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Kevin Curtis hasn't played a down this year but already he's had an unreal Fall season.
The 32-year-old Curtis just beat testicular cancer and the injury-riddled Miami Dolphins remember what he did for the Eagles and Rams. Curtis told KSL he understands how lucky he is to be healthy and back in the NFL.
"Cancer's always something I thought happened to older people, till it happened to me. It's kind of, pretty shocking. Definitely, I think the detection, catching it early saved me not having to go through some things as many people who aren't as fortunate." said Curtis.
"There's no grace period here, the Dolpins expect me to come right in, get into the playbook and be ready to play."
In his seven seasons, Kevin's caught 252 passes for 20 touchdowns. A knee injury limited him to 3 games with the Eagles last season but over the past few seasons taking physicals for different teams led to early detection of his testicular cancer.
"We were kind of watching this and I found out in August in an ultrasound I had done that it was kind of...there, out of nowhere and I don't think normally it would've been something I would've been looking for if it wasn't brought to my attention a few years back. In that sense I was extremely lucky."
Now with just three games left in Miami's season, a long shot to make the playoffs, Curtis gets another chance to chase his dream.
"Being away from the game most of the season has definitely built up a strong desire to get back out there. I want to be back there on the field even more than I thought. I'm chomping to get out on the field and play," said Curtis.
Curtis' return to the NFL will come Sunday when Miami hosts Buffalo; and he says there's no easing into it.
"There's no grace period here, the Dolphins expect me to come right in, get into the playbook and be ready to play," he said.
We'll be focusing on Curtis once again on SportsBeat Sunday this weekend when he returns to our popular feature "Locals in the NFL," a regular segment on SportsBeat Sunday at 10:35 p.m..
E-mail: tkirkland@ksl.com
