Akers now plays for the Los Angeles Rams of the NFL. His achievements have amazed even the medical community. Akers was preparing to train camp on July 20, when he suffered a severe Achilles tendon tear that required surgery. Akers was reinstated on the active roster by the Rams on Christmas Day five months later. Akers played in his last regular-season game on Jan. 9. Akers ran the ball 17 times for 55 yard and caught a pass for 40 yard in the Rams’ 34-11 win. Penalties negated some of his most impressive plays. After the game, Rams coach Sean McVay gave him the ball. It was not only for his remarkable recovery but also for his outstanding performance. It was well deserved. Achilles ruptures can take up to one year for recovery, and can often end a career. According to a medical study, Achilles tears were suffered by 78 NFL players between 2010-2015. 26 percent never played another game. A recent study of professional athletes in soccer, baseball, basketball and football found that 24% had to retire after sustaining a torn Achilles. The average time it took to get back to playing for those who were able to continue playing was 11 months. Akers will be playing for the Rams in Sunday’s NFC semifinal match against the Tampa Bay Bucs, who are the current NFL Champion. This was six months after Akers had surgery. Judd Boswell from Clinton is not surprised by this. He says, “Nothing the dude does surprises us.” He was two months ahead of his recovery time and only two months away from surgery when he arrived in September to play in our homecoming game. This just shows how hard he works and what a great person he is. He is the most driven, competitive person I know. He could have made it much easier and safer, and just been ready to return next season. Most people would. He doesn’t think so. Cam is not Cam. Cam would not consider this letting down his coaches or his teammates. He is different now. He’s a completely different man.” The most well-known Achilles injury recovery in sports history was that made by Kobe Bryant. His miraculous return to NBA basketball in 2014, nine months after surgery, was often referred to as “miraculous.” Then there was Akers, who returned to the most difficult of sports around five and a quarter months after surgery. He was the best player on Monday night’s victory over the Cardinals. Dr. Neal ElAttache was a well-known Los Angeles surgeon who performed both Bryant and Akers surgeries. He used a new technique to treat Akers. He not only repaired the tendon but also added an “internal brace” that provides stability to the tendon. Lori Reed, University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC), surgeon has seen more Achilles tendon injuries than she can remember. Reed says Akers’ recovery was “amazingly fast.” Normal people are able to recover in a matter of ten months to a full year. Reed refers to them as “weekend warriors”. Reed explained that Akers’ remarkablely quick recovery could be due to several factors. Reed also said that elite athletes are not allowed to come in for rehabilitation for less than an hour three or four times per week. Boswell isn’t surprised. Akers claimed that he would spend up to 10 hours per day training and rehabbing his leg. Boswell doesn’t seem surprised. “That’s who he really is,” Boswell said. The outcome of Sunday’s Rams-Bucs game could be determined by how Akers plays the ball. In 2020, he was the Rams’ top rusher rookie. He provides the Rams with a unique combination of speed, muscle, and shiftiness that they don’t have elsewhere. He will be facing a Bucs defense, which ranked third in NFL against the run. It was particularly effective in home games. It is a difficult task and it would be for anyone who hasn’t been six months since he had surgery to the strongest tendon in his body. Boswell says, “All that I know, I darn certain would not bet against [him].”