Day 2: Diaco is THE MAN, Yanked It, Nailed It

Day 2 of the ND Fantasy Camp is in the books, and this stuff only gets better. Unbelievable second day.

The day began with prep in the Stadium Locker room, and as soon as I got in the room, I got crazy, crazy chills. Just setting foot in a room where Rockne, Ara, Lou and all the greats have given legendary speeches...I mean, wow. Here's my entrance:

Sorry for the basic video, no time to edit.

Man, what a feeling! And it only got better...

BISCUIT JERSEY! HELL YEAH!

Suiting up in that locker room was indescribable, as is much of this trip. Surreal is a good word. Awesome is another. I don't know - this kind of access, exposure and literally quality time with the coaches, players, staff, and legends of ND is unparalleled.

After dressing (and it took me a few to figure out shoulder pads, first time and all) we headed to the Gug for Offensive meetings. Coach Elston, a very, very intense and at the same time hilarious and likeable person, led us off with some Special Teams intros. From there Coach Molnar took us through the base offense. They aren't taking us through the exact same schemes/systems used at ND, as those are kept a bit secret (for good reason) but the coaches intimated that it's all relatively close, if a bit basic. I was a bit lost at first - trying to figure out the difference between a 16 and a 61, and any other of a myriad set of number combos we needed to learn. But luckily the coaches simplify a lot of it with play cards out on the field. So, that was clutch. I split off with the RBs and Coach Hinton took us through a typical position meeting, where we learned more about our role in the offense. Jonas Gray and Jamoris Slaughter sat in, and these guys would later help us out with some tutoring on the field. Joining them were KLM, Braxton Cave, Dan McCarthy and Hafis Williams. All very nice guys, all very helpful, and all very clearly knowledgeable.

We ran as close to a typical ND practice as possible (multiple, quick sessions combining skill practice, fundamentals, installs/walk-throughs and the like) and learned the offense. Most insane was Joe Theisman teaching us how to throw, working with us on play practices, and really getting into it.

Then, South Dining Hall beckoned like the days of yore. And things there are very much like they have been PHP (post Hot Pockets), except there are no more Moose Tracks and there was no limit on what we could take with us. Unbelievably I sat across from Reggie Brooks and just chatted him up for an hour. Best SDH lunch since DMQ got in a fight with a door minder while insisting that an apple cut into 4 pieces is not 4 items but 1. (The door minder won, and DMQ learned to steal a knife so that he could cut up the apple back in the dorm next time.)

In the afternoon, we had a recruiting presentation - chill-inducing highlight videos combined with a presentation on ND's pitch to recruits. And then?

Coach Diaco.

BOB DIACO IS SO RIDICULOUSLY AWESOME I CANNOT DESCRIBE IT.

I can't and won't go into specifics on what Coach said, but let me summarize in this way: Coach Diaco is an awesome speaker, an intense speaker, a committed speaker, and it's all because he firmly believes in what he's doing, he lives it and breathes it every day, and he LOVES his team and he LOVES his job. After this meeting, I was ready to run through a brick wall for Coach Diaco. I think Coach Diaco is an incredible asset to the University and the Program, and I am expecting insane success for his Defense in the coming years. We could not have a better DC on this staff. Some may challenge that assertion, or ask me to expound on why (I can't really get into it), but I don't care. Coach Diaco is THE MAN. Loved loved loved his presentation. I learned a lot about his approach to football and life, and in doing so learned a lot that I can apply in my own endeavors. And I plan to. I hope you're all lucky enough to be in a room with him at some point. It's a rare privilege.

Okay, enough Man Crush.

We headed out to a super intense and enjoyable afternoon session focused on defensive play. But, then it happened. First injury of the week! Noooooooo! In a relatively mundane warm-up drill, I tweaked a muscle. Why AM I SO OLD? Absurd. I wasn't doing anything odd - just starting a basic warm up run, and I just yanked it. Maybe not a full pull, and I'm hoping it will fade by the AM with some ice and some rest. Boo.

Anyway, I lined up with the CBs and was fascinated to learn the nuances of the defense as a whole, and at the position. Had a great session, including a chance to kick with most of the camp watching. I hit my first from about 20 out, though not with a ton of power. I've clearly lost most of the technique I had down back in the day, but it wasn't horrible horrible, and at least it went through the uprights. Then Coach Elston called me out (as he likes to do) and pushed it back 10 more yards, laying down the gauntlet. 30 yarder, BOOM through the uprights. Yeah baby, nailed it.

So I'll be kicking, playing RB and playing CB on Friday. But this is all assuming I don't separate my muscle from the bone before then.

It was a solid day out there, and the entire group seemed to have a great time. 80 degrees, sunny with a nice breeze. And sometimes while practicing backpedaling I would glance left and see Our Lady watching over us. Yes, it was great.

Finally, we showered up again and headed into the Monogram Player's Lounge in the Stadium to hang out and relax before dinner. A bunch of ex-players were in there with us, including "The Bus" Jerome Bettis, Tom Gatewood, Reggie Brooks, and many others. The guys just hung around and chatted, signed some footballs and programs, and took pictures. Such a great group of people and so excited to be part of the week.

Dinner was up next over at the Monogram Room in the JACC. (by the way, the hoops arena renovation is very well done). Good food, more hanging with the staff and ex-players, and a great speech from The Bus talking about his time at ND, what makes it really special to him to this day, and a few great, hilarious stories about Coach Holtz and the team during his four years. The Bus is a fanatastic off the cuff speaker, and his Holtz impression is pretty hilarious.

Day 2 in the books. I am wiped out but loving every minute. Sad we're halfway done, but really looking to getting with my team tomorrow (Gold squad) and getting some team chemistry going...cuz on Friday? The Blue team is going down, baby!