By Jim Gehman, Player Engagement Insider
In 2012, third-year Baltimore Ravens tight end Dennis Pitta set career highs with 61 receptions for 669 yards and seven touchdowns. He scored three more times during the playoffs including a one-yard touchdown catch in Baltimore’s Super Bowl XLVII victory over the San Francisco 49ers.
Things were going great.
In 2013, however, it was a far different story for Pitta. A Stephen King-like horror story. He broke and dislocated his right hip. In 2014, he did so again. The two major injuries and two hip surgeries led to him missing the 2015 season and contemplate retiring from the game.
“When you dislocate your hip for the second time in that many years, it’s tough,” Pitta said. “I didn’t know how I would respond or how my body would feel six months down the road, a year down the road. I was really relying on what the doctors were telling me, which wasn’t all that positive, to be honest.
“There were doctors that suggested I should quit. There were friends and family that certainly were looking out for my best interest and my health and wanted me to just be smart about it.”
When the Ravens opened the 2016 campaign on September 11th against the Buffalo Bills, after nearly two years to the day, Pitta who had gone through relentless rehabilitation while truly not knowing whether he’d ever play the game again, found out.
He would.
“It meant a lot being able to take the field and run out of the tunnel again,” said Pitta, who had three receptions for 39 yards in Baltimore’s 13-7 win over Buffalo. “It’s something I didn’t know if I would be able to do. I am just extremely grateful and humbled to be back on the field with my teammates.”
“It was nice (to see Pitta back on the field and contributing),” said Ravens head coach John Harbaugh. “Now the thing is, we’re both talking about, ‘OK, here’s where we have to go from here.’ You move right into the next thing. It was good to see him out there. When you take a minute and look back instead of ahead – there’s not a lot of time to look back – but certainly, when you look back on his journey, it makes you feel really good about where he’s at right now.”
Where Pitta and the Ravens will play a game next is in Cleveland on September 18th, which is where he last dislocated his hip during a 2014 game against the Browns.
“The last time I was on that field, it wasn’t the best memory,” Pitta said. “I don’t anticipate really even thinking about it. I’m just excited for another opportunity to be on the field and get a little bit better. Last Sunday was certainly exciting for me to be back out there, (but) it was not perfect by any means, on my end. It was good to get a game feel back and get that under my belt. I hope that I can continue to improve as the weeks go on.”