Two years ago, when the Broncos opened training camp, all eyes were on the newly drafted stud of the moment and quarterback of the future, Jay Cutler. However, if you were out there each and every sweltering day that summer, you noticed somebody else, who didn't have the hype of Cutler and really didn't need it. That's because Stefan Fatsis, unlike Cutler, was only planning to stick around for three weeks.
Who is Stefan Fatsis?
He is a writer for The Wall Street Journal and for three weeks in 2006, a player trying to survive training camp in a Broncos uniform.
Fatsis was given permission by head coach Mike Shanahan to spend the duration of training camp with the team and the stories that developed from his tenure are all in his new book called "A Few Seconds Of Panic: A 5-foot-8, 170-pound, 43-year old Sportswriter Plays in the NFL". A bit of a elongated title but the description leaves nothing to the imagination, right? I remember interviewing Fatsis that summer and he was excited to be part of the team but didn't let on to just how much inside information he was getting from players. His book, two seasons removed, makes those previously undisclosed matters rather public.
The idea that training camp is an exercise in boredom and overkill is a popular one. However, is it an accurate one? That is just one subject on which Fatis provides many provocative quotes from players. The quotes that follow were used in a story about his book in the July 14-21 issue of Sports Illustrated on pages 20-21.
Some of the following quotes from players are very surprising and it makes you wonder why they would reveal such personal feelings on the sport to Fatsis, a man many had probably never met, until he one day, he just showed up at the facility. The reason, Fatsis writes is "my teammates saw me as a megaphone: I could correct the vast public misconceptions about what they do."
Fatsis said he teammates described Sundays as "terrifying and exhilarating" but the rest of the week was nothing to shout about. Part of the week included "reminders from coaches that their jobs are on the line, distrust of their bosses, disgust over being scheduled like preschoolers, unfathomable psychological pressure."
Former Broncos wide receiver Charlie Adams said of training camp, in general, as "just seeing the worst part." He then added "the season kind of sucks too."
The Broncos parted with linebacker Ian Gold this past offseason but the relationship started to sour in 2006 if you listen to what he told Fatsis of the team and its ways, saying the organization was "looking for your replacement the day you step foot in this door."
As we have come to assume, players in the NFL are expected to be tough, though Fatsis says what they really want it is "compassion and communication. They get pressure and paranoia instead."
A very specific example of that lack of empathy was evident to Fatsis in the case of former CSU star and Broncos second string quarterback Bradlee Van Pelt. Fatsis says Van Pelt "crumbled before my eyes" in training camp. A reason for the meltdown? Van Pelt said the coaches "could calm your fears or calm your anxiety." Though, he said of the staff "they don't choose to do it."
Yes, the NFL is a super competitive business and these stories almost make you have sympathy for these athletes making way too much money to play a game. Almost, but not quite.
Exactly how much stress and competitive drive is in these guys? In March, the NFL meetings took place at The Breakers, one of the country's top resorts, in Florida. The moment the meetings ended almost every team executive could not get out of there fast enough. Why the rush to leave? Who wouldn't want to spend as much time as possible at a luxurious place like that considering how hard these guys work during the NFL season? The reason is simple. Each moment these guys aren't thinking about how to make their team better is a moment somebody else is focused on making another team better.
As Fatsis says, a lot of players worry about what they will do after football. Though, in the meantime, while the players may not love the sport, he says of their mindset, you may not "want to be on the field, but you can't think of anyplace else you'd rather be."
-"z"
