Diary of an NFL hopeful: 'The facilities are unbelievable, I'm in Disneyland for athletes'

Christian Scotland-Williamson
Christian Scotland-Williamson is writing exclusive column during his 12-week training camp in the NFL's International Player Pathway Credit: Andrew Crowley 

On the day Worcester Warriors announced I was leaving rugby to take up American football, my phone blew up. I went through three full charges of battery between waking up and going to bed. 

It was like that for half the week. There were interview requests and friends, family and other well-wishers getting in touch. It was quite overwhelming to be honest. I knew this was a big deal, but maybe I didn’t realise it was that big

I had enough time to do the rounds and say my goodbyes before flying out last Sunday, and now I’ve gone straight into training at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida - just outside of Tampa. It’s an unbelievable facility. The way I’d describe it is Disneyland for athletes. 

Everything you could possibly want or need is here and taken care of. There are five of us living together in a villa and all of our meals are covered. The days are full-on.

We arrived on the Sunday and on the Monday we had admin and medical screening, a mental evaluation, then a tour. We met the coaches we are going to be under for the next 12 weeks, from strength and conditioning coaches and positional coaches to support staff - people on the operations side, nutritionists, psychologists. 

There are about 16 external coaching staff they have here for us. It’s pretty comprehensive. You can’t quite grasp the scale of the facilities, or how modern and high-tech they are, until you are here. I went to Loughborough University, one of the best in England and maybe Europe for sports facilities. This is a high school, and they have everything

I was having treatment on my first day and Bryan Bulaga, one of the Green Bay Packers’ linemen, was in there at the same time. Listening to his stories was amazing. He won the Super Bowl when he was 22 and has been in the NFL for eight years. 

Our speed coach is Dwight Phillips, who won Olympic gold in Athens for long jump. Earnest Byner is another coach. He has two Super Bowl rings.

One of the cool things here is that they also focus on mental skills. You have that in your schedule dedicated to preparing for life as an NFL athlete. It’s not just about being a physical freak. There are mental elements - dealing with pressure, learning how to perform. 

This week we had one session on media and another on breathing control, either to calm you down or to increase your heart-rate when you might be flagging. There is emphasis on mind over matter everywhere. As you might imagine from an America institute, there are loads of quotes and logos on the walls.

In the incubator 🖖🏾 #UniversalSoldier

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I obviously arrived from a different elite professional environment in rugby. I knew how big American sport is, but that gap, in terms of the resources available, still feels so big. 

Over the first three days, we had three nutritionists following us around, making sure we were hydrated and taking pictures of our food to get a gauge of our calorie intake. We had body fat scans over the first three days to figure out where we need to be. There will be another in six weeks and then a final one on March 12 before we come home.

We are up every day at 5.30am, with the first session starting at six. You have breakfast between 7am and 8.30 and then you are in meetings until another session. After recovery, you have lunch for an hour and then there are film reviews as part of your next meeting. 

Then you are out on the field for a minimum of 90 minutes, sometimes two hours for me. Last week, I spent a lot of time doing offensive line drills. Tight end is a hybrid position, so the ability to block is going to be my bread and butter. Running routes and catching is a bonus, really. 

The catching is the easier thing to transfer across from rugby, in comparison to blocking. You are never in those situations in rugby. I was amazed at how detailed it is. It’s a six-inch step rather than a 12-inch step or a lunge. Where in rugby you are used to lining up defensively, in the guard, shield, A, B or whatever, there are different names here for how you stand. 

Scotland-Williamson
Scotland-Williamson is learning blocking techniques that are different from his defensive duties in rugby Credit: BT Sport

You will be on an inside shoulder, an outside shoulder or central. You have to know whether you are in man coverage or zone coverage and that determines which type of step you take and where you put your hands. That’s all been in week one. 

We’ve done also some special teams stuff. As you’re making a name for yourself in the NFL, you might need to do well there, so it’s been a big focus over 12 weeks. 

About half of my sessions have been in pads, getting used to the feel of them. I thought the helmet would be more blinkered, but I can still catch and see... I will just have to work those neck muscles a bit harder.

In our house is Moritz Bohringer, who has been through this process before and has spent time with the Minnesota Vikings. There’s Jordan Mailata, who used to be with South Sydney Rabbitohs Under-20. He’s about my height and about 160 kilograms. He’s going to be a tackle, so we’ll partner up in blocking drills.

Tigie Sankoh is a defensive back from the London Warriors and Chris Ezeala is a line-backer or a running back who has played in German Football League. 

We also got tickets to see the Shrine Game, one of the college all-star games, at Tropicana Field in St Petersburg. We were pitch side, so we got up close and personal with athletes that are going to be the top picks in next year's draft. Ultimately, we could be competing with those guys in our rookie season. 

So far, this experience has been awesome - everything I thought it would be and more. It’s 25 degrees at the moment, too. That makes it hard not to feel happy, especially when I look back and see that it’s snowing in London. 

From the training we’ve been doing, I already feel well suited to this sport. I’m watching football from a player’s perspective now, instead of just as a fan, which is completely different. There’s so much more detail.

Marcedes Lewis 
Marcedes Lewis catches for a touchdown in the AFC Championship game Credit: AP

During the AFC Championship on Sunday, Jacksonville scored a touchdown with a tight end, Marcedes Lewis, running an out-route to the corner. Because he was so big, he got free. Hopefully that’s the kind of stuff I’ll be able to do. 

Seeing Alex Grey get re-signed and given a chance to compete for the 53-man roster after one year really drives me because of how much I’ve improved after week one. All four guys on the pathway last year have been re-signed for the off-season by their respective franchises.

For all of us here at the moment, that is the standard we have to get to. What they have done makes it a more tangible, more realistic ambition. That can definitely be a driver over the next 12 weeks and throughout the year. This dream is definitely doable. 

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