Colin Cole going strong, but now prepared for when he calls it quits

For Colin Cole, his run in the NFL hasn't been  like many others who have had experience playing at such a high level. For Cole, it was two years out of the NFL before he got another chance back in 2013 with the Carolina Panthers. According to Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer though, Cole is far more prepared to deal with life after football now than he was two years ago.

“I definitely know there were times when it looked kind of bleak for me and I was still trying to work out. I was losing the ambition and I was losing the energy to do it because I didn’t see the fruits of my labor coming through,” Cole told the Charlotte Observer. “I got sidetracked and I got to the point where I was depressed, being honest.”

Essentially, Cole has seen both the good and the bad of  being an NFL player.  Person reports that Cole's comeback in 2013 only happened because he actually cold-called the Panthers. Fortunately, it was a great decision by the defensive tackle, as he's now played in 31 of 32 games over the last two seasons.

While it was a tough stretch for him, he feels that it's helped to prepare him for life after football when that time comes.

“We all have to move on at some point,” Cole said in a phone interview Friday. “I can definitely see how easy it can be for a person to get distracted or to not feel like they have  direction  or spend money they don’t have.

“I can see how any of that can be the case. When I had the opportunity to come back and play, I really vowed not to be behind the 8-ball once the time came for me to move on from football."

While you definitely have to respect the way that Cole is approaching the final years of his career, as he's now 35, it's safe to say that he still has some juice left. Cole may be prepared for life after football, whenever that may be, but for now, the Panthers are prepared for him to make an impact in 2015.

(h/t Charlotte Observer)

Photo Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports