Nothing says welcome to the NFL like a 12-hour meeting scrunched throughout two days.
Drew Miller sat down with Jacksonville Jaguars' offensive line coach Andy Heck and went over everything from what gap to hit when Maurice Jones-Drew bounces out to the outside to how to keep David Garrard on his feet. UF's former captain and center has joined the lengthy list of undrafted free agents trying to make an NFL squad.
"It's been like cramming for a final," he said.
Except now, if he fails these finals, he doesn't have a job.
"Going into it, I was nervous," Miller said of the meeting with Heck. "He said to ask any questions, and he said I picked it up pretty quickly. I'm just doing whatever they tell me to do."
Former Gator tackle Carlton Medder, who signed with Arizona, is in the same boat, and it's not easy. Former defensive end Derrick Harvey, who the Jaguars plucked with the No. 8 pick, is sitting with a plush signing bonus and a guaranteed contract. He's got it easy. Even former wideout Andre Caldwell is essentially guaranteed a roster spot as the Cincinnati Bengals grabbed him in the third round.
But at least Medder and Miller got to choose where they ended up. After "Mr. Irrelevant," the last player chosen in the draft, was picked, Miller and Medder's phones started to ring. After hearing from the Cardinals, Medder heard from the Chicago Bears - who actually told him they may draft him in the late rounds - and the San Diego Chargers.
"I hadn't ever talked to the Cardinals," Medder said. "But they're the ones that wanted to pick me up. They called me like 20 minutes after the draft. I wasn't expecting them to call me. They didn't talk to me at all throughout the whole process."
With family already out living in the Phoenix heat and an opportunity to make the team, Medder felt the Cardinals were his best chance.
But, no matter where they are, it's an uphill climb to be listed on the final 53-man roster.
"It's been pretty crazy," Miller said. "The main thing for me is that the terminology is different. The core words are different."
Not everybody has been using Urban Meyer's playbook. Tim Tebow isn't in the NFL yet.
"We got different terms," Medder said. "You have got to get down the different code words. You've got to get the language down, and you'll be fine."
At least Miller has Harvey and former UF safety Reggie Nelson - who Jacksonville took in the first round last season - there for support. Medder is also joined with receiver Jemalle Cornelius, who he says he has lunch with every day.
And Cornelius certainly understands what the heavy-set duo are going through. Since the spring of 2007, Cornelius has been from Buffalo to Indianapolis and now to Arizona. Three cities in just more than a year makes for a lot of packing.
"He kind of knows the ins and outs," said Medder, who has changed position from tackle to left guard. "Make sure you know the plays. You can ask anybody else for help. If I ask the guys a question, they sit down and work it out with me. I appreciate it. They say, 'Don't worry about it, you got another day.'"
Well, maybe there will be another day.
"Anything can happen," Medder said. "That seventh d-lineman might be that good, and they say we don't need that left guard. I just got to try and execute the players and let them know they can rely on me."
