Back in the Yard, Barkers!

Sorry for the delay - I have been running ragged since the draft. The days just keep flying by. It has been the quickest two weeks I have ever experienced. After sharing that great day with you I jumped on a plane to Cincinnati to meet the Bengals staff and the media. I flew home to LA the next day (Monday) and had to catch up on some class and repack. We had rookie mini camp that week so I had to get ready to head back to Cincinnati Thursday. Then it was mini camp, meeting the coaches, the rest of the draft class and the other guys. I flew back to LA Sunday and started getting ready for finals - my first one is today in Micro Economics. We'll see how that goes.

It was cool meeting the rest of the draft class and to see the coaching style I will be experiencing from here on out. It was a rookie camp so there weren't many of the veterans around. I did meet Odell Thurman and Ahmad Brooks - they were really good guys and I'm glad I got to spend some time with them. I did talk to Odell about getting #55, but he's pretty attached to it and I understand why. The number suits him playing the SAM. He was really nice about it and I appreciated him talking to me about it. For now I am wearing #58 and have to decide if that's what I'll stay in.

Mini camp was a different experience. I feel like I started to pick up the defense and was able to compete by the end. I was talking to LJ (Lawrence Jackson) and he took the words right out of my mouth - it is a different grind. The body was definitely beat down but there are more mental gymnastics in the NFL. It's much more of a work grind than the college game. It took me a little bit to get the feel for it but by the last day I felt like I could go out and play my game.

I guess it was fitting that the first day ends with a Trojan getting selected - Terrell Thomas going to the Giants. It meant so much to see all the guys get drafted and I know there will be more tomorrow. Some of these guys had a chance to leave early but we stayed together because we knew we had something special. To win all the Pac 10 championships together, we all came in about the same time. I am really proud of all of them and I'm thankful that I had a chance to play with them.

USC has the NFL scheme on defense and then you're being coached by Pete Carroll and Ken Norton Jr. and the guys who have spent time in the NFL. I have heard from a lot of guys that having that NFL atmosphere makes the transition to the NFL a little easier.

I brought my charger with me because I knew the phone would be blowing up. It has been buzzing non stop. I have gotten 90 text messages and I don't know how many calls. The best call was from Marvin Lewis of course, but I was really excited to get calls from Carson Palmer and John Thornton. They are the two leaders of the team and for them to call means an awful lot to me. I will be flying into Cincinnati tomorrow morning. I didn't realize it was so far away from Florida.

Matt Leinart called and left an awesome message. We were roommates when I first came to USC. It was great hearing his voice. Lofa (Tatupu) called just before the pick. I couldn't believe it - I told him 'Lofa I'm waiting for a team to call.' It was great talking to him though. He just wanted to wish me well. Reggie Bush sent a text so did Thomas Williams and Terrell Thomas. It's been great hearing from all my friends and teammates.

This is an absolutely surreal experience. I am numb right now. I'm not sure what to do - jump up and down or cry - I'm just so excited about being a Cincinnati Bengal. Coach Marvin Lewis made the call. When my phone rang it was an unknown number and I had some friends calling before that so I wasn't sure if I should answer it. I was thrilled to get the call. My agent called after that and told me Carson Palmer was jumping up and down. I will be too - I'm a Cincinnati Bengal!

One thing I am enjoying about today is being surrounded by my friends and family. I have a full house. We are having the party in a suite at the Marriott and I wanted to keep it private with my closest friends. I have my mom and dad and my two brothers, Gary and Reggie, my aunt and cousins. My high school coaches Greg Stanton and Willie Pauldo and three of my high school teammates, John Riga, Larry Pirollo and Pat Barrett are here. It's great being with everyone.

We'll get some photos loaded up soon.

Being back home is bringing back some great memories. Walking back out onto the field at Lake Mary High School reminded me of some big wins and some big hits. Willie Pauldo was my position coach and defensive coordinator. He taught me a lot about the game and helped get me ready for the next level. Now it's draft day. I'm looking forward to hearing my name called and learning where I am going to be playing. It's an exciting day.

What's up Yard?!

Been busy the last couple days. Knocked out my midterms in Econ and did a bunch of interviews today - two on ESPN, a couple on the radio and one with a New England Patriots blog.

