Today I will go through my normal routine for the day before a game. We have meetings at 10 a.m. out at Redskins Park, then a walk-through at the new Jack Kent Cooke Stadium at 7 p.m. This morning’s meetings only last about an hour and a half. The time is spent going over the game plan and reviewing earlier game film of the Cowboys. Football is really the only sport where players spend more time preparing than actually playing. We watch tapes and go over game plans and scouting reports all week. All that preparation comes to a head tomorrow night for Monday Night Football against the Cowboys. I get goose bumps just thinking about it!
Professional football is really a very mental game. Players are all talented, so superior preparation is the edge that a lot of guys try to obtain. This is especially true for me. I am not the biggest, fastest, or strongest, so I pride myself on being the smartest. Although I am 6’$2 5” and 285 lbs., I am pretty small by NFL standards. Instead of getting crushed on Sundays, I survive because many times I know what is coming before the play happens. My game preparation is critical to my survival in the NFL.
I just got back from my morning meetings. Everyone is getting antsy. We have an extra day of preparation because of the Monday-night game, and I have had enough of watching tape. It is time to play! I drove back from the park singing that song by Hank Williams Jr.: “Are You Ready for Some Football?”
I guess I’ll just sit around and watch my peers all day until I have to go to the walk-through. There are some good games on. Tonight we will just jog around for 50 minutes and get loosened up. It is good to break a sweat today, I just don’t want to get winded. Then off to the hotel for a good night’s sleep.
Ryan Kuehl
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