I finally get to sleep in my house...

Hope all of you guys are having a great summer. Things have been moving at a fast pace for me since training camp started. Training camp is needed especially for us rookies, but probably the best thing about it is when it’s over. On Monday we broke camp which meant I finally got to sleep in my house and my bed last night. I was surprised that I didn’t suffer through some hazing ritual during camp. I guess since we are such a young team the veterans didn’t feel the need to require us rookies do something crazy.

After our last practice of camp we went to see a prescreening of the movie Invincible. It’s a great story of a guy who saw his dream of playing in the NFL fulfilled. As a player it gave me a better appreciation for being so blessed to be able to play this game.

A lot of you have asked what the biggest difference I have seen between the college and professional level. As every player before me has stated, it is a lot faster in the NFL. The hardest part of making the step up to the NFL is adjusting mentally. Because the game is faster it leaves little room for mental mistakes. You slip up and forget an assignment, hesitate on making a play or not know the situations you’re defending and they’ll bust a big play on you. Football is football, but transferring what you learn from the books on to field is a different story. Since I moved to middle linebacker I have had to learn even more. It’s my responsibility to get the calls from the sideline, communicate the calls to my teammates and watch for any shifts from the offense. It’s my responsibility to recognize when we need to adjust to something the offense did. So, learning to look for those situations, being sharp enough to recognize them and communicating quickly enough has been my biggest adjustment.  

I appreciate all of you inquiring about my knee. It wasn’t as bad as it seemed or reported. I must have gotten banged up a little in practice the day before and it swelled a little the following morning. The knee is fine now and not causing me any problems.

We’ll fly to Denver on Saturday for a Sunday night game with the Broncos. Like most in the NFL, game 3 will be treated almost like a dress rehearsal for the upcoming season. I should see quite a bit of playing time, hopefully into the second half.

For those of you who have asked about my favorite restaurants in the Houston area, I can tell you my choice so far is Houston’s. It’s a chain restaurant that serves great classic American food. I also like the atmosphere and watching them prepare your meal. As for my other choice, like in Alabama you can always find a good Chik-Fil-A.

Now that camp is over I’ll be checking in on a weekly basis. Be sure and sign my guestbook so I'll know who and where you guys are checking in from.

Have a great week!

DeMeco