Updated August 10, 2011 at 4:00 p.m.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Today I got up around 6:30 or so and got in the ice tub to try to get my legs back under me and prepare for practice today. Then I went to our meetings and came out to practice, where we scaled it down a little bit. We had a 'perfect practice' is what we call it, where everything is still moving fast but without the collisions and where we polish up a lot of things to get ready for tomorrow. After that, we get off our feet for the rest of the day, get back for some more meetings and more film, and get a good night's rest for tomorrow.
On game day, I'm not really a superstitious person, but I do have a routine where I lounge around all day, get off my feet, and listen to a whole bunch of Tupac. I turn my phone off, read the paper, and just have a normal day. I usually get to the field about two and a half hours early and then that's when the fun begins. I get with the fellas, we turn on a lot of music in the running backs corner, we crack a lot of jokes, where no one is safe walking by us in the locker room. After that it's game time.
My advice to the rookies for the first game, and I've gotten this question a lot, is to just have fun. One mistake a lot of rookies make, myself included, is going out there and thinking too much. If you just let it all go and remember that it's just football, everybody's out there just playing football, then all their talents will show and that's what they're here for.
I'm extremely excited to get out there. We miss the fans. We haven't seen them in so long, it seems like forever. I'm ready to get back out there and give them what they want, which is a show. We're going to try to put up as many points as possible. The first team offense is going to go out there and get our plays in and try to execute, and after that we get off the field and watch from the sideline. We'll get some more mental reps. After that, we see the film and the pictures on the sidelines so we can see what was going on out there. It's just another view for us to get ready for game one.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Today I got up at about 5:30, came in for a little workout by myself and had a little bite for breakfast. Actually, I had an interview at 7:00 this morning and then, after that, I got ready for the walk-through, meetings, practice, and the daily routine.
Today's practice was just polishing up what we need to do for Arizona and trying to move on to tomorrow, where we can rest up and be as fresh as possible for the game. But once again it's camp and how fresh can you get in camp?
With the preseason game, we're trying to basically get the feel of hitting somebody else. Once it passes it's pretty much behind you, but if they're keeping score you always want to win. Just make a couple plays and then once you get your plays in, you watch from the sideline and get more mental reps. You have to see what you did wrong when you're looking at the Cardinals and get ready for the next one because it's still camp. Camp is going to be camp, you polish some things up and when the regular season comes, you hit the ground running.
During player organized workouts in Atlanta, LB Quentin Groves challenged Reece to a foot race.
The whole thing with Quentin Groves was when Quentin first got here he got beat, rightfully so, by yours truly. I don't know where his courage came from, maybe his extra workouts during the lockout, but down in Atlanta he challenged me and he caught me on his best day. But like I told everybody that was surprised by the outcome of it, Usain Bolt lost one race today, Tiger Woods isn't the best golfer anymore, so I guess it happens to the best of us. I extended a rematch request to Q and he respectfully declined it. I can't blame him for doing that, because Q knows what's going on and I'm sure next offseason he will see me and the real champion will emerge.
I appreciate all the fans for taking the time to read the blog. I know Huff said I'm boring, but if you're reading it, you're getting some good, intellectual football reading.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Today was kind of a different day in camp because we're getting ready for Arizona but it's still a camp day so we're putting some new plays in but still trying to work hard, get something extra out of our bodies, and get ready for Arizona at the same time.
It's a playmaking offense. Coach Jackson always says that if you can make plays then he's going to give you the opportunity to make that play. When they give me the opportunity, I just try to make the play. We have a couple plays in there where I have a couple opportunities to get open so when Jason throws me the ball I just do my best to make a play.
It was just a really long offseason, too long. I did a lot of working out, played a little basketball, spent some time with my family. I talked with the guys every other day; Darren [McFadden], Mike [Bennett], Rock [Cartwright], Louis Rankin, Richard Seymour, Tommy Kelly. All of us are a pretty close-knit group so I tried to keep in touch with everybody, get back here as soon as possible and get to playing.
It was like torture [the first few days] because you finally get back here and you do all the paperwork and all that administrative stuff, and then you're a spectator. You get a lot of mental reps of watching everybody go at it so once it was my turn to get out there I just hit the ground running.
I appreciate all the Raider fans coming on the blog, reading what I have to say. I appreciate everybody coming out, in advance, Thursday night and watching us play and do what we do. We need everybody to get up in the Black Hole, make a lot of noise, and get ready for me to jump in it when we score.
