Viktor
Well-known member
- Mar 19, 2019
- 2,552
- 0
While Aruna said he missed the feeling of playing football, he also noted he enjoyed the chance to grow mentally within the sport.
That was beneficial for a player who was born in Nigeria and moved to the United States by himself when he was 16 to play basketball.
“Even though I wasn’t there physically, I kind of picture myself doing things,” said Aruna, who explained he used an iPad to re-watch practice every day. “That really helped.”
Added Patterson: “It’s not just learning what we’re doing, but he’s still processing the game of football.”
Aruna returned to the field for spring practices and worked with the second and third-team units at defensive end.
But there was a mental hurdle to get over, as the 25-year-old said he felt some apprehension when a crowd of players would head his way.
Slowly but surely, Aruna said he has worked through that as spring practices progress and training camp arrived.
“That was the most difficult part of it, I’d say,” Aruna said. “You have to trust your body and you don’t want to think about, ‘Which leg are you going to plant?’ That’s what was most difficult.
“When I got in the middle of people again, sometimes I kind of, you know,” Aruna explained as he acted out wincing. “I could trust myself, but I didn’t trust anybody else. I just kept envisioning that someone was going to fall on my leg when I was in the middle of them. But it’s getting better every day. When I was in OTAs, I was doing it every time. But now I don’t think about it too much anymore.”
Patterson, who said he’s dealt with similar injuries in the past, could relate to Aruna’s mental state when he first returned to the field.
“That’s normal for you to protect it, but when the doctors tell you you’re healthy … you have to go out there and go,” Patterson said. “That’s the only way you can fight through it, and he’s done a good job with that.”
Aruna, who had 12 career sacks in 44 career games at Tulane, is only in his eighth season of playing organized football. By comparison, if a Vikings teammate began playing at age 6, he could be in his second decade of playing the game.
Still, Aruna is making improvements as he battles for a roster spot along the defensive line.
“He’s doing a good job. He’s still kind of working his way back through coming back off the injury. I think a lot of that has to do with just continuing to get confidence in his knee,” said Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer. “He shows flashes. Like a lot of these young guys, he’ll make some mistakes here and there, but I think he’s got a chance.