Lions' Stephen Tulloch on ACL recovery: I could play today

Detroit Lions linebacker Stephen Tulloch, now seven months removed from surgery to repair a torn ACL, has no doubt he'll be ready for Week 1 of the regular season.

"To be honest with you, I feel great," Tulloch told Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com. "If I had to play today I could definitely play – a little over six and a half months, seven months in May (since surgery).

"I feel good. I feel blessed to have Dr. (James) Andrews work on me and put me back together. I have a good team of people down in Miami that take care of me. They've gotten me back to a point I can train with the team. I can lift weights and run around. It feels good to be back out there again."

Tulloch tore his ACL while celebrating a sack in the Lions' 19-7 victory over the Green Bay Packers in Week 3 of last season. The injury ended Tulloch's eight-year Iron Man streak and gave him a new appreciation for the game.

"I realized how much I love football and missed playing and I embrace every moment now more than I ever have," he said. "I've been in situations where I've taken it for granted because I never had to worry about injuries or getting hurt. I was an Iron Man. But it can be taken away from you just that like and I embrace it every day."