Flexibility

In 2004 the Tennessee Titans signed Jarrett Payton as a free agent. He had a solid but unspectacular career at the University of Miami. He earned a starting spot when Frank Gore tore the second ACL in his college career. Most experts thought that he was selected solely for his name. After all, Jeff Fisher played with his dad.

When Payton joined the team, trainers quickly figured out that he was one of the least flexible professional athletes in history. Payton couldn’t touch his toes. A year on the practice squad prepared him to earn a spot on the Titans’ 53-man roster this fall.

Today I ‘graduated’ from physical therapy. The bottom line? I need to get more flexible. The more flexible I am, the less likely I am to get injured.

I do need to get back into shape. I focused on the back the last time I did weights and was sore for two days. Saturday’s return to the football field resulted in three days of soreness. And you know what? It’s worth it. It’s 90 degrees and 90 percent humidity, or in Atlanta, a typical summer day, and we’re having fun.

The AUFL draft commences in 38 days. So far I haven’t taken the time to prepare like I have in past years. My wife’s idea to have entrance music not unlike what plays before MLB batters come to the plate seems close to fruition. Should the individual owner select their entrance music, or should it be selected by the owner’s peers? So far I like the idea of the latter. We’ll see.