FRISCO, Texas — Dallas Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs couldn't help himself. Emotions were pouring out before the season opener against the Cleveland Browns on Sept.
8. Diggs was wrapped in a hug with assistant head coach Al Harris, who is more mentor than coach. His helmet and face mask covered his eyes, but his head was buried on Harris' shoulder as they swayed back and forth.
Three-hundred-fifty-three days earlier, Diggs had limped off the practice field, knowing his left knee was badly injured. The humid September air was sucked out of the Cowboys' practice because everybody knew what was coming a few hours after he had an MRI.
He was diagnosed with a torn left ACL that would end his season. Now, on a perfect September day at Cleveland's Huntington Bank Field, just a short throw from Lake Erie, it hits Diggs, who is not known to show his feelings. «I didn't feel it until I was actually out there,» Diggs said. «It was, 'Wow, I'm actually back.' Yeah, it was emotional for me.» After so much time away — a lonely journey to prove he was still one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL and worthy of the Pro Bowl status he held before the injury — Diggs showed he was not only back, it was as if he had never left.