‘It’s kind of scary’: Kam Chancellor expects to be better post-surgery

By Michael Cohodes Payant
Special to 710Sports.com

Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor told 710 ESPN Seattle’s “Bob and Groz” Tuesday that he expects to be even better after offseason hip surgery for an injury he says he’d dealt with since college.

That might be bad news for Seahawks opponents considering Chancellor is coming off what was probably his best season, during which recorded 99 combined tackles and three interceptions en route to his second Pro Bowl and then left his mark on the playoffs during team’s Super Bowl run.

Now pain-free, Chancellor says he’s excited to see just how good he can be.

“It’s kind of scary,” Chancellor said. “Literally, it really kind of scares me. I just feel powerful, like nothing can stop me. Everything feels just right.”

Dating back to his time at Virginia Tech, Chancellor says he “found ways to work around” issues presented by the hip injury. He admitted this is probably part of the reason his injury went undiagnosed for so long.

“For myself to go out there and play with that pinching feeling, that pain feeling, it’s just something you have to tune out and worry about later,” Chancellor said. “You have the game in front of you, your teammates depending on you, I just wanted to do things right.”

It is unclear whether Chancellor – who returned to the practice field on Monday – will play in the team’s preseason opener against the Broncos on Thursday. Whenever he ultimately gets into game action, he will be playing healthy for the first time in years and says he anticipates major improvements in his game.

“I feel I can hit harder, run faster, come out of my breaks stronger and more powerful,” he said. “It feels so free. It’s awesome.”