It’s Good to be Back
Written by Antrel Rolle, Monday August 17 2009
It was good to go out and actually play on Thursday night. We all have so much pent up energy after not being able to hit anyone at practice for the last three weeks that it's good to get to release some frustration on another team.
I got a chance to return punts last night but I forgot about it until game time. I always put some real thick Japanese Cherry Blossom lotion on my arms because it keeps me warm and loose during games. I do it before every game but I forgot that I was returning punts on Thursday. I caught the punt perfectly, but as soon as I tucked it away I felt it start to slip. Then someone hit me from behind and it just slipped out.
After the starters got taken out some of the guys had a dance-off on the sidelines. Bryant McFadden started it and pretty soon a bunch of guys were dancing around. It eventually turned into a competition between me, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and McFadden versus Ike Taylor and William Gay of the Steelers. It lasted about two quarters. It was fun to joke around and have some fun after being locked up the last three weeks.
Seeing the black and gold brought back a lot of memories of Super Bowl XLIII. We know that when we see those guys that it will be a battle. I don't think I've ever played a game against them that didn't go down to the wire.
I was really impressed with some of the young guys like Greg Toler and Michael Adams in the secondary. Adams was impressive making open field tackles and has a good approach to the game. Greg always tells me to watch him and give him any advice on how to do certain things. I thought Tyler Palko played real well too. He reminded me of the old Jeff Garcia out there. Ali Highsmith looked good too.
The chemistry of this team has grown significantly during camp. We always play a lot of cards together and tell stories and joke around. The other night we had Greg Toler and Rashad Johnson come up and clean the room of pizza boxes and everything after our card game ended. Other than that we aren't doing much in the way of rookie hazing.
The Miami-Florida State game is coming up on September 7th and me and Darnell Dockett always have a bet on it. Whoever loses has to wear the other guy's jersey for a week. If Miami wins he has to wear my tight #6 jersey and if Florida State wins I have to wear his huge #45. I hope the Canes pull it out because he will look ridiculous in my jersey. It won't fit him at all.
Our next game is next Saturday against the Chargers at home. Practice might change a little bit after the first game because now everybody knows what it's going to be like on Sundays. In games you can't stop a play because you do something wrong. There's no margin for error.
Antrel Rolle is a safety with the Arizona Cardinals. His blog for www.playerpress.com runs at www.rolle21.com. Follow him on Twitter @antrelrolle.
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Great read, Antrel! Thanks for the update as a fan, can't wait to see you and the guys back on the field regular season style. No lotion, sir!