By Nick Wagoner

Senior Writer

MEQUON, Wis. – As Orlando Pace embarks on his 12^th NFL season, he can’t help but begin facing the consequences of his football mortality.

 

For so long Pace was the embodiment of football domination. For a man who in many eyes redefined the left tackle position with his punishing pancake blocks and flawless pass protection, Pace had long been the sturdy boulder on the left side of the offensive line. With Pace in his place, quarterbacks felt secure in the pocket and opposing defensive ends suffered from fear of Pace’s quick and powerful punch.

 

Nobody can predict when football transience will rear its ugly head but for Pace that admonition has arrived not once but twice in the past two seasons. Pace has played in a little more than eight games since 2006.

 

For many players, two consecutive season ending injuries would give him pause about coming back to play again.

 

“That is something that crosses your mind, especially with injuries,” Pace said. “But as long as I am healthy and playing at a high level then I will be around.”

 

On Friday, when the Rams had their first official practice of this year’s training camp, there was Pace, participating in a practice almost a year removed from surgery on a torn labrum and rotator cuff in his right shoulder.

 

To everyone involved, Pace’s return to the field was a more than welcome sight.

 

“Physically (his presence) is self explanatory,” center Brett Romberg said. “Mentally when you are a defensive end who is on the other side of the ball going against a legend like Orlando, I know it is a little more mental work that you need to do. If he is 100 percent or 80 percent it will still be difficult for the other defenses we are going to play.”

 

Perhaps more important than any fear Pace might strike into an opponent is the mental boost it gives to his teammates. After six years together followed by the two year separation caused by injury, quarterback Marc Bulger is probably the most elated by Pace’s return.

 

For now, Pace is working in the installation and getting limited repetitions during team drills with no one on work on the docket. That will likely change as camp continues but the Rams are being as cautious as possible with Pace.

 

THE ROAD BACK

 

For as long as anyone can remember the only lengthy time Pace missed prior to the 2006 season was in training camp and had nothing to do with physical ailments.

 

Pace played and started every game from 1998-2001 and again from 2003-2005. In the other seasons, he had never missed more than the six games he missed in 2002.

 

In 2006, Pace suffered a torn left triceps midway through the season. That injury combined with an earlier concussion cost him half the season. After a lengthy recovery process, Pace was deemed ready to go in time to start 2007.

 

In the season opener against Carolina, Pace – as he had done so many times before – simply punched to make a block. Soon, he found himself holding his shoulder in agony as doctors walked him off the Edward Jones Dome FieldTurf.

 

“Last year was a difficult year for me but I just have to put that behind me, come out and  just play, train hard, try to recover, rehab well and get ready to play,” Pace said.

 

Pace spent most of his time in the aftermath of his shoulder surgery working out in St. Louis and getting his rehab on track. For the offseason, though, Pace went to Orlando to work with a trainer,Mike Florentine, on his rehab. Pace said that work allowed someone to constantly monitor the shoulder, ensuring he was taking the proper steps to get back to full strength.

 

When the Rams returned to St. Louis for minicamp, Pace attended but didn’t do much more than some conditioning work on the side.

 

Heading in to this training camp, it was expected that Pace wouldn’t do much of anything at least in the opening stages of camp. But Pace tested out well on the eve of camp and has been an active participant sooner than expected.

 

“They told me to just let them know how I feel,” Pace said. “Right now I am doing a couple team activities and things like that. Depending on how I feel; I’m sure we will pick it up in the next week or so.”

 

PROVIDING A BOOST

 

Although Pace plays a team game, a game where 11 components must be working in unison to have success, there’s no doubting that his absence has an adverse affect on his teammates.

 

While Pace’s injury in 2007 was one of many, it was probably the most debilitating and deflating of all. When Pace left that season opener, the Rams had been moving the ball and enjoying great success offensively.

 

When he left the game, the air came out of the stadium and eventually his teammates. The Rams never recovered as street free agent after street free agent was asked to fill in on the offensive line.

 

Call it the baseball equivalent of losing your ace pitcher. Maybe he’s only a piece of the team but take away that piece and the others become scrambled.

 

“Left tackles are hard to come by and he is one of the best of all time,” coach Scott Linehan said. “I think it’s hard to come by guys like that and you miss them when they are gone. You can’t really replace them. I think the biggest thing is that it is uplifting for a team to have him in there knowing he has really worked himself into the position to stay healthy this year and I am not really focused on what happened in the past and just focus on what he is going to do from here on out.”

 

The relief of Pace’s return has been palpable, even in just the few opening days of training camp. His teammates are uplifted by his presence and his quiet, workmanlike attitude has a calming effect on his fellow linemen.

 

Even the players lining up opposite are happy to see Pace back. A rookie like Chris Long might not be thrilled to face Pace in practice – especially when Pace plants him on the ground as he did on one play in the first day of practice - but realizes the end game will make him a better player.

 

Defensive tackle La’Roi Glover knows full well what the presence of an All Pro left tackle can do to the minds of an opponent.

 

“It’s one of those situations where name recognition he is still a very good, if not a great football player,” Glover said. “Without even taking a snap or a down you are going to have to study him on film and that’s going to put fear in a lot of guys’ minds.”

 

PACE’S PLACE IN HISTORY

 

Pace’s dorm room at Coburg Hall in Concordia is a shrine to the excellence of the Rams in their glory days from the beginning of the decade. Along with roommate Torry Holt, there are 14 Pro Bowls, two Super Bowl rings, four NFC Championship rings and endless experience for the younger players to learn from.

 

At this stage of his career, Pace could easily have walked away from the game. The end game for Pace, though, could well take him not far from his Sandusky, Ohio,  home to Canton and the Hall of Fame.

 

To many, Pace is already a shoo in Hall of Famer because of what he did to raise appreciation for the left tackle position but a few more Pro Bowls and playoff berths could go a long way toward cementing his legacy.

 

“That is one of the things that drive us, the lower you get the more you just want to win,” Pace said. “It’s not about money; it’s not about Pro Bowls and that type thing. You just want to win. There’s nothing like playing in the playoffs and then playing in the Super Bowl. That’s the most exciting feeling that I have felt since I have been in the league.”

 

Still, when pressed, Pace will admit that someday having his bust placed in Canton is helping to keep him motivated.

 

“It’s important and that’s a goal. Every time you want to be the best at what you do. I’ve been working that way so if it happens, it happens, I’ll be excited. That’s one of the things that I work for.”

 

Any post-career accolades can wait, though. For now Pace wants to take the opportunity to remind everyone why he’s already considered a Hall of Fame player. Maybe some don’t need the reminder but after two years of missed games and debilitating injuries, Pace can’t wait for the opportunity.

 

“I think that one thing they do is that if I continue to play well you can show that you’re back and teams will naturally take notice,” Pace said. “It has only been a couple of years and I have been around for awhile so I am not worried about that.”

 

At 32, with a Super Bowl ring, seven Pro Bowl appearances and a lucrative contract to his name, Pace’s legacy is already secure. This one is for himself.

 

“I want to be able – if possible - to walk off the field on my own terms and not with a doctor by my side,” Pace said. “That is one of the things that I want to finish out my career doing.”

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