[img_r]http://wauk-am.tritondigitalmedia.com/includes/news_items/40/3402/quinnporterlocker.jpg[/img_r]GREEN BAY Act like youve been there before, Quinn Porter kept telling himself. Act like youve been there before.
He couldnt, of course. He hadnt been there before. This was his first time in an NFL locker room -- the Green Bay Packers locker room, for this weekends rookie orientation camp and it was all just so overwhelming.
Id like to sit here and tell you a fairy tale and say that it wasnt overwhelming, but Id be lying, the rookie running back said, smiling from ear to ear as he sat in his locker in the auxiliary area of the locker room. Ive been holding back tears since I got off the plane on Thursday. Seeing that G, it represents something. Theres a lot of history here. Ive been laughing, but I want to cry. Its very emotional for me. Its my dream.
To document that dream come true, Porter used the video camera on his BlackBerry to film a panorama of the locker room, his name plate above his locker, the Packers three Lombardi Trophies and whatever other memorable sights he could fit into its memory card.
Im taking everything in, and its a lot all at once, Porter said. When I get home, Ill show my pops. My pops is real excited that Im here. Ive been working hard since I was 8 years old for this.
Im so happy. I heard if you fall asleep in a meeting, you get fined. That wont be a problem with me. Im too excited. Im here for a reason. Its going to be fun.
Porter is the Packers 11 undrafted free agents participating in the camp, along with Miami cornerback/returner Sam Shields, South Dakota quarterback Noah Shepard, Fresno State wide receiver Chastin West, Central Michigan linebacker Frank Zombo, Temple linebacker Alex Joseph, Stephen F. Austin linebacker Tim Knicky, Wake Forest linebacker John Russell, Grand Valley State guard Nick McDonald, Eastern Illinois tackle Chris Campbell, and Texas-El Paso wide receiver Jeff Moturi.
Hes also one of the longer long-shots among them.
Starting at the bottom
At little Stillman College (enrollment: 915), a Division II school in Tuscaloosa, Ala., that competes in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, he led the SIAC with 1,247 yards last season and scored 11 touchdowns but went undrafted. Now, hes here, where hes at the bottom of the running back depth chart behind Ryan Grant, Brandon Jackson, Kregg Lumpkin and rookie sixth-round pick James Starks.
I dont look at the depth chart. Just seeing my name on my locker, it feels good, Porter said, still grinning. I was pretty optimistic going into the draft. Im a very optimistic person. So I thought I was going to get picked up in the fifth, sixth, seventh round. That didnt happen. Got called by the Colts, they were looking at me; got called by the Jaguars, they were looking at me. So every time they were on the clock, Id be in front of the TV going, Cmon, call me! Call me! Im worth it! Im worth it!
And then Green Bay, out of the blue They called me two weeks before the draft, one time. And I didnt know if I was still on their radar or not. And here I am.
Hes not the only one whos amazed.
Its surreal. Ive actually taken pictures on my cell phone and sent them to my parents and my girlfriend a picture from the top of Lambeau at night (from Thursday nights dinner), my name on the locker, my jersey with Zombo on the back. Its like Halloween when you dress up. Only now, its real, said Zombo, whos not only transitioning from college to pro football but also moving from defensive end in a 4-3 defense to outside linebacker in a 3-4.
Now, I want to stay here. (To do that), obviously you have to keep working. You cant let it overwhelm you. In the end, its football.
More than just happy to be here
But therein lies the challenge facing Zombo, Porter and the rest of the Packers undrafted free agents (not to mention the 28 players participating only on a tryout basis): Just happy to be here doesnt cut it.
I think its perfectly normal for guys to feel like that, said Packers general manager Ted Thompson, who made the Houston Oilers roster in 1975 as an undrafted free agent back when the draft was 17 rounds long. But theyll put those feelings away after a day or so and theyll know theyre here for business, to make the team and help this team win. Thats their sole purpose for being here, and its a challenge.
Back when Thompson, who addressed the players Friday morning, was a rookie linebacker coming out of Southern Methodist, there were no such things as rookie orientation camps, organized team activity practices or mandatory minicamps. Back then, training camp started before the Fourth of July for rookies, with the veterans reporting roughly three weeks later, after the rookie herd was thinned.
I was there with about 130 rookies, and they cut 30 that first afternoon because they didnt have enough beds, Thompson recalled.
The numbers arent quite as long for the Packers group, although of the 28 tryout players, only two or three of them if that will be kept past the weekend. Then, theyll join the 11 undrafted signees in what might be a fight for only one roster spot.
You just have to be confident, said Shepard, a four-year starter at South Dakota. As time goes on and you get more comfortable with the playbook and things like that, things will start to slow down. Dont get me wrong. The biggest thing for me is the playbook. Weve already installed about the size of my college playbook in two days.
It can be done
Despite those challenges, in four of the five years since Thompson took over as GM in 2005, at least one undrafted free agent the team had signed immediately following the draft wound up making the 53-man roster coming out of training camp: Offensive lineman Evan Dietrich-Smith of Idaho State last year; Lumpkin, from Georgia, in 2008; defensive tackle Daniel Muir from Kent State in 2007; and linebacker Roy Manning of Michigan and offensive lineman Chris White of Southern Mississippi in 2005.
They are proof that the odds can be overcome.
I know exactly what these guys are feeling, because I felt the same way when I was in here last year, said Dietrich-Smith, who was working out and happened to be in the locker room Friday while Porter was filming his video. Youre excited to be there, but now you have to realize that you really have to focus this is your job.
You just have to go fast and act like you know what youre doing. They throw a whole lot at you real fast, they give you your playbook and theyre like, Hey, be there tomorrow, know it, execute it. It was definitely overwhelming at first, but by the last day, youre running the same plays, you kind of start to get what you need to do. By the third day, if you show a lot of improvement, thats going to open some eyes.
Thats exactly what Porter plans on doing but not just during the rookie camp, which ends on Sunday, but throughout OTAs, minicamp and training camp, too.
Im going to bring a lot to this team. Green Bays going to benefit from bringing me in, Porter said, the smile still as wide as ever. Its going to be a ride. I cant wait. Im going to show yall a lot. You (reporters) are going to be in my face a lot the next couple weeks. Because Im about to shine a light big time.