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Lions running back Zach Zenner says he's finally shaking off the rust after missing the second half of last season with rib and lung injuries.

(Mike Mulholland | MLive.com)

ALLEN PARK -- Zach Zenner was asked how his offseason is going, and it took him a moment to find his words.

"Um," he said, "you know ... it was ... long."

Of course, the Detroit Lions running back has had a longer offseason than most. He suffered a serious chest injury in a Week 6 win against the Chicago Bears and missed the final 10 games of the season. So he's had to wait longer than most to get back on the field.

And, understandably, he had some rust when he finally did make his return during the first week of OTAs, both physically and mentally.

But with Ameer Abdullah out while rehabbing from shoulder surgery, and free-agent acquisition Stevan Ridley missing some time last week, Zenner has gotten a ton of reps. And now he's finally starting to feel like himself again.

"I felt a little rusty -- I really did," Zenner said after the second round of OTAs wrapped up last week. "But now I feel like I had a decent week. Yeah man, I feel good. Finally."

Zenner was acquired last offseason as an undrafted free agent out of South Dakota State, where he was highly productive, and played himself onto the roster with a monster training camp. He led the league in rushing during the preseason, and some within the organization feared they would lose Zenner if they tried to put him on the practice squad.

So they kept him.

Zenner looked promising as a power back during the regular season, averaging 3.5 yards on his 17 carries, before his season came to a halt after colliding with Chicago's Pernell McPhee. He fractured four ribs in five places and sustained a partially collapsed lung, and was transported immediately to a local hospital, where he stayed overnight.

While the ribs healed quickly, Zenner said the collapsed lung took much longer to overcome.

"For a long time, it hurt just to sneeze," he said.

While Zenner's season was over, he was far from done with football. Once he was healthy enough to get around, he became a fixture around Allen Park, attending meetings and most practices even though he couldn't participate.

He says that has helped him avoid falling behind others in the Jim Bob Cooter offense.

"There's been some carryover, so it was definitely helped to be involved in that," he said. "It helped to be in film sessions and see people correcting mistakes and things like that."

Zenner said he took a short break from football after the season ended. He got married, and honeymooned with his bride in Mexico. They snorkeled, scuba dived, toured islands, explored underground caves, even rode ATVs through the jungle.

Then he returned to Allen Park, and began preparing for 2016.

Zenner knows he has an opportunity to contribute this year, with Joique Bell out of the picture. Abdullah and Theo Riddick are back and expected to carry the bulk of the load, while Zenner will be competing with Ridley and Winn for roles in the back end of the rotation.

"After I got married, I started getting back to work," he said. "Getting my body prepared for the season ahead, especially because I had so much time off. I thought it was really important to come back sharp, and I'm starting to feel a lot better.

"I'm absolutely back, 100 percent."

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