Paul Posluszny couldn't be more optimistic about his long-term future.
As for the short-term, Posluszny – the Jaguars' middle linebacker and leading tackler last season – said although he doesn't know exactly when he will be allowed to practice, he's not ruling out that happening during the next few months.
Could that mean participating in organized team activities?
Posluszny, who underwent surgery January 11 to repair a torn labrum sustained in a season-ending victory over Indianapolis, said Monday that's a possibility. But whatever the specifics he said the big picture is he'll be 100 percent for the 2012 season.
"I will heal up from this completely," Posluszny said Monday. "This will have no effect on how I play in the 2012 season or any season after that. This happens all the time. It's a very common injury, especially for people who play linebacker. This will not alter my career in any way."
Posluszny, who signed with the Jaguars from Buffalo as an unrestricted free agent during training camp this past season, started 16 games and led the team with 192 tackles. That was the second-most in franchise history.
He played all but two snaps until leaving the season finale against Indianapolis with a shoulder injury. He said Tuesday he expects to meet with doctors in about two weeks to determine the next step in his off-season approach.
"I'm going to visit the doctor who did the surgery six weeks out from surgery, and from then on, he'll give me the protocol," Posluszny said. "The surgeon has not discussed with me when I will back to 100 percent, but we didn't view it as major surgery."
Asked if he would be able to practice before training camp, he said, "I don't think it will take that long, personally. The surgeon said, 'Be cautious. There's no rush. There's no reason to rush in January and February, then we'll go from there."
Posluszny said it's his desire to work when the Jaguars begin their off-season program, and that he has not ruled out participating in the off-season conditioning program, OTAs and minicamps. The Jaguars are scheduled to begin their off-season program in early April, with OTAs likely to be held from mid-April through mid-June.
"I would really like to do that," Posluszny said. "I'd like to compete in those and get back out on the field. I'm looking forward to that and I want to be healthy at that point. If our doctors say, 'No need to do it just yet – let it get a little more healed,' then that's part of the deal.
"We haven't gotten to that point yet where we've discussed where I'll be in May and June."
Posluszny said for now he's at the facility staying in shape and working non-shoulder-related areas. While players are not permitted under the new CBA rules to speak with coaches about football until April, he said he will spend the coming weeks reviewing tape from last season on an individual basis.
"We don't have access to our coaches, but we are allowed to get all the game tape from last year – we can review that," said Posluszny, who said while the new rules aren't ideal it is necessary to have guidelines for the off-season.
"We'll sit down and watch the vast majority of plays of ourselves from last year and say, 'All right, where can we get better?' We can say, 'All right, this is what I need to work on. I can get better at this.' Now is the time to start to make improvements. As you get older, you understand what's expected of you more and more on the field and what your job requires. You get a better understanding of watching things and you can learn from it.
"You still have the ability to work out, work smart, stay in shape and get a jump on next year."
And while Posluszny doesn't yet know the specifics of the short-term, he said when it comes to next year and long-term he is as certain as certain can be.
"I have no concerns," Posluszny said. "This will heal up. This shoulder will heal up just fine and once it's time to be 100 percent, I'll be ready to play. Let's put it this way: The surgeon told me this will not threaten my ability to play at all.
"I'll take the off-season to recover and make sure it's properly healed, but once the season starts, I'm ready to roll."
