Being Sidelined Sucks

Being sidelined sucks

As one-time New York Jets and Miami Dolphins tight end Dustin Keller can tell you, injuries suck. When this happens to a journalist, it may sound silly to you and in comparison, I'll confess it is, but I am really saddened because of my big right toe instantaneously suffering from inflammation.

My doctors have investigated this and had my left foot soak in water but still the problem persists and the summer, when there is no rain outside, is my favorite time to go out and enjoy the sunshine.

When I cannot do this, I'm forced to do other things to bide my time, all of them constructive, and it gives me more of a chance to connect with my fellow media on such social media networking sites as Twitter and Linkedin.

Keller, like most NFL players, had a career marred with injuries and the prolific 6'2" 248-pound star tight end out of Purdue, by way of Lafayette, Ind., was no different.

Still, despite this, he was able to amass 241 career receptions for 2,876 yards and 17 touchdowns in six NFL seasons, respectable statistics by any stretch of the imagination.

I guess that what I'm trying to say is that we need to maximize opportunities the best we can and when it's all said and done, we can be proud of ourselves for doing all we could to make our lives good.

While Keller didn't have the best stats, he was a solid teammate in both New York and Miami and made the playoffs three times with the Jets, including a 2009 appearance in the AFC Championship Game, a 30-17 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in his second season.

If we all give it all we've got and take time to learn from "injuries," which could be setbacks or anything like that that does not represent success, we'll be much better for having gone through the experience.