National Football League

Left guard back after major knee surgery

Published Jul. 27, 2012 7:51 p.m. ET

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After being cut by two teams, Kory Lichtensteiger had found a home with the Washington Redskins in his third NFL season, only to see his career turn again with a major knee injury last October.

''I knew it was screwed up pretty bad when it happened,'' Lichtensteiger said after Friday morning's walk-through. ''Every time I took a step, there was no stability there. It was pretty rough for a while. I didn't know what was going to happen. The initial stage of my rehab I was thinking, `No way is this going to feel the same as it did before.'''

Lichtensteiger, 27, acknowledged Friday he was worried even during spring workouts - seven months after he tore the ACL, MCL and meniscus in his right knee Oct. 16 after planting his foot in a game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

But two months further down the road, the knee brace is gone and Lichtensteiger is solidly back in his old spot between left tackle Trent Williams and center Will Montgomery.

That's good news for the Redskins, who went 2-10 after the left guard was lost for the rest of the 2011 season.

''In the last month and a half, I've take some huge strides,'' said Lichtensteiger, who had started 19 straight games before the injury. ''So far in camp, it feels great. I've got to knock some dust off. I feel like my old self out there. It's still pretty fresh in my mind, that feeling of when it went. But I trust it at this point. I'm not going to have any problems with it.''

Williams sees the old Lichtensteiger, too.

''Having him back beside me is like putting on your favorite pair of shoes again,'' Williams said. ''It feels like home again.''

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