Utah's Tom Pace Approaching 100 Percent

SALT LAKE CITY - For the first time in his football career - professional, college or high school - Utah Blaze wide receiver/kick returner Tom Pace had to deal with something he never had to before for an extended period of time - injury.

"The time it (being out) bugged me the most was on game day because I would show up to the game not knowing if I would be dressing. It was really frustrating for me," he said.

In the 2008 season opener against the Arizona Rattlers, Pace (5-foot-10, 205 pounds, Arizona State) suffered a PCL tear in his right knee after being tackled on a kick return.

"It was frustrating - almost depressing," he said.

For the next four weeks he worked out, trying to avoid going on injured reserve. The knee didn't heal like he would have liked and he eventually did go on the IR. In all, he missed nine games before being re-activated on May 10 for a home game against the Colorado Crush.

Even though he was back, he wasn't.

"I couldn't even jog after the first week," he said. "I was probably 50 percent for about four weeks and all of a sudden it started to heal up pretty quickly," he said. "Even when I started playing again I was probably 85-90 percent."

In 2008 he finished with just 15 returns for 276 yards, both numbers were his lowest since 2004 when he was with the Rattlers. In 2007, he had 32 returns (four shy of his career high) for a career-high 625 yards.

Also in 2008, he tallied just five receptions for just 69 yards, one year after posting career highs in catches (111), receiving yards (1,198) and touchdowns (20).

Yoga for flexibility and weight lifting for strength has gotten Pace back to 95 percent so far this off season, but he still doesn't know how the knee will react when he starts heavy running and sprinting. He is confident, however, it will be much better because the majority of the pain in now gone.

Pace, who didn't undergo surgery, said, "the doctors said in nine months to a year I would be completely normal."

As for now, he seems to be right on pace.

In three seasons with the Blaze, Pace is tied for first all-time in franchise history in games played (34), second in receptions (188), receiving yards (2,048), kick returns (80), return yards (1,499) and all-purpose yards (3,590) and third in touchdowns (37).