Alright, let's give this a more laid-back, casual vibe:
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So, the league's got 32 teams, right? And each team’s got like three quarterbacks on average. Do the math, and you’re looking at almost a hundred QBs. But only four of 'em are top dogs: Peyton Manning with the Colts, Tom Brady with the Patriots, Aaron Rodgers with the Packers, and Drew Brees with the Saints.
Out of these four, only Peyton was the big cheese, the first overall pick. The other three? They were picked up in later rounds. Tom was snagged at 199th in the sixth round, Aaron was 24th in the first round, and Drew was 32nd in the second round.
Even Peyton had a rough ride during his draft year. There was this other guy, Ryan Leaf, who was just as hyped. Some scouts even thought Ryan had a cannon for an arm, making the 1998 draft a nail-biter. In the end, Peyton went first, and Ryan went second.
Fast forward thirteen years, and Peyton’s still killing it, making a case for being the GOAT. Ryan, on the other hand, turned out to be one of the biggest flops in NFL history. Total disaster.
Adam was talking about this exact thing earlier.
He wasn’t sticking up for the eleventh pick. Like other scouts said, the eleventh pick hadn’t shown enough to make any solid calls. But Adam, being the seasoned scout he is, knew that while data and reports are crucial, they’re not the whole story. The four elite QBs are living proof of that.
Honestly, Adam was pretty pumped to see what the eleventh pick would bring to the training camp.
As Blake mentioned, Peyton might miss the Colts' regular season because of neck issues. This means another team might be scrambling for a QB, adding more drama to this year’s draft. Adam thought the eleventh pick had shown some serious skills in games. Training camp was gonna be lit.
Maybe this year’s draft is something special. But Adam also had his eye on an Avalis American rookie.
Everyone—reporters, scouts, team managers, coaches, staff, TV folks, league officials, and even the commissioner—was heading to Lucas Oil Stadium, kicking off the 2011 rookie training camp.
Meanwhile, 332 rookies were on the buses heading to the stadium. The buses were buzzing with young, ambitious players, all fired up and dreaming big about going pro.
“How’d you sleep last night? No insomnia, right?” Marcus leaned over the seat, looking at Luke and Logan in front of him. “Rahim kept getting up to pee last night, like he was dehydrated or something!”
Rahim, David, and their UCLA buddies naturally stuck together at the rookie camp.
Rahim shot back, “Why don’t you mention your snoring? It was like a war zone, shaking the whole room!”
“That's nothing.” Logan turned around, “This morning at six, Bambi got up. And guess what he did?”
“Training?” Marcus didn’t even need to guess. Logan jumped up, “Yeah, training! Who trains during rookie camp? Isn’t there enough training already? We’ve got four days of non-stop drills!”
“Bambi! You already know the answer.” Marcus rolled his eyes, “Come on, you know Bambi. He’s been like this for the past six months. Why would he change just because he’s in Indianapolis? Right, Bambi?”
Everyone turned to Luke. He chuckled, “Ever think I train extra because I’m not good enough and need the confidence boost?”
Luke and Justin had planned to hit the gym after today’s camp to get their daily workout in. But since it was the first day of camp, Luke needed to be ready for anything.
So, he still woke up early. But instead of his usual 33,000-foot interval run, he used the quarterback training skill pack, boosting his short, medium, and long pass accuracy by a point each and tweaking his throwing motion a bit.
After wrapping up his passing drills, Luke hit the mat for thirty minutes of yoga to ease those sore muscles and get his breathing on point. It helped him chill out and get in the zone.
When Luke made his comment, Marcus, Logan, Rahim, David, and the rest of the crew all cracked smiles. David even let out an exaggerated laugh, "That's rich, coming from this year's Rose Bowl champ."
Then Marcus started a soft chant, clenching his right fist and waving it lightly, "Bambi! Bambi!" mimicking the hype from that Rose Bowl night. Logan and Rahim jumped in on the cheer too.
Luke, taking it all in stride, stood up and took a bow, thanking his buddies. His cool-as-a-cucumber act had everyone laughing.
Eventually, the bus quieted down, and everyone turned to look out the window at the stadium. This was the real deal, an official NFL stadium—the big stage where dreams come true! Someday, they might play here, maybe even as Colts, making this their home turf!
Just seeing the stadium up close, with its sacred and glorious vibe, had everyone holding their breath. No one was immune to the awe.
And the crowd? It was massive, wrapping around the entire stadium. Fans were everywhere, screaming, shouting, jumping, and roaring. You had to be there to feel the frenzy and excitement.
Signs of support were everywhere. Even though it was just rookie training camp, some players were already getting the superstar treatment because they might be the future of their teams.
"Cam Newton! Cam!"
"Superman Cam! Cam, you’re the new generation’s Superman!"
"Can’t wait to see you in Carolina! Cam!"
Cam Newton signs were everywhere. At least four out of ten signs were for him. The Carolina Panthers fans were out in full force, holding the first overall pick this year, and Cam was the hot favorite.
Besides Cam, there were all sorts of other signs, dazzling and varied. For the rookies, this was a whole new world. The deafening shouts, the sea of support signs, the surging crowd—it was overwhelming.
Everyone was eagerly searching, trying to spot their own names among the signs. Some found theirs and roared in excitement; others didn’t but still shouted in surprise when they saw their friends' names.
It was all new, like a bright, shiny path unfolding before them!
The crazy screams and shouts faded as the bus drove into the stadium's vehicle tunnel. The intense energy still buzzed in the air.
The players got off one by one, with a staff member at each bus door, loudly announcing, "Every player must wear the official jersey you got at check-in yesterday. If you haven’t changed, head to the locker room first. If you left it at the hotel, let us know, and we’ll sort it out. Everyone must be in their jerseys! Everyone!"
After the instructions, under the staff’s guidance, everyone headed towards the player entrance. Another staff member at the entrance repeated, "Group according to your field positions and follow the staff’s guidance."
Luke, Marcus, Logan, and the others filed into the locker room. The five of them had different positions, so they’d be splitting up here. They bumped fists, wished each other "good luck," and then went their separate ways.
Looking around, Luke easily spotted the quarterback group. Cam, like a magnet, was smiling and chatting with the staff and fellow rookies, his perfect white teeth on full display.
Luke walked past Cam and joined the neatly lined-up group of quarterbacks, smiling as he took his place among them.