I leave tomorrow morning for Lake Mary, FL where I will take in the draft with my family and friends. My brother Gary has been putting much of it together for me while I'm working through school. I am looking forward to getting home and seeing everyone. A few of my friends growing up will be there, my high school coach will be there and of course my family will be there. It's going to be a memorable experience.

I'll be getting the photos and the video and the comments ready for all of you too. Looking forward to sharing my draft experience right here in the Yard with all of you.

What's up Yardbarkers?

This is already shaping up to be an interesting week for me. We all know the draft is coming up so I have to get ready to fly home to Florida for a draft party with my family and friends. Meanwhile I still have my obligations at school that I have to focus on - I have two midterms this week.

I have three classes to graduate with a degree in Public Policy Development. The two classes I am working hard in right now are Micro and Macro Economics. It's been interesting learning about the Keynesian Model and applying some of the teachings to what we're going through now.

With all the draft preparation it has been tough to focus on school, but I am working hard at it. With all the traveling and individual workouts and the combine I don't get a chance to read the chapters when I'd like to and for me a big part of learning this stuff is being in class. I do have a tutor and that helps, but I prefer to be in class to hear the professor explain things and discuss the problems we might be facing on the tests.

I am studying a few hours a day and going through the notes and all the powerpoints online to get ready. I have my Macro Economics midterm Tuesday and the Micro on Wednesday. I'll be studying the next couple days but I will get back to you later in the week and fill you in on my travel plans and the draft day party we're going to have in Lake Mary.

As promised I am back in the Yard to fill you in on my trip to Detroit.

I flew into Detroit right after my New England visit. I got in Tuesday night and spent Wednesday at the Lions facility. I felt at home with all the Trojans there - I met with Joe Barry and Rod Marinelli and Shaun Cody, one of my former teammates. They gave me a tour of the facility and I ran into Buster Davis, who I played against in high school. He was a senior when I was a sophomore and they beat us 21-7 but we were debating who had the better game.

I got a chance to spend time with Matt Millen. He was very straight forward. He told me what to expect in my first year and how to make the transition from college to pro. It was some really good advice about eventually becoming the player who makes his teammates better. And he would know. He was a great linebacker.

Detroit really impressed me. The players enjoy being there. It was kind of like when I first came to USC to visit. Everyone was so upbeat and working hard. The Lions are going to turn the corner you could just feel it.

What's up yard?!

I wanted to keep you updated on what's going on with me. I just got back to la from my team visits to New England and Detroit. Both trips were fun.

I went to New England Monday night and visited with the coaches Tuesday for about 5 hours. I met with Coach Patricia, the linebackers coach, Coach Pees, the defensive coordinator and Coach Belichick. We watched film from the Cal game, the Arizona game and a little of the Notre Dame game. They went through their defense, the 3-4 with me. I also met a couple of the players. They were there working out, going into meetings and watching film. You could see why they are so good because they are always looking to get better all year round.

You could feel the winning environment right when you walk in. They pay attention to every detail. It was awesome because you see how much they prepare and what goes into having an amazing season as they did. They have pictures of all the great plays covering the walls from the whole season. They only put up pictures after they win so as you could imagine they had a lot of pictures on the wall.

I'll write about my Detroit trip next time.

Coming to USC, I wanted to compete against the best, and that's exactly what it's been. It's been a journey with great players, and as we approach our next journey, I just want to say that I'm proud that I got an opportunity to play with every last one of these guys that are coming out. They're going to be great pros. Here is a video of me and my road dawg Thomas Williams talking about the USC guys coming out in this year's NFL Draft.

Ken Norton, Jr. has been both a coach and a mentor to me and my road dawg, Thomas Williams. We owe all of our success to him. He's taught us everything we know, and he's been there for us as a surrogate father since we're in college away from home, through the good times and the bad times. Thanks, Ken.

Keith

Thanks everyone for your comments and positive messages. If you haven't seen it already on T-Will's blog, check out this video from the day after Pro Day at USC. Me and Thomas Williams recap a hard day's work.

What's up, Yardbarkers? I'm excited to be joining the Yard. I'm a USC linebacker from Lake Mary, FL. I came all the way out to L.A. It's been a great four years. I'm excited to make the jump to the NFL. Just had Pro Day yesterday. Things went fairly well, and now I've got upcoming trips to visit with teams: New Orleans, New England, Detroit and Dallas. It's an exciting time but I've got to play the waiting game, and right now it all takes a back seat to finishing classes, taking finals, and getting a degree in public policy development.

Keith