rookie who was still learning even without the injury, not losing time in the meeting rooms was critical.
“It was a good rehab process,” Rivers said. “I was able to learn the defense and I wasn’t away from the building, so I could do everything except be here on the field, so it was a blessing. It actually made me a better player. It helped out a lot. Definitely helped build confidence.
“Obviously coming in here your rookie year, it’s almost like your freshman year in college, so now it’s just listening to the coaches, staying in the playbook and pretty much just getting ready to roll for each practice and just try to get better each and every day.”
To get through his rehab, Rivers leaned on his faith and his family. He also received a lot of support from teammates, including Julian Edelman, who tore his ACL about two weeks after Rivers did. Rivers said they pushed each other along the way during their respective recoveries.
Rivers also pointed out Deatrich Wise, a fellow pass rusher who he’s become close with after they were drafted together last year, as someone who gave him a lot of encouragement and was there every step of the way.
Rivers never felt like he was alone during the process.
“It’s an awesome organization,” Rivers said. “I got awesome teammates. I have the best teammates ever, so those guys, they’re real supportive and I lifted with a lot of those guys, and I was in all of the meeting rooms, so it was awesome.”
It’s still early, but Rivers said everything feels the same as last year at this point. He has no physical restrictions, which is great news with a full, healthy summer ahead of him to show that he can be the force in 2018 that he showed he could have been last year.
“It’s a blessing, really,” Rivers said. “You can’t ask for nothing more. Like I said, praise God, it’s all because of Him. It’s awesome.”