OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- When Baltimore Ravens strong safety Dawan Landry felt his toes wiggle after suffering a scary spinal cord concussion Sunday against the Cleveland Browns, he was fairly certain he was going to be all right.
Landry has returned to the Ravens' training complex for treatment and remains in a cervical collar after being released from Maryland Shock Trauma. He's expected to play again this year.
"It was really scary," Landry said Thursday in his first interview since the injury. "It was my first time being injured and, at the time, I couldn't feel anything. I was able to talk, though, and I felt my toes a little bit and I knew I would be fine eventually. By the time I got on the stretcher and got to the ambulance, all my feeling was starting to come back and I knew I would be OK."
A CT scan and an MRI didn't reveal any fractures. Landry never lost consciousness while he was down on the ground for roughly 10 minutes during the final minute of the first half before being carted off the field and taken to the hospital.
Landry is expected to wear the cervical collar for another week and then return to the doctor to be evaluated before he begins rehabilitating his injury. There is no specific timetable for his return, and Jim Leonhard will take his place in the starting lineup.
"Progress is going really well," Landry said.
The outpouring of support has been overwhelming for Landry, whose parents have been with him since his injury along with visits from his brother, Washington Redskins safety LaRon Landry.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press