After hamstring problems cost Cowboys wide receiver Miles Austin a healthy chunk of the 2011 season, the news that he’s again dealing with hamstring issues struck many people as cause for concern about another yearlong battle with the same kind of injuries.
Austin is not one of those people. Austin told the team’s website that he isn’t concerned about the injuries lingering well into the season because he spent this offseason working harder than he did in the offseason leading up to last year.
“It’s up to whoever to be concerned,” Austin said. “Anybody who wants to be concerned can be concerned. I can’t focus on who’s concerned or who’s not concerned. I need to focus on getting back.”
Whether or not you’re concerned, the recent history has to factor into how the Cowboys and Austin will handle his return to action. When Austin injured his hamstring during camp last year, the team held him out of preseason games and Austin played well in the first two weeks of the regular season. He re-injured the same hamstring in that second game and then returned for a couple of games before injuring his other hamstring.
It would be surprising to see a lot of Austin in the preseason, although last year’s experience makes it clear that resting him doesn’t guarantee anything. Should history continue to repeat itself, it’s a safe bet that even Austin will join the ranks of the concerned.