Like so many other San Francisco 49ers players, cornerback Richard Sherman has been dealing with nagging injuries throughout this lost season. He worked hard over the offseason to make his way back from the ruptured Achilles he suffered over a year ago while with the Seattle Seahawks.
Sherman's impressive return hit a setback during Week 3 when he sustained a calf strain during the road game against the Kansas City Chiefs. He missed two of the next four games but has started each of the 49ers' past five. Sherman hasn't been listed on an official team injury report since before the Week 9 matchup against the Oakland Raiders.
Sherman told reporters on Thursday that he feels like he has made a significant leap over the past month when it comes to his health.
"I've been fighting it all season," Sherman said. "Probably over the last three or four weeks, it's just felt like my body has finally had enough time to reset, hit the reset, and take another step. It's almost like a second wind because when you're coming from a rehab, and you're doing all that stuff consistently, constantly, your body's always in a constant fatigued state.
"Then you've got practice, so it's more fatigued, it's more fatigued, it's more fatigued. You never get a few days to reset your body, let it get back to where it needs to be.
"It wasn't like I was able to train like you would normally train in the offseason, so a lot of the things that football requires is core and all these muscles to be firing correctly. And it took a while for my body to get back to where it needs to be, but now it is, finally."
Did Sherman believe there would be setbacks returning from his injury when he signed a three-year deal with San Francisco in March?
"I knew Year 1 would have its struggles coming off the injury I came off of," Sherman continued. "I also knew that I would be able to play at a high level. I just didn't know if I would be able to do it every week. Just being 100 percent in this game and going week to week, something comes up.
"You've got thigh contusions, you've got knee pain, you roll your ankle, you get the normal wear and tear throughout the season. You never know, on top of what you already have, what's going to come up. But I feel pretty good right now."