There is some good news on the Ryan Shazier injury front, as the father of the Steelers linebacker revealed in an interview with Channel 11 in Pittsburgh that his son is still in an "intense struggle" during his recovery, but that he is starting to show positive signs physically and that his "spirit is high."

Asked by Lisa Sylvester of Channel 11, Vernon Shazier said his son is "doing good" but still battling through the recovery from an injury that left him laying motionless on the field during a game against the Bengals back in early December. 

"He's doing good. It's a struggle. It's an intense struggle," Shazier said. "He's doing good. He's staying positive, his spirit is high. He's living and trusting in God."

During the game, Shazier lowered his head to make a fairly innocuous tackle, but it appeared his neck and spine compressed on the hit and he immediately reached for his back. The Steelers linebacker lay on the field for several minutes -- it was clearly a terrifying situation even at the time -- before being transported to the hospital.

During and after the game, the Steelers were cautiously optimistic about Shazier's status, but he would eventually require spinal stabilization surgery. The good news is that Shazier, who has been spotted at team events but who has not been seen actually walking, was able to feel his legs some before the surgery and can feel them now, according to his father.

"Yeah, he can feel them now," Vernon Shazier said. "Um, no, no he could feel them a little bit before [the surgery] too. It's just initially ... but he can feel them now."

The bigger question for many will be, is Shazier walking yet? His father declined to say, which is telling in its own.

"I don't want to go into a whole lot of this, how's he doing ... he's much better," Shazier's father said. "We've agreed to keep his progress private, until he's ready to share where he's at."

The Steelers ended Shazier's season about a week after the injury, no surprise given the serious nature. There was more concern about Shazier being able to walk again than Shazier being able to play football again.

Shazier did begin rehab two weeks after the injury, however, and has had some positive moments, including celebrating his team's victory over the Ravens on a Sunday night via FaceTime.

His father added that the linebacker is making progress and has improved dramatically.

"He's making progress daily," Shazier said. "He's a long ways from where he was on that Monday night when he was laying on the field."

Before Christmas, Shazier visited his teammates at the Steelers facility while in a wheelchair. He has become a rallying cry for the team, an inspiration for a team trying to make a Super Bowl run without its defensive leader. 

And certainly his situation is not forgotten at home -- his father said it keeps him "engaged almost daily, every second, in a mental battle." It's easy to imagine given that it's his son.

"To be one way, and then ... everything is turned upside down. Your whole world is rearranged in a moment," the elder Shazier said.

It's been a long month for the Shazier family as they help their son battle. But the news seems mostly good, certainly better than the phone call Vernon took shortly after his son was taken off the field.

"He said 'Daddy pray for me, I can't feel my legs,'" Shazier's father recalled emotionally.