Back from injuries, left tackle doing things right

Ryan Harris knew the potential as soon as Brock Osweiler made the check. The Broncos had presented the Patriots the same play once before, clearing a lane for tailback Ronnie Hillman to dart upfield for a touchdown in the second quarter.

It was worth another try, this time with the score tied and the clock ticking away in overtime.

“I was like, ‘Man, if they’re not ready for this play, it’s going to go far,’ ” recalled Harris, a starter on the Broncos’ offensive line at left tackle.

Osweiler took the snap and pitched the ball to tailback C.J. Anderson. Harris swung out left before sprinting 5 yards past the line of scrimmage to block Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler.

After falling to the ground, with Butler lying at his side, Harris lifted his head to see the back of Anderson, his arm pointed toward the sky in celebration as he sprinted into the end zone.

That play, that block, that split second solidified Harris’ role on the Broncos’ offensive line.

It also solidified Harris’ transformation. The lineman the Broncos re-signed in May and relied

upon after injuries crippled the front five is hardly the lineman they drafted in 2007.

The lows

The questions and doubts arose after a third back surgery forced Harris to miss the 2011 season. The first surgery, which came while he still was at Notre Dame, caused the projected first-round draft pick to fall to the third round, where Denver would snag him with the No. 70 pick.

Other injuries — the toe that required surgery and landed him on the injured reserve in 2009, the ankle that kept him on the sideline for a few games in 2010 — dotted his career. But back injuries can be life-altering. Three back injuries can be career-ending. And there were times when Harris believed his time in the NFL had indeed expired.

“He was really broken, physically and mentally at that point,” said Wade Brinkman, one of Harris’ trainers and based in Littleton. “It’s certainly a tough journey playing professional football, and the toll that it takes on your body. I know he was feeling a lot of that, and frankly, I think at times he was close to hanging it up.”

Harris, who maintained a home in Westminster after his first four seasons in Denver, started working with Brinkman while Har- ris was with the Houston Texans, in 2012. Brinkman trained mixed martial arts fighters part time at Factory X in Englewood, where the athletes are about half the size of Harris and the workouts stress conditioning and strength building.

“It’s a different sport, and he just about died,” Brinkman said. “On the floor, I could see a sweat ring that almost looked like a crime scene around Ryan. He said, ‘Man, you almost killed me.’ ”

For three days a week, an hour at a time, Brinkman would test Harris’ limits. A day of explosive exercises typically was followed by a day with a nonexplosive workout. Stone-lifting was mixed with on-field work. Strength-building was combined with quick, highintensity interval workouts and yoga.

Harris’ core had to be rebuilt. But his back couldn’t be destroyed — again.

Everything was monitored. Everything was quantified. Harris, who started the process with self-doubt and questions about his ability and his future, needed tangible proof.

“I wanted it, but I was like, ‘Man, it’s over,’ ” Harris said. “So now it’s like I’m going to do everything I can. Preparation isn’t going to be an issue for me. Physically, it isn’t going to be an issue. These are all things I can control.”

Brinkman said Harris’ strength has increased 100 percent to 140 percent in their three years of working together. But more significant, perhaps, was his ability to recover quickly. After interval workouts, Harris’ heart rate would rocket to 190 beats per minute. After only a minute of rest, he could lower it to 125 or 130, key for a player who plays nearly every snap.

“There’s a reason he’s better in the fourth quarter than the first, because everybody starts to drop off and he’s still the same guy because of his level of conditioning,” Brinkman said. “And as we saw, against New England, when he cuts that corner down and springs C.J. for the touchdown — I got 10 calls after the game. ‘Did you see Ryan cut that guy way downfield?’ Yeah, I saw him.”

Denver return

The start to his third time in Denver began to mirror the end of his first go-round: The critics were vocal and numerous.

The Broncos’ offensive line played together for the first time in the seasonopener against Baltimore. Improvement came as the front five players adjusted to each other and coach Gary Kubiak’s offense. But it was slow and not always steady, often hindered by injury.

But in the past three games, as the Broncos’ run game has come alive, the tone has changed — from outside the locker room and in.

The backs have found their lanes. The line has found cohesion. And Harris has been at the center of it all, often serving as a sounding board for younger teammates and providing the glue at the line.

After his highlight-reel block against New England, Harris graded out as the Broncos’ top offensive lineman in their victory at San Diego, where Denver gained 134 net rushing yards and averaged 3.4 yards per carry.

Each victory now means a little more than the ones earlier in his career. And every outing is another reminder of how far he has come.

“Success is similar in terms of winning games, but every year — there’s not a lot of (eight-year) veterans,” he said. “Every year you get to be in this league, you got to appreciate. No matter what people say, I believe in myself and my abilities.”