'I Feel Great': Broncos Derek Wolfe Talks About Playing After Surgery

By Romi Bean

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (CBS4)- Derek Wolfe's NFL career has been littered with injury and adversity. He's battled through extreme physical and mental pain. No matter how bad things would get, Wolfe always pushed through. But last season, in the Broncos' week 12 match-up with the Oakland Raiders, Wolfe finally hit his limit.

DW: We were playing Oakland. I came out and ripped off the block trying to make a tackle. The offensive lineman had me in a headlock. That kind of jarred me around and made me feel weird. Then on the next play he came around and punched me in the face. Which is supposed to be illegal, but they're not going to call that. And then something in my brain was just like you can't do this anymore, you have to stop. Then I started having a hard time putting my thoughts together because I was in so much pain, I couldn't think about anything else but the pain.

Romi Bean: "What was the breaking point where you knew it wasn't okay anymore?"
DW: Whenever I went to L.A., the doctor told me that I could lose the use of my right arm if I keep doing this. I was starting to develop atrophy in my right arm. A lot of the muscles weren't even working, probably hadn't been working for years.

After missing the final five games of the 2017 season, Wolfe had enough. He underwent a Foraminotomy. The surgery alleviated the nerve pain that had plagued Wolfe for years.

RB: so how do you feel now?
DW: I feel great.
RB: Physically, on the field, what's different?
DW: You can use your whole body, you're not limited to using just a little bit of your right arm, you can use your full arm. You know, when you go to get in a power rush and you really want to push someone and lock them out, you can do that. If I want to grab a running back, I can do that. The other day, I went to rip off a block, guy was still holding me, stuck his helmet in my chest, and a 300 pound guard hit me in the back of the head. And all it did was give me a stinger."

But it's not just the surgery that's changed Wolfe's life …. His wife and step daughter have been the biggest game changer in Wolfe's world.

DW: My wife holds me accountable on everything. She makes sure I'm doing the right thing no matter what. I've never had that in my entire life. No one's really held me accountable other than coaches. Outside of football, I pretty much governed myself, did what I wanted to do, when I wanted to do it. When you have a wife and a stepdaughter and you want to start building a family, you can't live like that. You're not just living for yourself anymore. It's made me closer with my teammates, even. I'm not so selfish. I got to be the same guy every day, I can't be a different guy at home. My wife has to know she can rely on me, I'll be there for her if she's sick. I have her back. Just like I got to know she has my back. It helped me bring that to field. It's helped me be a better leader."

Wolfe might have a softer side when it comes to family, but inside the white lines, offenses had better beware the Wolfe

RB: You got some new ink – "humble but hostile." What does that mean?
DW: Obviously humble speaks for itself, just be a humble guy, be nice to everybody, treat everybody the same. But if you want attitude, I'll give it right back. I'm not out here looking for a fight, but if you want to fight, it's going to be a long day."

Romi Bean is a sports anchor and reporter at CBS4. Connect with Romi on Twitter @Romi_Bean.