Steelers tight end Ladarius Green said his ankle is "still weak," but he remains confident he'll play this season.
"Why wouldn't I be confident about that?" Green said. "I'm very optimistic about it. I'm ready for it. I'm still training for it. I'm out there every day rehabbing for it.
"It's still weak. It's getting a lot better, though."
Green opened training camp on the Physically Unable to Perform list after undergoing offseason surgery.
"The ankle's still not 100 percent yet," he said. "It's still not there. There's still stuff I gotta work on. There's still stuff I'm pushing towards but it's getting better. We're still taking it day by day.
"I'm getting frustrated, not being out there with the team. Watching them every day, it's getting pretty tough. But I still have to learn mentally, still have to focus on stuff, pick up on stuff and work on myself."
He's dealing with that frustration "the same way everybody would, just suck it up and just deal with it, accept what it is and just try to push through it every day," Green added. "Watch the teammates, keep talking to them, you know they all support me. I'm supporting them, just doing what I can."
Green, who signed with the Steelers as a free agent in the offseason, acknowledged he initially thought he'd be recovered from surgery in time for the opening of training camp.
The Steelers prepare for the Week 3 preseason matchup against the New Orleans Saints.
"Yeah, I did," he said.
He also said he had concussion problems last season in San Diego.
"I had some, but I don't think it's bad," Green said. "I'm still on P.U.P. because of my ankle. I've been still rehabbing on my ankle, so I haven't been dealing with anything else but that."
Green hopes to be able to begin contributing with the Steelers as soon as possible upon being activated from the P.U.P. list.
"I hope immediately," he said. "I've never been on P.U.P., so I don't know the timetable. I don't know how that goes. I'm just going to take it day by day and do what they tell me.
"I've been doing a lot more (rehabbing of late). I've been on the field every day trying to run, sprint, work myself up. I've been doing everything."
