Washington Redskins second-year running back Derrius Guice is familiar with the frustrations that come with being injured and held out of action. So far in his two-year NFL career, he has missed an entire season due to a torn ACL, and the better part of his second season due to a torn meniscus.
That is why the collective breath of Redskins’ Nation was held on Sunday afternoon when Guice went down once again after taking a hit to the left knee and going down awkwardly against the Green Bay Packers.
While the young star laid on the ground in pain, veteran RB Adrian Peterson stood by his side. After the game, he offered some encouragement to the dynamic back who had been having a breakout season in his short time back on the field.
“I know what he’s been through,” Peterson said, via The Athletic. “That’s the last thing he needs is another serious injury, so like I told him, take the positives away. I know you wanted to be out there to play and help finish the game, but it could’ve been worse than what it was.”
Peterson is no stranger to serious knee injuries, as he suffered a torn ACL earlier in his career and returned a year later to rush for over 2,000 yards. He understands the importance of approaching recovery with a positive attitude.
“And that’s what I was telling him, he was looking like, ‘What can I take out of it?’ and I was like, ‘Hey, it could’ve been worse, it could’ve been an ACL,’” Peterson said. “So just be grateful it was something that won’t linger too long, and think about the positive things. Because any other thing is going to keep you down, and keep you in a funk and have you stressed and depressed when there’s nothing you can do about what happened. … It’s not something that’ll keep you out nine months.”
Guice is undergoing on MRI on Monday to find out the extent of the injury, but speculation within the franchise has led the team to believe that it is a sprained MCL that kept the RB out of the game.
Until we find out more about the severity of the injury, all we can do is stay positive, and hope for the best.
