"Tim Hightower wore a knee brace and a smile Thursday as he scooted through the halls of Redskins Park on crutches. After having surgery last Tuesday to reconstruct the torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, the Washington Redskins' leading rusher is eager to turn his focus to his rehabilitation.

"Mentally, it's still frustrating, but I think I'm in a lot better place than where I was last week," Hightower said. "Playing this sport for a long time, my respect level for guys who have had surgeries and had injuries and then come back from them stronger goes up very much. Now when I see an injury at the bottom of the screen, my heart kind of goes out to them.""