FOXBORO – Oh, look. A diamond in the hailstorm of deflating injury news on this Sunday afternoon.
Rookie wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell, who dislocated his left elbow in the midst of an impressive Patriots’ debut, said Sunday he’s doing well. Considering.
“I’m feeling good, I’m feeling a lot better than the day it happened,” said Mitchell in the Patriots locker room prior to Sunday’s practice. “I know for people it probably looked a lot worse than it felt. When it happened, I felt the damage but it wasn’t as painful as what I saw on TV when I saw it replayed.”
Good thing. Because the image of Mitchell’s arm bending in highly unconventional fashion was enough to make people put down the chips and salsa for a few minutes.
Asked about a timetable for his return, Mitchell said he didn’t “have an answer for that” but his chipperness and availability certainly hints that he probably isn’t far off.
Mitchell had four catches for 55 yards in the second quarter or the Patriots’ preseason opener against the Saints. “I didn’t know the stats or numbers in the moment,” Mitchell said. “I just tried to play to the best of my ability and I’m trying to get back out there so I can play to the best I can again.”
Asked if he felt he showcased his strengths, Mitchell said, “I felt prepared by this coaching staff, by this organization to put my best on film.”
New England Patriots
Given that performance is the time off...
“Upsetting?” Mitchell said, finishing the question. “Well, I think for any competitor sitting out is disappointing but you can only control what you can control. I had no idea my arm would do that when I put it down. I had no idea what could come from that play so there’s nothing anyone could have done to stop that from happening. It was meant to be.
“Probably should have tucked my shirt in, huh?”
Probably.