Posted on 08/08/2006 7:32:04 AM PDT by Warren_Piece
Titans get surprise wakeup by 101st Airborne Division | |
By Gary Glenn | |
Titans Online | |
With only a single practice scheduled for Monday afternoon, they figured Monday morning would be a piece of cake. That turned out to be far from the truth. They were awakened at 4:30 a.m. by fists pounding on their doors from soldiers of the 101st Airborne, Jeff Fisher, strength and conditioning coach Steve Watterson, and director of security Steve Berk for a team outing the head coach had been secretly planning for months. Boom, boom, boom Wake up sunshine, Watterson said as he opened the bedroom doors of the groggy and confused players. Cameras flashed, and a crew from NFL Films was there to record the players initial reactions. Tennis shoes, shorts, t-shirt. Youve got 30 seconds to get downstairs, barked out Fisher. As players made their way out of Sevier Hall, they soon realized this was no joke. At first I thought I had overslept, said cornerback Pacman Jones. Somebody about blew my door down, but Im not sure who it was, punter Craig Hentrich said. I dont know man, all I know is Steve Berk was banging on my door and I asked him what was wrong and he wouldnt answer me, and then they just tried to force their way in, linebacker Keith Bulluck said. That was the best sleep I was having since we came here. It was just total confusion at first. I didnt know what was going on, added center Kevin Mawae. But apparently Jeff has something planned for us today. Indeed, he did. Finally out of the dorm, players realized they would be taking part in Army PT training at Ft. Campbell, home of the U.S. Armys 101st Airborne Division, located just 10 minutes away from where the club is conducting training camp at Austin Peay State University. As buses arrived on base, players were dropped off in front of the outdoor training facility of the 101st. Immediately, they were ordered to do pushups and pull-ups, but that was just the beginning of what was to come. Little did they know they were about to get the workout of their life from Sergeant Miree. She formed four lines of about 20 players per row, first starting with some basic stretching exercises, then jumping jacks. No sweat. It was after she ordered players to pick up their rifles when the fun began. With rifles in hand, players performed a variety of drills, including the Squat and Thrust, Over the Head, Up and Squat, Reverse Curl, and Military Press. The drills began without incident, but as she continued them at great length, players looked fatigued. However, Sergeant Miree kept going strong, even barking out trash talk to some Titans throughout the process. One, two, three, youre looking kind of weak, she said smiling. Bulluck, who was positioned directly in front of her, tried his best to keep up. Some of her chants were about me. She was talking about how I was going to tap out, but I was right in front and I had to keep it going, Bulluck said. It was tough, but at the same time, its all work. For me, when it comes to work, its all in your mind. Its mind over matter. If you dont mind, it dont matter. Said punter Craig Hentrich: Ill tell you what, we were ready to stop at about 30 or 40 and she went to 101 about three or four different times. She put us to shame. Added wide receiver Drew Bennett: It was harder than it looked, especially since the woman up there made it look so effortless. All of these professional athletes were falling out. Several players admitted, it was an enlightening experience. It was very humbling for a lot of guys to see that young lady up there with so much focus, determination and drive, linebacker David Thornton said. It really pumped some guys up to try to keep up with her. But all in all, I think that whole little exercise routine was just some good discipline for the guys. It really encourages us to keep pushing and not give up. After the drills finally ended, players ran one mile in groups of 15 to cap off the workout portion of their visit, which also included a repelling demonstration, taking part in simulated comat training at the Frank L. Dietrich Marksmanship Facility, and reaching out to families of soldiers serving in Iraq and other hotspots around the world. Following breakfast at the Chow Hall, about 20 Titans players signed autographs for hundreds of fans for nearly two hours at the PX on base. One by one, fans swarmed through, seeking autographs and pictures from some of their favorite players, including Vince Young and Pacman Jones. But players had to do a double-take when one fan in particular, showed up at their table. It was Sergeant Miree with her seven-month old baby in hand. Im ready to go again. You guys ready to go another round? she asked. No disrespect, but were not coming back to see you, Pacman responded. In reality, Sergeant Miree is a Titans fan who was excited about her chance to work out with the team. I thought they were going to out-do me, but we both hung in there, she said. Ive been in the Air Assault for three years, and after doing it for that long you tend to get used to it. Overall, it was a great experience for me. You cant ask for anything better than working out with the Titans. I had fun doing it. As for his experience, Bulluck said the day revealed much about his teammates. You get to see whos really into it and who can take what, Bulluck said. You can learn a lot about your teammates and the character of some other people when you have to work with them in non-football related work. For Fisher, it was mission accomplished. Weve been secretly putting this together for quite some time now and I cant tell you how excited I am that we were able to pull it off because the surprise factor was critical to this, Fisher said. What weve done is weve pulled a team together, the base together the team and Ft. Campbell and we hope that an event that took place like this morning will have some sort of far-reaching impact over the season. |
|
|
And my wife was stunned to hear that there's a baseball player named Puholz. I never realized that name was funny, until she pointed it out. I don't really know how I overlooked it.
As Jon Kruk once said, "Lady, I ain't no athelete! I'm a baseball player!"
Legs are so predictable.
Just not World Series.
Is Les Steckel involved with the Titans?
He tried to do something similar when he coached the Vikings. Only his camp workouts consisted of genius drills such as the speed bench press.
LOL, no, not for another 100 years or so.
Absolutely brilliant...but Fisher should leave them there for at least two whole weeks.
Steckel was offensive coordinator through the super bowl run in 2000. Two things can keep steve McNair from passing for 300 yds a game: injury, and playing for Les Steckel. But we DID run Eddie George 4 times a game!
Steckel was offensive coordinator through the super bowl run in 2000. Two things can keep steve McNair from passing for 300 yds a game: injury, and playing for Les Steckel. But we DID run Eddie George 40 times a game!
Coco Crisp
Milton Bradley
Kenny Rogers
Gotta love MLB! :)
Wore them out with a little M-16. Those big linemen look like they should be doing those drills with a ma deuce.
Sgt Miree was 7 months post-partum and ran an NFL team into the ground? Where do we get these soldiers?
Hey! You don't know that's what they meant! Perhaps a big sweaty guy named Pacman is a repelling demonstration.
SGT Miree might be a different matter entirely.
Milton Bradley is my favorite ridiculous name. He's young enough that his parents knew what they were doing. They knew. I don't think that Kenny Rogers the singer was famous when the pitcher was born, and Coco Crisp is just a nickname that stuck to an absurd degree.
Just so you know, it's spelled "Pujols." The way you had it "Puholz" makes him seem like a Kraut (he's a Dominican).
ping
John Kerry's favorite player, Manny Ortiz, would probably have no problem.
Now, as for the Cubs.....
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.