Survival of the fittest

Seahawks linebacker Lofa Tatupu, who went to his first training camp last summer, is ready for Camp 2--when he won't be a rookie.

Have you seen the movie Groundhog Day? I felt like Bill Murray during camp--just the same thing over and over. Each day you're up around 6:30, and meetings usually go until 10 at night. You might try to eat lunch a little quicker so you can get back to the dorm and get in bed to rest your feet because they're hurting. Imagine walking on hot coals.

The two-a-days in college were a little more physically grueling than training camp practices. The good thing about the NFL is the coaches know when to push and when to back off, and I think rookies will be pleasantly surprised by that. But I don't want to downplay it: Practices are demanding, and it's more tough mentally in the pros. Everybody is good. The playbook is thick, and if you're not in your book, it's going to be obvious. In training camp, you're mixing in all 80 to 100 plays you learned in minicamp. I know my head was spinning.

I came into camp a little late because of my contract, but I was diligent about getting with guys like Niko Koutouvides and Isaiah Kacyvenski to help me learn the system. Guys got in their jokes about me arriving late, though. My first day, coach Holmgren said, "Hey, welcome to camp. Did you get the $10 that you were waiting for?" I laughed and said, "Yeah. I got all 10 of 'era." He turned around and said, "Well, good, 'cause I just fined you that $10 for not signing in for weight."

See, there's a fine system, and I guess I hadn't read through my fine sheet properly because I didn't weigh in. You get checked in for everything; a couple of the fines cost $9,000. We have a little fine system as a defense, too, just to keep camp exciting. Say someone is found not giving good effort on a play, you might dock him $10.

Going into your first camp, the most important thing is you have to know your place. Rookies are to be seen, not heard. That said, you should try to cling to some of the veterans who know what they're doing. They're usually cool and aren't going to big-time you if you try to talk to them. Make sure you're consistent on the field. If you're going to make a mistake, make a different one.

Oh, and get a bike. It's the best $50 to $100 you can spend. If you don't get one, your feet will hurt even more.

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