Miami's Winston says his rebuilt knee is no longer a concern

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) His powerful hands are nicked and cut, battle scars from intense training camp scrums. His neck is sore, and what looks like a bruise is forming on his forehead.<br> <br> The aches and pains of football are again taking a toll on Eric Winston.<br> <br> And that&#39;s the way he&#39;d prefer it.<br> <br> Missing most of last season with a shredded left knee rejuvenated Winston&#39;s love for football, and his return to the field this season has so far gone splendidly. Miami&#39;s standout, 6-foot-5, 315-pound left tackle has no problems yet with his rebuilt knee no unusual pain, no mobility problems, no lack of strength.<br> <br> Winston said he&#39;d be ready when the Hurricanes open the season at Florida State on Sept. 5, and by all accounts, his prediction will be correct.<br> <br> ``My neck hurts. My lower back doesn&#39;t feel too good. My knees are the best thing about me right now, so I don&#39;t know what&#39;s going on,&#39;&#39; Winston said. ``As far as the formerly injured area, I feel good. I have those two-a-day lumps, the tired neck from keeping this big helmet on, but other than that I feel normal.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> So in other words, despite being only 10 months removed from surgery to repair the three left knee ligaments that tore in his awkward fall against Georgia Tech, Winston feels exactly like his old self.<br> <br> The knee injury kept him off the field for Miami&#39;s final eight games last season; the Hurricanes were 4-0 with Winston, 5-3 without him, and were clearly more effective offensively before losing their top lineman&#39;s services.<br> <br> ``I&#39;m really surprised at how far along he is,&#39;&#39; Miami coach Larry Coker said. ``But his determination to get back, to help this team be good and get to where he wants to be really speaks volumes about Eric.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> A rigorous offseason conditioning and rehabilitation program was completed in plenty of time to begin training camp, and Miami planned to gingerly work the prospective first-round NFL draft choice back into action on the field. Winston, however, would have none of that plan insisting he&#39;s totally ready for anything.<br> <br> ``I feel fine. I couldn&#39;t have asked for more,&#39;&#39; Winston said. ``I don&#39;t feel like I&#39;m being held back by anything. I don&#39;t feel like I&#39;m being slowed down. I&#39;m playing the way I play, and that&#39;s how I&#39;m going about my business.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Winston likes what he sees from the Hurricanes so far in camp, while acknowledging there&#39;s still plenty of work to do before Miami is ready for the showdown in Tallahassee to open the year.<br> <br> Still, he&#39;s confident that the Hurricanes will be ready for whatever challenge comes their way.<br> <br> ``We&#39;re still trying to build our team and make sure our team is solid on all fronts,&#39;&#39; Winston said. ``We don&#39;t want to neglect anything worrying about somebody else. We&#39;re shaping and forming a tough, gritty team right now and I hope we don&#39;t take away from that by just preparing for someone else.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> (Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)