Sam Shields' Elbow Feels 'Much Better'

Cornerback Sam Shields says he’s feeling “much better,” though he’s not certain when he’ll be back on the practice field for the Green Bay Packers.

Shields injured an elbow on Aug. 6. It was a strange and scary situation, with Shields going down in a heap as running back Alex Green ran past him after catching a screen pass in a noncontact drill. Shields stayed on the Ray Nitschke Field turf for about five minutes before going back to the stadium for testing.

“My arm got stuck between Alex and the receiver and somebody ran by me and I was still caught and it just bent,” Shields said on Sunday. “It was scary at first. It’s a feeling like I’ve never felt before. It felt like it was broke. But I got back in (for testing) and it wasn’t that bad. It could have been worse. I’m good now.”

Shields, who worked as the Packers’ third cornerback for most of his first two seasons in the league, had fallen to No. 5 by the end of the first week of training camp. Shields, however, had gotten back on the upswing and was poised to push for his old job.

“He’s just got to stay focused on his opportunities in these other preseason games,” cornerbacks coach Joe Whitt said last week. “We just have to get him back and back doing what he was doing. I’m not worried about the setback, I’m worried about what he does when he gets back.”

Shields found himself demoted at the end of last season, throughout the offseason and into training camp because of his poor tackling and general distaste for physical play. Shields heard the criticism and responded. Before the injury, Shields was clearly more physical.

“That was something that I needed to work on,” Shields said. “I was working my butt off trying to work on that. Each day, it got better and better. It’s just learning and wrapping my arms around. It felt like, ‘OK, I can do this.’ Now it feels natural to me, like I’ve been doing it. “

(scout.com)