PA Season Ticket Holder
05-11-2003, 02:45 PM
LAKE FOREST, Ill. - If you think of the professional wrestler when you hear the name Steve Austin, you're probably too young to remember the old 1970s TV show "The Six Million Dollar Man."
The original Steve Austin, a character played by Lee Majors, was supposedly the world's first bionic man. "We can rebuild him. We have the technology," scientists bragged at the beginning of every episode. "Better, stronger, faster."
After watching Bears minicamp over the weekend, it wouldn't be a surprise if something similar transpired during Dustin Lyman's knee surgery last December. Five months after undergoing the procedure, the fourth-year tight end appeared, well, better, stronger and faster.
Lyman had the surgery after rupturing a graft that was used to repair a torn ACL in his left knee suffered during his junior season at Wake Forest.
The 2000 third-round pick, who was initially expected to miss 7-10 months, practiced once a day Friday through Sunday and was thrilled with the results.
"I feel better than I've felt the last three years actually," Lyman said. "I never thought that I would feel this good again after I had the surgery in college, but I think I've been playing three years on a knee that probably should have been worked on.
"I got the surgery out of the way and I feel great. I've been feeling great for a month now. Each week I get a little bit stronger, to the point now where I feel like I'm stronger than I've been in a long time."
Rupturing a graft used to repair a torn ACL is an unusual injury, but Lyman doesn't blame surgeons who performed the first operation.
"They didn't mess anything up, there was just some laxity in my joint," he said. "It was a little bit loose. I didn't think that another surgery would fix it, but it did.
"I came out and a couple of weeks later I was like, 'Wow, this really feels better than it has,' and that's the way I feel out there right now. I feel like I'm faster and I've got a little bit more stamina just because I'm not having to carry that leg around. I feel strong."
Lyman sustained the injury while enjoying a career-day last Dec. 1 in a 30-20 loss at Green Bay. The 6-4, 245-pounder had seven receptions for 58 yards including his first two NFL touchdowns, a 12-yarder from Brad Maynard on a fake field goal and an 8-yarder from quarterback Jim Miller.
Lyman's bad luck typified a frustrating year for the Bears, who lost 15 players who had started at least one game to season-ending injuries.
"It was heartbreaking really," Lyman said. "It felt like a bad break because I had been working really hard to get an opportunity and I felt like I made the most of it.
http://www.chicagobears.com/news/index.cfm?cont_id=179889&right_include=/includes/dsp_bearsnews_module.cfm&include=&show_headline=true&this_month=5&nav_key=nws&subnav_key=na
The original Steve Austin, a character played by Lee Majors, was supposedly the world's first bionic man. "We can rebuild him. We have the technology," scientists bragged at the beginning of every episode. "Better, stronger, faster."
After watching Bears minicamp over the weekend, it wouldn't be a surprise if something similar transpired during Dustin Lyman's knee surgery last December. Five months after undergoing the procedure, the fourth-year tight end appeared, well, better, stronger and faster.
Lyman had the surgery after rupturing a graft that was used to repair a torn ACL in his left knee suffered during his junior season at Wake Forest.
The 2000 third-round pick, who was initially expected to miss 7-10 months, practiced once a day Friday through Sunday and was thrilled with the results.
"I feel better than I've felt the last three years actually," Lyman said. "I never thought that I would feel this good again after I had the surgery in college, but I think I've been playing three years on a knee that probably should have been worked on.
"I got the surgery out of the way and I feel great. I've been feeling great for a month now. Each week I get a little bit stronger, to the point now where I feel like I'm stronger than I've been in a long time."
Rupturing a graft used to repair a torn ACL is an unusual injury, but Lyman doesn't blame surgeons who performed the first operation.
"They didn't mess anything up, there was just some laxity in my joint," he said. "It was a little bit loose. I didn't think that another surgery would fix it, but it did.
"I came out and a couple of weeks later I was like, 'Wow, this really feels better than it has,' and that's the way I feel out there right now. I feel like I'm faster and I've got a little bit more stamina just because I'm not having to carry that leg around. I feel strong."
Lyman sustained the injury while enjoying a career-day last Dec. 1 in a 30-20 loss at Green Bay. The 6-4, 245-pounder had seven receptions for 58 yards including his first two NFL touchdowns, a 12-yarder from Brad Maynard on a fake field goal and an 8-yarder from quarterback Jim Miller.
Lyman's bad luck typified a frustrating year for the Bears, who lost 15 players who had started at least one game to season-ending injuries.
"It was heartbreaking really," Lyman said. "It felt like a bad break because I had been working really hard to get an opportunity and I felt like I made the most of it.
http://www.chicagobears.com/news/index.cfm?cont_id=179889&right_include=/includes/dsp_bearsnews_module.cfm&include=&show_headline=true&this_month=5&nav_key=nws&subnav_key=na