Calendar countdown: Ray’s comeback nears
Hanging inside the locker of Broncos linebacker Shane Ray is a calendar and daily reminder of what’s to come. Below six images of Ray in action is “KEEP GRINDIN’,” in all caps, and a 30-day countdown to his return. “30 days, 29 days, 28 days — all have been X’d out as Ray inches closer to his projected return, which is aptly labeled at the bottom of the calendar with: “TODAY’S THE DAY … TIME TO SHINE.”
Ray, a former first-round draft pick, entered the Broncos’ offseason program this year in what he described as the best shape of his life. He studied more and studied differently, relying on the advice and guidance of Demarcus Ware and Von Miller as he dissected tape of his own play to try to improve.
He was ready to become a full-time starter for the Broncos in the wake of Ware’s retirement.
Ray’s time was 2017 and it was supposed to start Sept. 11. But because of a wrist injury suffered at the start of training camp, Ray’s moment was postponed until Week 8, when the Broncos plan to recall him from injured reserve to face the Chiefs in Kansas City, his hometown.
“It’s been really hard, honestly just because I’m such a competitor,” Ray told me this week. “I came in this offseason playing and feeling the best I’ve ever felt and mentally knowing where I’m at and not physically being able to do the things I see on film, it’s hard.”
Last week, Ray had the pins removed from his surgically repaired wrist. Monday, he is slated to practice for the first time, giving him needed reps on the field before the snaps begin to count Oct. 30.
“They expect me to come back and play sam and will linebacker, just like they thought before the season. So I’ll be ready,” Ray said. “It’ll be a task to maneuver around and have a cast on, but I’m still the same guy that everybody was looking at and talking about before the season. I’m just excited to finally get back on the field.”
Often overlooked in a players’ path to recovery is the mental toll of watching from afar, of training but waiting, of hearing the outside noise while also trying to tune it out.
Ray’s journey was trying, as expected, but he believes he’s in football shape, or as much as he can be after weeks of rehab and conditioning. His body is close and will be honed with a week of on-field work.
But his mind is overloaded. “Because of Von and Demarcus, I see things differently than I did last year and the year before that. So my film study, I’m just breaking stuff down like a cyborg now. I look at 200 plays of just this guy, trying to find any twitch,” Ray said. “It’s kind of taxing on me because I’m just watching so much film and I can’t do anything. I felt like a coach. I felt like an assistant coach for the last three weeks, whether it’s been finding tips to give to Joe Woods on guys, their stances, or taking to Kasim (Edebali) or Demarcus (Walker), or talking to Shaq (Barrett) about stuff in the meeting room.”
Ray will soon shed his unofficial role as an assistant coach and return to being a player, a starter on a defense that leads the league in total yards (260.8) and rushing yards (50.8) allowed, raising the bar for Ray.
A rusher through and through, Ray’s personal goal of a sack a game is intact. But he has a bigger goal now, too.
“It heightens my focus to come in with those guys playing as well as they are in the run game,” he said. “When I come in, I need to make sure that I’m gap-sound in everything I do. Because the reason we’re so effective is because everyone is doing their
job. For me, I want to come back and make sure we stay the top run defense, make sure I’m not the reason those numbers drop. In doing that, I’m not worried or concerned about that.
“We’ve done an excellent job in run defense, and of course the more sacks we get the better our pass defense will be as well. It goes hand-in-hand. I want to come back and bring as much pressure as I possibly can.”