Mathis starting to fit back in with Indianapolis as he hopes for quick recovery

FILE - In this Dec. 29, 2013, file photo, Jacksonville Jaguars' Chad Henne (7) is sacked by Indianapolis Colts' Robert Mathis (98) during the first half of an NFL football game on in Indianapolis. Indianapolis is keeping Mathis around through 2016. The team announced Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2014, it had given Mathis a one-year contract extension. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File) (The Associated Press)

FILE - This is a July 3, 2014, file photo showing Robert Mathis of the Indianapolis Colts NFL football team. Indianapolis is keeping Mathis around through 2016. The team announced Tuesday it had given Mathis a one-year contract extension. (AP Photo/File) (The Associated Press)

INDIANAPOLIS – Colts linebacker Robert Mathis says he's ahead of schedule as he tries to recover from a torn left Achilles' tendon.

The 2013 NFL sacks champion spoke for the first time since the injury Thursday. Mathis had been away from the team, serving a four-game suspension, when he sustained the injury during a private workout in Atlanta.

Mathis says he hopes to be fully recovered in six months, insisting he's a fast healer.

In the meantime, he will try to help "coach" the Colts' defenders.

Mathis set a franchise-record with a league-high 19½ sacks last season. Earlier this week, Mathis agreed to a one-year contract extension that would keep him in Indianapolis through the 2016 season.

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