PHILADELPHIA — Paul Worrilow was lying on the field inside the Eagles’ indoor practice facility at NovaCare Complex, his ACL torn, his season over before it even started, and the first thought that popped into his head was about … Mickey Mouse?
“I was like ‘Crap, we’re going to have to cancel Disney World,’” Worrilow told NJ Advance Media.
The veteran linebacker was an Eagles fan growing up and his dream of playing for the hometown team in 2018 was taken away from him, in his first practice with the franchise, no less.
Still, Worrilow has two young daughters, and he had just placed a deposit on a fun-filled family vacation.
“We had been hyping it up for our daughters,” Worrilow said.
Worrilow, 29, leaned back into a wooden chair at a restaurant in the Philadelphia Navy Yard earlier this offseason, and laughed at that first thought he had when he tore up his knee. Just down the street was NovaCare, where Worrilow had completed his latest treatment session with the Eagles training staff earlier in the day.
There’s been a lot of that, even a year later. Worrilow re-signed with the Eagles on a one-year deal earlier this offseason, though he still missed most of OTAs as he completed his recovery process. The Eagles took precautions with Worrilow after he experienced inflammation in his right knee, though he expects to be ready for the start of training camp practice on Thursday.
Worrilow is fine with the precaution. After all, his roster spot isn’t guaranteed, so he needs to be healthy heading into the preseason. Worrilow really wants that roster spot.
Said Worrilow: “It feels like I haven’t played in a while.”
“This is where I want to be”
When Worrilow was a free agent in 2017, he wanted to sign with the Eagles. He was offered a contract, but there was more money out there, specifically from the Detroit Lions.
He chose financial security, and yes, he watched from afar as his childhood team won its first Super Bowl.
“This is where I wanted to come the first time, but I got paid more in Detroit, just to be honest,” Worrilow said with a laugh. “I was expecting my second daughter that April, so it was kind of a no-brainer.”
Worrilow, who lives in nearby Wilmington, Del., felt the post-Super Bowl glow after the Eagles won the Lombardi Trophy. He was cheering along as a fan. He was only a few minutes away from where he grew up, so he watched the young local Eagles fans in the neighborhood and nearby businesses flip out over the (for some) once-in-a-lifetime victory.
“I’m at the sub shop right around the corner from my house for the Eagles’ Super Bowl run, and they’re selling Super Bowl Eagles stuff,” Worrilow said. “That, to me, is cool.”
Last year, Worrilow had a second shot at free agency, and knew he wanted to be a part of what was being built in Philadelphia while also living closer to home with his wife, Gina, and their daughters, Juliet and Rowan, who would have a strong family support system nearby.
“I remember calling [my agents] when I was a free agent again,” Worrilow said. “I said ‘It’s Philly, I don’t care what the contract is like. This is where I want to be.’”
Worrilow grew up like most Eagles fans. He watched the 1 p.m. games and stayed up late for the prime-time matchups. He enjoyed watching Brian Dawkins’ famous pregame ritual in the tunnel and appreciated Jeremiah Trotter’s ax celebration after a big play. Former Pro Bowl running back Brian Westbrook was his favorite player to watch.
Worrilow was ready to put on the same uniform.
“It feels right, to put it simply,” Worrilow said, reflecting on his time with the Eagles.
Worrilow remembers walking into the locker room for the first time. After making the University of Delaware football team as a walk-on and building an NFL career as an undrafted free agent, Worrilow was getting a chance to wear the Eagles’ midnight green.
“Seeing the helmet,” he said, “it was a cool thing,”
Worrilow was in the best shape of his life, he said, and was feeling great about joining a potential Super Bowl contender.
He suited up for the first OTA practice of the spring, went through warm-ups and then, about 15 minutes later, it all ended.
“Unavoidable in the moment”
The Eagles were lined up for seven-on-seven drills in the red zone.
The ball was snapped. Linebacker Corey Nelson was covering running back Donnel Pumphrey. Nelson tagged off coverage responsibilities with Worrilow, but something went wrong.
Worrilow said it was “unavoidable in the moment.”
“As I was tagging off, Corey tripped — I kind of tried to avoid him — but his back, as I was planting, went straight through my leg.”
