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Browns OTAs: Healthy, RB Montario Hardesty 'Ready To Compete' For Spot

Cleveland Browns running back Montario Hardesty is, at long last, healthy. And the third-year running back is excited to compete for a spot in the backfield, according to an article from ClevelandBrowns.com.

Last season, Hardesty appeared in 10 games and had 266 yards on 88 carries. Those are pedestrian numbers, sure, but he was still rebounding from an ACL injury he sustained during the 2010 preseason.

Now, he says, there are no lingering health issues:

"The biggest thing is, I've been able to go back and train how I train in the offseason, get fully confident and go out there and push myself, things I couldn't do last year," Hardesty said Wednesday. "I was hurt. I missed a year and last year, I was hurt. I'm not going to dwell on that at all. It was something that I had to go through. I got through it and now, I'm healthy. I'm ready to come here and compete for a spot on this team.....

"There is plenty of work for two backs in this league, especially in our conference, the way the teams pound the ball," Hardesty said. "You can look at every team from top to bottom and see that. It's good for our team and our running back situation...."

Hardesty, who also had a torn ACL while playing for the Tennessee Volunteers, went on to say that he is excited about the chance to play with the Browns' first-round draft pick, running back Trent Richardson.

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