DENVER (AP) - Broncos running back LenDale White doesn't have to go far for advice as he recovers from a surgically repaired torn right Achilles' tendon that will sideline him for the season.
New teammate and fellow tailback Andre Brown went through a similar procedure last August and was back in less than a year.
"It depends on how much work you put into it and how hard you work at it," said Brown, who was awarded to the Broncos after being released by the New York Giants over the weekend. "I came back at full speed and I feel pretty fast."
His best advice is actually quite simple - bear down on rehab.
"You come in here and you grind it out and plug it out and good things happen," Brown said. "The hard work in your rehab will pay off."
White's uncle, Herman White, confirmed the surgery to The Associated Press on Tuesday, saying the operation "went as expected" and that his nephew now has "some work he needs to put in."
"It's going to be a long haul," Herman White said.
LenDale White grew up in Denver and is trying to resurrect his career with the Broncos after a fallout in Tennessee and a brief stop in Seattle. He tore his Achilles' tendon during Denver's preseason finale at Minnesota last week.
The 25-year-old Southern Cal standout faces months of arduous rehab as he tries to make a return to the field. Many tailbacks have struggled to come back from this type of tear, but Herman White said his nephew's spirits and confidence "are real high."
"He's ready to do this," Herman White said. "There are people that are speculating that he won't be back, because of the severity and that very few have been able to come back successfully. He's a young man and he's strong. I'm very confident that he's going to be back."
Brown has yet to contact LenDale White, but will give him any pointers he needs as he goes through rehab.
A fourth-round pick out of North Carolina State in 2009, Brown looked solid at times in Giants camp this summer before being let go.
He's recently been hobbled by turf toe.
"I'm going to be good. This one is OK," Brown said.
The time it took Brown to return from his torn Achilles' corresponds with the research that LenDale White's family has been doing into torn Achilles' tendons. Recovery is typically around a year.
"This is not something he can take lightly," Herman White said. "But the healing process and returning back to form, it's something he's prepared for."
LenDale White was brought into camp to bolster a banged-up backfield. But he sprained his ankle two days after arriving in Denver, missing a chunk of time.
He returned strong, rushing for 53 yards and two TDs in the preseason before tearing his Achilles' tendon. White figured to be a force near the goal line this season for the Broncos, once he returned from his four-game suspension for violating the league's substance-abuse policy.
His uncle said he's grateful for the chance at a fresh start in his hometown.
"It's definitely a new chapter," Herman White said. "It's a great opportunity for him. He's real ecstatic."
As for what awaits LenDale White, his uncle echoed what Brown already alluded to: Rehab, rehab and more rehab.
"But I'm sure the Broncos have great people over there," Herman White said. "I'm sure they'll get him where needs to go."
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AP Pro Football Writer Arnie Stapleton contributed.