A story in his hometown Fort Worth Star-Telegram pegged last week as his final go-around. That has been pushed back to this week.
On Friday, Cannon didn’t want to discuss his timeframe, but the important thing for the Patriots is he continues to be in high spirits and optimistic about his future.
“I don’t know when my last chemo treatment is, but everything’s going pretty well,’’ Cannon said. “Everything’s going good.’’
If he’s suffering any side effects, Cannon is hiding it well.
After initially dropping about 15 pounds, the 6-foot-5-inch Cannon is back up to his playing weight of 354. He’s working out several times a week, both near his home in Odessa, Texas, and at TCU, and has maintained his strength.
“I’m still pretty good, I still feel the same,’’ Cannon said.
He said no decisions have been made about when he will be able to return to the field.
“We really don’t know anything yet,’’ Cannon said. “We’re just kind of waiting for the lockout to end and then we’ll talk to the doctors and see where everything goes after that.’’
Just like Cannon views his cancer diagnosis as part of God’s plan for him, the lockout could be a good thing in the long term.
Because of the lockout, this year’s crop of rookies has missed offseason practices, minicamps, and team workout programs. When the lockout ends and training camp starts, they’ll be so far behind that not many rookies will have an impact this season. Some will effectively be redshirted, especially if the expected roster expansions come to pass.
Cannon would be a perfect candidate to take things slow. He could take his time learning the playbook and making sure his body is healthy before taking on professional football. That would do nothing but increase the odds of Cannon having a long and effective NFL career.
But Cannon isn’t even thinking about that yet. He just wants to get healthy, see the lockout end, and return to playing football.
“I can’t wait to get back,’’ he said.
CHART TOPPERS
