Five months after an ACL tear wrecked a certain Pro Bowl season, Miami Dolphins offensive tackle Branden Albert is on his feet and in a boxing ring working his way back into shape.
Video proof from the Miami Herald's Adam Beasley:
Albert said he has a singular focus as he gets his knee back into game shape and hones his craft.
"All-Pro, that's my goal," told Beasley between reps at the gym.
Ryan Tannehill's blindside blocker still isn't able to run at full speed, but said there are "no restrictions" in the boxing gym. Albert isn't expected to participate in on-field workouts during the spring, but plans to be ready when the 2015 season starts.
Before tearing his ACL in Week 10, Albert was on the short list of names in the "best offensive tackle" argument. Through nine weeks, Pro Football Focus rated him their third-best tackle.
"When you get there and you're at the top of your game, and something like this happened, it's like, 'Damn, I was at the top of my game, doing good. The team was doing good,'" Albert said. "My thing is proving my worth. I never wanted to come down here and have somebody say, 'Well, he shut it down when he got paid.' That's not what I'm about. I want to keep winning, keep making Pro Bowls, All-Pros, and keep improving."
If Albert returns close to the level he was playing prior to the injury, it will boost Tannehill's production following a season in which the quarterback was sacked 46 times -- third most in the NFL.
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