FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- Trey Lewis wasn't on the field but that doesn't mean he was sequestered from the wave of positive emotions that washed the Falcons organization last season.
With six games left in 2007 Lewis, then a rookie, tore an ACL . He watched as former coach Bobby Petrino resigned and as new General Manager Thomas Dimitroff and Head Coach Mike Smith started putting the pieces together.
A second injury during rehab delayed his progress and he was on the sideline for offseason workouts, training camp and the team's historic run into the playoffs.
"I just thought I tweaked it," Lewis said when asked about the fluke injury that required additional surgery. "When you have your surgery the knee feels different every day. I just thought something was weird. I didn't know until a couple days later when I got a call with the results of the MRI. You just have to pick up the pieces and start over again."
It was hard, but 16 months after the initial injury Lewis is smiling.
"I had mixed emotions; wanting the team to do well but not being a part of it was kind of hard," Lewis said Tuesday morning after a vigorous weight room session. "From high school until I got hurt in the NFL... that was the first time I had a serious injury. I never missed a game. It was pretty hard on me mentally but I just had to focus in on rehabbing and now I feel good and ready to play."
Lewis remained on the physically unable to perform list through the season. His five starts, 23 tackles and one interception were buried back in 2007. Now he's moving around comfortably and rejoining his teammates in offseason conditioning.
Though he is cleared to participate in organized team activities, including on-field work, he wants to make sure he remains healthy for the rigors of the preseason.
"As of right now I want to get through this offseason program and make sure everything is good," he said. "I want to get confident with my knees right now so, when training camp starts, I'm full throttle and there's no holding back whatsoever."
Lewis said he's mentally prepared to jump into the team's defensive system, which enters its second year under defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder. Though he never got on-field work in defensive line coach Ray "Sugar Bear" Hamilton's drills, Lewis attended "every meeting" and watched plenty of film.
Ironically, he thinks a year to study the game and lift weights could make him a better player.
"I think I'm a lot stronger, especially in my upper body," he said, a light sweat on his brow from an offseason workout. "My lower body feels stronger than it was prior to the injury. I'm excited to see what I can do now with a year of NFL lifting and training without banging on (on the knee)."
Where and how much he plays along the line remains a question.
With the No. 24 pick in the upcoming draft the Falcons may be in a position to select a defensive tackle that can step in for Grady Jackson, who left in free agency. Then again, Lewis has versatility to play nose or under tackle.
He said coaches haven't said if he'll play one or both the tackle positions.
Either way, Lewis is just happy to be in a position to ride the Falcons waves of success and not watch from the shore.
"I know the system well and it shouldn't be hard for me to get back into the swing of things," he said.
