ESPN’s Chris Mortensen gets encouraging news on health

Chris Mortensen, through ESPN, issued an encouraging update Wednesday about his battle with Stage 4 throat cancer that was diagnosed last January.

The network’s NFL insider joined Pat Kirwan and Jeff Rickard on Movin’ The Chains to talk about.

‘Good to be able to talk’

“It’s good to be able to talk,” Mortensen said. “I went to M.D. Anderson (Cancer Center in Houston), where I’ve been treated and hospitalized all year, and last week my oncologist said, basically, through all the scans and new testing, it’s virtually no detection of the disease as has been treated. Now, that all comes with an asterisk. Got to be back in three months to monitor some of these things. Basically, the orders are right now is recover from the intensive chemo and radiation treatments that made me drop 53 pounds and really weakened me.

Focus on recovery and rehab

“The good news is I get to focus more on recovery and rehab right now as I try to return to work.”

Mortensen said it’s “tough to put a date” on when he will return to work on a full-time basis, but does plan to “participate and contribute in some fashion” during the season.

‘I’ll be there’

“In terms of traveling to Bristol and getting into the studio, we’ll see,” Mortensen said. “Right now, the doctor’s orders are to get some weight-gain stability, some strength and stamina, and deal with some of the issues and side effects and damage that has come from that type of chemo and radiation treatment that I had. But I’ll be there. I just can’t give you a date.”

James Jones on NFL future: ‘I just want to play ball’

The waiting game continues. James Jones’ phone rang once after his release from the Green Bay Packers. And now that he has been cut by the San Diego Chargers, he’s waiting for the next call.

He doesn’t care where it’s from, just as long as he gets to continue to be a wide receiver in the NFL.

Would love to ‘stay local’

“At the end of the day, man, I just want to play some football,” Jones told Bruce Murray and Brady Quinn on the SiriusXM Blitz. “I still enjoy it, I still love it, so I don’t really have a team I would love to go to. I mean, the Bay Area. That’s where I live, I would love to stay home, Niners or Raiders, something like that, stay local. It’s a waiting game now.

“I just want to play. I’m still excited about the game. I still believe I can help a football team win.”

Chargers a ‘talented bunch’

Jones saw a “very talented bunch” during his brief time with the Chargers.

“Even the young guys that you don’t talk about at wide receiver, (Dontrelle) Inman and Tyrell (Williams),” Jones said. “Big guys, fast guys that can run. I’m excited for their opportunity to get out there and play football. I know they haven’t really been that productive on the football field in their career, but I truly believe it’s just opportunities. I think they’re going to get a lot of opportunities this year. Being out there with Philip (Rivers), seeing that guy sling it, he’s definitely a Hall-of-Famer.”