| | By Doug Brien
Special to ESPN.com
Editor's note: What is life in an NFL training camp like? Kicker Doug Brien takes you inside the camp of the New Orleans Saints with the first entry of his daily diary for ESPN.com.
Saturday, July 15
|  | | Doug Brien is prepared to kick back in his dorm room. |
THIBODAUX, La. -- The first thing I have to say about Thibodaux is that it is really friggin' hot. I arrived at Nicholls State University at around 4 p.m. There was no breeze and the pavement was sizzling; I guess that's the price we will pay
for practicing close to home. The campus was bustling with people preparing
for our big debut the next day. From the looks of things they were
expecting thousands to root us on as we embark on a new era. There were
bandstands being built, the Saints experience and an entire village of
tents with everything from food and drinks to the latest Saints merchandise;
the campus was really getting hyped up. As a player, it can't help but have
an effect on you as well. We have not had fans come out to watch our
training camps in years. There is no question that all of the support our
fans are showing us will help the morale of the team as we compete in the
heat.
The hour commute from downtown New Orleans definitely beats the three-hour
flight to LaCrosse, Wis., where we have held camp every year since I
have been with the Saints. I drove down with all of the amenities of home
that I could possibly think of: computer (with CD and DVD player), TV and
VCR and every good novel I could scrape together. Believe me, as a kicker
in the NFL, I will undoubtedly spend plenty of time killing time in my dorm
room.
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You
cannot sleep at night without an alarm clock at
training camp. I had dreams all night (in my few brief moments of sleep) of sleeping
late and missing our first practice. ” |
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No matter how thorough I think I am, I always forget some important training
camp necessities. This year, I was so focused on getting my PC here and
making sure I had Internet access I forgot more than usual. Probably the
most important thing I forgot was my alarm clock. You cannot sleep at night
without an alarm clock at training camp. I had dreams all night (in my few
brief moments of sleep) of sleeping late and missing our first practice.
And with the way fines are in the NFL and coach Jim Haslett's willingness to
issue them, it would have been an expensive beginning to my training camp. I
also forgot toothpaste, an eggshell crate for the inevitable stiff mattress,
and most importantly, ear plugs. Outside my window is the air conditioning
unit for the whole dorm. It whirred loudly all night long. I could have
sworn it was in my room. To top it off, my roommate Toby Gowin, had our AC
turned down so low I thought I would freeze to death. I literally wrapped
myself in towels because we basically have no blankets. Who would have
figured I would regret not bringing a blanket or a sweatshirt to training
camp in Thibodaux?
After my trip to WalMart this afternoon with Cam Cleeland (who had many of
the same issues I had) to pick up those forgotten essentials, I feel much
better about my chances of getting a good night sleep.
I will talk about our first two practices in my next entry.
Material from kicking.com.
Visit Doug Brien's web site at http://www.kicking.com
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ALSO SEE
NFL Training Camp 2000
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