Worrilow knew immediately what had happened. It was a freak accident made worse by its timing.
“Nobody gets hurt in seven-on-seven,” Worrilow said with a laugh. “That’s like the worst.”
Worrilow tore his ACL, MCL and meniscus. No more Disney trip. No more football in 2018.
When Jim Ulrich, Worrilow’s agent, received the call about his client’s injury, he was prepared for the worst-possible outcome.
“The thought pops into your head: ‘Is this it?’” Ulrich said. “I called Paul and he hadn’t even gotten the surgery yet and he was already talking about his rehab. Having gone through all the roadblocks before, I was thinking ‘this isn’t going to stop us, this is going to happen.’ I’ve never seen someone attack rehab like that.”
Worrilow was determined to return. He began the grueling rehabilitation process almost immediately.
“I definitely wanted to keep playing,” Worrilow said. “But I really wanted to make this work with the Eagles.”
Worrilow has a strong background when it comes to strength training.
He wanted to be a strength and conditioning coach if the NFL didn’t work out. He also recently opened MOTIVE Sports & Physical Therapy in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania with his brother, Mark, a physical therapist.
Worrilow worked with the Eagles training staff to establish a plan for his rehab regime. The seven-year NFL veteran is keen on routine and team trainers, Mark Lewis and Ben Wagner, worked with Worrilow on a daily basis.
“My favorite training staff by far that I’ve been with,” Worrilow said. “I’ve had nothing but exceptional treatment and experiences with those guys.”
Worrilow was grateful that his injury occurred close to home. The typically active father was immobilized for a good portion of that summer and he was unable to handle the day-to-day grind on his own.
His family, especially his daughters, helped him get through it, but Worrilow hated how much he had to rely on others during his rehab. It made him cranky, especially during the season.
“His mood definitely switched on Sunday,” Gina said.
The Worrilows met in high school, went to the University of Delaware together and were married in July 2014.
Gina has seen all of the ups and downs of Paul’s career. The knee injury was his lowest of lows.
“He wasn’t always the most pleasant to be around,” Gina said with a laugh. “He wanted to be out there.”
In order to control his anxiety on Sundays, Worrilow would train and “blow out” conditioning exercises before games.
After the workouts, he would join Gina and his daughters to watch the Eagles games when he wasn’t traveling with the team.
“Watching a game with him is very fun because he points things out,” Gina said. “When he watches a game, it’s kind of like film, so he’s studying. He’ll be like ‘They’re in this stance, so the ball is going here,’ so he just breaks it down for me.”
“I want to put that uniform on”
Despite his year-long rehabilitation process, Worrilow quickly became a popular presence in the locker room and team meetings.
Most importantly (for Worrilow, at least), he’s really impressed his coaches.
“He’s just been incredible, the way he’s attacked his injury rehab," defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz said. “He’s really been a leader for a lot of other guys. We have a significant number of injuries in there, and he has really set a good standard for the work that it takes to recover.”
Added linebackers coach Ken Flajole: “I don’t think anyone has worked any harder to come off that knee injury than Paul Worrilow. He’s been a stallion in that way.”
Worrilow’s work behind the scenes played a major role in convincing Howie Roseman and the Eagles front office to bring him back for another try in 2019.
Worrilow was open to playing elsewhere but Philadelphia was his top choice for a second consecutive offseason.
All the time he’s been able to spend with his family over the last year has played an important part in that.
In Week 8, while the Eagles were in London for a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Worrilows finally took that trip to Disney World.
“We definitely grew as a family of four,” said Gina, who is pregnant with the couple’s third daughter. “Having that extra family time was very special and very fun.”
While the family time over the last year was appreciated by his wife and daughters, Gina knew Paul’s mission was always to get back onto the field.
He is ready to suit up on Sunday in an Eagles uniform, with his kids in the crowd, too, wearing Worrilow jerseys of their own.
“I can’t even put into words how proud and excited and happy I’m going to be for him,” Gina said. “Just to see him get into that jersey again and do what he loves and do what he’s great at.”
“I want to put that uniform on,” Worrilow said, “really, really bad.”
Mike Kaye may be reached at mkaye@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Mike_E_Kaye. Find NJ.com on Facebook.