As soon as he felt his knee buckle, Carlos Rogers knew he was done for the season.

As soon as the diagnosis was announced, everyone who heard it thought, "two-year injury."

Rogers heard the diagnosis, heard that people thought he would need two years to recover completely and decided to be the exception to the rule.

"I want to prove somebody wrong," Rogers said. "Everybody wants to look at my injury and look at my body and say I heal like everybody else.

"I don't. I heal fast. I knew that from other injuries. You know your body."

Rogers is a cornerback for the Washington Redskins. Last season, on Oct. 28, in game seven against the New England Patriots, Rogers suffered a devastating knee injury.

Rogers, 6-0 and 194 pounds, was in the process of making a tackle when Redskins middle linebacker London Fletcher, running to the play, crashed into the back of Rogers right knee. The anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments were torn.

Rogers had surgery and began the lengthy recovery process. The conventional thinking was that he would begin the 2008 season on the physically unable to perform list, perhaps work his way onto the field late in the season and be 100 percent in 2009.

Rogers, 27, did begin training camp on the sidelines. But he was eager to get on the field. Once he did, everyone was surprised at his speed, quickness and cutting ability.

Only two people were not surprised -- Rogers and his surgeon, the world-renowned Dr. James Andrews.

"As fast as I was healing, I knew I was going to get back out there," Rogers said. "The only thing that surprises and shocks me is that my knee hasn't swelled up."

Rogers looks as good as new. In some ways looks even better than before he was injured.

Rogers was a Redskins first-round draft choice in 2005, the ninth player taken overall. He had his usual struggles as a rookie before settling down.

He regressed in his second season, and was returning to form last year when he suffered the injury.

So far in the preseason, Rogers has covered receivers so closely it seems as if he knows the route. He's breaking on the ball better than he did in the past.

Redskins coach Jim Zorn recalled the day he thought Rogers was past "recovering" and ready to play.

"He was in coverage where he was in between the underneath receivers and the guy over the top," Zorn said. "He was baiting the quarterback to try to throw over him, but the quarterback was having none of it.

"When the quarterback dropped the ball off, Carlos' explosion was very sudden. I was excited to see that, to see him move like that with no hesitation."

That did not come easily.

After his surgery, Rogers began an arduous routine of rehabilitating and strengthening the knee. Five days a week for two months, Rogers reported to work at 8 a.m., spent three hours with an athletic trainer, broke for lunch, then came back for three more hours of rehab work.

"Once I was able to do little running things on the field, the routine got to be Monday through Thursday," Rogers said.

"People told me I would think about my knee when I was playing. But once I'm out there, I don't think about it. When that receiver is running at you, you don't have time to think. All you have time to do is either pick the ball off, break up the pass or make the tackle."

Rogers hopes to do all those things, especially the first two, in the season-opening game against the New York Giants on Sept. 4.

Furthermore: The Redskins re-signed linebacker Danny Verdun-Wheeler and released tight end Jason Goode yesterday. Verdun-Wheeler had been released on Aug. 4.
Contact Paul Woody at (804) 649-6444 or pwoody@timesdispatch.com.