For Now I'm #58

Back in the Yard, Barkers!

Sorry for the delay - I have been running ragged since the draft. The days just keep flying by. It has been the quickest two weeks I have ever experienced. After sharing that great day with you I jumped on a plane to Cincinnati to meet the Bengals staff and the media. I flew home to LA the next day (Monday) and had to catch up on some class and repack. We had rookie mini camp that week so I had to get ready to head back to Cincinnati Thursday. Then it was mini camp, meeting the coaches, the rest of the draft class and the other guys. I flew back to LA Sunday and started getting ready for finals - my first one is today in Micro Economics. We'll see how that goes.

It was cool meeting the rest of the draft class and to see the coaching style I will be experiencing from here on out. It was a rookie camp so there weren't many of the veterans around. I did meet Odell Thurman and Ahmad Brooks - they were really good guys and I'm glad I got to spend some time with them. I did talk to Odell about getting #55, but he's pretty attached to it and I understand why. The number suits him playing the SAM. He was really nice about it and I appreciated him talking to me about it. For now I am wearing #58 and have to decide if that's what I'll stay in.

Mini camp was a different experience. I feel like I started to pick up the defense and was able to compete by the end. I was talking to LJ (Lawrence Jackson) and he took the words right out of my mouth - it is a different grind. The body was definitely beat down but there are more mental gymnastics in the NFL. It's much more of a work grind than the college game. It took me a little bit to get the feel for it but by the last day I felt like I could go out and play my game.