Deep Shades of Blue

Photo by Miller

I got a text from Quinn asking me if I would write a little bit about 2006’s final drive. Detailing my thougts and feelings on the final drive. I think for the rest of my life whenever it is the BYU vs Utah week I will always be reminded of that game in 2006. Even as I sit here typing, I have above me on a shelf the ball I took the final knee with. I wanted the ball that Johnny caught, but I don’t know if anybody knows where that ball currently resides. I just held on to the next best thing.

Well where do I begin.

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“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 in the restaurant certainly thought I was a lunatic.

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It was good to see so many CSU and BYU alumni on the sideline and I was waiting for Beck or Denney to join in on the celebration. Personally I like to see that kind of excitement. I understand that it’s a penalty, but for that CSU team just think how much emotion that gave them.

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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 it looks as though I’ll be able to play this in this week’s big divisional rivalry game against ‘Americas Team’ - the Cowboys.  Anyway, I decided it would be both easier for me and a good time to reply to some of the questions and comments that have been asked in the comments section of Quinn’s blog:

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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 will reach the top.”  That is what John is doing in Miami. He is approaching each day as another opportunity to keep climbing the mountain.

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“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 time, or do something else, i.e., rest, study, talk to people at home, did I mention rest?  At any rate, there were only 20 to 30 of the 80 players at camp that ventured over to the theater for the viewing of “The Express.”

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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 by the NCAA – teams are limited to 20 hours Monday through Thursday…20 hours of meetings, practice, lifting, etc.  No such restriction in the league.

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“The darkest days of training camp…

Last week I very briefly related some of the physical atrocities suffered by the NFL elite annually at training camp.  This week, I thought I’d add to those accounts some of the more burdensome afflictions – probably most burdensome – those of mental, emotional, and spiritual pains.

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Oh, Canada….they are getting creative up in the Great White North. TO and OCHO need to start brainstorming some new celebrations. In the natural progression of things, what would be next? Tag, a quick game of dodge ball, four square….no, no, no…the snow man song. My little boy would dig that one.

Come on guys, can’t we just keep it simple? Maybe a Winnipeg leap… except you’ll get tired running 20 yards through the endzone and then searching for some fans. The officials needed to throw a flag and take some of their points away for that celebration.

July 24^th – training camp…

“If the NFL Scouting Combine is a ‘wretched place’, then I guess training camp is a horrid place.  I don’t know, maybe its not that bad – but it certainly does make for a better story.

Anyway, I arrived in Albany, NY for training camp on Wednesday, July 23^rd, the day before we had to report.  I had heard so much about ‘camp’ I actually didn’t really know what to expect – some guys said, “it’ll be the worst month of your life,” while others claimed, ‘ah, it’s not that bad.’  I was very excited though, I mean this is it…the N – F – L…the New York Giants, the Super Bowl Champs!! How could you not be pumped?

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September 17, 2008

Every Wednesday, former Cougar great and current New York Giant Linebacker, Bryan Kehl will be giving us the inside scoop on what it’s like to play in the NFL.  I thought because you all liked hearing about my BYU football experience, you might also like to hear what it’s like at the next level.  Bryan was a great college player and I have no doubt he’ll bust into the starting line-up for the Giants very soon.  Enjoy…

“Where to begin?  I guess I’ll start by giving a brief re-cap of this year (good golly, it’s gone fast)

Seems like yesterday I was standing in the lobby of the Planet Hollywood Hotel in Vegas - about 1:00 in the morning, Dec. 22nd – still trying to recover from our crazy win over UCLA.  I’d narrowed down and chosen my agent, and he met me real quick in the lobby to congratulate me on the win and thank me for choosing him.

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Visual proof!