Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Breshad Perriman took the field Tuesday, August 23, 2016, after being cleared to return to practice. Perriman was happy to return after missing all of his rookie season with a knee injury.
“It was real nice,” Perriman said after practice.” I’m very happy and very excited to be back out there with my teammates.”
A major part of returning from injury is the mental recovery. Players have to trust their body and have confidence in their recovery. Perriman is reaching that point.
“I feel really good; I’m confident,” Perriman said. “I feel like my speed is still there. I can’t complain at all.”
As a first round draft pick, the expectations were high for Perriman. He was expected to fill the void created when Torrey Smith signed with the San Francisco 49ers.
Not being able to get on the field to try to live up to those expectations took a toll on Perriman. The rehab process was tough, but it prepared him for the rehab he had to do at the beginning of training camp.
“Last year, it was a much longer rehab process. At the same time, I had to go through not being out there,” Perriman said. “You are really going to get what you put in. I’m not saying I didn’t take it well last year. But just going through that made me have a clearer vision of how I had to attack it. I just went in every day with the mindset of trying to get better each day.”
Perriman says he fully expects to be ready for the start of the season. He knows his workload will increase as he continues to work his way back into the mix.
The Ravens would like to have him on the field to be the vertical threat for their offense. Perriman’s speed showed lay season in mini-camp.
Joe Flacco targeted him frequently and the two connected for a number of deep passes against the defense.
Fans were excited about the possibilities after the way the media raved about Perriman. However, the excitement turned to bitterness because of the questions surrounding the length of time that has taken for Perriman’s to recover from his injury.
Fans had a lot of bad things say about Perriman on social media and when they called into talk show radio. The negativity got to Perriman and he has used it as motivation as he rehabbed.
“It fuels you a little bit but at the same time, you kind of just block it out,” Perriman said. “Of course, it is going to fuel you if you read or see anything negative. It is always going to want to make you go harder. At the same time, you can’t let it get to you. You kind of have to have a balanced mindset towards that.”
If Perriman has it his way, all of the frowns will be turned upside down when he starts the season. His goal is to be the dangerous receiver the Ravens hoped they were getting when he was drafted.