Practice has been really laid back for us. A lot of cracking jokes, not a lot of guys going even half-speed. But it's just been more making sure we know what we're doing, we're able to call the plays correctly, and we know when we get on the field on Sunday we have to make some plays.
A lot of veteran guys aren't too excited about practice. Like Asante Samuel, from Philadelphia, he's gone one good rep all week, and it was against me. He knocked the ball away. He's one of the more vocal guys about the length of practice, which really hasn't exceeded an hour all week. But these guys, we're having a lot of fun together. A lot of jokes, and it's fun to be down here.
There were a lot of laughs during the team picture today. It was really bright. It's not going to be a good one of me. Not that there's a lot of great ones out there in general, but I don't even know if my eyes were open. We were looking right into the sun. I don't know if guys were messing around with their facial expressions or not, but there was a lot of joking going on.
This is the first time I've played in an all-star game since I was coming out of high school. It was the North-South Lions all-star game in northern California, and it was the first game I really felt like I could do this for a living. I say that because I had an injury in high school that I dealt with, and it was the first game I didn't wear any type of supported brace.
I remember I ran for a 30-yard touchdown that game and threw the ball pretty well. We ended up losing on a last-second touchdown that they had, but it was a great experience and the first time I really felt like this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.
I was just talking to a friend I hadn't seen since the draft, and you realize that a lot of stuff has changed in the last five years, really the last 10 years for me. But it's exciting to be able to live out a childhood dream. Being a football fan growing up and watching the Pro Bowl, it's exciting to be here and be the starter.
It's been a little busier with the media the last couple of days. It was fun to do the NFL Network interview with those guys. Michael Irvin has been a friend and a big supporter of mine the last few years. Deion Sanders still holds one of the top 10 highlights for me, being able to talk to him between the third and fourth quarter when we got blown out by them in '05, and we reminisced about that. And Rich Eisen does a great job for them. It was fun to be on the set and talk to them, just about what a great experience this is for me, and what a great honor.
There's been a hodge-podge of media out here this week. It's fun to meet different people in the media from across the country, and I'm sure they're all glad to be out here in the hot weather as well. But some of it can get a little awkward. I've had two interviews now where, they could have mistaken me for someone else, but their questions were incorrect. A guy asked me, 'What about that game against New Orleans?' And I said, 'What game?' And he retorted back, 'The game you guys played against New Orleans,' and I tried as kindly as I could to explain that I didn't play against New Orleans this season. It's kind of funny.
We also did a satellite video conference call today with troops stationed at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland, and that's something I always look forward to doing. Anytime you get a chance to interact with the troops, it's always a great honor and a great experience. Those are men and women who serve our country and put their lives on the line daily for us to enjoy the freedoms that we often take for granted.
Back at the hotel, I've spent a lot of time by the pool, just relaxing, trying to get a tan. A lot of guys and their families just hang out by the pool in the afternoons after practice. My brother and a good friend got in town, and we've gone to dinner the last few nights, and we're just trying to enjoy ourselves, which really isn't that hard to do out here.
The fan interaction has been good out here. I think one of the things the NFL wanted to do in bringing the Pro Bowl to Miami was to have more fan interaction, because not everybody can get out to Hawaii. So it's been good to interact with the fans around the pool and with friends of the families, and also at practice. We practice at a high school, so to be able to interact with the high school students there has been fun for us.
They had some Make-A-Wish kids there this morning, which is always a great experience to be able to interact with those kids who are true warriors. Some of them had Packer jerseys on and were from Wisconsin. Anytime we have the Make-A-Wish kids out at Lambeau, it's a special time and I always look forward to that, talking to those kids and their families, because those kids and those families have been through a whole lot. You just know the kind of struggles they deal with on a day-to-day basis, and hopefully it reminds us how fortunate we are and how great we do have it. It also gives you perspective on what they're going through, and to keep them in your thoughts and prayers as well.