HOUSTON (AP) — For a moment, Houston Texans linebacker Zac Diles feared his career might be over after breaking his left leg simply running down the field during a special-teams drill in November 2008.

X-rays showed a clean break, and doctors told Diles that his tibia would heal, allowing him to play again. He dutifully did the rehab and started 14 of 16 games last season — often thinking how lucky he was.

“You have to grow up really fast when something like that happens,” Diles said after Wednesday’s practice. “You learn that you just can’t take stuff for granted. You start thinking, ‘Man, this could’ve all been taken from me.’ You learn to enjoy every moment you’re out here playing, because any moment could be your last.” Continue…