Green Bay - For four weeks, Graham Harrell wasn't allowed to touch a football. His trainer wouldn't let him.
To the backdrop of "Renegade" by Styx or "Sail" by AWOLNATION, the Green Bay Packers quarterback was at the row machine, hurling a medicine ball or whipping through a footwork drill.
"He was relentless," trainer Bobby Stroupe said. "When that ball hits the wall, he wants it to be the loudest. When he's doing rows, Graham is the strongest guy we have. He got up to six plates. This guy is competitive."
Eighteen weeks and 14 added pounds later, Stroupe hopes he's sending the Packers a new quarterback. Make no mistake; the Packers are taking a risk at quarterback. After Matt Flynn signed with the Seattle Seahawks in free agency, general manager Ted Thompson was content sticking with Harrell and drafting B.J. Coleman in the seventh round. This year's string of organized team activities probably means more to Harrell than any other offensive player.
This former "system quarterback" who broke a scroll of records in Texas Tech's BB-gun offense has a chance to be Aaron Rodgers' backup. Harrell hopes his grueling off-season in Tyler, Texas, pays off.
He says his arm is much stronger. He's driving the ball with more power.
"Absolutely," Harrell said. "With all the shoulder stuff, I definitely saw improvement in my velocity. And the flexibility, that's huge for me. Every morning, I'd get up there and we'd get after it."
At Accelerate Performance Enhancement Center (APEC), Stroupe has trained both NFL and major-league baseball players - particularly pitchers. Stroupe has worked with Philip Humber of the Chicago White Sox who threw a perfect game in April. The true results won't be revealed for a while. Game situations.
But already, teammates are kidding with Harrell. One told him he treated this off-season like the video-game, Madden, adding to his "arm strength" attribute.
Nothing happened overnight. Stroupe says the quarterback never endured a training program like this. He was a gamer, not a lifter. When Stroupe first tested Harrell, he was surprised at just how inflexible he was. Harrell was stiff in all joints that require rotation. His hips, groin, ankles, elbows, everything.
"The first thing we did was try to break those barriers," Stroupe said. "And then we tried to strengthen his body through rotation. We strengthened the rotator cuff and scapula region. A lot of the same things you'd do with a pitcher, but we did a lot of it in motion because he's always moving when he's throwing as opposed to a pitcher."
The duo trained five times a week, for 18 weeks. Each workout began with 45 minutes of lunging, stretching and functional movement - "the toughest part of each workout," Harrell said. After the prolonged stretching, they dived into either speed training or weight training.
Speed, twice a week. Weights, three times a week.
One day, Harrell may have been deep into plyometrics. Another day, footwork drills. Harrell wasn't uncorking 400-pound power cleans, but there was a heavy emphasis on shoulder training.
Stroupe had the quarterback do a lot on the rowing machine and various high-pull exercises. By the 18th week, Harrell was rowing six 45-pound plates and transferring all of this to the field. Yes, they did pick up a football again. Gradually. By the end of the program, Harrell threw four days a week out of "different moving patterns," Stroupe said.
"When you're doing shoulder work, you might have a two-point dumbbell or five-pound weight," Harrell said. "You're working with little weights but just working on that and flexibility was huge for me. And just throwing is always important. I did all of that when I was home and I think it'll be huge for me."
At first glance, Harrell's shoulders are broader and more cut.
"He's looking big," Packers tight end Jermichael Finley said. "That ball has some juice on it now. I've been seeing the work in his steps. He has the timing down. Once Graham gets it down - as you've seen in college - when he's comfortable, he can sling that rock. I just can't wait."
Packers offensive coordinator Tom Clements, who has worked with Harrell as close as anyone these last two years, also sees a difference.
"He has gotten stronger, a little bigger and more muscular," Clements said. "I always felt that Graham has had a knack for throwing the ball. The ball gets where it is supposed to be with enough velocity. He can make all the throws that are required."
Harrell is fighting history. He's well aware that quarterbacks from the pass-happy offense Mike Leach built at Texas Tech have not produced in the NFL. On Tuesday, he pointed to the latest example of teams not trusting quarterbacks like him. Houston's Case Keenum, who broke Harrell's NCAA passing touchdown record, went undrafted.
There is a stigma. And it has taken Harrell to the Canadian Football League and back. This past off-season was designed to help finally "break that mold," Harrell said.
He has taken one major step forward. Harrell doesn't live in a basement apartment anymore. He got married this off-season and moved into a hotel in Green Bay. His wife wasn't too crazy about the whole basement thing. And, hey, he loves the free cookies every morning at the hotel.
"I'd stay there the whole time if she let me. I love it," Harrell said. "You get clean towels and your bed made every day. You can't complain about that. Love it."
And if all goes according to plan, maybe he'll be moving into a house down the road.
First thing's first. Winning the No. 2 job.
"I feel good," Harrell said. "I throw every day so I can't see it but people say I look good. So that's encouraging. A lot of it has to do with the right kind of training."
Tyler Dunne wrote: