As Anthony Gonzalez has discovered, being "close" to returning from a knee injury isn't close enough.
The Indianapolis Colts receiver insisted Thursday afternoon that he's on track and close to rejoining the offense after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right knee earlier this month. The procedure was deemed necessary after Gonzalez aggravated an injury to the same knee during the rehabilitation process. He first injured the knee in the season opener.
"I felt like I was close the last time," Gonzalez said. "So in that sense, it's a little hard to say. I do feel the 'scope I had helped a lot. Now it's just a matter of getting a little flexibility back and all my strength back.
"But I think I'm close."
The team's 2007 first-round draft pick stopped short of specifying a return date. He's likely to miss at least another couple of games. When the time comes, Gonzalez expects "to come back better than ever."