“I was up late last night – didn’t’ leave Applebee’s until about 11:30.  Thanks to their Direct TV sports package, that has become my hotspot every week for the last few months.  Drum roll please….they actually have the Mtn. network!!!! I know, it takes a second to sink in.  So anyway, every Saturday afternoon of the college football season has found me at Applebee’s cheering loudly for my Cougs.  In fact, when the poor Huskies had their PAT blocked, preserving a Y victory – I was yelling so loud everyone …

To a defensive player Coach Anae is classic.  He is full of great one-liners and stories, not to mention his unique voice.  I once spent an entire three-day weekend in the mountains with 2 former players imitating -the sincerest form of flattery- Coach Anae, and it never got old.  He just has so many great stories.  Here is just one short example that was told to me by an inside receiver.

Good stuff Quinn!! For all you fans and readers….. what a privilege. This is the first time I’ve looked at the sight and he really knows his stuff. I had the opportunity to play offensive line at BYU and Quinn pretty much nailed it on the head, with a couple of exceptions. The QB DOES NOT have the most difficult job on the field! LOL He does get the most scrutiny but at least he is recognized when he plays well. As an …

This has been a rather crazy week!!  I tore some ligaments in my foot in last week’s game against the Steelers and so I haven’t had a ton of time for my weekly entry. The last couple days have been complete with X-Rays, MRIs, Doctor visits and much treatment in the team training room.  I included a picture of the play I was hurt on and as you can see I’m very fortunate and VERY grateful I wasn’t injured worse.  I should add – it is making great progress, and …

When I -Markell- am asked about CSU down the road, I will remember three things:
1)The Power run game with pulling guards.
2)Always running to the same O-Linemen (They had strong and weak Guards and Tackles, not left and right. They would rotate to where the majority of the runs went)
3)Scissors. Coach Mendenhall would have the scout team running that route every other play.
But each year had it’s own memories as well…
In 2004 I was a walk-on freshman and converted LB, previously a safety. I had started the first …

There have been quite a number of inquiries as to how John Beck is feeling about his experiences in the NFL thus far.  In an answer to these requests I -Markell- interviewed John to find out what the former BYU QB is up to in Miami Florida.
To answer this question John shared with me the advice he got from Chad Lewis when John was a sophomore.  Chad told John, “No matter what your goals are, no matter what mountain you want to climb, as long as you keep stepping you …

So fall of ‘07 I’m sitting at football practice and Greg Wrubell, the KSL play-by-play commentator, approaches me and asks, “Nate, have you ever thought about getting into broadcasting?  James Dye can no longer do the sideline reporting due to his business pursuits and we need someone to take his place.  We’d pay for your trips to every game, give you a little extra money as payment for your services, and just ask that you don’t miss a single game.  You’d be watching the game from the sidelines and would …

“The greater purpose…
A bit over a week into camp we had the opportunity to see an early screening of a football movie that wasn’t due out for another 2 months.  It came on one of our rare half days (a momentous occasion wherein we only had meetings, practice and football half the day) so it presented a bit of a dilemma – go to the theater and watch this movie which may or may not be cheesy (it sounded cheesy and cheaply made), using up several hours of precious free …

This man has been a force in the comments section of the blog and continues to provide insightful and emotional comments. Thanks Markell, and keep it up!!!
“Who Am I and What Am I Doing:
My name is Markell Staffieri, formerly #36.  Right now I am living in San Diego, CA working as a partner with my father as a financial planner, managing small pension plans and investments, as well as doing life insurance for our clients.  It is a job that I never knew I would …

The day after…
 
“It’s a long story why, but I decided to interrupt recounting ‘why I play the game’ and give briefly ‘the day after a game of an NFL player.’  I will return to training camp and what I found there next week.
 
In all, an NFL week isn’t all that different than a week of college football…it’s just bigger, longer, and more thorough.  It’s a weekly cycle in which we try to peak physically and very importantly mentally for the game on Sunday.  In college there are time restrictions enforced …

“Why I play the game…
 
I’ve been asked that question countless times throughout my life, and for the most part, the response has been the same – “Why did you chose football?” would be asked, “I think football chose me” would be my

It is a very undesirable place to get caught. Specifically, the bottom of an nine+ player pile up, six of which are offensive and defensive linemen weighing in access of 300 lbs. There are a couple of bad situations. The first is the “face where it shouldn’t be” scenario or ”just concentrate until you can breath again,” and it’s two-fold. I’ll discuss them in a bit. The other is the worst scenario, or the “I just got run over and my leg is bent behind me and everyone is laying on …