"The fact that Justin Harrell is even out here, the first week of training camp - healthy and limber and fighting for a job - is nothing short of a miracle.
Before this week, he hadn't really let on how serious his back injury was last year and he hadn't really said how hard he fought just to get back on to the field. He hasn't really let on what he's all gone through to attempt to realize his full potential as the Green Bay Packers' 2007 first-round draft pick.
But the truth is he's seen every specialist short of the Wizard of Oz to get that lower back fixed, and when one doctor leveled him with the news that he might not play again - well, he just got a second, third and fourth opinion until he heard something he could live with. And then he tried every rehabilitation method and exercise anyone gave him.
"Anything for a back injury, I pretty much tried it," Harrell said.
Harrell kept going until he found a specialist in North Carolina who would fix that herniated L4 disc in his lower back after the first surgery in March 2008 didn't do it.
But as he prepared for the second surgery on the eve of training camp one year ago, he was given sobering news.
"I was scared because the doctor told me if I did have a second surgery, the chances of me playing were . . . very slim," Harrell said. "He did tell me, 'Two surgeries and you wouldn't play at all' last year, and my chances of ever playing again were like, very slim. When you hear that from the doctor, it's just one of those things you don't want to think about. This is your whole career."
To date, that's kind of been the story of the defensive lineman's career - one injury setback after another. His senior season at Tennessee was cut short because of a torn left biceps tendon, which he insisted on playing with for one more game against rival Florida. But the biceps kept him out of all offseason workouts leading up to his rookie year. Then an injured ankle knocked him out for five games his rookie year.
And then after lifting weights in an offseason practice last year, he hurt the back and battled the injury all season. It was so bad that, even after he had the successful second surgery, he thinks, looking back now, that he should have been on injured reserve in 2008.
"The reason I had the second surgery was just so I could play again," Harrell said. "I mean, that's the only reason, because I thought it would prepare me to play last season. It didn't work out. It might have been smart if I would have just sat out the whole year; after the first surgery just sit it out, try to recover and just let it heal."
Instead, in '08, Harrell missed the first seven games on the physically unable to perform list. Then he played in six games and had 13 tackles before a hip injury sidelined him for the final three games of the season. The year was forgettable.
Then he spent the offseason planning to rehabilitate and strengthen the back. But the pain wouldn't subside and that alarmed him heading into summer workouts.
So Rob Davis, the former long snapper and current director of player development with the team, suggested Harrell try acupuncture.
And go figure - a half-hour session with Green Bay chiropractor Dennis Plansky relieved Harrell of his pain. He is fine.
"He's full-go," said Packers coach Mike McCarthy. "He's out there in the padded work. We're keeping an eye on all our players, especially the ones that are coming off of injures. But he's a full-go participant."
If the Packers use this training camp to push Harrell to see how he holds up, one of his teammates believes Harrell has the resolve to answer.
"In the end I think every individual player has to have it within themselves, and from what I know of Justin, he's a good young man," Aaron Kampman said. "And I think you'll see his best."
Meanwhile, Harrell is learning the new defense, lining up at right end in the three-lineman scheme where he used to play tackle in the 4-3. He's getting a few tryouts at nose tackle, too. It's a transition that Harrell makes with cautious optimism. The assignments have changed.
"It's all new, I've never played a 3-4 before," Harrell said. "It's one of those things you've got to pick up on as quick as you can. Us big guys moving out to the end - that's all new for us. The steps are different, the hand placement and all those things are completely different. It's one of those things where you don't have a choice, you have to go out and try to get it down so you can make this team and try to stay healthy."
With health issues defining his pro career so far, Harrell seems eager to rewrite his story so that his play defines him.
"I've felt fine, the back isn't an issue in training camp," Harrell said. "And every day that's the case, that's a good day for me. I try not to focus on it, I try to go out there and play football. I'm just going out there trying to get better, trying to keep these injuries in the back of my head, just think the back is OK, that it's going to hold up."