Davis was beginning to establish himself when the injuries hit in 2009, but setbacks during minicamp in 2010 and Week Two in 2011 made his football future uncertain. After all, no one had done what he was trying to do.

All he did was come back as a more complete linebacker — a craftsman instead of a mere athlete, a man whose knowledge of the game grew to compensate for anything he lost physically.

It’s somehow appropriate that all three of his Pro Bowl berths and both All-Pro honors came after the injuries — and they weren’t just sympathy votes. Outside linebackers in 4-3 defenses often lag behind in recognition since they don’t have the flashy sack numbers of their 3-4 counterparts, but what Davis did in his second act was impossible to ignore.

He came back. All the way back.