Domonique Foxworth conceded that his surgically repaired right knee is still troubling him and preventing him from being an effective cornerback.
"I don't think I'm as good as I was," Foxworth said prior to Thursday's practice. "I think towards the end of my first year here, I was playing really well and feeling really confident, and it's frustrating to be back and not feel as good as I want to feel to make plays. To have all of these great players depending on you to step up and play the way they know you're capable of and then to not be able to do it is frustrating. That's where I am."
Foxworth is trying to rebound from a 2010 season that was wiped out when he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in the knee on the eve of training camp. After undergoing surgery Aug. 10, 2010, Foxworth has worked tirelessly to improve the strength and stability of the knee, but he acknowledged that he continues to experience pain and soreness.
"It hurts," he said. "When I'm out there, I want to make plays. But when you're out there in pain, you're just trying to not [mess] things up. So you end up playing conservatively because you don't want to let people down. So it feels like a lose-lose sometimes, but I just try to stay confident and keep fighting and do whatever is asked of me."
On Monday, coach John Harbaugh suggested that shelving Foxworth for a period of time so that he can rest and rehabilitate the knee might be the best option for the player and team. Foxworth didn't disagree with Harbaugh's thoughts.
"They pay Coach Harbaugh to make those decisions," Foxworth said. "They pay me to do what he says. I'm not making any decisions. If they tell me to go rehab, I go rehab. If they tell me to go play, I go play. I'll do whatever it is. If they tell me to run scout team, I'll do that. Whatever it is that is going to make this team better from his perspective, I'm down."