NFL Football Rule
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (June 28, 2005) -- They've played one NFL season. They've encountered the challenges of adjusting to the highest level of their sport. They've gone through the rigors of training camp, faced the unrelenting pressure to bring their "A" game each time they step onto the field, dealt with the many temptations that go with having more money and free time than ever before ... and the many relatives and friends who suddenly saw them as walking bank vaults.
In short, they are the perfect resource for players eager to know what awaits them in their first season in the league.

"The thing I wish everyone would have told me was how much of a mental game this is," Atlanta Falcons defensive back DeAngelo Hall told the nearly 300 rookies attending the annual Rookie Symposium at the PGA National Conference Center. "You could be the fastest guy, the most athletic. But if you're not in that playbook and you don't know what's going on, it doesn't matter. You won't get a chance to play."

Hall, New York Jets safety Erik Coleman, Seattle Seahawks safety Michael Boulware, Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald and Washington Redskins H-back Chris Cooley comprised a panel of second-year NFL players who shared their first-year NFL experiences during the symposium. Rich Eisen, host of NFL Total Access on NFL Network, served as moderator.

Fitzgerald pointed to time management as the greatest difficulty he faced as a rookie.

"After practice, there's a lot of down time," Fitzgerald said. "You've got a lot of money; you're visible. There's a lot of time when you can get into a lot of trouble when you don't have the right things to do. You're in a new city, you don't have family there. So you've got to surround yourself with the right people and find good things to do with your spare time that are productive."

"In college, when you were done practicing, you'd just go hang out with one of your teammates, catch a movie or something," Hall added. "In the NFL, you're with grown men who are going home to their wife and kids. You're sitting there at home by yourself trying to figure out what to do. And that's when you get into trouble."

Hall's solution? He took up golf. The game hasn't come easy to him, but he finds it a nice diversion.

Cooley and Coleman found their greatest struggle was adapting to a much longer season than they had in college.

Managing money was another major challenge. The panelists all talked about the importance of learning how to say no to the many family members and friends seeking financial assistance.

Another harsh reality is paying enormous taxes on income.

"Everything you get is cut in half," Coleman said. "Everything you earn is not taken home. It is ridiculous."

Yet another harsh reality is the first bill that comes from an agent for his services. It was at that point, according to Cooley, that he realized his agent worked for him, not the other way around. All members of the panel also emphasized the importance of staying heavily involved in all matters involving contract negotiations and financial planning. They stressed that the rookies should make a point of knowing what sort of signing bonus and salary they should receive so that they could fully understand whether their agents are getting them a good deal.

"You're running your own business," Boulware said. "It's about you. Don't let them run it for you."

Boulware told the rookies they should seek out veteran players as mentors. But he cautioned them to be careful about the ones they choose.

"The vet that I was around was a free-agent guy who had just come to the team, but his work ethic was a lot better than some of the veterans already on the team," Boulware said. "Some guys on our team got mixed up with the wrong vets, guys who didn't work very hard. They had been to a Pro Bowl or two, and (the rookies) tried to be like them, skipping workouts. Some teams have good vets and each team has a bad vet. Be wise when you choose a vet to be around."

Eisen asked the panelists if there was a single moment when the reality hit them that they had made the jump from collegiate football to the NFL. Hall had two, each of which came in his first two preseason games. The first was against the Baltimore Ravens, when he had his initial collision with Jamal Lewis.

"He's one of the biggest running backs I've ever seen," Hall said. is second NFL reality moment came in his second preseason game, against the Minnesota Vikings, when he lined up across from Randy Moss. Hall admitted that he was "talking trash" before the game, boasting that Moss would not catch a pass against him because he couldn't compete with Hall's speed and leaping ability.

The first couple of plays of the game, Hall jammed Moss at the line. But on the Vikings' second possession, with Hall playing 10 yards back, Moss blew right past him to catch a 67-yard touchdown pass from Daunte Culpepper.

"I promise you, that dude is the real deal," Hall said. "I finally got a hand on him in the end zone, about 70 yards away."

By Vic Carucci
National Editor, NFL.com