ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Mark Herzlich is turning out to be more than a feel-good story from the New York Giants’ run to the Super Bowl last season.
The cancer survivor who beat the odds to make it to NFL is turning out to be a pretty good middle linebacker who has a shot at landing a starting job in his second season with the Giants.
Instead of fighting to make the roster, Herzlich is backing up Chase Blackburn at middle linebacker, working at the other linebacker spots and handling roles on special teams. He’s an established NFL player and is answering more questions about football than his battle with a rare bone cancer that caused him to miss the 2009 season while a budding star at Boston College. At the time, he was a projected first-round draft pick.
“Once football starts and camp starts, it’s all about football,” Herzlich said Friday at the University at Albany. “I like talking much more about what I need to do to get better on the football field and how I am progressing. Physically, I am feeling much better this year.”
